JPH10261127A - Coin processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accurately identify the feature of a coin and to provide excellent reliability by scattering and removing dust on a carrying surface by sending air from blades provided on both sides of the rotating body of a pressurizing means to the carrying surface. SOLUTION: The plural blades 108 are respectively provided on both side faces of a pressurizing pulley 106. When a carrying belt 6 for carrying the coin C is driven, the pressurizing pulley 106 is rotated. Accompanying the rotation, the air is sent to the carrying surface 5 by the plural blades 108 and the dust accumulated on the carrying surface 5 near an inspection part 7 is scattered and removed by the air. In such a manner, by forcibly removing the dust, the diameter detection of the coin C by an optical sensor, the recessed and projected shape detection of the side face of the coin C by the optical sensor and the material detection of the coin C by a magnetic sensor further are respectively accurately performed. Also, since it is the simple constitution of just attaching the plural blades 108 to the pressurizing pulley 1O6, the price is low and the problems of costs are not generated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a circulating coin processing apparatus which is mounted on, for example, an automatic teller machine in a financial institution such as a bank and automatically performs coin depositing and dispensing processing. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A financial institution such as a bank is provided with a circulating coin processing apparatus for automatically performing a deposit and withdrawal process of coins in an automatic teller machine. When receiving coins, the coin processing device accepts the deposited coins, identifies the authenticity of the deposited coins and identifies the denomination, and stores the deposited coins in a denomination safe. At the time of withdrawal, coins of a required denomination are taken out from a denomination-type safe, the authenticity and the denomination are identified, and then paid out.

In addition, the coin processing device includes a forced conveying means for forcibly conveying the coin while pressing the coin against a conveying surface with a conveying belt, and optically discriminates the characteristics (such as authenticity and denomination) of the conveyed coin. An inspection unit is provided as identification means for identifying the target magnetically and magnetically.

The inspection unit includes an optical sensor for optically detecting the outer diameter of the coin, and a magnetic sensor for magnetically detecting the material of the coin. An optical sensor for optically detecting the uneven shape (jagged pattern or inscription) on the side surface of is provided.

[0005]

Problems to be solved when detecting the outer diameter and the unevenness of the side surface of a coin using an optical sensor are the dusts accumulated on the conveying surface (shaving the conveying surface, scraping coins, etc.). ) Deteriorates the detection accuracy.

[0006] Recently, conversion to inexpensive (high slidability) resin as a material of the transfer surface has been attempted, and the conventional metal transfer surface has been accompanied by sliding contact such as scratches and "burrs" on the coin surface. Compared with the above, the actual situation is that wear debris on the transport surface itself increases in addition to coin wear debris.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a highly reliable coin processing apparatus capable of forcibly removing dust on a conveying surface and thereby accurately discriminating coin characteristics.

[0008]

Means for Solving the Problems First Invention (Claim 1)
The coin processing device has a conveying surface, a belt for pressing and conveying coins to the conveying surface, and pressing means for applying a pressing force to the belt on the conveying surface by a rotating body rotating in contact with the belt, A blade provided on the rotating body; and identification means for identifying a feature of the coin on the transport surface.

In the first aspect of the invention, the rotating body of the pressing means rotates with the driving of the belt, and with the rotation, wind is sent from the blade to the conveying surface. By this blowing, dust on the transport surface is scattered and removed.

[0010] In the coin processing apparatus of the second invention (claim 2), in the first invention, a plurality of blades are provided on both side surfaces of the rotating body, respectively, and the blades are provided on the conveying surface as the rotating body rotates. Send the wind.

A coin processing apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is the coin processing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the pressing means comprises a rotating body, an arm supporting a rotating shaft of the rotating body, and a transfer surface on the arm. A spring for applying a biasing force to the side.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention (claim 4), in the coin processing apparatus according to any of the first to third aspects, the rotating body is a pulley. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coin processing apparatus comprising: a conveying surface; a belt for pressing coins to the conveying surface to convey the coin; a fan for blowing air to the conveying surface; and coins on the conveying surface. Identification means for identifying

[0013] In the fifth aspect of the present invention, the air is sent to the transport surface by the operation of the fan. By this blowing, dust on the transport surface is scattered and removed. A coin processing apparatus according to a sixth invention (claim 6) is the coin processing apparatus according to the fifth invention, further comprising control means for linking the fan with the belt.

