JPH08110961A - Coin identifying counter - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To prevent the generation of malfunction such as an error in money sorting by stabilizing the posture of a coin at the time of allowing the coin to pass a coin identifying part. CONSTITUTION: This coin identifying counter has a coin carrying belt gear 10 of a flat belt 12 for carrying a coin received from a coin charging hopper 3 in a state inclined upward, a reverse roller 22 for aligning coins put on the belt 12 one by one in a file arrangement, a guide rail for guiding and regulating each coin so that its perpheral edge comes into contact with a reference band face on one side in the carrying direction, oppositely arranged magnetic sensors 42, 44 for contactlessly identifying a coin on the belt 12 in a reference band face setting area and generating a money sort signal, and a loose round belt gear 50 for elastically and continuously pressing a coin downward at least in a coin identifying area T while moving together with the movement of the flat belt 12. Since the round belt 54 follows the movement of the flat belt 12, a coin is not slid on the surface of the belt 54 even when the coin is pressed downward, so that the coin can be carried at fixed posture and a fixed speed and the generation of misidentification or the like can be prevented.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a coin discriminating and counting machine for discriminating and counting denominations of coins, and particularly for use in temporary fastening and final fastening processing of registers (cash register machines) such as convenience stores. The present invention relates to a coin identifying and counting machine having a suitable compact structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In convenience stores and the like,
Usually, part-time employees and part-time employees work alternately, so the cash in the cash drawer (cash withdrawal) in the cash register (cash status adjustment and settlement) and final tightening ( Settle the cash on hand to a specified amount)
Must be done. In cash management like this,
It is essential to perform a coin counting operation for counting coins sorted by denomination and stored in coin storage trays in the drawer. However, it is often the case that employees counting coins of each denomination while counting coins are not accustomed to part-time employees or when they are busy with customers, so artificial counting errors tend to occur. . Although the counting results of this temporary tightening / final tightening process are usually posted on a tabulation sheet, if they are posted with a counting error, it may cause annoyance to the replaced succeeding worker, Afterwards, the accounting disagreement will be caused, and unnecessary work such as tracking work of counting errors will be required.

In order to eliminate such a coin counting error, a compact coin counting device having a coin loading type guide for each denomination may be used. You can know the number of coins, that is, the coin count value, by loading coins along the coin loading guide and reading the number scale that matches the height level, but even coins of the same denomination will show the year of manufacture and coins with notches. Since there are variations in thickness originally,
In some cases, the height level becomes odd between the scales, which makes it difficult to read the scales, resulting in poor reliability of the number of coins.

On the other hand, various coin discriminating counters for discriminating denominations and counting the number of coins have been conventionally known. There are a coin passage in which coins are narrowed down to a coin diameter for each denomination and coins are sorted, and a slit in which coins are sequentially arranged in a coin passage are sorted and sorted. A counter using such a mechanical identification device is optimal for batch counting of enormous numbers of coins with mixed denominations, and is suitable for use in financial institutions and large retail stores. However, as in a convenience store, when the number of registers is at most two and the installation space is limited to the vicinity of the register, a large and expensive counter using the above mechanical identification device is used. It is impossible to introduce.

Here, to consider the conditions of a coin discriminating / counting machine suitable for use in convenience stores, etc., the coin storage tray in the drawer of the register has a group of similar coins already sorted and stored according to the type of coin. Therefore, the coin identification (identifying the denomination of coins) is originally unnecessary in the temporary fastening and the final fastening processing, and only the counting processing of the coin group is sufficient. In this sense, a counter using the above-mentioned mechanical identification device is unnecessary. However, in reality, coins of other denominations and foreign substances may be rarely mixed in the coin storage tray, so an automatic denomination identification function is required to eliminate manual denomination selection. Has become. In such a case, after counting the coin group of a certain denomination, return the coin group to the corresponding coin storage tray, and this time, take out the coin group from the coin storage tray of another denomination and count it. It is necessary to specify the denomination to be counted on the machine. That is, the coin handler carries out the confirmation of the denomination of the coin group to be counted and the operation of designating the denomination. If such a denomination confirmation / denomination designation operation exists prior to the counting process, a new problem of confirmation error or operation error will occur.

Therefore, the present applicant has previously filed Japanese Patent Application No. 6-21.
Displaying the denomination and the count value (the number of coins) of the coin group by simply inserting the coin group taken out from the coin storage tray in the drawer without performing the denomination confirmation and the denomination designation operation with No. 4587. We proposed a coin-less coin identification counter.

