JPH08180234A - Coin selector - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To carry a coin with a carrying belt up to a coin selecting hole while surely abutting the edge of the coin carried being pressed on the surface of a coin carrier, on a selection reference face. CONSTITUTION: The selection reference face 15a is formed on one side part of the coin carrier 13 and plural coin selecting holes 16 matching with the sizes of respective coin sorts are aligned along a coin carrying direction with the selection reference face 15a as reference. A coin 25 is pressed on the surface of the coin carrier 13 by the carrying belt 19 applied to pulleys arranged on both the upper ends of the carrier 13, carried abutting the edge of the coin 25 upon the reference face 15a and dropped from a corresponding coin selecting hole 16 to select each coin. In the constitution, the surface of the carrier 13 is inclined in the width direction against the pressing direction of the coins 25 by the belt 19 and the reference face 15a is formed on the lower side part formed by the inclination.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a coin sorter used for an automatic change dispenser or an automatic vending machine for automatically dispensing change according to a command from an electronic cash register.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An example of a coin sorting device used in a conventional automatic change dispensing device will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 is a plan view showing a main part of such a coin sorting device, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG.

In a conventional coin sorting device of this type, a sorting reference member 2 having a sorting reference surface 2a protruding substantially vertically from a road surface 1a is fixed to one side of a coin transporting path 1 and coins are transported. A plurality of coin selection holes 3 adapted to the sizes of various coins are formed in a line along the coin transport direction N on the path 1 with reference to the selection reference surface 2a. here,
The distance from the sorting reference surface 2a to the edge of each coin sorting hole 3 is constant.

A pair of pulleys (not shown) are provided above both ends of the coin transport path 1 so that the transport belt 4 approaches the sorting reference surface 2a in the coin transport direction N between these pulleys. It is slanted around.

A belt support plate 5 is attached above the conveyor belt 4. A plurality of rotators 6 each having a thread winding shape are rotatably attached to the lower side of the front end of the belt support plate 5 along the conveyor belt 4. The conveyor belt 4 is engaged with the recess 6a of each rotating body 6, each rotating body 6 prevents lateral displacement of the conveyor belt 4, and the belt support plate 5 regulates the rise of the conveyor belt 4. .

However, when one of the pulleys is rotated by the driving means (not shown) to rotate the conveyor belt 4 in the direction of arrow M in FIG. 4, the conveyor belt 4 and the coin conveyor path 1 are rotated.
The coin 7 sandwiched between the road surface 1a and the road surface 1a is pressed against the road surface 1 by the conveyor belt 4 and the edge is selected as the reference surface 2a.
And the coins are conveyed in the coin conveying direction N one by one. In this state, the coin sorting hole 3 having a width larger than the diameter of the coin 7
When the coin 7 is conveyed to above, the coin 7 falls from the coin selection hole 3. Thus, coins 7 were to be selected.

[0007]

However, in the conventional coin sorting apparatus of this type, the rotary shaft 6a of each rotary member 6 is mounted parallel to the road surface 1a of the coin transport path 1. Therefore, the coin 7 sandwiched between the conveyor belt 4 and the road surface 1a tries to push up the conveyor belt 4 in a direction perpendicular to the road surface 1a, and at this time, the belt support plate 5
The repulsive force due to the leaf spring action of the above becomes a force for pressing the coin 7 against the coin conveying path 1, but this pressing force is applied only in the direction perpendicular to the coin conveying surface 1. Therefore, the force for pulling the coins 7 toward the selection reference surface 2a is only the force due to the skew of the conveyor belt 4, and when the coins 7 are continuously conveyed, the pressing force by the conveyor belts 4 decreases, so In some cases, the force of pulling the coins 7 toward the selection reference surface 2a is weakened, and the coins 7 are conveyed to the coin selection hole 3 while the edges of the coins are separated from the selection reference surface 2a, so that accurate selection cannot be performed.

The present invention has been made under such circumstances, and an object thereof is to ensure that an edge of a coin conveyed while being pressed against a road surface of a coin conveying path by a conveyor belt serves as a sorting reference surface. An object of the present invention is to provide a coin sorting device that can be conveyed to a coin sorting hole while being in contact with the coin sorting hole and that can improve coin sorting accuracy.

[0009]

According to the present invention, a sorting reference member having a sorting reference surface protruding substantially vertically from a road surface is fixed to one side of a coin transporting path, and the sorting reference surface is used as a reference in the coin transporting path. And a plurality of coin selection holes suitable for the size of various coins are formed in a line along the coin transport direction, and by a transport belt wound between a pair of pulleys provided above both ends of the coin transport path. In a coin sorting device that sorts various coins by pressing coins against the road surface of the coin transporting path and transporting them while bringing the edges of the coins into contact with the sorting reference surface and dropping them from the corresponding coin sorting holes, The road surface of the coin conveying path is inclined in the width direction with respect to the pressing direction of the coin, and the sorting reference surface is formed on the side portion which is on the lower side due to this inclination.