A coin processing device according to a seventh invention (claim 7) is the coin processing device according to the fifth or sixth invention, further comprising a control means for permitting the operation of the fan when the housing door of the device is closed. Is provided.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the coin processing apparatus according to the fifth aspect, the offset value of the output of the sensor in the identification means is further detected, and the detected offset value deviates from the reference offset value. Control means for operating the fan for a predetermined period of time.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the coin processing apparatus of the ninth aspect, the offset value of the output of the sensor in the identification means is further detected, and the detected offset value is detected during the initial adjustment. A control means is provided for operating the fan for a predetermined time when it deviates from the reference offset value by a predetermined amount or more.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the coin processing apparatus of the fifth aspect, the offset value of the output of the sensor in the identification means is periodically detected, and the detected offset value is initially adjusted. A control means is provided for operating the fan for a predetermined time when the detected offset value deviates from the detected offset value by a predetermined amount or more.

[0018]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[1] Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, FIG. 3 shows an overall configuration of a circulation type coin processing device mounted on an automatic teller machine (ATM) or the like.
Shown in

Reference numeral 1 denotes a rotatable tray as a deposit / withdrawal port.
At the time of deposit, coins of various mixed denominations to be processed are input from the outside of the apparatus, and at the time of deposit, coins of various mixed denominations to be paid out of the apparatus are released. Saucer 1
When the coins are inserted, the coins received by rotation are dropped on the upper feeding portion 2 of the centrifugal disk structure disposed vertically below. The upper feeding section 2 separates the coins dropped from the tray 1 by centrifugal force and controls the coins by a height regulating guide (not shown) provided at the outlet of the disk 2a to feed coins one by one.

A pickup roller 3 is provided slightly downstream of the exit of the disk 2a of the upper feeding section 2, and a conveying path 4 as conveying means for forcibly conveying coins fed by the pickup roller 3 is adjacent to the pickup roller 3. Coins are conveyed one by one at a predetermined pitch according to the rotational speed ratio of the two.

Normally, since the upper feeding portion 2 has a higher coin feeding capability, coins are connected almost continuously before the pickup roller 3. Subsequent coin (outside diameter: D
ia) is driven at the rotation speed of the pick-up roller 3, and the leading coin is driven at the transport speed of the downstream transport path 4 during the time it advances by its own diameter, so that the coin transport pitch Xin
t is: Xint = (V2 · Dia) / V1 V1: Upstream drive speed (rotation speed of pickup roller 3) V2: Downstream drive speed (rotation speed of transport path 4)

The conveying path 4 forcibly conveys the coins fed from the upper feeding section 2 while pressing the coins onto the conveying surface 5 by a conveying belt 6, and sends the coins to an inspection section 7 which is identification means disposed downstream. send. The inspection unit 7 optically and magnetically identifies the characteristics (such as authenticity and type) of the conveyed coin.
The transport belt 6 is stretched between rollers 101 and 100.

The coins passing through the inspection unit 7 are transported again to the transport path 4
Is forcibly conveyed further downstream, and sent to the sorting unit 8 disposed downstream. The sorting unit 8 sorts coins transported by the transport path 4 into denominations (by type) based on the identification result of the inspection unit 7. The sorting section 8 is composed of, for example, well-known opposed gates 9,..., And selectively opens and closes the gates 9,.

The coins sorted by the sorting unit 8 are put into denomination safes (denomination accumulation) 10,... As denomination accumulation units disposed therebelow, and are sorted and accumulated by denomination. You.

The rejected coins are stored in a cash-type safe 10
It is guided to a downstream transport path 12 via a U-turn transport path 11 disposed downstream of the container, and is returned to the tray 1 by the downstream transport path 12.

When the denomination safe 10 is full, an overflow box 13 for storing excess coins is provided in the inspection unit 7.
Coins are inserted by a well-known opposed gate 14 or the like.

When the overflow box 13 is full, for example, the safe 15 provided downstream of the sorting unit 8
The excess coins are collected by a well-known facing gate 16 or the like. It should be noted that when refilling coins from outside the apparatus, refill coins are inserted into the safe 15.

When a predetermined number of coins are not stored in the cash-type safe 10, the safe 15
, A replenishment operation to the denomination safe 10 is performed. That is, a coin dispensing section (not shown) constituted by a reciprocating picker and the like provided at the lower portion of the safe 15 takes out a specified number of coins from the safe 15 and feeds the lower portion disposed below the denomination safe 10. Put into the unit 17. The lower feeding portion 17 is
It has a centrifugal disk structure similar to that of the upper feeding section 2.

