JPH08339460A - Coin number measuring instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To estimate the number of coins in the hopper for change of an automatic ticket vending machine, etc., by using the output signal of the sensor of strain gauges. CONSTITUTION: The hopper 1 has enough capacity to store many coins, frames 3a and 3b support the hopper 1, and the sensor S consists of the strain gauges stuck on the frames 3a and 3b; and the coin number counting instrument counts the coins in the hopper 1 by using the output of the sensor S. An estimating means is provided which estimates the number of the coins in the hopper 1 from money reception information and money payment information obtained from the main body side of the coin processing machine such as the automatic ticket vending machine in which the coin number measuring instrument is incorporated and output information obtained from the sensor S.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a coin processing machine, such as an automatic ticket vending machine, an automatic checkout machine, or various automatic vending machines, which receives coins in its main body and performs predetermined processing operations such as ticketing processing. Alternatively, the present invention relates to a coin counting device incorporated into a money changer that accepts banknotes in a main body and discharges coins.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a coin processing machine such as an automatic ticket vending machine (hereinafter referred to as a coin processing machine body including the money changing machine body) will be described as change or exchange coins (hereinafter, change coins will be included in change coins). ) Is provided in the main body of the coin processor for storing coins for change.

At the bottom of this hopper, one coin
A mechanism for discharging coins one by one is provided so that coins corresponding to the amount of change can be discharged from the hopper.

Further, this hopper is provided with a coin detecting device comprising a photo sensor, and is constructed so that coins in the hopper can be detected (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Sho 49-49).
102398). Therefore, when the number of coins in the hopper becomes small, it is possible to inform the clerk of the timing of coin replenishment based on the detection signal, or to automatically replenish coins based on the detection signal. Is configured.

However, the conventional coin counting device incorporated in the main body of the coin processor has a drawback in that it cannot accurately measure the number of coins because the coin sensor is configured to detect the coins in the hopper. .

For example, when the photo sensor is contaminated,
If there is no coin in the hopper, it is erroneously detected as a coin, or if there is a bridge of coins in the hopper and the optical axis of the photo sensor passes through the gap created in the accumulated coin there were. Further, in order to always perform normal measurement of the number of coins by the photo sensor, it is necessary to clean the photo sensor periodically, which makes maintenance and inspection troublesome.

[0007] Therefore, in order to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks, the present applicant previously attached a sensor consisting of a strain gauge to a frame supporting a hopper for storing coins in Japanese Patent Application No. 6-175987. We have proposed a coin count measuring device that measures the number of coins in the hopper based on the output signal of the sensor.

[0008]

The coin number measuring device according to the above-mentioned proposal has an excellent feature that maintenance management is easy because a photo sensor is not used unlike the conventional device.

In view of the above, the present invention takes advantage of the above-mentioned features and takes into account deposit information and withdrawal information from a coin processing machine such as an automatic ticket vending machine in which the coin number measuring device according to the present invention is incorporated, and the inside of the hopper is considered. It is an object of the present invention to provide a coin number measuring device capable of estimating the number of coins.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, a coin number measuring device according to the present invention has a hopper having a capacity for accommodating a large number of coins, a frame for supporting the hopper, and a frame for supporting the hopper. A sensor consisting of a strain gauge attached and a coin number measuring device for measuring the number of coins in the hopper from the output of the sensor, which is a coin processing machine such as an automatic ticket vending machine in which the coin number measuring device is incorporated. It is characterized in that an estimating means for estimating the number of coins in the hopper from the deposit information, the dispense information obtained from the main body of the machine and the output information obtained from the sensor is provided.

[0011]

In the above structure, the estimating means is the deposit information, the dispense information and the output information obtained from the main body of a coin processing machine such as an automatic ticket vending machine in which the coin counting device is incorporated. The number of coins in the hopper is estimated based on.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an embodiment apparatus incorporated in a coin processing machine such as an automatic ticket vending machine.

The hopper 1 has an opening at the top and a discharge mechanism 2 at the bottom, and is constructed to have a volume capable of storing a large number of coins of the same denomination, such as 10 yen or 100 yen. There is.

The discharging mechanism 2 is a known discharging mechanism having a perforated disc (not shown) rotated by the motor M, and is configured to discharge coins in the hopper 1 one by one. Has been done.