That is, this non-indicating type coin discriminating counter is
And a non-contact type (optical type, magnetic type, etc.) coin identifying device which is provided on the way of conveying coins inserted from the coin insertion port to the outlet and which identifies the coins and generates a denomination signal. , A designated denomination discriminating means for discriminating whether or not the denomination signal is a designated denomination signal, and sending out a coincidence signal when they coincide, and a disagreement signal when they do not coincide, and the generation of the coincidence signal. A corresponding counter corresponding to the designated denomination that counts each time, display means for displaying the count value of the corresponding counter and the designated denomination, and a denomination signal first sent out by the electronic coin discriminating means. And a designated denomination automatic generation means for setting the designated denomination.

When a coin group is taken out from a coin storage tray having a register or the like and is put into an insertion slot, a coin conveyed by a conveying means is discriminated every time it passes through a non-contact type coin discriminating device, and a denomination signal is generated. It occurs one after another. The denomination signal generated first is taken into the designated denomination automatic generation means and the denomination is set as the designated denomination. When the designated denomination is set, whether or not the denomination signal generated including the first denomination signal is the designated denomination is determined by the designated denomination determining means, and each time the coincidence signal is generated, the corresponding counter is The count value is added. Therefore, the number of coins of the designated denomination in the inserted coin group is counted, and the number and the designated denomination are displayed on the display means. As described above, the first coin can be automatically set and the first coin can be counted by the first coin inserted without inputting the designated denomination by operating the switch or the like. Therefore, it is not necessary to confirm the denomination of the inserted coin group and to specify the denomination on the counter, and it is possible to eliminate confirmation errors and operation mistakes. Instead of the denomination of the first coin, the denominations of the first few coins may be determined by a majority vote and the determined denomination may be the designated denomination.

As the non-contact type coin discriminating device, a well-known photo-detecting type or magnetic detecting type coin discriminating device can be used, and a belt transmission device is suitable as the conveying device. The reason why coins are conveyed by this belt transmission device is that the coins are allowed to pass through the coin discrimination area at a constant posture and at a constant speed so that the discrimination performance does not vary in denomination discrimination. When using a magnetic detection type coin identification device, it is generally necessary to arrange a pair of opposed magnetic sensors below the conveyor belt and above the coin. Also in the optical detection type coin identifying device, the light emitting element and the light receiving element may be arranged at positions where the coins are sandwiched on the conveyor belt. However, in some magnetic detection type coin identification devices, the magnetic sensor is arranged only on the coin, and in the case of the reflection type optical detection, the light emitting element and the light receiving element are arranged only on the coin.

[0010]

Conventionally, as a coin discriminating machine for reflection type optical detection, a coin conveying belt transmission having a coin sliding plate on which a coin slides and a feed belt elastically pressed against the surface from above. A device, a coin movement locus control unit that guides and regulates the coins on the coin sliding plate so that the peripheral edge of the coin contacts the reference strip surface on one side in the transport direction, and a reflective optical coin that identifies the coins sliding on the coin sliding plate. And an identification unit. In addition, as a magnetic detection type coin discriminator, a lower conveyor belt transmission device and an upper conveyor belt transmission device that have a sandwiching belt that is narrower than the diameter of the coin and a coin that moves while being sandwiched between the belts are conveyed. It has a coin movement locus restricting portion that guides and regulates the coin so as to come into contact with the reference strip surface on one side in the direction, and a magnetic sensor that faces a region of the coin that is pinched and moves out of the belt pinching region.

(1) The former reflective optical detection coin discriminating machine has the following problems.

Since coins passing through the coin discriminating area are sandwiched between the coin sliding plate and the feed belt and move while rubbing on the coin sliding plate, friction loss cannot be ignored, driving load is large, and coin sliding also occurs. Abrasion of the board surface also occurs. Since the coin sliding plate has a smooth surface and needs to be made of a surface-treated metal material having a high hardness, the manufacturing cost increases.

Further, since it is necessary to feed coins one by one without overlapping the coin sliding plate, it is necessary to connect a coin tandem feeding device to the upstream side of the coin identifying unit. This coin tandem feeder is a coin conveyor belt transmission device that conveys the coins received from the coin input hopper on the conveyor belt and conveys them to the coin sliding plate at the downstream end on the drive pulley side. It has a reverse roller (coin aligning means) for stacking and pushing back coins that are overlapped and conveyed. Therefore, the coin conveying system of the coin discriminating machine is composed of the upper belt (tension side belt) of the coin conveying belt transmission device of the coin tandem feeding device and the coin conveying belt transmission device which is connected to the downstream end of the coin conveying belt and elastically contacts the coin sliding plate. It consists of a lower belt (tension side belt), and the upright coin transport belt transmission and the inverted coin transport belt transmission must be connected in series. 2 coin conveyor belt devices
Since a stand is required, it causes a problem in complexity of the device configuration, high manufacturing cost, and reduction in size and weight. Since the coin is slid on the coin sliding plate, it is difficult to dispose the opposed magnetic sensor with the upper and lower surfaces of the coin sandwiched therebetween.

(2) The latter magnetic detection type coin discriminating machine has the following problems.