The lower feeding unit 17 feeds out coins thrown out of the safe 15 one by one, sends them to a sandwiching type vertical conveyor 18 constituted by a flat belt or the like, and feeds out the upper portion via the vertical conveyor 18. Conveyed to section 2. The coins conveyed to the upper dispensing unit 2 are dispensed one by one in the same manner as described above, are conveyed on the conveying path 4, and after the authenticity and the type are identified in the inspection unit 7,
It is stored in the denomination safe 10 by the sorting unit 8.

The above is the description of the deposit processing system for performing coin deposit processing. Next, the dispensing processing system for performing coin dispensing processing will be described. In the dispensing process, coins are taken out from the denomination safe 10 and paid out to the tray 1. That is,
A coin dispensing section 19,... Constituted by a reciprocating picker and the like disposed below each denomination safe 10, takes out a designated number of coins from each denomination safe 10,. Are discharged to the lower feeding portion 17 disposed below the.

The lower pay-out section 17 is provided for each of the cash-type safes 10,.
Coins thrown out of the conveyor 18
And is conveyed to the upper feeding section 2 via the vertical conveyor 18. The coins conveyed to the upper dispensing unit 2 are dispensed one by one in the same manner as described above and conveyed on the conveyance path 4, and after checking the type and quantity in the inspection unit 7, conveyed to the most downstream by the disbursed instruction number, It is guided to the downstream transport path 12 via the U-turn transport path 11, and is discharged to the tray 1 by the downstream transport path 12.

Reference numeral 20 denotes a temporary storage unit for temporarily storing dispensed coins and the like, and reference numeral 21 denotes a foreign substance collection box for collecting foreign substances.
The inspection unit 7 is provided so as to sandwich the transport surface 5 and the transport belt 6, and includes an optical sensor 30 for detecting a diameter, an optical sensor 50 for detecting an uneven shape, and a magnetic sensor 60 for detecting a material.

First, as shown in FIG. 4, the optical sensor 30 has an open portion 30a on one side along the width direction of the transport surface 5, and further, above the transport surface 5, along the transport surface width direction. LED (light emitting diode) as a light source
An array 31, a printed wiring board 32 to which the LED array 31 is attached, an optical slit 33 for guiding light from the LED array 31 to the transport surface 4, an optical slit 34 disposed below the transport surface 5, A condensing lens (such as a Selfox lens) 35 for condensing light passing through the optical slit 34, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) type line sensor 36 for receiving light through the condensing lens 35, and the line sensor 36 is attached. Printed wiring board 37 and the like.

The opening 30a is used for attaching and detaching the conveyor belt 6. The transport surface 5 is made of a transparent and strong sapphire glass. A member 38 is provided between the back side of the transport surface 5 and the condenser lens 35 for masking the transport belt 6 and preventing the detection accuracy from being deteriorated due to the deflection of the transport belt 6. Due to the presence of the member 38, the optical slit 34 is separated into two along the width direction of the transport surface 5.

The optical slit 34, the condensing lens 35, and the line sensor 36 constitute a photoelectric conversion unit that receives light emitted from the LED array 31 through the transport surface 5 and converts the light into an electric signal. Transport surface 5 by transport belt 6
When the coin C is forcibly conveyed above, the light emitted from the LED array 31 is blocked by the coin C, and the outer diameter of the coin C is detected by optically measuring the length of the shadow generated at that time. can do.

At both ends in the width direction of the transfer surface 5, guide members 41 and 42 for guiding the transfer of the coin C and forming an effective detection area are provided. The inner surfaces of the guide members 41 and 42 are used as a transport reference surface of the coin C.

In such an optical sensor 30, it is necessary to accurately detect the start (head) and end (end) of the shadow of the coin C flowing along the transport reference plane of each of the guide members 41 and 42. Therefore, the effective pixel portion (effective photoelectric conversion area) of the line sensor 36 is not only in the width direction area of the transport surface 5 but also more than the transport reference surface of the guide members 41 and 42 than the transport reference surface.
They are arranged to the outside of each of about 5mm to 1.0mm. Along with this, the shapes of the optical slits 34, 34 and the shape of the transport surface 5 extend outside the transport reference surfaces of the guide members 41, 42, and as shown in FIGS. Light transmitting concave portions 41a and 41b are formed at positions corresponding to the optical slits on the transport reference surface. With the light passing through the concave portions 41a and 41b and the optical slits 34 and 34, the start (head) and end (end) of the shadow of the coin C are reliably projected on the effective pixel portion (effective photoelectric conversion area) of the line sensor 36. . Then, the output of the line sensor 36 is signal-processed by the sensor circuit, and a sensor circuit output having a time width corresponding to the outer diameter of the coin C is obtained.