The frames 3a and 3b are composed of a pair of plate pieces vertically provided upward from the gantry 4 of the coin processing machine main body. The upper ends of the frames 3a and 3b are located on both sides of the lower portion of the discharging mechanism 2. Are configured to support each. Therefore, the pair of frames 3a, 3b
Supports the weight of the hopper 1, the discharging mechanism 2, and the coins in the hopper 1.

This weight is based on the total weight of the hopper 1 and the discharging mechanism 2, and has a total weight relationship according to the number of coins stored in the hopper 1. Then, this weight is detected by the sensor S.

The sensor S is a well-known strain gauge sensor and is attached to one frame 3a. The output terminal of the sensor S is connected to a bridge circuit 4, which is a well-known detection circuit of a strain gauge. Then, the output of the bridge circuit 4 is amplified 5
After being amplified by, analog digital (A / D)
It is configured to be input to the conversion circuit 6.

The output signal of the A / D conversion circuit 6 is mainly composed of a microcomputer which controls the main body of the automatic ticket vending machine when the apparatus of this embodiment is incorporated in the main body of the automatic ticket vending machine. It is configured to be input to the arithmetic circuit 7. This arithmetic circuit 7 includes an input signal from a coin purse (not shown) incorporated in the automatic ticket vending machine body and an output signal from the hopper 1, that is, data of the number of coins inserted in the automatic ticket vending machine body and the automatic signal. Data of the number of coins released as change from the ticket vending machine body is input.

Next, the operation of estimating the number of coins in the arithmetic circuit 7 when the apparatus of this embodiment is incorporated in an automatic ticket vending machine will be described. A coin processing machine such as an automatic ticket vending machine is provided with a hopper 1 for each denomination of coins such as 10 yen, 50 yen, etc., but here, in order to simplify the description,
Explain only one denomination hopper.

[Initial Condition] First, the hopper 1 detects the output voltage (base voltage described later) (V _WB ) of the sensor S in a state where no coins are stored. This voltage is
For example, it is detected when the main power of the automatic ticket vending machine is turned on and is stored in the RAM section (not shown) of the arithmetic circuit 7. Note that, hereinafter, when the output voltage of the sensor S is referred to, the value obtained by digital conversion is also used.

[Start of Operation] In preparation for the operation of the automatic ticket vending machine, an clerk of the hopper 1 _puts an unknown number of coins (T _WO ).
Be thrown into. The output voltage V _WO of the sensor S at this time is stored in the RAM section of the arithmetic circuit 7.

[Establishment of the first transaction] When a coin is first inserted into the automatic ticket vending machine, the coin (a specific denomination A _W1
Although not shown, the coins are guided from the coin slot to the coin inspection unit that detects the type and authenticity of the coins, and the coin sorting / conveying unit temporarily holds the coins according to the coin type (holding). Once stored in a cylinder. The coins held in the temporary holding unit are held as they are even after the purchaser of the ticket presses the account button and the difference between the amount of the account and the inserted amount is released as change.

In the case of a coin processing machine such as an automatic ticket vending machine, the structure of change for the purchase amount is usually a combination of various coins (for example, 50 coins) with regularity set in advance in a data table (not shown) of the arithmetic circuit 7. It is composed of a yen coin and a 10 yen coin), but here, t _W1 coins of change of denomination in the hopper 1 are discharged. When a specific denomination of t _W1 is paid out by the change payout command, the output voltage of the sensor S after the payout is stored in the RAM section of the arithmetic circuit 7 as V _W1 .

Then, the difference between the output voltages V _W1 and V _WO is ΔV.
_It is calculated as _{W (1-0)} and the result is stored in the RAM section, and at that time, the data of the number of coins (t _W1 ) paid out from the hopper 1 is stored. From the above data,
The number of coins (T _WO ) of an unknown specific denomination input as pre-operation preparation is calculated and estimated according to the following equation, and the result is stored in the RAM section. Initial input number (T _WO ) = (V _WO −V _WB ) × {(t _W1 ) / ΔV _{W (1-0)} } (sheets) ... Estimated value (Equation 1) Also, the hopper of the automatic ticket vending machine at that time The number of coins (T _W1 ) in ₁ is represented as T _W1 = T _WO −t _W1 (coins) ... Estimated value (Equation 2) and stored in the RAM section. The number of coins T _W1 at this time does not include the number of inserted coins (A _W1 ) held in the temporary holding unit.

