JP7318502B2 - Coin handling equipment and automatic transaction equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a coin processing apparatus and an automatic transaction apparatus, and is suitable for application to, for example, an automatic teller machine (ATM) that allows a customer to insert banknotes and coins to carry out desired transactions.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, automatic teller machines and the like used in financial institutions, etc., have been widely used, for example, to deposit cash such as banknotes and coins into customers and to withdraw cash to customers in accordance with the content of transactions with customers. Widespread.

Some automatic teller machines include a coin processing device for processing coins. The coin processing apparatus includes, for example, a deposit/withdrawal unit for receiving and delivering coins to and from a customer, a stacking/separating unit for stacking coins and separating the stacked coins one by one and feeding them out, a transport unit for transporting coins, and a coin transport unit. It has an identification unit (also referred to as a recognition unit) that identifies the denomination, authenticity, etc., and a storage unit that stores coins by denomination.

As the stacking/separating unit, for example, an inclined disk (also called a rotating disk) having a central axis tilted from the horizontal direction is configured to be rotatable, and protrusions are provided on the disk surface to form a stacking space for stacking coins. A stacking cover (also called a hopper) has been proposed in which the lower end is formed along the lower portion of the outer circumference of the inclined disk (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this stacking/separating section, by rotating the inclined disc, the protrusions hook the coins one by one and feed them out.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-73434 (Fig. 4, etc.)

By the way, in the stacking/separating section of the coin processing apparatus described above, when the coin caught on the projection of the rotating disk is delivered to the conveying section, the coin is moved to the outer peripheral side while being slid on the surface of the disk. For this reason, the rotating disc is designed to smoothly slide on the trajectory along which the coins slide in the vicinity of the outer periphery without providing any other projections or the like.

In addition, in the stacking/separating section, near the bottom of the stacking space, the interval between the inclined disk and the stacking cover becomes narrower as it goes downward. As a result, in the stacking/separating section, the coins stacked in the stacking space are agitated by the rotation of the disk, etc., so that the coins that have approached the bottom due to the action of gravity are gradually brought closer to the inclined disk, and eventually It can be hooked on the protrusion of the inclined disk.

However, in this stacking/separating section, near the bottom of the stacking space, coins may fall over toward the stacking cover side opposite to the disk surface side. As a result, there is a problem that the stacking/separating portion has a portion in the vicinity of the outer periphery where projections cannot be provided, so that the coin cannot be hooked and the coin may not be fed out normally.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and intends to propose a coin processing apparatus and an automatic transaction apparatus that can smoothly pay out accumulated effects.

In order to solve this problem, the coin processing apparatus of the present invention comprises a stacking/separating section that stacks coins and separates and feeds the coins one by one, and a conveying section that conveys the coins fed from the stacking/separating section. The stacking/separating unit has a disk surface whose normal is inclined upward with respect to the horizontal direction, is rotatably supported about the central axis of the disk surface, and rotates in a predetermined rotation direction an accumulating cover provided on the normal side of the disc surface of the inclined disc and forming a coin accumulating space for accumulating coins between the disc surface and the disc surface; a separation projection provided at a position near the disk surface, protruding in the normal direction from the disk surface, and rotating integrally with the inclined disk to contact and convey coins; and a conveying belt that runs along a part of the coin conveying path on the conveying unit side in synchronism with the separating projection along a part of the rotation track of the separating projection on the stacking/separating unit side. , is provided in the conveyor belt, and when the conveyor belt moves along a part of the rotation orbit of the separation projection on the side of the stacking and separating section, it enters the notch, and hits the coin while taking over from the separation projection when moving to the conveyor section. A pin that contacts and conveys the coin after moving to the conveying section, and a pin that is outside the movement path on the disc surface along which the coin moves when it is delivered from the stacking and separating section side to the conveying section side. and a stirring projection formed at least on the outer peripheral side of the pin that has entered the notch.

Further, the coin processing apparatus of the present invention is provided with a stacking/separating section for stacking coins and for separating and feeding the coins one by one, and a conveying section for transporting the coins fed from the stacking/separating section. an inclined disk having a disk surface with a normal line inclined upward with respect to the horizontal direction, supported rotatably about the central axis of the disk surface, and rotating in a predetermined rotation direction; A stacking cover provided on the normal side of the disk surface of the disk and forming a coin stacking space for stacking coins between the disk surface and the disk surface, and provided at a position away from the outer periphery of the disk surface toward the central axis, a separation projection protruding from the disk surface in the normal direction, rotating integrally with the inclined disk to abut and convey coins, a notch formed by cutting a part of the outer periphery of the disk surface toward the central axis side, and stacking a conveyor belt that runs along a part of the coin transport path on the transport part side after running in synchronization with the separation protrusion along a part of the rotation track of the separation protrusion on the separation part side; , when the conveyor belt moves along a part of the rotation track of the separation protrusion on the side of the stacking/separating section, it enters the notch, and when it moves to the conveying section, it takes over from the separation protrusion and contacts the coin to convey it. The pin that continues to contact and convey the coin after moving to the part, and the notch peripheral edge portion located on the periphery of the notch portion on the disk surface, the portion on the opposite side to the notch portion in the rotation direction is located more than the disk surface. A stirring projection protruding in the normal direction is provided.

Further, the automatic transaction apparatus of the present invention is provided with an operation unit for receiving user's operation and the above-described coin handling apparatus.

According to the present invention, even if a coin is tilted toward the stacking cover between the tilting disc and the stacking cover, and the separation protrusion and the pin cannot contact the coin when the tilting disc rotates, the stirring protrusion does not move the coin. , the coin can be brought in contact with the separation protrusion by breaking its posture and tilting it toward the inclined disk.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the coin processing apparatus and automatic transaction apparatus which can draw out the accumulated effect smoothly can be implement|achieved.

It is a rough-line perspective view which shows the structure of an automatic teller machine. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a coin processing device; FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an upper separation section; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an upper separation section; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an upper separation section; FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of residual stirring projections and the coin feeding according to the first embodiment; FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing coin feeding in the upper separating section; FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing delivery of coins from the stacking/separating unit to the separating/conveying unit; FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of residual stirring projections according to a second embodiment; FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an upper separation section according to a third embodiment; FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of an upper separating portion according to a third embodiment; FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of residual stirring projections according to a third embodiment; FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing separation and delivery of coins according to the third embodiment; FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing separation and delivery of coins according to the third embodiment; FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of residual stirring projections according to another embodiment; FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of residual stirring projections according to another embodiment; FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of residual stirring projections according to another embodiment;

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the form (it is mentioned as embodiment below) for implementing invention is demonstrated using drawing.

[1. First Embodiment]
[1-1. Configuration of automatic teller machine]
As shown in FIG. 1, an automatic teller machine 1 as an automatic transaction device is mainly composed of a box-shaped housing 2, and is installed, for example, in a financial institution, various commercial facilities, etc., and a user ( (i.e., customers of financial institutions, commercial facilities, etc.).

The front side of the housing 2 is provided with a reception section 3 at a position where the user can easily insert bills or operate the touch panel while facing the user. The reception unit 3 directly exchanges, for example, cash and cards with the user, and receives information on transactions and operation instructions. , an operation display unit 6, a numeric keypad 7, and a receipt issuing port 8 are provided.

The card inlet/outlet 4 is a portion into which various cards such as a cash card are inserted or ejected. A card processor (not shown) for reading account numbers and the like magnetically recorded on various cards is provided at the far side of the card inlet/outlet 4 . The coin deposit/withdrawal port 5 is a portion into which coins deposited by a customer are inserted and coins to be dispensed to a user are discharged. Also, the coin deposit/withdrawal port 5 is opened or closed by driving a shutter. Incidentally, the reception section 3 is also provided with a banknote deposit/withdrawal port (not shown) through which banknotes to be deposited by the user are inserted and banknotes to be dispensed to the customer are discharged.

The operation display unit 6 as an operation unit is a touch panel in which a liquid crystal display panel for displaying an operation screen, transaction details, etc. during a transaction and a touch sensor for detecting a user's input operation are integrated. The numeric keypad 7 is a physical key that accepts input of numbers such as "0" to "9", and is used for input operations such as personal identification numbers and transaction amounts. The receipt issuing port 8 is a part for issuing a receipt on which transaction details and the like are printed at the end of transaction processing.

Hereinafter, the side facing the user of the automatic teller machine 1 is referred to as the front side, the opposite side is referred to as the rear side, and the left and right sides as viewed from the user facing the front side are referred to as the left side and the right side, respectively. Define and describe the lower side.

Inside the housing 2, there are a main control unit 9 that controls the entire automated teller machine 1, a coin processing unit 10 that performs various processing related to coins to be traded, and a banknote processing unit 10 that performs various processing related to banknotes. A device (not shown) or the like is provided. The main control unit 9 is mainly composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) (not shown), and reads and executes a predetermined program from a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, etc. (not shown) to perform deposit processing and withdrawal processing. Various treatments such as gold treatment are performed. The main control unit 9 also has a storage unit such as a RAM (random access memory), a hard disk drive, a flash memory, etc., and stores various information in this storage unit.