[0010]

According to the coin sorting apparatus of the present invention having such means, the coins are conveyed while being pressed against the road surface of the coin conveying path by the conveyor belt. Since the road surface of the transport path is inclined in the width direction, and the sorting reference surface is formed on the lower side due to this inclination, the pressing force of the coin by the transport belt causes the coin perpendicular to the road surface to move toward the road surface. It is divided into the pressing force and the force that presses the coin against the sorting reference surface that is horizontal to the road surface. As a result, the coins are conveyed with their edges reliably contacting the selection reference surface.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the coin sorting device of the present invention is applied to an automatic change dispensing device will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. 2 is an external perspective view of the automatic change dispensing device according to this embodiment, FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway plan view, and FIG. 1 is FIG.
It is a BB arrow sectional drawing of.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in the automatic change dispensing device according to this embodiment, a main body portion 3 is provided inside a box-shaped main body case 2 whose front end is open. The main body 3 can be pulled out from the front end of the main body case 2,
A front cover 4 is provided at a portion protruding from the front end of the body case 2. A coin insertion slot 5 is formed at the right end of the upper surface of the front cover 4, and a coin payout opening 6 is formed at the left end of the upper surface. A keyboard 7 and a display unit 8 are provided at the center of the upper surface of the front cover 4.

As shown in FIG. 3, the main body 3 stores a coin sorter 9 for sorting various coins inserted from the coin slot 5, and various coins sorted by the coin sorter 9 according to types. A coin storage unit 10 and a drawer 11 for storing banknotes and the like are provided.

The coin sorting device 9 regulates the coins inserted from the coin inlet 5 into a single line state so that the front cover 4 can be controlled.
A take-in belt 12 taken in to the rear side, and a coin conveying path for guiding the coins taken in by the take-in belt 12 to the rear side of the front cover 4 to a position above the coin storing cassette 10 on the leading end side in a single line state. 13, a guide member 14 fixed to the other side of the rear end side of the coin conveying path 13 and having a guide surface 14a protruding substantially vertically from the road surface, and fixed to one side of the tip side of the coin conveying path 13. , A sorting reference member 15 having a sorting reference surface 15a protruding substantially vertically from the road surface, and the sorting reference surface 15a on the coin transport path 13.
The coin selecting mechanism 16 includes a plurality of coin selecting holes 16 formed in a line along the coin conveying direction N with reference to the coin conveying mechanism unit 17.

Incidentally, each coin selecting hole 15a is a hole adapted to each size of various coins, and is formed in order of increasing width from the rear end side to the front end side of the coin transport path 13. The distance from the selection reference surface 15a to the edge of each coin selection hole 16 is constant.

The coin transfer mechanism section 17 includes a pair of pulleys 18 provided above the front and rear ends of the coin transfer path 13.
a conveyor belt 19 having a circular cross section wound between a and 18b, a conveyor motor 20, and this conveyor motor 20.
Of the timing pulley 21 attached to the rotary shaft 20a and a timing pulley (not shown) attached to the rotary shaft (not shown) that drives one pulley 17b. It

A belt support plate 2 is provided above the conveyor belt 19.
3 (see FIG. 1) is attached. Further, a plurality of rotators 24 (see FIG. 1) having a spool shape are rotatably attached to the lower side of the front end of the belt support plate 23 along the conveyor belt 19. The conveyor belt 19 is engaged with the recessed portion 24a of each rotating body 24. As a result, each rotating body 24 prevents lateral displacement of the conveyor belt 19,
The belt support plate 23 regulates the lifting of the conveyor belt 19.

Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the conveyor belt 1
9 is obliquely wound around the coin reference direction 15a toward the coin transport direction N.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the coin transport path 13
The fixing portion of the selection reference member 15 is inclined in the width direction, and the selection reference member 15 is fixed to the lower side portion thereof. On the other hand, the rotary shaft 24b of each rotary body 24 is horizontal.

The coins stored in the coin storage unit 10 by denomination are selectively dispensed to the coin dispensing outlet 6 by a well-known coin discharging mechanism driven by a command from an electronic cash register or the like. ing.