Since coins are sandwiched between upper and lower conveyor belts (upper and lower tension side belts) having a width narrower than the diameter of coins, the coins pass through the identification area, and therefore the coin posture is unstable and When vibration or the like is applied to, the rolling state is likely to occur. Depending on the direction of this rolling state, it may act so as to separate the peripheral edge of the coin from the reference strip surface, and there is a high risk of misidentification.

Further, as in the case of (1) above, the upright coin transport belt transmission and the inverted coin transport belt transmission must be arranged vertically opposite to each other, which complicates the device configuration and reduces the manufacturing cost. This causes obstacles to high, small size and light weight.

When a pair of upper and lower coin transport belt transmissions are arranged so that the belts come into contact with each other, the gap between the tension side belts becomes a problem. Depending on the type of coin, some coins are as thin as a one-yen coin and some are as thick as a 500-yen coin, so the clamping force differs depending on the value of the belt gap. It is not preferable to automatically adjust the belt gap for each denomination because it complicates the device configuration. Since it is a parallel belt transmission device, when the belt gap is equal to or less than the coin thickness, the drive side (driving side) pulley portion is likely to be clogged, and it is difficult to pinch (grip, take in). On the contrary, when the belt gap is greater than the coin thickness, the pinching force disappears. Therefore, it is difficult to set the belt gap in the belt sandwiching conveyance, and the coins having different thicknesses cause variations in the take-in plan.

Also in the case of the magnetic detection type coin discriminating machine, it is necessary to connect the coin column feeding device to the upstream side of the upper and lower conveying belt device, but the coins arranged in the column arranged in the vertical direction discharged from the coin column feeding device are narrowed. A chute etc. to be delivered between the belts was required, which led to an increase in the number of parts and obstacles to size and weight reduction.

Here, the inventor of the present invention stopped the use of the coin sliding plate and the sandwiching conveyor belt, and in the course of conveying the coins on the conveyor belt by the single coin conveyor belt transmission device, the coin cascading function and the coin identifying function. It is advocated to have. If the coin sliding plate and the sandwiched conveyor belt are eliminated to form a single coin conveyor belt transmission device, simplification of the device configuration, reduction in manufacturing cost, reduction in size and weight, etc. can be expected. It can be used practically.

However, in order to identify the coins on the conveyor belt in a non-contact (optical or magnetic) manner, it is unavoidable to secure the traveling posture and stability of the coins. Was revealed.

In the process of discriminating the denomination of coins by the coin discriminating machine, it is essential to move the coin at a constant speed while stabilizing the posture of the coin in order to ensure discrimination performance. However, the surface of the elastic conveyor belt has a somewhat uneven curved surface in the manufacturing process, and it is not a problem because it is rich in elasticity at the beginning of use, but the hardening of the material progresses with the passage of time. As the length increases, unevenness in elasticity occurs on the uneven curved surface. For this reason, posture instability increases when the coin is running, and a malfunction such as an denomination error of the identification device may occur. In particular, since the impact / vibration applied to the housing of the device also propagates to the conveyor belt, the coin may be slightly shaken, and it is necessary to take some anti-vibration measures for practical use.

Toothed belts and flat belts are generally used as the conveyor belt. Since the toothed belt has an excessive thickness only at the toothed portion, it is unsuitable for application to an optical transmission type or magnetic type coin discriminating apparatus that sandwiches and detects coins. This is because if the belt is thick, the detection performance is reduced. On the other hand, in the case of the flat belt, the following problems occur. In the flat belt winding device, the circumference of the pulleys (driving pulleys and driven pulleys) around which the flat belt is hung is formed at a medium height (crown), and the restoring tension that pulls the flat belt toward the middle and high sides is always constant. Has occurred, so
Even if some external force is applied, the belt does not come off. For this reason, the flat belt is not a flat surface but a middle-high surface in the belt width direction other than the winding region of the pulley.

In reality, since the coins are conveyed while being placed on the middle-high surface in the belt width direction, the instability of the posture is particularly serious in the case of a flat belt.

In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a small, lightweight and low-cost coin discriminating counter using a non-contact type coin discriminating device and a unique coin conveying belt transmission device. (EN) A coin discriminating / counting machine capable of stabilizing a posture of a coin when a coin passes through a coin discriminating section and preventing a malfunction such as a denomination error in advance.

[0025]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs a special coin holding means for suppressing the floating and vertical movement of coins passing through the discrimination area. That is, according to the present invention, the coin received from the coin slot is placed on the conveyor belt on the driven pulley side, conveyed by tilting upward, and is sent out at the downstream end on the drive pulley side. Coin aligning means for aligning the coin groups received on the driven pulley side one by one in a row and column; and a coin on the conveyor belt on the downstream side of the coin aligning means whose peripheral edge is a reference strip surface on one side in the conveying direction. A coin having a coin movement locus restricting means for guiding and restricting to guide the contact and a non-contact type coin identifying means for non-contactly identifying the coin on the conveyor belt in the laying area of the reference strip and generating a denomination signal. A discriminating / counting machine, wherein a coin pusher keeps elastically holding the coin from above by moving together with the movement of the conveyor belt in the discrimination area where the coin passes at least the non-contact type coin discriminating means. Characterized in that it has a means. Here, a toothed belt may be used as the conveyor belt, but a flat belt is preferable to reduce the thickness of the belt.