[1-2. Configuration of coin processing device]
As shown in the schematic right side view of FIG. 2, the coin processing device 10 has a coin processing device housing 11 with a plurality of parts that perform various processes related to coins. This coin is made of a non-magnetic material having sufficient strength, such as an alloy of copper and nickel or aluminum, and is formed into a thin disc shape. Incidentally, the coin processing device 10 is supposed to handle a plurality of types of coins having different diameters. Hereinafter, the coin with the largest diameter is called the largest diameter coin, and the coin with the smallest diameter is called the smallest diameter coin. In addition, the coin with the largest thickness is called the maximum thickness coin, and the coin with the smallest thickness is called the minimum thickness coin. In the coin processing apparatus 10 installed in Japan, the maximum diameter coin and the maximum thickness coin are 500 yen coins, and the minimum diameter coin and the minimum thickness coin are 1 yen coins. Incidentally, the thickness of a 1-yen coin is about 1.5 [mm].

In the inside of the coin handling device housing 11, a deposit/withdrawal section 13, a chute section 14, an upper separating section 15, a recognition conveying section 16, a delivery section 17, a pin belt conveying section 18, six A stacker section 21, a withdrawal transport section 22, and a temporary holding section 23 are provided. Inside the coin handling device housing 11, relatively lower side, there are a coin control unit 12, a replenishment collection box 24, a first replenishment reject box 25, a second refill reject box 26, a reject box 27, and a non-collection storage. A warehouse 28 and a lower separation section 29 are provided.

Like the main control unit 9, the coin control unit 12 is mainly composed of a CPU (not shown). Various processes related to are performed, and the coin processing device 10 is centrally controlled. The coin control section 12 also has a storage section such as a RAM and a flash memory inside, and stores various information in this storage section.

The deposit/withdrawal unit 13 deposits coins to the customer or dispenses coins to the customer by delivering coins to and from the customer. The deposit/withdrawal unit 13 includes a container 13A that has an opening on the upper side and stores coins, a shutter 13B that opens and closes the opening, and a sensor (not shown) that detects the presence or absence of coins in the container 13A. )have.

When a customer throws a coin into the receptacle 13A with the shutter 13B open, the deposit/withdrawal section 13 closes the shutter 13B and delivers the coin from the receptacle 13A to the chute section 14. The inside is lowered to reach the inside of the upper separating portion 15 . When a coin is conveyed from a pin belt conveying section 18 (to be described later) with the shutter 13B closed, the deposit/withdrawal section 13 accommodates the coin in the container 13A, and then opens the shutter 13B to allow the customer to receive the coin. get it.

The upper separating section 15 is composed of a stacking/separating section 15A which occupies a relatively large volume on the lower side, and a separating/transporting section 15B formed so as to protrude upward from the stacking/separating section 15A. The upper separating section 15 stacks coins in the stacking/separating section 15A, separates the coins one by one, conveys them upward by the separating conveying section 15B, and conveys them backward along the conveying path. and handed over to the recognition transport unit 16 (details will be described later).

The recognition/conveyance unit 16 as a recognition unit is located on the right side of the chute unit 14 and captures an image of a coin while conveying it. Based on the above, it is determined whether or not the coin can be handled. After that, the recognition/conveying unit 16 notifies the coin control unit 12 of the obtained determination result as the recognition result of the coin, and delivers the coin to the delivery unit 17 . The delivery unit 17 delivers the coin received from the recognition transportation unit 16 to the pin belt transportation unit 18 .

The pin belt conveying unit 18 as a conveying unit moves the lower front, lower, rear and upper sides of the stacker unit 21 by a front pin belt conveying unit 18F, a lower pin belt conveying unit 18L, a rear pin belt conveying unit 18R and an upper pin belt conveying unit 18U, respectively. It surrounds and forms the transport path W. The pin-belt conveying unit 18 is composed of a conveying guide that abuts on the board surface of the coin and guides the coins along the conveying path W, and a pin belt that runs generally along the conveying path W. As shown in FIG. The pin belt is provided with a pin that biases the coin from the trailing end thereof in the conveying direction. The pin belt conveying unit 18 can convey the coins received from the delivery unit 17 along the conveying path W and discharge the coins into the container 13</b>A of the deposit/withdrawal unit 13 by running the pin belt.

Further, the pin belt conveying section 18 is provided with branching sections 19 for branching the coin conveying path at a plurality of locations in the front lower and lower portions of the stacker section 21 . A guide portion 30 for guiding coins is provided on the left side of each branch portion 19 .

Each branching portion 19 has a rotatable guide plate, an actuator, etc. (none of which are shown). It is switched whether to proceed along the pin belt conveying section 18 or branch to each guide section 30 . Each guiding unit 30 advances the coin to the replenishment collection box 24, the first replenishment reject box 25, the temporary storage part 23, the reject box 27, the non-collected coin receiving box 28, and the like.

Furthermore, the pin belt conveying section 18 is provided with stacker branching sections 20 at six locations above the six stacker sections 21 . A guide portion for guiding coins to the stacker portion 21 is provided on the left side of each stacker branch portion 20 . Each stacker branching section 20 is configured in the same manner as each branching section 19 , and by rotating the guide plate based on the control of the coin control section 12 , the coin continues to advance along the pin belt conveying section 18 . , or to branch to each stacker unit 21 .

The stacker unit 21 is associated with each coin of a predetermined denomination. , and a delivery section for delivering coins from the lower side of the stacking section. When the stacker section 21 receives the coin transported by the pin belt transport section 18 from the stacker branch section 20, the guide section guides the coin to the stacking section for stacking. Also, under the control of the coin control unit 12, the stacker unit 21 feeds out the coins accumulated in the accumulation unit one by one, and drops them into the disbursement conveying unit 22 or the temporary holding unit 23 below.

The withdrawal conveying unit 22 is located on the right side of the pin belt conveying unit 18, that is, on the near side of the plane of FIG. It forms a space that can be obtained. In addition, the coin disbursement conveying section 22 has a belt conveying mechanism including a belt, pulleys, etc. incorporated in its bottom portion, and the coins fed out from the stacker section 21 are placed or accumulated on the belt. With the coins placed or accumulated on the belt, the withdrawal conveying unit 22 runs the upper part of the belt forward, thereby dropping the coins into the temporary holding unit 23 on the front side. .

The temporary holding section 23 has a configuration in which the rear end of the withdrawal transport section 22 is lowered, the front end is raised, and the left and right side plates are formed in a triangular shape. , a belt transport mechanism is incorporated at the bottom. Therefore, the temporary storage unit 23 places or stacks the coins fed from the stacker unit 21 or the coins transported from the dispensing transport unit 22 on the belt in the internal space. In addition, the temporary holding unit 23 feeds the coins to the upper separation unit 15 on the front side by causing the upper part of the belt to run obliquely upward and forward while the coins are placed or accumulated on the belt. , drop into it.

The replenishment collection box 24 has a stacking section for stacking coins therein, a transport mechanism for transporting the coins stacked in the stacking section, and the like. The replenishment/recovery box 24 accumulates the coins guided by the guide section 30 and feeds out the accumulated coins rearward to deliver them to the lower separating section 29 . The first replenishment reject box 25 and the second replenishment reject box 26 each have a space for stacking coins therein, and stack coins guided by the guide section 30 . The reject box 27 and the non-taken box 28 each have a space for stacking coins therein, and stack the coins guided by the guide section 30 .

The lower separation section 29 is arranged at a position adjacent to the rear side of the replenishment collection box 24 . The lower separating section 29 has a configuration similar to that of the upper separating section 15, and is composed of a stacking/separating section 29A and a separating/conveying section 29B corresponding to the stacking/separating section 15A and the separating/conveying section 15B, respectively. The stacking/separating section 29A receives coins from the replenishment/collection box 24, stacks them inside, separates the stacked coins one by one, and delivers them to the separating/conveying section 29B. The separating/conveying unit 29B conveys the coins received from the stacking/separating unit 29A upward one by one, and discharges them from the discharge port of the temporary storage unit 23 into the internal space.

[1-3. Conveyance of coins in various processes]
Next, various processes associated with coin transport in the coin processing apparatus 10, that is, coin transport and stacking in deposit processing and payout processing will be described. Here, processing in the coin processing device 10 when deposit transactions and withdrawal transactions are performed between the automatic teller machine 1 and a customer will be described.

[1-3-1. Conveyance of coins in deposit transactions]
First, a case where a deposit transaction is performed with a customer in the automated teller machine 1 (FIG. 1) will be described. In this case, the coin processing apparatus 10 counts the number of coins deposited by the customer while recognizing the denomination of the coins deposited by the customer in the preceding deposit counting process. Transport to the storage location and store.

Specifically, the coin control unit 12 of the coin processing device 10 cooperates with the main control unit 9 (FIG. 1) of the automated teller machine 1 to allow the customer to perform a deposit transaction via the operation display unit 6 (FIG. 1). When an operation input to start is received, the deposit counting process is started.

