JPH04276892A - Coin diameter measuring instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to accurately measure the diameter of a coin even in the case small foreign matter or dust is mixed in a diameter measuring section in a conveying passage, and to prevent lowering of operation rate of the coin processor. CONSTITUTION:The present coin diameter measuring instrument is equipped with the first counter 12 for counting an output signal from a line sensor 7 for detecting the shadow of a coin 1, and when the line sensor 7 fails to detect the shadow of coin 1 before the first counter 12 counts up the output signal, the first counter 12 is reset. Since dust or tiny foreign matter is smaller than coin 1, the value of the first counter 12 is set up so that the shadow of coin 1 disappears before the first counter 12 starts counting up. Further, when the first counter 12 counts up the output signal, the second counter 16 starts counting operation, and continues counting throughout the whole of remaining duration of the shadow of coin 1, and when the shadow of coin 1 disappears, CPU14 reads a value of the second counter 16 to discriminate the diameter of coin 1.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a coin diameter measuring device for optically measuring the diameter of a coin in a coin processing machine that sorts coins such as coins or medals by type.

0002

[Prior Art] Generally, in a coin processing machine that sorts coins by type, for example, the type of coin is determined by measuring the diameter of the coin, and the coins are sorted by type based on the determination result. It is supposed to be done.

Conventionally, when measuring the diameter of a coin in such a coin processing machine, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 63-6771
As disclosed in Publication No. 4, a light source is used to irradiate the coin being transported with light from below, and a pair of photoelectric conversion elements are placed above the coin with the coin in between, so that when the coin passes,
The diameter of the coin is measured by detecting the shadow of the coin with a photoelectric conversion element and counting it with a counter.

However, in such a measurement method, if dust or the like gets into the coin conveyance path, the dust will create a shadow separate from the coin, and the shadow of the photoelectric conversion element will become larger by the amount of dust, causing the counter to become unobtrusive. The count value will become larger,
It is not possible to accurately count the diameter of a coin.

[0005] Therefore, it is difficult to maintain and inspect, as it is necessary to prevent dust from entering the conveyance path or to constantly clean the light source, and at the same time, for example, Stapler needles etc. may be mixed in,
If the coin gets caught in the photoelectric conversion element part of the conveyance path, the coin diameter cannot always be accurately measured and the coin will be rejected. In other words, the coin processing machine cannot process even if genuine coins are inserted, which is the same as a failure, and the operating rate of the coin processing machine decreases. Further, if a foreign object enters the conveyance path, there is a problem that the operator cannot detect the foreign object.

[0006]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] As mentioned above, the conventional measuring method has the problem that, for example, if a foreign object such as a stapler gets into the measurement part in the conveyance path, it is not possible to accurately measure the coin diameter. In addition, since it is not possible to detect that a foreign object has entered, even if the coin diameter judgment is abnormal, it is impossible to determine whether it is due to a sensor abnormality or foreign object contamination, and the operator of the coin processing machine ( In general, people who are not knowledgeable about coin processing machines (in general) are confused about the decision-making process, and there are problems in that it takes time to restore the machine and that the operating rate of the machine decreases.

Therefore, the present invention provides a method for measuring the diameter of a coin, which can accurately measure the diameter even when small foreign objects or dust are mixed into the measurement part of the conveying means, and which can prevent a decrease in the operating rate of the coin processing machine. The purpose is to provide equipment.

[0008]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The coin diameter measuring device of the present invention includes a conveying means for conveying the coin to be measured, and a conveying means provided on one side of the conveying means, which irradiates the coin being conveyed with light. a photoelectric conversion element that is provided on the other side of the conveying means facing the light source and detects the shadow of the coin being conveyed; and a width of the coin shadow detection signal output from the photoelectric conversion element is counted. a first counter whose counting contents are reset when the photoelectric conversion element no longer detects the shadow of a coin before counting up; and a counting operation when the first counter counts up. and determining means for reading the count contents of the second counter and determining the diameter of the coin when the photoelectric conversion element no longer detects the shadow of the coin.

[0009]

[Operation] A first counter is provided to count the width of the coin shadow detection signal output from the photoelectric conversion element that detects the shadow of the coin being conveyed, and before the first counter counts up, the photoelectric conversion The first counter is configured to be reset when the element no longer detects the shadow of the coin. Dust and small foreign objects are smaller than coins, and the value of the first counter is set so that the shadow of the coin disappears before the first counter counts up. When the first counter counts up, the second counter starts counting,
The remaining period of the coin's shadow is counted, and when the coin's shadow disappears, the value of the second counter is read, and the diameter of the coin is determined based on this read value.