The coin holding means described above accompanies the movement of the belt while holding down the coin, but it is in the idle state in which a winding medium node having a width narrower than the diameter of the coin contacting the surface of the conveyor belt is stretched. It is desirable to use a winding transmission device. In such a configuration, it is desirable that the wrapping medium section is stretched in a slack state. As the winding device, a round belt transmission device in which the winding medium node is a round belt (rope) is suitable. Further, it is desirable to provide a spring urging means for elastically pulling the upstream pulley of the winding device toward the conveyor belt.

Further, in the present invention, it is preferable to provide a spring urging means for urging the upstream pulley of the winding transmission device to the conveyor belt side. Further, it is desirable to provide a coin take-in means for assisting the take-in of coins into the pressing area near the front edge (starting point) of the pressing area by the coin pressing means on the conveyor belt. An elastic friction wheel can be used as the coin intake means. Then, it is desirable to provide a spring urging means that presses the friction wheel onto the conveyor belt to elastically contact it. Further, it is desirable that the friction wheel has a flat tooth profile formed on its peripheral surface.

Furthermore, in the present invention, it is desirable that the coin conveying belt transmission means has a belt receiving means for bending the vicinity of the front edge of the pressing area of the belt into a mountain fold. The belt receiving means may be a guide pulley.

In the present invention, the coin may be guided to the distant coin outlet by connecting a coin belt to the next stage to the position where the coin drops from the downstream end of the coin belt, and the coin may be guided to that position. A dispensing tray may be provided. A coin passage sensor may be provided near the downstream end of the conveyor belt.

[0030]

The coin group received from the coin slot is placed on the belt on the driven pulley side of the coin conveying bell transmission means, and many coins are laid down and conveyed as they are to the downstream side. Since it is an inclined rising surface, coins that fell accidentally in an upright state without falling down relatively roll down on the belt surface and are not conveyed up, and idle at the lower side of the receipt, so the balance is lost overnight. Be sure to fall. The laid-down coins are raised and transported as they are. By the way, when a large number of coins are placed on the belt all at once, the coins may be conveyed while overlapping each other. Here, since the coin aligning means is provided, the coin groups are aligned and sent out one by one. The coins on the belt sent out one by one from the coin aligning means are conveyed while being regulated by the coin movement locus regulating means so that the peripheral edge of the coin contacts the reference strip surface on one side in the conveying direction, and the non-contact type coin identification. Go through the identification zone of the instrument. As a result, the coin discriminating means discriminates the passing coin and generates the denomination signal. This achieves coin counting.

By the way, when the coin on the belt arrives at the identification area, the coin holding means keeps holding the coin from above. Since this coin pressing means is adapted to accompany the movement of the belt, even if the coin is pressed from above, the coin will not be slid (relatively displaced) with respect to the belt surface. Therefore, the coin can be passed through the identification area at a substantially constant speed. And when the coin is pressed down,
The floating between the belt surface and the coin can be eliminated, vertical movement can be eliminated, and malfunction of the identification device can be prevented. In particular, when the belt is a flat belt, although the belt surface has a middle height in the belt width direction, since the coin is held by the coin holding means, at least in the discrimination area, the coin does not float and the posture becomes unstable. It can be lost.

In the case of an idle wrapping device in which the coin pressing means is constructed by stretching a wrapping medium node having a width narrower than the coin diameter that comes into contact with the belt surface, the coin transport belt is used as a drive source and is brought into contact with it. Since the wrapping medium node is rotated in a follow-up manner, the coin on the conveyor belt moves while being pressed by the round belt from above. Here, the reason why the winding medium section is not driven in synchronization with the coin transport belt and is kept in the idle state is as follows. In the case of the pinch conveyance by a pair of upper and lower belt transmission devices, the variation amount of the conveyance speed tends to be large. This is because it relates to the total sum of the fluctuation amounts of the respective belt speeds. The belt speed fluctuation amount is caused by the position of the belt receiver and the expansion and contraction of the belt material. However, in the present invention, since the coins are carried on the only coin carrying belt, compared to the case of the above-mentioned pinching and carrying,
The amount of fluctuation is almost halved.

Here, particularly, when the tension of the wrapping medium section is relatively loosened and kept in a slack state, friction is reduced, so that the wrapping medium section can be lightly turned, and the driving load is of course reduced. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the slippage between the winding medium node and the conveyor belt surface as much as possible.