At this time, the coin control unit 12 first cooperates with the main control unit 9 to open the shutter of the coin depositing/dispensing port 5 (FIG. 1) and the upper shutter of the depositing/dispensing unit 13 to insert a coin into the customer's depositing/dispensing unit 13. Let Next, the coin control unit 12 closes the shutter of the coin deposit/withdrawal port 5 and the upper shutter of the deposit/withdrawal unit 13 when an operation input to start taking in coins is received from the customer via the operation display unit 6 (FIG. 1). After that, the coin is transferred from the deposit/withdrawal section 13 to the upper separation section 15 via the chute section 14 .

The upper separating section 15 separates the coins one by one, feeds them, and delivers them to the recognition conveying section 16. - 特許庁The recognition conveying unit 16 conveys the coins one by one while recognizing them, delivers them to the delivery unit 17, and notifies the coin control unit 12 of the obtained recognition result.

In response to this, the coin control unit 12 determines whether or not the coin can be accepted based on the notified recognition result, determines the destination of the coin, and stores it. At this time, if the coin control unit 12 determines that the coin is of a denomination that can be handled and is valid (that is, not counterfeited), the coin can be accepted; otherwise, the coin cannot be accepted. do. For example, the coin control unit 12 determines that foreign coins cannot be accepted. Further, the coin control unit 12 sums up the total amount by successively adding the amounts of coins determined to be acceptable.

The delivery unit 17 delivers the coin received from the recognition transportation unit 16 to the pin belt transportation unit 18 . If the coin can be accepted, the pin belt conveying section 18 conveys the coin to the temporary holding branch section, branches the coin, advances the coin to the temporary holding section 23 , and stacks the coin in the temporary holding section 23 . Further, if the coin cannot be accepted, such as when the coin is a foreign coin, the pin belt conveying unit 18 conveys the coin to the deposit/withdrawal unit 13 and stores the coin.

After all the coins have been delivered from the upper separation section 15, the coin control section 12 cooperates with the main control section 9 (FIG. 1) to operate the upper side if the coin receiving/dispensing section 13 contains unacceptable coins. The shutter or the like is opened, the coin is returned to the customer for confirmation, and the coin is reinserted as necessary. On the other hand, if the deposit/withdrawal unit 13 does not contain any unacceptable coins, the coin control unit 12 completes the deposit counting process and indicates that the deposit counting process has been completed and the aggregated total amount (hereinafter referred to as the deposit amount). ) is notified to the main control unit 9 . In response to this, the main control unit 9 of the automatic teller machine 1 displays a predetermined operation instruction screen on the operation display unit 6 (FIG. 1), presents the amount to be deposited to the customer, and continues the deposit transaction. Or let the user choose whether to cancel.

If the withdrawal transaction is selected here, the main control section 9 notifies the coin control section 12 of this fact. In response to this, the coin control unit 12 performs a predetermined deposit return process, thereby conveying the coins accumulated in the temporary storage unit 23 to the deposit/withdrawal unit 13 and returning them to the customer. On the other hand, when the customer selects the continuation of the deposit transaction, the main control section 9 notifies the coin control section 12 of this. In response to this, the coin control unit 12 carries out the deposit storage process, thereby conveying the coins stacked in the temporary storage unit 23 to the stacker unit 21 and stacking them by denomination.

Specifically, the coin control unit 12 first causes the belt of the temporary storage unit 23 to run, thereby conveying the coins accumulated in the temporary storage unit 23 forward, feeding them out, and sequentially delivering them to the upper separation unit 15 . The upper separating section 15 and the recognition conveying section 16 separate the coins one by one, recognize them, and deliver them to the delivery section 17 .

In response to this, the coin control unit 12 determines whether or not the coin is reusable, that is, whether or not the coin can be dispensed in subsequent disbursement processing, based on the obtained recognition result. and determine the destination of the coin. At this time, if the coin is reusable, the coin control unit 12 selects the stacker unit 21 corresponding to the denomination of the coin as the destination, and if the coin is not reusable, selects the reject box 27 as the destination. Coins that are determined to be unusable are hereinafter also referred to as rejected coins.

The delivery unit 17 delivers the coin received from the recognition transportation unit 16 to the pin belt transportation unit 18 . If the coin is reusable, the pin belt conveying section 18 sequentially conveys the coin through the front pin belt conveying section 18F, the lower pin belt conveying section 18L, and the rear pin belt conveying section 18R. Eventually, when the coin reaches the upper pin belt conveying section 18U, the pin belt conveying section 18 branches the coin by the stacker branching section corresponding to the denomination, and stacks the coin in the stacking section 32 via the guide section 31 .

On the other hand, if the coin cannot be reused, the pin belt conveying section 18 conveys it to the reject box 27 and stores it. When the coin control unit 12 finishes transporting all the coins accumulated in the temporary storage unit 23 to their respective transport destinations, the coin control unit 12 terminates the deposit storage process.

[1-3-2. Conveyance of coins in withdrawal transactions]
Next, a case where a withdrawal transaction is performed with a customer in the automated teller machine 1 (FIG. 1) will be described. In this case, the coin processing device 10 conveys the coin of the amount instructed by the customer to the deposit/withdrawal unit 13 and dispenses it by the payment processing.

Specifically, the coin control unit 12 of the coin processing device 10 cooperates with the main control unit 9 ( FIG. 1 ) of the automated teller machine 1 to notify the customer via the operation display unit 6 that the withdrawal transaction is started. When the operation input of is received, withdrawal processing is started.

At this time, the coin control unit 12 cooperates with the main control unit 9 to receive a predetermined operation input including the amount to be dispensed via the operation display unit 6. When the coin control unit 12 receives a predetermined operation input including the amount to be dispensed, the denomination of the coin corresponding to the amount to be dispensed is displayed in the coin control unit 12. and the number of sheets. Subsequently, each stacker unit 21 feeds out the coins stacked in the stacking unit 32 according to the determined denomination and number of coins by the feeding unit 34, and into the payout transport unit 22 or the temporary storage unit 23 on the lower side. Drop and accumulate. The disbursement conveying unit 22 conveys the accumulated coins forward by running the upper surface of the belt forward, drops them into the temporary holding unit 23, and accumulates them.

After that, the coin control unit 12 causes the temporary holding unit 23, the upper separating unit 15, and the recognition conveying unit 16 to separate the coins one by one and sequentially convey them, in the same manner as in the deposit return processing and the deposit storage processing. The coin is recognized and handed over to the delivery unit 17. - 特許庁The delivery unit 17 delivers the coin received from the recognition transportation unit 16 to the pin belt transportation unit 18 .

The coin control unit 12 also determines whether or not the coin can be dispensed based on the obtained recognition result, and determines and stores the destination. That is, the coin control unit 12 selects the deposit/withdrawal unit 13 as the destination if the coin can be dispensed, and selects the reject box 27 as the destination if the coin cannot be dispensed. If the coin can be dispensed, the pin belt conveying section 18 conveys it to the deposit/withdrawal section 13 and stores it. On the other hand, if the coin cannot be dispensed, the pin belt conveying section 18 conveys the coin to the first reject branch section, branches it, advances it to the reject box 27, and stores it.

When the coin control unit 12 has finished storing coins of the denomination and the number of coins corresponding to the amount to be paid into the deposit/withdrawal unit 13, the upper shutter of the deposit/withdrawal unit 13 is closed in cooperation with the main control unit 9 (FIG. 1). etc. to wait for the customer to take out the coin. After that, when the coin control unit 12 detects that the customer has taken out the coin from the deposit/withdrawal unit 13, the coin control unit 12 cooperates with the main control unit 9 again to close the upper shutter and the like, thereby ending the payment process.

[1-4. Configuration of Upper Separation Unit]
As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the upper separation section 15 is configured around a separation section housing 40 located on the left side, and the center or lower side of the separation section housing 40 on the right side of the separation section housing 40 is covered with an integrated cover 41 . In the vertical direction, the upper separation section 15 has a stacking/separating section 15A at a portion corresponding to the stacking cover 41, and a separating/conveying section 15B at the upper side thereof.

A motor 42 is attached to the left side of the separation unit housing 40, a plurality of gears (not shown) are incorporated therein, and an inclined disc 43 is attached to the right side. The motor 42 is provided with an output shaft 42S on the right side, and by rotating this output shaft 42S, driving force is transmitted to the inclined disk 43 via internal gears.

The inclined disk 43 is formed in a disk shape having a diameter sufficiently larger than that of a coin, as shown in FIG. It is generally flat. Incidentally, the inclined disk 43 is manufactured, for example, by cutting a metal plate having a relatively high hardness. The tilted disk 43 is tilted such that the center axis 43C is directed upward with respect to the horizontal direction, specifically diagonally upward to the right. Therefore, the surface 43S is inclined such that the upper portion is slightly tilted to the left with respect to the vertical direction. Further, the inclined disk 43 is rotatably supported around a central shaft 43C, and when a driving force is transmitted from the motor 42 through gears, the direction of arrow R1 (clockwise in FIG. 4, hereinafter referred to as rotation) direction).