0010

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show the structure of a coin diameter measuring section provided in the conveyance path of the coin processing machine according to the present invention. That is, the coins 1 that are dispensed one by one from a coin dispensing section (not shown) are guided onto the conveyance path 2, and are conveyed in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure while the center portion is pressed onto the conveyance path 1 by the conveyor belt 3. A slit 4 longer than the maximum diameter of the coin 1 is provided in the middle of the conveyance path 2 in a direction perpendicular to the direction of conveyance of the coin 1. On the lower side of the conveyance path 2 facing this slit 4, for example, a large number of slits are provided. A rod-shaped light source 5 made of light emitting diodes arranged side by side is provided. A CCD type line sensor 7 as a photoelectric conversion element is disposed above the conveyance path 2 facing the slit 4 via a rod-shaped lens 6. With this configuration, the light from the light source 5 passes through the slit 4, the coin 1 is blocked, and the rod-shaped lens 6
Thus, the shadow of the coin 1 is connected to the light receiving surface of the line sensor 7.

FIG. 1 shows an electric circuit of a coin diameter measuring device according to the present invention. That is, the line sensor 7 is scan-driven by the drive circuit 8. The drive circuit 8 obtains clock pulses necessary for driving the line sensor 7 by frequency-dividing the clock pulses output from the oscillator 9. The output signal of the line sensor 7 is shaped into a waveform of an appropriate level by a waveform shaping circuit 10 and is supplied to a first gate circuit 11 . The first gate circuit 11 transmits the clock pulse from the oscillator 9 to the first counter 1 when the output signal of the waveform shaping circuit 10 is at a high level and the first counter 12 is not counting up.
It is configured to be input to the clock terminal of No. 2.

The output of the first counter 12 is supplied to a constant value detection circuit 13. The constant value detection circuit 13 detects when the content of the first counter 12 becomes a constant value and controls the CPU (central processing unit).
A signal is output to 14. In addition, the first counter 1
The output of 2 is input to the clock terminal of the second counter 16 via the second gate circuit 15. The second gate circuit 15 transmits the clock pulse from the oscillator 9 to the second counter 1 when the first counter 12 counts up.
6. The count value of the second counter 16 is read by the CPU 14 when the output signal of the waveform shaping circuit 10 falls. Note that the first counter 12 is reset when the output signal of the waveform shaping circuit 10 falls.

The light amount feedback circuit 17 is a circuit for providing an appropriate amount of light to the line sensor 7. Generally, line sensors cannot obtain accurate images when the amount of light increases. Therefore, by controlling the light amount of the light source 5 according to the output signal of the line sensor 7, the light amount to the line sensor 7 is controlled to an appropriate value.

Next, the operation in such a configuration will be explained. First, a normal coin diameter measuring operation will be explained with reference to a timing chart shown in FIG. The line sensor 7 uses, for example, TD133D manufactured by Toshiba Corporation. This line sensor 7 takes in data for one run between T1 and T2, as shown in FIG. Figure 4(a)
The SH signal of 6 is a signal for transferring the charge of the font sensor of line sensor 7 to the shift register.
After there is an invalid portion for 4 clock pulses, the image signal is output. This output signal is shown in FIG. 4(b).

By shaping the output signal of the line sensor 7 using the threshold voltage V1 in the waveform shaping circuit 10, a signal as shown in FIG. 4(c) is obtained. This signal is supplied to the first gate circuit 11 and masks, for example, the one pixel transfer rate (2 MHz) of the line sensor 7. When the signal in FIG. 4(c) is at a high level and the first counter 12 is not counting up (when the output of the first counter 12 is at a high level), the first gate circuit 11 The above 2 MHz clock pulse will be generated.

That is, the gate of the first gate circuit 11 opens in the shaded area (shaded area by the coin 1) in FIG. 4(c), and the first counter 12 starts counting. When the first counter 12 counts up, the output of the first counter 12 becomes low level, the gate of the first gate circuit 11 closes, and the second gate circuit 15 closes.
The gate of is opened and the second counter 16 starts counting. The second counter 16 is configured to be large enough to count the shadows of the coins 1.

Then, when the output signal of the waveform shaping circuit 10 falls, the CPU 14 reads the count value of the second counter 16. Reading data at the falling edge of the output signal of the waveform shaping circuit 10 can be easily realized by using the interrupt function of the CPU 14. CPU14
When reading the count value of the second counter 16, the coin diameter is determined by comparing the data with, for example, a preset reference value for each coin type, and the coin type is classified.

Next, the operation when a small shadow is generated due to dust or foreign matter will be explained with reference to the timing chart shown in FIG. In this case, the output signal of the line sensor 7 has a signal waveform as shown in FIG. 5(b), as in the case described above. Then, the first counter 12 counts the portion shaded by the dust. However, the pulse width of the part shaded by the dust is not sufficient to count up the first counter 12. Therefore, the first counter 12 is reset at the falling edge of the area shaded by dust.