Further, since the winding medium node is in contact with the conveyor belt surface (tension side) with the curved (convex downward) hanging portion, the coins sent from the upstream side are upstream of the winding medium node. The pulley is not clogged, and the coin can be taken in (inserted) smoothly into the pressing area (the contact portion between the conveyor belt and the winding medium node of the pressing). In other words, the pulley on the upstream side of the winding medium node can be set relatively rough from the surface of the conveyor belt to a position equal to or larger than the thickness of the coin.

Further, in the structure in which the spring urging means for elastically pulling the upstream side pulley of the winding device toward the conveyor belt is provided, when the coin hits the winding medium node, the upstream pulley of the winding medium node is momentarily. Since the side is flipped up, there is no slip of coins, and the coins can be taken into the holding area more smoothly. And again, the front edge (starting point) of the pressing area by the coin pressing means on the conveyor belt.
When a coin taking-in means for assisting the taking-in of coins into the pressing area is positively provided, it is possible to surely eliminate an error in taking coins into the pressing area.
In particular, if the speed of the conveyor belt is increased, the coin easily slips due to the collision reaction with the wrapping mediation node of the pressing, but if the coin take-in means is provided, this slip can be eliminated, and eventually the coin Higher identification speed can be achieved. An elastic friction wheel that is driven to rotate can be used as the coin taking-in means. When the coin approaches the front edge of the holding area and the coin comes into contact with the rotating friction wheel, the coin is introduced into the holding area. Here, when the spring urging means for pressing the friction wheel onto the belt to elastically contact is provided, the impact due to the reaction when the coin hits the friction wheel can be alleviated, so that the friction wheel is not rolled up. It will be smooth. Then, when the flat tooth shape is formed on the peripheral surface of the friction wheel, the coin can be reliably caught without slipping. In addition, when the coin transport belt transmission means has a belt receiving means for bending the vicinity of the front edge of the pressing area of the belt into a mountain fold, when a coin is approaching this bent portion, the front side thereof is the belt surface. Since it is pulled in by a friction wheel at the moment it floats up from the ground, a stable introduction into the pressing area is achieved. In addition, this bending allows the pressing area to be set to a substantially horizontal level, which is useful for compressing the height of the device. When a guide pulley is used as the belt receiving means, it contributes to reduction of the belt load.

[0036]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a coin discriminating / counting machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state in which the top plate of the coin discriminating / counting machine is removed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the coin discriminating / counting machine 100 according to the present embodiment has a rectangular parallelepiped shape (width: about 15 cm, height: about 15 cm, depth: about 40 cm, weight: several kg), and an elongated box-shaped housing. A hinge opening / closing top plate (opening / closing lid) 2 capable of turning around a rotation center line 2 a is provided on the top surface of 1. On the rear side of the top plate 2, a coin slot 3a of a coin slot hopper 3 is provided. A coin ejection tray 4 is projected from the front of the housing 1, and a magnetic power outlet 5 for power supply is provided on the protruding edge surface. An operation / display unit 6 is provided on the front side of the top plate 2, and a printer paper discharge port 7 is provided substantially at the center of the top plate 2.
Is provided. A power switch 8 is provided on the front surface of the housing 1.

The operation / display section 6 has a 7-segment 6-digit light-emitting diode (LED) display section 6a and a push button switch group. The push button switch group includes a selection switch 6ba for selecting a counting processing mode (single denomination mode, all denomination mode, automatic denomination mode) and the like, and a preset switch 6bb for performing a counting operation up to a preset number. And a changeover switch 6bc for changing display contents, a counting start switch 6bd for manually instructing the start of counting operation, a form printing switch 6be for printing on a form, and a paper for feeding paper. It is composed of a feed switch 6bf and a restoration switch 6bg for clearing the counting result.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing the mechanism system in this embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a plan view thereof.

The basic structure of the coin discriminating / counting machine of this example is that the coin conveying belt transmission device 10 of the parallel flat belt 12 for conveying the coin C received from the coin input hopper 3 at the upstream end side at the rising inclination, and the flat belt. A coin stacking device 20 as a coin aligning means for aligning the coins placed on the coin 12 in a row and column, and a reference strip whose peripheral edge is one side of coins on the flat belt 12 on the downstream side of the device 20. Guide rails 30, 32, 34 for guiding and regulating so as to contact the surface 34a
(See FIG. 5), magnetic sensors (coils, cores) 42, 44 of opposed type that identify coins of the flat belt 12 in a non-contact manner in the laying area S of the reference strip and generate a denomination signal, and coins. Has a round belt (rope) transmission device 50 that moves together with the movement of the flat belt 12 at least in the coin identification area T to elastically press the coins from above.