A surface 43S of the inclined disk 43 is provided with a plurality of separation projections 44 projecting obliquely upward to the right, which is the normal direction. Separation projections 44 are attached to the surface 43</b>S at positions slightly inwardly away from the outer circumference at each of the positions dividing the outer circumference of the inclined disk 43 into seven equal parts.

The separation projection 44 is configured in a shape resembling a rectangular parallelepiped as a whole, and more specifically, in a shape resembling a parallelogram when viewed from the right side. That is, the separation protrusion 44 is relatively long in the radial direction connecting the central axis 43C and the outer periphery 43T of the surface 43S, relatively short in the circumferential direction, and sufficiently short (that is, thin) in the left-right direction. The length (thickness) of the separation projection 44 in the left-right direction is about 1.5 [mm], which is equal to or less than the thickness of one coin.

Further, the oblique disk 43 is formed with notches 45 which are notched from the outer periphery toward the center at seven locations near the seven separation projections 44 on the outer periphery. The notch 45 has a shape similar to a triangle with the outer circumference 43T of the inclined disk 43 as one side when viewed from the right direction. almost adjacent.

In addition to this, on the oblique disk 43, seven points which are the peripheral edge of each notch 45 on the surface 43S, that is, the vicinity of the outer periphery (hereinafter also referred to as the notch peripheral edge) are provided in the normal direction from the surface 43S. A residual agitating projection 46 is attached which protrudes from the bottom. The residual stirring projection 46 has a cylindrical shape as a whole, and its central axis is directed obliquely upward to the right from the surface 43S of the inclined disk 43, along the normal direction of the surface 43S. The residual stirring projection 46 has a height of 1.5 [mm], which is the same as that of the separation projection 44, from the surface 43S.

A coin guide 50 is attached to the separation unit housing 40 . The coin guide 50 is composed of an arc-shaped storage guide 51 adjacent to the outer peripheral side of the lower portion of the inclined disk 43, and a front transport guide 52 linearly extending upward from the front end of the storage guide 51. ing.

The storage guide 51 forms a slight gap between its inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the inclined disc 43 . The front transport guide 52 has a flat rear side surface, and is continuous with the inner peripheral surface of the storage guide 51 at its lower end. For convenience of explanation, the rear side surface of the front transport guide 52 is hereinafter also referred to as a transport reference surface FS. The upper end of the front transport guide 52 reaches a position higher than the upper end of the inclined disc 43 . About half of the front transport guide 52 is included in the stacking/separating section 15A, and about half of the upper side is included in the separating/transporting section 15B.

As shown in FIG. 5 which is the B1-B2 cross section in FIG. The right side surface of the left conveying guide 53 is formed in a flat shape and is positioned substantially in the same plane as the surface 43S of the inclined disk 43. As shown in FIG. The left conveying guide 53 has a front portion in contact with the front conveying guide 52 and a lower rear portion inclined in a gentle arc along the outer peripheral surface of the inclined disk 43 . Further, the rear portion of the left conveying guide 53 is formed in a planar shape with the normal generally directed rearward, and has a linear shape generally along the vertical direction when viewed from the right direction.

The left conveying guide 54 is provided behind the left conveying guide 53 at a position slightly separated from the left conveying guide 53 . The right side surface of the left conveying guide 54 is formed flat like the right side surface of the left conveying guide 53 and is positioned substantially on the same plane as the surface 43</b>S of the inclined disc 43 . Hereinafter, the right side surfaces of the left transport guides 53 and 54 are also referred to as transport surfaces FC. The front portion of the left conveying guide 54 is formed in a planar shape with the normal generally directed forward, and is generally straight in the up-down direction when viewed from the right. Thus, in the separation section housing 40, a groove shape is formed along the vertical direction between the left conveying guides 53 and 54. As shown in FIG. A lower rear portion of the left conveying guide 54 is inclined in a gentle arc along the outer peripheral surface of the inclined disk 43 . Incidentally, in the separation unit housing 40, the front transport guide 52, the left transport guide 53, and the left transport guide 54 are integrally configured as one component.

Further, a rear transport guide 55 is provided on the rear side of the left transport guide 54 in the separation unit housing 40 . The front side surface of the rear transport guide 55 is formed in a planar shape with a normal line generally directed forward, and is generally straight in the vertical direction when viewed from the right direction. For convenience of explanation, the space surrounded by the front transport guide 52, the left transport guides 53 and 54, and the rear transport guide 55 is hereinafter also referred to as transport space SC. The transport space SC is a space on the right side of the transport plane FC and on the rear side of the transport reference plane FS.

On the other hand, a belt pulley 61 is arranged on the left side of the inclined disk 43 inside the separation unit housing 40, that is, on the far side of the inclined disk 43 in FIG. The belt pulley 61 is formed in the shape of a flat disc as a whole, and its diameter is slightly smaller than the diameter of the inclined disc 43 . The belt pulley 61 is attached to the inclined disk 43 such that its central axis coincides with the central axis of the inclined disk 43 and its disk surface is aligned substantially parallel to the inclined disk 43 . Therefore, the belt pulley 61 can rotate integrally with the inclined disk 43 .

Further, the separation unit housing 40 has a disk-shaped front pulley 62 , an upper pulley 63 and a rear pulley 64 which are sufficiently smaller than the belt pulley 61 above the belt pulley 61 . The front pulley 62 is located on the upper front side of the belt pulley 61 . The upper pulley 63 is positioned above and behind the front pulley 62 . The rear pulley 64 is located on the lower rear side of the upper pulley 63 and above the belt pulley 61 . The front pulley 62, the upper pulley 63, and the rear pulley 64 are each rotatably supported by the separating unit housing 40, and their right surfaces are on the same plane as or on the same plane as the right surface of the belt pulley 61. located nearby.

In addition to this, a belt 65 is provided in the separation section housing 40 . The belt 65 is an endless belt made of a flexible material such as resin or rubber. It is stretched so as to abut.

Specifically, the belt 65 rotates in the direction of the arrow R1 from the vicinity of the upper end of the belt pulley 61 (that is, clockwise in the figure) over the rear side, the lower side, the front side, and the upper front side. to abut. Further, the belt 65 abuts on the rear lower portion or the vicinity of the rear end of the front pulley 62 while being in contact with the front upper portion of the belt pulley 61 , separates from the peripheral side surface of the belt pulley 61 and moves toward the rear end of the front pulley 62 . , and eventually come into contact with the vicinity of the front end of the upper pulley 63 . Subsequently, the belt 65 abuts on the outer peripheral surface of the upper pulley 63 from the vicinity of the front end to the upper side and the rear side, and is stretched slightly downward from the vicinity of the rear end of the upper pulley 63 to extend over the rear pulley 64 . It abuts near the front end. Further, the belt 65 contacts the outer peripheral surface of the rear pulley 64 from the vicinity of the front end to the vicinity of the lower end, and shortly after leaving the outer peripheral surface of the rear pulley 64, contacts the vicinity of the upper end of the belt pulley 61 again.

Pins 66 are attached to a belt 65 as a transport belt at predetermined intervals. The pin 66 is composed of an attachment portion attached to the belt 65 and a projecting portion projecting rightward from the attachment portion. Of these, the protruding portion is formed in a columnar shape with its central axis directed substantially parallel to the surface 43S of the inclined disk 43, and its right end (ie, tip) protrudes to the right from the surface 43S, forming an upper surface of the separation protrusion 44. reached almost the same position.

In the separation unit housing 40 , the mounting intervals and mounting positions of the pins 66 on the belt 65 are set according to the positions of the cutouts 45 on the inclined disk 43 . Therefore, in the separation unit housing 40, when the belt 65 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the belt pulley 61, the protruding portion of the pin 66 enters the cutout portion 45 of the inclined disk 43, and the central axis 43C is moved within the cutout portion 45. , that is, close to the separation projection 44 .

When the inclined disk 43 rotates around the central axis 43C, the pin 66 rotates integrally with the inclined disk 43 and the belt pulley 61 while being kept in the notch 45. As shown in FIG. That is, the pin 66 travels in an arc shape along the rotation track in synchronism with the outer peripheral portion of the inclined disk 43 . Further, in the separation section housing 40, the protruding portion of the pin 66 is passed between the left conveying guides 53 and 54 in the portion where the belt 65 is stretched from the vicinity of the rear end of the front pulley 62 to the vicinity of the front end of the upper pulley 63. . At this time, the pin 66 protrudes in the vicinity of the right end to the right side of the conveying surface FC.

On the other hand, the collecting cover 41 (FIG. 3) has an arcuate lower portion that is very close to the outer periphery of the inclined disk 43 and forms a curved surface that separates from the inclined disk 43 as it advances upward. A coin stacking space 48 is formed between the inclined disk 43 and the inclined disk 43 .