In the automatic change dispensing device of this embodiment having the above-described structure, the coins 2 inserted from the coin slot
The belt 5 is further regulated in a line by the conveyor belt 12 and conveyed to the coin conveying path 13 on the rear side of the front cover 4. At this time, the carry motor 20 is turned on, and the rotational force of this motor is attached to the rotary shaft 20a of the carry motor 20. The timing pulley 21, the timing belt 22, and the timing pulley attached to the rotary shaft that drives one pulley 18b. Is transmitted to the pulley 18b via the belt and the conveyor belt 19 rotates in the direction of arrow M in FIG. This allows
The coin 25 guided to the coin transport path 13 is transferred to the transport belt 19
The coin is conveyed along the guide surface 14a of the guide member 14 while being pressed against the road surface of the coin conveying path 13, and further conveyed along the selection reference surface 15a of the selection reference member 15 and dropped from the corresponding coin selection hole 16. Then, the coins are stored in the coin storage unit 10 according to the type of money.

By the way, the conveyor belt 19 and the coin conveyor 1
The coin 25 sandwiched between the third road surface 13a and the road surface 13a tries to push up the conveyor belt 19 in a direction perpendicular to the road surface 13a, and the repulsive force due to the leaf spring action of the belt supporting plate 23 at this time causes the coin 25 to move. The force F is applied to the coin transport path 13. Here, the sorting reference member 15 in the coin transport path 13
Of the rotary body 24 is horizontal, the pressing force F is the same as the coin transport path 1 because the rotary shaft 24b of each rotary body 24 is horizontal.
The force F1 that pushes the coin 25 against the road surface perpendicular to the road surface of No. 3
And a force F2 that pushes the coin 25 against the sorting reference surface 15a horizontally on the road surface of the coin transport path 13. Moreover, the conveyor belt 19 is slanted around in the coin conveying direction N so as to approach the sorting reference surface 15a.

Therefore, since the pressing force of the coin by the conveyor belt acts only in the direction perpendicular to the road surface of the conveyor path, the force for moving the coin 25 toward the selection reference surface 15a becomes large, so that it is continuous. Even when the pressing force of the coin 25 by the conveyor belt 19 is weakened due to the coin 25 being conveyed, the coin 25 can be conveyed to the coin selecting hole 16 while surely contacting the coin reference surface 15a.
Therefore, it is possible to prevent erroneous selection due to the displacement of the conveyed coins, and it is possible to improve the coin selection accuracy.

In the above embodiment, the conveyor belt 19 is slanted around the coin conveying direction N so as to approach the sorting reference surface 15a. Since the force of pushing the coin 25 toward the selection reference surface 15a is large, the effect of the present invention can be obtained.

In the above embodiment, the rotary shaft 24b of each rotary member 24 is horizontal, but it may be tilted in the direction opposite to the tilt of the coin transport path 13. In this case, the force for pulling the coin 25 toward the selection reference surface 15a is larger than that in the above embodiment, and the certainty is increased.

Besides, it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention, such as applying the coin sorting device of the present invention to a coin handling device such as a vending machine.

[0027]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, the road surface of the coin conveying path is inclined in the width direction with respect to the pressing direction of the coin by the conveying belt, and the side portion which is on the lower side is inclined by this inclination. Since the sorting reference surface is formed, the edge of the coin that is conveyed while being pressed against the road surface of the coin transport path by the conveyor belt can be reliably brought into contact with the sorting reference surface and can be conveyed to the coin sorting hole. It is possible to provide a coin sorting device capable of improving

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an essential part of an embodiment in which a coin sorting device of the present invention is applied to an automatic change dispensing device.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the automatic change dispensing device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway plan view of the automatic change dispensing device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a main part of a conventional coin sorting device.

5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Automatic change dispenser 9 ... Coin sorter 13 ... Coin transport path 15 ... Sorting reference member 16 ... Coin sorting hole 17 ... Coin transport mechanism 18a, 18b ... Pulley 19 ... Conveyor belt 20 ... Conveyor motor 23 ... Belt support plate 24 ... Rotating body

Claims (1)

[Claims] Claims: 1. A selection reference member having a selection reference surface that projects substantially vertically from the road surface is fixed to one side of the coin transfer path, and the size of various coins is set in the coin transfer path with the selection reference surface as a reference. A plurality of coin selection holes suitable for the length of coins are formed in a line along the coin transport direction, and the coins are transported by the transport belt that is wound between a pair of pulleys provided above both ends of the coin transport path. In a coin sorting device that pushes against the road surface of the road and conveys the edge of the coin while contacting the edge of the coin with the sorting reference surface and drops the coins from the corresponding coin sorting hole, A coin sorting device, wherein a road surface of the coin transport path is inclined in a width direction with respect to a pressing direction, and the sorting reference surface is formed on a side portion which is on a lower side due to the inclination.