The coin input hopper 3 is provided close to the upstream end (the driven pulley 11 side) of the coin conveyor belt transmission device 10. The coin input hopper 3 has inclined side walls 3b and 3c, and these have light rays L _1, L _{2 and} L in the width direction of the flat belt 12.
Photo interrupters (optical sensors for light emitting elements and light receiving elements) S _1, S _2, S ₃ through which ₃ passes are provided.

The coin conveying belt transmission device 10 comprises a drive pulley 13 at the downstream end and a driven pulley 11 at the upstream end, and an elastic flat belt 12 stretched in parallel between the pulleys. A guide pulley 14 is abutted at approximately the middle, and the abutting portion is a mountain bending portion 12a. Therefore, the belt surface has a slope rising area on the upstream side and a substantially horizontal transport area on the downstream side with the mountain bending portion 12a as a boundary. A belt receiving plate 15 is fixed to the back side of the flat belt 12 in the inclined rising region. In this example, the belt receiving plate 15
A belt non-receiving area W is formed between the guide pulley 14 and the guide pulley 14. A belt receiving plate 16 is fixed to the back side of the flat belt 12 in the substantially horizontal conveyance area, and the lower magnetic sensors 42 and 44 are attached to the belt receiving plate 16.

The coin stacking / disassembling device 20 is provided with a reverse roller 22 (coin return roller), which is elastically driven and provided so as to face the coin delivery port 3d of the coin input hopper 3, and a reverse roller 22 that sandwiches the flat belt 12. And an idle pulley 24. The gap between the flat belt 12 and the reverse roller 22 is set to be not less than the thickness of one coin and not more than the thickness of two coins.

The upper magnetic coils 42 and 44 are integrally attached to a sensor block plate 46, and the sensor block plate 46 is connected to the belt receiving plate 16 by a hinge with a torsion spring (not shown). It is possible to turn around the rotation center line 46a. Therefore, the sensor block plate 46 can be rotated to be separated from the flat belt 12, and the flat belt surface in the identification area can be seen directly.

A round belt transmission device 50 as a pressing means includes a downstream end pulley 51 which is rotatable in an idle state on a shaft 51a fixed to one end side of a sensor block plate 46.
And a shaft 52 fixed to the other end of the sensor block plate 46.
a rotatable arm frame 52, an upstream end pulley 53 rotatable in an idle state on a shaft 53a fixed to the tip end side of the arm frame 52, an upstream end pulley 53 and a downstream end pulley 51.
And a parallel elastic round belt (rope) 54 that is loosely stretched in a loose state. The lower round belt 54 hangs down and contacts the flat belt surface. An elastic take-in roller 55 is rotatably supported on the shaft 53a. The take-in roller 55 has a flat tooth shape formed around the circumference thereof. A torsion spring 56 is wound around the shaft 52a, one pressing line end 56a of which is in contact with the shaft 53a, and the other pressing line end 56b of which is in contact with the edge of the sensor block plate 46. ing. Therefore, the tip end side of the arm frame 52 is biased so as to be elastically pressed toward the flat belt side, and the take-in roller 53 is in contact with the flat belt 12. In addition,
A counting sensor (coin passage sensor) 60 is provided near the downstream end of the flat belt 12.

When a large number of coins of the same kind are inserted into the coin insertion hopper 3, they are placed on the flat belt 12 on the driven pulley 11 side.
At this time, one of the photo interrupters S _1, S _{2, and} S ₃ detects the coin accumulation, and the motor (not shown) is driven by this, the drive pulley 13 rotates, and the flat belt 12 rotates. Further, the reverse roller 22 rotates. Flat belt 12
When is rotated, many coins lay down and are conveyed to the downstream side as they are, but since the belt surface is an inclined rising surface, coins that accidentally become upright without lying down face the belt surface. It falls and rolls up and is not transported upwards, and it spins idle on the lower side of the reception, so it loses its balance early and night and falls securely. The laid-down coins are raised and transported as they are.

By the way, a large number of coins are used in the flat belt 1 at once.
When the coins are placed on the coin 2, the coins may be conveyed while being overlapped with each other. However, when the coins are conveyed as they are, the coins superposed on the coin contact the reverse roller 22 and are rebounded by the flip-up rotation to be stacked. . Therefore, coins are sequentially sent out one by one from the gap between the reverse roller 22 and the belt 12.

Coins C sent in a row and one by one
Is regulated by the guide rails 30, 32 toward one side of the belt width, and then guided by the guide rails 32, 34 such that the peripheral edge of the coin C is always in contact with the reference strip surface 34a on one side in the transport direction. Coin C
When the coin arrives at the belt non-receiving area W, the coin is introduced into the holding area U by receiving the pinching force of the take-in roller 55. In the holding area U, the coins are slack in the round belt 5
At 4, the sheet is conveyed while being pressed down while being pressed from above. When a coin passes through the identification area T in the pressing area U, the diameter and material of the coin are electronically detected by the magnetic coils 42 and 44 to perform coin identification. The coin passing sensor 60 at the downstream end of the flat belt 12 detects the coins sent from the belt 12, and then the coins are ejected from the tray 4
Fall to.