[1-5. Feeding of coins by the upper separator]
When a coin drops from the chute 14 (FIG. 2), the upper separating section 15 stores the coin in the coin stacking space 48, that is, in the space sandwiched between the inclined disk 43 and the stacking cover 41. As shown in FIG. After that, the upper separating section 15 performs a feeding process of feeding out the coin under the control of the coin control section 12 and a carrying process of carrying the coin and delivering it to the subsequent recognition carrying section 16 (FIG. 2).

Specifically, the upper separation section 15 first rotates the inclined disk 43 in the direction of the arrow R1 (that is, clockwise in FIG. 4) by the driving force from the motor 42 (FIG. 3). 6 and 7(A), the upper separation unit 15 appropriately agitates the coins stacked in the coin stacking space 48 by the separation protrusions 44, and separates the coins CN one by one from the separation protrusions 44 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7A. Hook them one by one. Incidentally, FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view taken along line C1-C2 in FIG. At this time, the left side of the coin CN is brought into contact with the surface 43S of the inclined disc 43, the rear part of the peripheral side is brought into contact with the separation projection 44, and the lower part of the coin CN is brought into contact with the storage guide 51. Make contact with the inner surface.

Further, the upper separation unit 15 continues to rotate the inclined disk 43 so that the left side surface of the coin CN contacts the inclined disk 43, and the peripheral side surface of the coin CN contacts the separation projection 44 and the storage guide 51. While maintaining the contact state, it is slid along the inner surface of the storage guide 51 and lifted forward and upward.

8A, when the coin reaches the vicinity of the front end of the inclined disk 43, the front end of the coin hits the rear side surface of the front conveying guide 52, that is, the conveying reference plane FS. As a result, the separation projection 44 applies a force from the rear lower side of the coin CN to the front upper direction, in other words, supplies a driving force. As a result, the upper separation section 15 causes the front end of the coin CN to slide on the transfer reference surface FS.

The upper separating section 15 continues to rotate the inclined disk 43, and when the belt 65 reaches the vicinity of the front pulley 62, as shown in FIG. side, that is, behind the center of gravity of the coin CN. In addition to this, in the upper separating section 15, the coin CN is delivered from the upstream stacking and separating section 15A to the downstream separating and conveying section 15B, and the left side surface of the coin CN is brought into contact with the surface 43S of the inclined disk 43. From the state, it is brought into contact with the right side surfaces of the left conveying guides 53 and 54, that is, the conveying surface FC.

Subsequently, the upper separating section 15 causes the belt 65 to travel as the inclined disk 43 rotates, thereby gradually separating the pin 66 adjacent to the separation protrusion 44 from the separation protrusion 44 and moving the left conveying guides 53 and 54 . rise along the gap of As a result, as shown in FIG. 8(C), the upper separation unit 15 slides the vicinity of the front end of the coin CN along the conveying reference surface FS and slides the left side thereof along the conveying surface FC, thereby moving the coin CN into the conveying space SC ( 5), the coin CN can be transported upwards. After that, the upper separating section 15 further runs the belt 65 to convey the coin CN rearward along the upper conveying guide 57 and the like, and then delivers it to the recognition conveying section 16 (FIG. 2).

Here, referring to FIG. 6 again, in the tilted disk 43, the separation projection 44 is positioned slightly inwardly away from the outer circumference 43T of the tilted disk 43, and the notch 45 is formed on the outer circumference side of the separation projection 44. formed. Since the inclined disk 43 is configured as described above, the pins 66 are positioned in the cutouts 45 in the coin stacking space 48 to move the coins CN from the stacking/separating section 15A side to the separating/conveying section 15B side. When handing over the coin CN (FIG. 8), an operation can be performed such that the pin 66 is let out while being kept in contact with the rear lower side of the coin CN.

In FIG. 6, when a pin outer circumference trajectory L66 corresponding to the boundary on the outer peripheral side of the trajectory through which the pin 66 passes is drawn, the pin 66 and the separation projection 44 are located inside the pin outer circumference trajectory L66, that is, the central axis 43C (Fig. 4) located on the side;

In practice, in the upper separation section 15, as shown in FIG. 7A, near the bottom of the coin stacking space 48, the coins CN tilt the upper part slightly to the left with respect to the vertical direction, and turn the left board surface. In many cases, the tilted disk 43 is oriented substantially parallel to the surface 43S (hereinafter referred to as the separation posture). In this case, the upper separation section 15 can apply force from behind to the coins CN in this separation posture by means of the separation protrusions 44 or the pins 66 (FIG. 6).

On the other hand, in the upper separation section 15, as shown in FIG. 7(B), the upper part of the coin CN is tilted slightly to the right with respect to the vertical direction, that is, tilted to the opposite side of the inclined disc 43, and leans against the stacking cover 41. (hereinafter referred to as non-separation posture). At this time, in the upper separating portion 15, the coin CN in the non-separating posture is out of the passing range of the separating protrusion 44 and the pin 66, so that the separating protrusion 44 or the pin 66 cannot be brought into contact with the coin CN.

Based on this, the residual stirring projections 46 are provided in the upper separating section 15 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the residual stirring projection 46 is a portion of the surface 43S outside the pin outer circumference trajectory L66, and is on the arrow R2 direction side of the notch 45, that is, the inclined disk 43 rotates in the arrow R1 direction. It is installed in the downstream outer area AR1 that is downstream of the notch 45 when the cutout 45 is formed.

Therefore, when the inclined disk 43 is rotated, the upper separating section 15 pushes the residual stirring projections 46 from the rear side of the lower portion to the coins CN in the non-separating posture as shown in FIG. 7(C). collide. As a result, in the upper separating section 15, the posture of the coin CN can be changed to change from the non-separating posture to the separating posture (FIG. 7A).

[1-6. effects, etc.]
In the above configuration, in the coin processing device 10 of the automatic teller machine 1 according to the first embodiment, the residual stirring projections 46 are provided outside the pin outer circumference locus L66 of the surface 43S of the inclined disk 43 of the upper separating section 15. (Figs. 4 and 6). Therefore, if the coins CN were in a non-separating posture (FIG. 7B) near the bottom of the coin stacking space 48, the upper separating portion 15 could not bring the separating projection 44 and the pin 66 into contact with the coins CN. However, it is possible to bring the residual agitating protrusion 46 into contact with the coin CN, thereby breaking the posture and transitioning to the separation posture (FIG. 7(A)). As a result, the upper separation section 15 can bring the coins CN into contact with the separation projections 44 and the pins 66, and deliver them from the stacking/separating section 15A side to the separating/conveying section 15B side (FIG. 8).

By the way, in the upper separation section 15, as described with reference to FIG. , while gradually moving outward, that is, in a direction away from the central axis 43C (Fig. 4).

At this time, the coin CN is positioned on the upstream side of the separation projection 44 and the notch 45 adjacent to the separation projection 44 and the notch 45 adjacent thereto in the direction of the arrow R1 on the surface 43S of the inclined disk 43 . The left board surface is slid with respect to the upstream area AR2, which is a part. That is, the upstream area AR2 is a portion included in the moving path of the coin CN on the surface 43S.

Therefore, in the upper separation section 15, if the residual agitating projections 46 are arranged outside the pin outer circumference locus L66 in the upstream area AR2, the coins CN in the non-separation posture (FIG. 7(C)) However, it interferes with the coins CN delivered from the stacking/separating section 15A side to the separating/conveying section 15B side, and the coins CN cannot be paid out normally.

Therefore, in the upper separation portion 15 according to the present embodiment, the residual stirring projections 46 are arranged in the downstream outer region AR1 which is located on the surface 43S of the inclined disk 43 and is located on the downstream side of the cutout portion 45 and outside the pin outer circumference locus L66. (Fig. 6). As a result, in the upper separation section 15, the coins CN in the non-separation posture (FIG. 7(C)) are broken into the separation posture without obstructing the delivery of the coins from the stacking separation section 15A side to the separation conveying section 15B side. (Fig. 7(A)).

Furthermore, in the upper separation section 15, the height of the residual stirring projections 46 from the surface 43S is set to 1.5 [mm], which is the same length as the separation projections 44. The thickness was made equivalent to the thickness of the thinnest coin CN. As a result, in the upper separation section 15, even if a plurality of coins CN are piled up in the coin stacking space 48 with their board surfaces in contact with each other, the coin CN closest to the inclined disc 43 is not stacked. The remaining agitation projection 46 can be brought into contact only with the other side, and it is possible to reliably avoid paying out two or more coins in an overlapping state.

According to the above configuration, the coin processing device 10 of the automatic teller machine 1 according to the first embodiment has residual stirring projections outside the pin outer circumference locus L66 of the surface 43S of the inclined disk 43 of the upper separation section 15. 46 was provided. Therefore, if the coins CN are in a non-separating posture near the bottom of the coin stacking space 48, the upper separating portion 15 causes the residual stirring projections 46 to come into contact with the coins CN, and breaks the posture to take the separating posture. transition. As a result, the upper separation section 15 can lift the coin CN by hooking it on the separation protrusion 44, and then transfer the coin CN from the stacking separation section 15A side to the separation conveying section 15B side by the pin 66. It can be rolled out smoothly.