Then, when the output signal of the line sensor 7 becomes the waveform of a regular coin, counting is started in the same manner as described above. In addition, an accurate count value of the second counter 16 can be obtained regardless of small waveforms caused by dust or foreign matter. Therefore, it is possible to always accurately determine the diameter of a coin.

In FIG. 5, the case where a small waveform is generated in front of the normal coin waveform due to dust or foreign matter has been explained, but if it is generated behind the coin waveform, as described above, the coin waveform is Since the count value of the second counter 16 is read into the CPU 14 at the end, there is no influence at all.

Next, a case will be explained in which the shadow of the coin 1 is placed in a position where the shadow of dust or a foreign object overlaps with the shadow of the coin 1. coin 1
If the shadows of the coins completely overlap, the count value of the second counter 16 will be larger than the count value of the regular coin 1, and the coin diameter cannot be accurately determined. However, since the coin 1 is being conveyed by the conveyor belt 3, the shadow of the coin 1 always moves from the shadow of the conveyor belt 3 in the center to the shadow of the regular coin 1. That is, there is always a portion where the shadow of the coin 1 and the shadow of dust or foreign matter do not overlap.

The operation will be explained below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. When determining the diameter of the coin 1, when the first counter 12 starts counting, the constant value detection circuit 13 detects that the first counter 12 has a constant value (for example, 16
It is detected whether the value has reached 100H in base number, and when it is detected that it has become a constant value, it outputs a signal to the CPU 14. CPU
14, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6, determines whether the first counter 12 has reached a constant value based on the output of the constant value detection circuit 13, and when it reaches the constant value, the output of the line sensor 7 is then determined. Detects the falling edge of the signal.

[0024] Then, when a falling edge is detected, CP
U14 reads the count value of the second counter 16. At this time, if the count value of the second counter 16 is "0", the CPU 14 determines that the coin diameter detection operation was performed due to dust or a foreign object, and issues a foreign object alarm, for example. If the value is not "0", it is determined that a genuine coin 1 has passed, and the coin diameter is determined in the same manner as described above.

[0025] In this case, the count value of the second counter 16 of "0" is used as the threshold for determining whether it is a foreign object or a coin, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be set to "1", for example. Further, the constant value detection circuit 13 includes a first counter 12
The purpose is to determine that the count-up operation has started, and it is sufficient if the count value is "1" or more.

[0026] With the above-described configuration, if a small foreign object, such as a stapler that tends to get mixed in with coins taken out from the coin tray, gets into the measurement part in the conveyance path, or if the photoelectric conversion element section It is possible to accurately measure the diameter of a coin even when it is contaminated with dirt or dust, and in such cases, it is possible to issue a warning of foreign object contamination and prompt the cleaning of the conveyance path, making it easier for coin handling machines. The usability is improved and the operating rate of the coin processing machine can be improved.

[0027] In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which the application is applied to a coin diameter measuring device that measures the diameter of a coin in a coin processing machine that sorts coins by type, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can also be applied to a medal diameter measuring device that measures the diameter of medals in a medal processing machine that sorts medals by type.

[0028]

Effects of the Invention As described in detail above, according to the present invention, the diameter can be accurately measured even when small foreign objects or dust are mixed into the measurement part of the conveying means, and the operating rate of the coin processing machine can be reduced. It is possible to provide a coin diameter measuring device that can prevent the coin diameter from decreasing.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electric circuit.

FIG. 2 is a partially cross-sectional side view of a coin diameter measuring section.

FIG. 3 is a partially sectional front view of the coin diameter measuring section.

FIG. 4 is a timing chart illustrating a normal coin diameter measuring operation.

FIG. 5 is a timing chart illustrating operations when a small shadow is generated by dust or foreign matter.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating processing operations of the CPU.

[Explanation of symbols]

1... Coin, 2... Conveyance path, 3... Conveyance belt, 4...
Slit, 5... Light source, 6... Rod-shaped lens, 7... Line sensor, 12... First counter, 13... Constant value detection circuit, 14... CPU, 16... Second counter.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A conveying means for conveying a coin to be measured; a light source provided on one side of the conveying means to irradiate the coin being conveyed; and the other side of the conveying means facing the light source. A photoelectric conversion element is provided on the side and detects the shadow of the coin being conveyed, and the width of the coin shadow detection signal output from this photoelectric conversion element is counted. a first counter whose counting contents are reset when the element no longer detects the shadow of the coin; a second counter which starts a counting operation when the first counter counts up; and the photoelectric conversion element. A coin diameter measuring device characterized by comprising: a determining means for reading the count contents of the second counter and determining the diameter of the coin when the shadow of the coin is no longer detected.