When the round belt 54 does not exist in the identification area T, the belt surface of the flat belt 12 is centered in the belt width direction as shown in FIG. Although stability will occur, when the round belt 54 is present as in this example, the coin C is pressed from above as shown in FIG. Stabilization can be achieved.

In this example, the round belt 54 is in the idle state. In the case of the pinch conveyance by a pair of upper and lower belt transmission devices, the variation amount of the conveyance speed tends to be large. This is because it relates to the total sum of the fluctuation amounts of the respective belt speeds. The belt speed fluctuation amount is caused by the position of the belt receiver and the expansion and contraction of the belt material. However, in this example, since the coins are transported on the single flat belt 12, the fluctuation amount of the transportation speed is reduced to about half. If the round belt 54 is made relatively loose and in a loosened state, friction between the shaft and the pulley can be reduced, and the driving load can be reduced. Further, slippage between the round belt 54 and the flat belt 12 can be suppressed as much as possible.
Here, in particular, since the round belt 54 is in contact with the flat belt 12 with a curved (convex downward) hanging portion, the round belt 54 is in a slope shape until it reaches the pressing area. Therefore, the coins sent from the upstream side do not get stuck at the pulley 53 of the round belt 54, and the coins can be taken in (inserted) smoothly into the holding area. Slip is likely to occur at the moment when the coin hits the round belt 54, but in this example, since the torsion spring 56 biases the spring, at the moment when the coin hits the round belt 54, a slight jump in the escape direction of the round belt 54 occurs. Occurs, which makes the slipping of coins less likely to occur and allows the coins to be taken into the holding area more smoothly.

When the speed of the flat belt 12 is increased, the coins are likely to slip due to the collision reaction with the round belt 54, but the take-in roller 55 comes into contact with the flat belt 12 and rotates in the winding direction. There is. When the coin hits the take-in roller 55, the coin hits the round belt 54 while being pressed and held, so that no slip occurs when the coin contacts the round belt 54. Therefore, the coins can be conveyed at high speed, and thus the coins can be recognized at high speed, and the counting time can be shortened. Further, since the spring biasing force of the tone spring 56 also acts on the take-in roller 55, the impact when the coin hits the take-up roller 56 can be alleviated, and the rolling operation becomes smoother. When the take-up roller 56 is provided at the mountain bending portion 12 a of the guide pulley 14, the bending portion 12 a
When a coin is approaching a, it is pulled by the take-in roller 56 and hits the round belt 54 at the moment when its front side floats from the belt surface, so that stable introduction into the pressing area is achieved. By this bending, the pressing area can be made substantially horizontal, and the device height is compressed.

Needless to say, the present invention can be applied not only to the coin discriminating / counting machine as in the above-mentioned embodiment but also to a coin discriminating apparatus having a non-contact type sensor in general.

[0054]

As described above, according to the present invention, a single coin conveying belt means and a non-contact type coin discriminating means are used, and the coins on the belt passing through the discriminating area are kept pressed and the belt is moved. The feature is that the coin holding means is provided. Therefore, the following effects are obtained.

The floating between the belt surface and the coin can be eliminated, vertical movement can be eliminated, and malfunction of the identification device can be prevented. In particular, the effect is remarkable when the belt is a flat belt. As a result, a small-sized, lightweight and low-cost coin discriminating counter using a non-contact type coin discriminating device and a unique coin conveying belt transmission device has been put into practical use. When the coin pressing means is the winding device in the idle state, since the coins are conveyed on only one coin conveying belt, the amount of fluctuation is approximately halved as compared with the case of the pinching and conveying.

When the wrapping medium is loosened,
Not only the drive load can be reduced, but also the slippage between the wound medium node and the conveyor belt surface can be suppressed as much as possible. Also, since the winding intermediary node is in contact with the conveyor belt surface (tension side) with a curved (convex downward) hanging portion, coins sent from the upstream side are stuck at the upstream pulley of the winding intermediary node. It is possible to smoothly take in (insert) coins.

When the spring urging means for elastically pulling the winding device is provided, there is no slip of the coin, and the coin can be taken into the holding area more smoothly.

When the coin taking-in means is provided, it is possible to surely eliminate the mistaken taking-in of coins in the holding area, and it is possible to speed up coin identification.

When the spring urging means for elastically contacting the friction wheel of the coin taking means is provided, the impact due to the reaction when the coin hits the friction wheel can be alleviated, so that the friction wheel can be smoothly wound.