[2. Second Embodiment]
The automatic teller machine 101 (FIG. 1) according to the second embodiment differs from the automatic teller machine 1 according to the first embodiment in that it has a coin processing device 110 instead of the coin processing device 10. However, other points are similarly configured. A coin handling machine 110 (FIG. 2) differs from the coin handling machine 10 according to the first embodiment in that it has an upper separating section 115 instead of the upper separating section 15, but other points are the same. is configured to

The upper separating portion 115 (FIG. 3, etc.) differs from the upper separating portion 15 according to the first embodiment in that it has an inclined disk 143 instead of the inclined disk 43, but other points are the same. It is configured. The tilted disk 143 differs from the tilted disk 43 according to the first embodiment in that it has residual stirring projections 146 instead of the residual stirring projections 46, but otherwise has the same configuration.

FIG. 9A corresponding to FIG. 6 shows a right side view of the inclined disk 143. As shown in FIG. A cut line 143CL along the circumferential direction is formed at a location slightly spaced to the inner peripheral side from 143T and to the outer peripheral side of the pin outer peripheral locus L66. In addition, the inclined disk 143 is subjected to processing such as embossing on a portion on the outer peripheral side of the cut line 143CL, that is, a portion of the downstream outer region AR1. In this way, the inclined disk 143 has a residual agitating projection 146 formed by a portion of the inclined disk 143 protruding rightward, that is, protruding in a direction along the normal line of the surface 143S. A part of the residual stirring protrusion 146 is an inclined surface that is inclined with respect to the normal line of the surface 143S.

The residual stirring projection 146 has the same amount of protrusion from the surface 143S, that is, the height, as the residual stirring projection 46 according to the first embodiment, and is 1.5 [mm], which is also the same as the separation projection 44. there is With such a configuration, the residual stirring projections 146 can exhibit the same effect as the residual stirring projections 46 according to the first embodiment when the inclined disk 143 is rotated.

As a result, in the upper separation portion 115, as in the first embodiment, if the coins CN are in the non-separation posture (FIG. 7(B)) near the bottom portion in the coin stacking space 48, the separation protrusion 44 and the pin 66 are not separated. Even if it cannot be brought into contact with the coin CN, the residual agitating protrusion 146 can be brought into contact with the coin CN, and the posture can be broken to transition to the separation posture (FIG. 7A).

[3. Third Embodiment]
The automatic teller machine 201 (FIG. 1) according to the third embodiment differs from the automatic teller machine 1 according to the first embodiment in that it has a coin processing device 210 instead of the coin processing device 10. However, other points are similarly configured. A coin handling machine 210 (FIG. 2) differs from the coin handling machine 10 according to the first embodiment in that it has an upper separating section 215 instead of the upper separating section 15, but other points are the same. is configured to

[3-1. Configuration of Upper Separation Unit]
As shown in FIG. 10 corresponding to FIG. 4, the upper separating portion 215 has the separating projections 44 and the residual stirring projections 46 on the surface 43S of the inclined disk 43, compared with the upper separating portion 15 according to the first embodiment. Although it is different in that it has a separation projection 244 and a residual agitation projection 246 instead of , the other points are the same.

The separation protrusion 244 has the same height from the surface 43S as the separation protrusion 44 in the first embodiment, but has a shape that extends toward the center of the inclined disk 243 (that is, the central axis 43C). It has a shape. As shown in the perspective view of FIG. 11, the residual stirring projections 246 include standard residual stirring projections 246S having approximately the same size as the residual stirring projections 46 in the first embodiment, and standard residual stirring projections 246S. There is also a large residual stirring projection 246L.

The standard residual stirring projection 246S is generally formed in a conical shape with the center axis along the normal direction of the surface 43S, and the vicinity of the vertex is rounded into a curved surface. The standard residual stirring projection 246S has the same diameter and height (that is, the distance from the surface 43S to the top) as the residual stirring projection 46, as shown in the schematic cross-sectional view of FIG. 12(A). Specifically, the height HS of the standard residual stirring projection 246S is 1.5 [mm]. The standard residual stirring protrusion 246S has an inclined surface angle of 30 degrees with respect to the surface 43S (hereinafter referred to as an inclined angle θ).

In the upper separation section 215, as shown in FIG. 13A corresponding to FIG. A certain amount of clearance is formed between the coin CN and the standard residual stirring projection 246S.

On the other hand, like the standard residual stirring projections 246S, the large residual stirring projections 246L are generally formed in a conical shape with the central axis along the normal direction of the surface 43S, and the vicinity of the apex is rounded into a curved surface. ing. On the other hand, the large residual stirring projections 246L are larger in both diameter and height than the standard residual stirring projections 246S, as shown in the schematic cross-sectional view of FIG. 12(B).

Specifically, the height HL of the large residual stirring projection 246L is greater than the height HS of the standard residual stirring projection 246S, i. [mm]. The inclination angle of the inclined surface of the large residual stirring projection 246L is 30 degrees, like the standard residual stirring projection 246S.

In the upper separating section 215, as shown in FIG. 13(B) corresponding to FIG. 13(A), the largest coin CN is positioned between the large residual stirring projection 246L and the separation projection 244 and hooked on the separation projection 244. In this case, almost no gap is formed between the coin CN and the large residual stirring projection 246L, so that they are adjacent to each other.

[3-2. Feeding of coins by the upper separator]
In the upper separating section 215, as shown in FIG. 14A corresponding to FIG. 7A, when the coins CN near the bottom in the coin stacking space 48 are in a separation posture in which the vicinity of the upper end is tilted to the left. As in the first embodiment, as the inclined disk 43 rotates, the coin CN can be hooked on the separation protrusion 244 and advanced forward or upward. At this time, in the upper separating section 215, after the coins CN are smoothly advanced, the coins CN can be smoothly transferred from the upstream stacking/separating section 15A to the downstream separating/conveying section 15B.

7(B) and 7(C), the upper separating portion 215 is in a non-separating posture in which the coin CN near the bottom is separated from the surface 43S of the inclined disk 43 near the bottom of the coin stacking space 48. , and the vicinity of the lower end may be in a state of being close to the surface 43S. At this time, in the upper separation section 215, as in the first embodiment, the standard residual stirring projection 246S is caused to reach the vicinity of the bottom portion of the coin stacking space 48 and abut on the vicinity of the lower end of the coins CN, and its posture is broken. It is possible to transition to the separation posture.

However, in the upper separating portion 215, as shown in FIG. 14B corresponding to FIG. 14A, the vicinity of the upper end of the coin CN is in a non-separable posture away from the surface 43S of the inclined disk 43, and the vicinity of the lower end is also If it is slightly separated from the surface 43S, there is a possibility that the standard residual stirring projection 246S cannot be brought into contact with the vicinity of the lower end of the coin CN. Specifically, when a gap is formed between the lower end of the coin CN and the surface 43S of the inclined disk 43 with a distance greater than the height HS (1.5 [mm]) of the standard residual stirring projection 246S. is applicable.

In this case, in the upper separating section 215, by rotating the inclined disk 43 for a while, the large residual stirring projection 246L eventually reaches the vicinity of the bottom of the coin stacking space 48 as shown in FIG. 14(C). At this time, in the upper separation section 215, the height HL (FIG. 12B) of the large residual stirring projection 246L is greater than the height HS of the standard residual stirring projection 246S, so that the large residual stirring projection 246L is attached to the coin CN. By bringing them into contact with each other, the posture can be broken, and the non-separation posture can be changed to the separation posture (FIG. 14(A)).

[3-3. effects, etc.]
In the above configuration, in the coin processing device 210 of the automatic teller machine 201 according to the third embodiment, the surface 43S of the inclined disk 43 of the upper separating section 215 has six standard residual stirring projections 246S and one large Residual stirring projections 246L were provided (Fig. 10).

Therefore, when the coins CN are in a non-separating posture near the bottom of the coin stacking space 48 and the vicinity of the lower end thereof is close to the surface 43S (FIGS. 7B and 7C), the upper separating portion 215 It can be brought into contact with the standard residual agitation projection 246S, break its posture into a separation posture, and can be hooked on the separation projection 244 and advanced.

In addition, when the coin CN is in the non-separated posture near the bottom of the coin stacking space 48 and the vicinity of the lower end is separated from the surface 43S, the upper separating part 215 abuts the coin CN with the standard residual stirring projection 246S. There is a possibility that it cannot be made (FIG. 14(B)). In this case, the upper separation section 15 can bring the large residual stirring projection 246L into contact with the coin CN, change its posture to take the separation posture, and hook the separation projection 244 to move the coin CN forward.