[Start of second transaction] When the next purchaser inserts a coin, it is detected by a detector (not shown) provided in the coin insertion slot, and the coin is held in the temporary holding section. The coin (A _W1 ) input by the purchaser is delivered to the hopper 1. Therefore, at this time, the number of coins in the change hopper (T '
_W2 ) is expressed as T ′ _W2 = (T _WO −t _W1 ) + A _W1 (sheet) ... Estimated value (Equation 3). Here, the change (t
_W2 ) is paid out and hopper 1 at the end of the second transaction
The remaining coin amount is expressed by the following equation. T _W2 = (T _WO −t _W1 ) + A _W1 −t _W2 (sheets) ... Estimated value (Equation 4) From the above, from the i-th transaction, the coins of a specific denomination after the change is released The total remaining number of sheets (T _Wi ) is estimated by the following equation. T _wi = {T _{W (i-1)} -t _{W (i-1)} + A _{W (i-1)} -t _Wi } (sheet) ... Estimated value (Equation 5)

Next, the total number of remaining coins (T _Wi ) of coins of a specific denomination at the end of the specific transaction will be expressed by the transition of the output of the sensor S.

[Estimation of the remaining number of coins from the number of coins released]
First, let V _Wi be the output of the sensor S when the transaction at a particular point in time is completed, and the output V _{W (i-1)} of the immediately preceding transaction and the output at the transaction at that particular point. From the number of change (t _Wi ), the remaining number of coins T _Wi in the hopper 1 can be expressed by Expression 6. Remaining number of coins (T _Wi ) = (V _Wi −V _WB ) × {(t _Wi ) / (V _Wi −V _{W (i-1)} )} (sheets) ... Estimated value (Equation 6) That is, the initial condition Base voltage (V _WB ) under no load
Then, the remaining number of coins (T _Wi ) can be estimated from the output voltage {V _Wi , V _{W (i-1)} } in a specific state and the number of change discharges (t _W1 ).

[Estimation of the Number of Coins Remaining from the Number of Coins Inserted by the Purchaser] Next, considering that the change is not necessary, the number of coins (A _Wi ) inserted by the purchaser Estimating the remaining number of coins (A _{W (i-1)} coins inserted by the previous purchaser, the coins of the next customer are detected from the temporary holding unit to the hopper 1. Is paid. From this, the remaining number of coins (T _Wi ) in the hopper 1 is obtained.
At this time, since the output voltage changes (ΔV _Wi = V ′ _Wi −V ′ _{W (i-1)} ) according to the number of coins (A _{W (i-1)} ), the remaining number of coins (T _Wi ) = {V ′ _Wi −V _WB } × {(A _{W (i-1)} ) / (ΔV _Wi )} (sheets) ... (Equation 7). That is, the base voltage (V _WB ) in the no-load state, the output voltage {V ′ _Wi , V ′ _{W (i-1)} } in the specific state, and the number of coins inserted by the purchaser (A _{W (i-1)} ). From this, the remaining number of coins (T _Wi ) is estimated.

In the apparatus of this embodiment, the remaining number of coins in the hopper 1 is estimated using the above equations 6 and 7. The apparatus of this embodiment can measure the remaining number of coins in the hopper 1 with an error of ± 0.25%, so it should be adopted without any problem to monitor the change of coin processing machines such as automatic ticket vending machines and automatic settlement machines. You can

[0030]

The coin number measuring device according to the present invention can be obtained from the deposit information, the withdrawal information and the sensor obtained from the main body of a coin processing machine such as an automatic ticket vending machine in which the coin number measuring device is incorporated. Since the estimation unit estimates the number of coins in the hopper from the output information thus obtained, the number of coins in the hopper can be estimated with a simple configuration.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Hopper 2 Coin ejection mechanism 3a, 3b Frame 4 Bridge circuit 5 Amplification circuit 6 A / D conversion circuit 7 Arithmetic circuit S sensor

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A hopper having a capacity for accommodating a large number of coins, a frame for supporting the hopper, a sensor consisting of a strain gauge attached to the frame, and the output of the sensor, the number of coins in the hopper. A coin number measuring device for measuring the number of coins, deposit information obtained from the main body side of a coin processing machine such as an automatic ticket vending machine in which the coin number measuring device is incorporated, output information obtained from the sensor The coin number measuring device according to claim 1, further comprising: an estimation unit that estimates the number of coins in the hopper from information.