When the belt receiving means for bending the vicinity of the front edge of the pressing area into a mountain fold is provided, stable introduction of coins into the pressing area is achieved. In addition, this bending allows the pressing area to be set to a substantially horizontal level, which is useful for compressing the height of the device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the outer appearance of a coin discriminating counter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state in which a top plate of the coin discriminating counter is removed.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a mechanical system in the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a mechanical system in this embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the movement process of coins in the coin identifying and counting device of the present embodiment.

FIG. 6A is a sectional view taken along the line AA ′ in FIG. 5 in a state where there is no round belt transmission in this embodiment, and FIG. 6B is a round belt transmission in this embodiment. FIG. 6 is a cutaway view of the device in a state cut along the line AA ′ in FIG. 5.

[Explanation of symbols]

100 ... Coin identification / counter 1 ... Housing 2 ... Top plate 2a ... Rotation center line 3 ... Coin input hopper 3a ... Input ports 3b, 3c ... Inclined side wall 3d ... Coin delivery port 4 ... Coin ejection tray 5 ... Magnetic outlet for power supply 6 ... Operation / display unit 7 ... Printer paper discharge port 8 ... Power switch 10 ... Coin transport belt transmission device 11 ... Followed pulley 12 ... Flat belt 12a ... Mountain bent portion 13 ... Drive pulley 14 ... Guide pulley 15, 16 ... Belt receiving plate _{S 1, S 2, S 3} ... photointerrupter S ... laying zone T ... coin identification region U of the reference band plane ... hold-down zone W ... belt non-receiving area 20 ... coin stacking breaking device 22 ... a reverse roller 24 ... idle Pulleys 30, 32, 34 ... Guide rails 34a ... Reference band surfaces 42, 44 ... Magnetic sensor 46 ... Sensor block plate 46a ... Rotation center line 50 ... Belt transmission device 51a, 52a, 53a ... shaft 51 ... downstream end pulley 52 ... arm frame 53 ... upstream end pulley 54 ... round belt 55 ... pick roller 56 ... torsion springs 60 ... counting sensor.

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A coin conveyor belt transmission means for placing a coin received from a coin slot on a conveyor belt having a width larger than a coin diameter on the driven pulley side, conveying the coin in an inclined ascending manner, and sending the coin at a downstream end on the drive pulley side. Coin aligning means for aligning the coin groups received by the driven pulley side on the conveyor belt side by side in a row and coins on the conveyor belt on the downstream side of the coin aligning means, the peripheral edge of which is one side in the conveying direction. Coin movement locus regulating means for guiding and regulating so as to contact the reference strip surface, and non-contact type coin discriminating means for discriminating the coins on the conveyor belt in the laying area of the reference strip surface in a non-contact manner to generate a denomination signal. And a coin discriminating counter including: and a coin that moves together with the movement of the conveyor belt in an discrimination area where the coin passes through at least the non-contact type coin discriminating means to elastically press the coin from above. A coin discriminating / counting machine having a coin pressing means. 2. The coin discriminating counter according to claim 1, wherein the conveying belt of the coin conveying belt means is a flat belt. 3. The coin discriminating / counting machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the coin pressing means is configured by stretching a winding medium node having a width narrower than a coin diameter which is in contact with the surface of the conveyor belt. A coin identifying and counting machine, which is a winding transmission device in an idle state. 4. The coin discriminating counter according to claim 3, wherein the winding transmission device has the winding medium node stretched in a slack state. 5. The coin discriminating / counting machine according to claim 3, wherein the winding transmission device is a round belt transmission device in which the winding medium node is a round belt. Identification counter. 6. The coin discriminating / counting machine according to claim 3, wherein the spring urging means elastically biases the upstream pulley of the winding transmission device toward the conveyor belt. A coin discriminating counter, comprising: 7. The coin identifying and counting machine according to claim 1, wherein the coin holding means assists in taking the coin into the holding area near the front edge of the holding area by the coin holding means. A coin discriminating and counting machine having a coin taking means. 8. The coin discriminating counter according to claim 7, wherein the coin taking-in means is an elastic friction wheel. 9. The coin discriminating and counting machine according to claim 8, further comprising a spring biasing unit that presses the friction wheel against the conveyor belt to elastically contact the friction belt. Machine. 10. The coin discriminating counter according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the friction wheel is formed with a flat tooth shape on a peripheral surface thereof. 11. The coin identifying and counting machine according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the coin conveying belt means has a mountain fold in the vicinity of the front edge of the pressing area of the conveying belt. A coin identifying and counting machine having a belt receiving means for bending. 12. The coin discriminating counter according to claim 11, wherein the belt receiving means is a guide pulley. 13. The coin discriminating / counting machine according to claim 1, wherein a coin ejection tray is provided at a position where coins fall from the downstream end of the conveyor belt. A coin discriminating and counting machine. 14. The coin discrimination counter according to claim 1, wherein a coin passage sensor is provided near the downstream end of the conveyor belt. Counter.