Of these, the standard residual stirring protrusion 246S can be expected to have the effect of abutting the coin CN in the non-separated posture to break the posture to some extent. There is a possibility that it cannot be obtained (FIG. 14(B)). On the other hand, compared with the standard residual stirring projection 246S, the large residual stirring projection 246L can increase the possibility of coming into contact with the coins CN in the non-separating posture and breaking the posture (FIG. 14(C)). The coins accumulated in 48 may be excessively agitated, and the coins CN may become difficult to catch on the separation projections 44. - 特許庁

Therefore, in the upper separation section 215, a plurality of types of residual stirring projections having different sizes are arranged on the inclined disk 43 (FIG. 10). As a result, the upper separation section 215 rotates the inclined disk 43 to sequentially change the positions of the residual stirring projections 246 in the vicinity of the bottom of the coin stacking space 48, thereby turning the residual stirring projections 246 into the coins CN in the non-separated posture. It is possible to achieve both the breaking of the posture by abutment and the smooth delivery of the coin CN by hooking the coin CN on the separation projection 244 .

In the upper separation section 215, six standard residual stirring projections 246S and one large residual stirring projection 246L are provided. As a result, in the upper separating portion 215, the coins CN can be hooked on the separating protrusions 244 in the coin stacking space 48 and the coins CN in the non-separating posture can be broken at an appropriate ratio. That is, in the upper separating section 215, the large residual stirring protrusion 246L passes near the bottom of the coin stacking space 48 while the inclined disk 43 is rotated once, so that the coins CN in the non-separating posture can be expected to break.

In addition, in the upper separating portion 15 according to the first embodiment, since the residual stirring projections 46 are columnar (FIG. 7, etc.), the rear lower portion of the peripheral side surface of the coin CN in the non-separating posture is displaced. There is a possibility that the remaining agitating projections 46 will exert a substantially forward force. In this case, although the upper separating portion 15 can move the coin CN from the vicinity of the bottom portion of the coin stacking space 48, the interval and posture of the coin CN with respect to the inclined disk 43 cannot be changed. There was a fear that it could not be hooked on.

In this regard, in the upper separation section 215 according to the present embodiment, the standard residual stirring projection 246S and the large residual stirring projection 246L are conical rather than cylindrical, and have inclined surfaces (FIGS. 11 and 12, etc.). Therefore, in the upper separating portion 215, when the standard residual stirring projection 246S or the large residual stirring projection 246L is brought into contact with the coin CN in the non-separated posture, a force directed toward the right front direction is applied to the coin CN from the inclined surface. It can be expected to change its posture and bring it into contact with the surface 43S of the inclined disk 43 and the separation projection 244. FIG.

In particular, in the upper separation portion 215, the inclination angle θ (FIG. 12) of the inclined surface of the residual stirring projections 246 (that is, the standard residual stirring projections 246S and the large residual stirring projections 246L) is set to 30 degrees. As a result, when the upper separating portion 215 abuts on the coin CN in the coin stacking space 48 as the inclined disk 43 rotates, the upper separation portion 215 positively moves in directions other than forward (that is, rightward, upward, etc.). By applying force, the posture can be moderately changed without agitating the coin CN excessively.

In other respects as well, the upper separating portion 215 can achieve the same effects as those of the first embodiment.

According to the above configuration, the coin processing device 210 of the automatic teller machine 201 according to the third embodiment has standard residual agitation particles each having a conical shape and different sizes on the inclined disc 43 of the upper separating section 215 . A projection 246S and a large residual stirring projection 246L were provided. For this reason, if the coin CN near the bottom of the coin stacking space 48 is in a non-separable posture in which both the upper end and the lower end are separated from the surface 43S to some extent, the upper separating portion 215 will move the large residual stirring projection 246L to the coin CN. It is brought into contact with the CN, and its posture is broken to make a transition to the separation posture. As a result, the upper separation section 215 can lift the coin CN by hooking it on the separation projection 244 and deliver it from the stacking separation section 15A side to the separation conveying section 15B side, so that the coin CN can be fed out smoothly.

[4. Other embodiments]
In the above-described first embodiment, the case where the residual stirring projection 46 is formed in a columnar shape and the central axis thereof is provided along the normal direction of the surface 43S has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the residual stirring projections 46 may have various columnar shapes such as a square columnar shape, a hexagonal columnar shape, or an elliptical columnar shape. Moreover, in these cases, the vicinity of the surface 43S (that is, the root portion) and the vicinity of the right end (that is, the tip portion) separated in the normal direction from the surface 43S may have different diameters and outer shapes. That is, for example, in the vicinity of the distal end, a so-called tapered shape may be employed in which the diameter decreases toward the distal end side. Also, the central axis may be inclined with respect to the normal direction of the surface 43S, or may be bent or curved. Furthermore, various three-dimensional shapes may be used.

Further, in the above-described first embodiment, the case where the height of the residual stirring projections 46 from the surface 43S is set to 1.5 [mm], which is the same as that of the separation projections 44, has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can come into contact with the coin CN in the state shown in FIG. The height of the residual stirring projections 46 may be set to various values such that the height is equal to or less than the thickness of the coin CN. For example, the height of the residual stirring projections 46 may be set lower than that of the separation projections 44, such as 1.3 [mm] or 1.0 [mm]. The same applies to the second and third embodiments.

Furthermore, in the above-described second embodiment, a case has been described in which the residual stirring projections 146 are formed by providing the inclined disk 143 with the cut line 143CL and raising the outer peripheral portion thereof in the normal direction of the surface 143S. . However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the residual stirring projections 146 projecting in the normal direction of the surface 143S may be formed by applying various processing to the inclined disk 143. FIG.

For example, as shown in FIG. 15 corresponding to FIG. 9, in the upper separating portion 315 corresponding to the upper separating portion 115, a portion of the inclined disk 343 slightly away from the notch portion 45 in the downstream outer region AR1 is provided from the outer peripheral side. A cut line 343CL may be formed toward the center, and a portion sandwiched between the notch 45 and the cut line 343CL may be extended outward in advance. In addition, by appropriately bending the portion sandwiched between the notch portion 45 and the cut line 343CL, a part thereof may be protruded in the normal direction of the surface 343S to serve as the residual stirring projection 346.

Further, as shown in FIG. 16 corresponding to FIGS. 9 and 15 , in the upper separation portion 415 corresponding to the upper separation portion 115 and the like, the pin outer circumference trajectory L66 of the boundary line of the downstream outer region AR1 of the inclined disk 443 A cut line 443CL may be formed from the cutout portion 45 to the portion along the line. After that, the portion on the outer peripheral side of the cut line 443CL is curved so as to draw an arc protruding toward the normal direction of the surface 443S when viewed from the outer peripheral side, thereby forming the residual stirring protrusion 446. good.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 17 corresponding to FIGS. 9, 15, and 16, in the upper separation portion 515 corresponding to the upper separation portion 115 and the like, the pin outer circumference of the boundary line of the downstream outer region AR1 of the inclined disk 543 A cut line 543CL may be formed from the notch 45 along the locus L66. Then, the portion on the outer peripheral side of the cut line 543CL is bent so as to form an inclined surface protruding toward the normal direction of the surface 543S as it approaches the cutout portion 45, so that the residual stirring projection 546 may be formed.

Furthermore, in the above-described third embodiment, when the coins CN are in the non-separable posture near the bottom of the coin stacking space 48 and near the lower end thereof are separated from the surface 43S of the inclined disk 43 (see FIG. 14). (B)), the case where the tilted disk 43 is rotated appropriately to allow the large residual stirring projection 246L to reach the vicinity of the bottom portion has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a sensor is provided to detect the position of the large residual stirring projection 246L on the inclined disk 43, and the coin control unit 12 controls the rotation of the motor 42 (FIG. 3, etc.) based on the detection result of the sensor. By controlling, the large residual stirring projection 246L may be grasped to reach the vicinity of the bottom. Furthermore, in this case, by alternately rotating the inclined disk 43 in the directions of the arrow R1 and the arrow R2 while the large residual stirring projection 246L is positioned near the bottom, the time is shorter than when the inclined disk 43 is rotated in one direction. Then, the posture of the coin CN, which was in the non-separation posture, may be broken.

Furthermore, in the above-described third embodiment, the case where two types of residual stirring projections 246 having different shapes, such as the standard residual stirring projection 246S and the large residual stirring projection 246L, are provided on the surface 43S of the inclined disk 43 has been described. . However, the present invention is not limited to this, and three or more types of residual stirring protrusions having different shapes may be provided on the surface 43S. In this case, in at least one type, the height of the inclined disk 43 from the surface 43S should be larger than the thickness of the coin CN.

Furthermore, in the above-described third embodiment, the case where the inclined disk 43 is provided with six standard residual stirring projections 246S and one large residual stirring projection 246L has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. You can change it.

Furthermore, in the above-described third embodiment, the case where the inclination angle θ, which is the angle of the inclined surface of the standard residual stirring projection 246S with respect to the surface 43S, is set to 30 degrees has been described (FIG. 12). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the inclination angle θ may be set to various other angles such as 45 degrees and 20 degrees. In this case, by setting the inclination angle θ to be at least 45 degrees or less, when the coin CN in the non-separated state is brought into contact with the coin CN, a positive force is applied to the coin CN in a direction other than the forward direction. You should be able to change your attitude.

Furthermore, in the above-described first embodiment, the arrow R2 direction side of the notch portion 45 (FIG. 6), that is, the portion that is downstream of the notch portion 45 when the inclined disk 43 rotates in the arrow R1 direction , the case where the residual stirring projections 46 are provided in the downstream outer region AR1, which is on the outer peripheral side of the pin outer peripheral locus L66. However, the present invention is not limited to this. L66 may be provided. The same applies to the second and third embodiments.

Furthermore, in the above-described first embodiment, the case where the residual stirring projections 46 as separate parts are attached to the inclined disk 43 made of a metal plate has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the inclined disk 43 and the residual stirring projections 46 may be manufactured as an integral part by a processing method such as casting or cutting. Further, in this case, the separation projection 44 may also be manufactured as an integral part. The same applies to the third embodiment.

Furthermore, in the above-described first embodiment, the case where the seven residual stirring projections 46 provided on the inclined disk 43 have the same shape has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as in the third embodiment, residual stirring projections 46 having two or more different shapes may be provided on the inclined disk 43 . The same applies to the second embodiment.

Furthermore, in the above-described first embodiment, the case where the separating projections 44, the cutouts 45, the residual stirring projections 46, etc. are provided at seven locations that are substantially equally spaced along the circumferential direction of the inclined disk 43 has been described ( Figure 4). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and separation projections 44 and the like may be provided at six or less or eight or more locations along the circumferential direction of the inclined disk 43 . Also, the intervals of the separation projections 44 and the like along the circumferential direction of the inclined disk 43 may not be equal to each other. The same applies to the second and third embodiments.

Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the case where the present invention is applied to the upper separation section 15 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to the lower separating section 29, for example. The same applies to the second and third embodiments.

Furthermore, in 1st Embodiment mentioned above, the case where this invention was applied to the coin processing apparatus 10 incorporated in the automatic teller machine 1 was described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, various devices such as automatic ticket vending machines for conducting coin-related transactions with customers, and those used by employees of financial institutions and clerks of retail stores to manage cash. You may apply this invention to the cash management apparatus etc. which do. The same applies to the second and third embodiments.

Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and other embodiments. In other words, the scope of the present invention extends to embodiments obtained by arbitrarily combining part or all of each of the above-described embodiments and other embodiments described above, and to embodiments in which a part is extracted. is.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the case where the stacking/separating section 15A as the stacking/separating section and the separating/conveying section 15B as the conveying section configure the coin processing apparatus 10 as the coin processing apparatus has been described. Furthermore, an inclined disk 43 as an inclined disk, an accumulation cover 41 as an accumulation cover, a separation projection 44 as a separation projection, a notch portion 45 as a notch portion, a belt 65 as a conveying belt, and a pin as a pin 66 and the remaining agitating projections 46 as agitating projections have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the stacking/separating section and the conveying section having various configurations constitute the coin processing apparatus, and the inclined disk, stacking cover, separation projection, and notch having various configurations are provided. The stacking/separating section may be configured by the section, the conveying belt, the pin, and the stirring protrusion.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used, for example, in automatic teller machines that process coin transactions with customers.

1, 101, 201... automatic teller machine, 10, 110, 210... coin processing device, 12... coin control unit, 13... deposit/withdrawal unit, 14... chute unit, 15, 115, 215, 315 , 415, 515 Upper separating section 15A Stacking and separating section 15B Separating and conveying section 16 Recognition and conveying section 29 Lower separating section 29A Stacking and separating section 29B Separating and conveying Part 40 Separation unit housing 41 Stacking cover 43, 143, 243, 343, 443 Inclined disk 43C Center shaft 43S, 143S, 243S, 343S, 443S Surface 43T , 143T...periphery, 44, 244...separating protrusions, 45...notches, 46, 146, 246, 346, 446, 546...residual stirring protrusions, 246S...standard residual stirring protrusions, 246L...large residual Agitation protrusion 48 Coin stacking space 50 Coin guide 51 Storage guide 52 Front transport guide 53, 54 Left transport guide 65 Belt 66 Pin 143CL, 243CL, 343CL, 443CL: cut line, AR1: downstream outer area, AR2: upstream area, AR3: downstream inner area, CN: coin, L66: pin outer circumference locus, SC: conveying space, HS, HL: height, θ: angle of inclination.

Claims (14)

a stacking/separating unit that stacks coins and separates and feeds out the coins one by one;
a conveying unit that conveys the coins fed from the stacking/separating unit;
The integration/separation unit is
an inclined disk having a disk surface with a normal line inclined upward with respect to the horizontal direction, supported rotatably around the central axis of the disk surface, and rotating in a predetermined rotational direction;
a stacking cover provided on the side of the inclined disk in the direction normal to the disk surface and forming a coin stacking space for stacking the coins between itself and the disk surface;
a separation projection provided at a position away from the outer periphery of the disk surface toward the central axis, protruding from the disk surface in the normal direction, rotating integrally with the inclined disk, and contacting and conveying the coin;
a notch formed by notching a part of the outer circumference of the disk surface toward the central axis;
a conveying belt that travels along a part of the rotation track of the separation protrusions in synchronization with the separation protrusions on the side of the stacking/separating section, and then travels along a part of the conveying path of the coins on the side of the transporting section; ,
Provided on the conveying belt, when the conveying belt moves along a part of the rotation track of the separation protrusion on the side of the stacking/separating section, it enters the notch, and when moving to the conveying section, the separation a pin that takes over from the projection and contacts and conveys the coin, and continues to contact and convey the coin after moving to the conveying unit;
Formed on the disk surface outside the movement path along which the coins move when fed out from the stacking/separating section side to the conveying section side, and at least on the outer peripheral side of the pin that has entered the notch section. A coin processing device comprising: a stirring protrusion; 2. The agitating projection according to claim 1, wherein the stirring projection is provided on a portion of the disk surface located on the periphery of the notch portion, on the opposite side of the notch portion to the rotation direction. coin handling equipment. The coin processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the stirring protrusion has a columnar shape having a central axis parallel to a normal line of the disk surface. The coin processing device according to claim 3, wherein the agitating projection has a cylindrical shape. 5. The coin processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a distal end portion of said stirring protrusion that is farthest from said disc surface is formed thinner than a root portion that is closest to said disc surface. 6. The coin processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the agitation projection has an inclination angle of 45 degrees or less with respect to the disk surface of the inclined surface connecting the base portion and the tip portion. The coin processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the agitating protrusion has a height that protrudes from the disk surface and is equal to or less than the thickness of the coin. The coin processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the inclined disc has two or more types of agitation protrusions having different shapes on the disc surface. The tilted disc includes the stirring protrusions protruding from the disc surface having a height greater than the thickness of the coin and the stirring protrusions protruding from the disc surface having a height equal to or less than the thickness of the coin. The coin processing device according to claim 8, wherein the coin processing device is provided on a board surface. a stacking/separating unit that stacks coins and separates and feeds out the coins one by one;
a conveying unit that conveys the coins fed out from the stacking/separating unit;
The integration/separation unit is
an inclined disk having a disk surface with a normal line inclined upward with respect to the horizontal direction, supported rotatably around the central axis of the disk surface, and rotating in a predetermined rotational direction;
a stacking cover provided on the side of the inclined disk in the direction normal to the disk surface and forming a coin stacking space for stacking the coins between itself and the disk surface;
a separation projection provided at a position away from the outer periphery of the disk surface toward the central axis, protruding from the disk surface in the normal direction, rotating integrally with the inclined disk, and contacting and conveying the coin;
a notch formed by notching a part of the outer circumference of the disk surface toward the central axis;
a conveying belt that travels along a part of the rotation track of the separation protrusions in synchronization with the separation protrusions on the side of the stacking/separating section, and then travels along a part of the conveying path of the coins on the side of the transporting section; ,
Provided on the conveying belt, when the conveying belt moves along a part of the rotation track of the separation protrusion on the side of the stacking/separating section, it enters the notch, and when moving to the conveying section, the separation a pin that takes over from the projection and contacts and conveys the coin, and continues to contact and convey the coin after moving to the conveying unit;
a stirring projection formed by a notch peripheral portion located on the periphery of the notch portion on the disk surface, the portion on the side opposite to the rotation direction with respect to the notch portion protrudes in the normal direction from the disk surface; A coin processing device comprising: The agitating projection is formed outside the movement path along which the coins move when the coins are delivered from the stacking/separating section side to the conveying section side, and at least on the outer peripheral side of the pin that has entered the notch section. 11. The coin processing device according to claim 10, characterized in that: The coin processing device according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the stirring protrusion has an inclined surface inclined with respect to the normal direction of the disk surface at least on the notch side. The coin processing apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the agitation protrusion has a height that protrudes from the disk surface and is equal to or less than the thickness of the coin. an operation unit that receives a user's operation;
An automated teller machine comprising the coin handling device according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

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