The optical sensor 50 for detecting the uneven shape is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8, a light emitting element (light emitting diode, semiconductor laser, or the like) 51, a condenser lens 52 for irradiating light emitted from the light emitting element to the side of the coin C,
A condenser lens 53 for taking in reflected light generated on the side surface of the coin C, a light receiving element (for example, a photodiode) 54 for receiving light via the condenser lens 53, and a guide member 4
1 is provided with a transparent guide 55 and the like provided in the opening for transmitting light, and has a concave and convex shape (jagged pattern or stamp) on the side surface of the coin C.
Is optically detected. Many foreign coins similar to the 500-yen coin have a jagged pattern on the side similar to the 50-yen or 100-yen coin, and the optical sensor 50 is provided to detect this.

As shown in FIG. 9, the magnetic sensor 60 has an open portion 60a on one side along the width direction of the transport surface 5, and is disposed below the transport surface 5 in the width direction of the transport path. A wide primary core 61, an exciting primary coil 62 wound around the primary core 61, a wide secondary core 63 disposed along the transport path width direction above the transport surface 5, and There is provided a secondary coil 64 wound around the secondary core 63 and receiving electromagnetic induction from the primary coil 62. Primary coil 62
Are excited by a sine wave signal emitted from the sine wave oscillator 65.

The optical sensor 30, the optical sensor 50,
The arrangement order of the magnetic sensors 60 can be set as appropriate. FIG. 10 shows a control circuit of the inspection unit 7.

The output of the line sensor 36 of the optical sensor 30 is subjected to signal processing in a signal processing unit 45, converted into digital data, and supplied to a counter unit 83 as a sensor circuit output. After the output of the optical sensor 50 is amplified by the amplifier 71, the DC component is cut by a DC component cut circuit 72 including a capacitor and the like, and is supplied to the A / D converter 93. The A / D converter 73 converts an input signal into a digital signal. This digital signal is supplied to the counter 83
Supplied to

The counter unit 83 counts the digital signal (pulse signal) from the A / D converter 73 to detect the irregular shape of the side surface of the coin C (first counting operation), and the signal processing unit 45 (The second counting operation) for detecting the outer diameter of the coin C in accordance with the digital signal. These count outputs are sent to CPU 8
0 is supplied. A RAM 81 and a ROM 82 are connected to the CPU 80.

The output of the secondary coil 64 is amplified by an amplifier (for example, a differential amplifier) 91, the DC component of which is cut by a DC component cut circuit 92 composed of a capacitor and the like, and full-wave rectified by a full-wave rectifier circuit 93. Then, the data is smoothed by a low-pass filter 94 and supplied to an arithmetic circuit 95. The operation circuit 95 performs an operation of, for example, Vout = anp · (Vref−V54), and outputs the operation result Vout to the A / D converter 96.
To channel 1 of V54 is a low-pass filter 9
4 is the output. Vref is a reference value and anp is a constant.

The output of the low-pass filter 94 is directly
It is also supplied to channel 0 of the / D converter 96. A / D
The converter 96 converts the output of the low-pass filter 94 and the output of the arithmetic circuit 95 into digital signals by controlling the channel switching by the multiplexer 97 controlled by the CPU 80.

The input signal level to the channel 0 of the A / D converter 96 is set to a predetermined value in advance based on an adjustable gain of the amplifier 91. Further, the output of the arithmetic circuit 95 is adjusted so that the input signal level of the channel 1 of the A / D converter 96 becomes “0” when no coin C is present on the sensor.

The output of the A / D converter 96 is
0 is supplied to the CPU 80 as output data. CPU
When the coin C is identified, the output of the magnetic sensor 60 is read (sampled) by selecting the channel 1 of the A / D converter 96 via the multiplexer 97 and stored in the RAM 81. When adjusting the amplification factor of the amplifier 91, the CPU 80 reads the output of the secondary coil 64 by selecting the channel 0 of the A / D converter 96 via the multiplexer 97, and adjusts the amplification factor. To reflect.

The ROM 82 stores a control program for the operation and determination reference data such as the magnetic properties and the outer diameter of the coin C for each denomination in the form of a table. And C
The PU 80 detects the uneven shape of the side surface of the coin C according to the first count operation output of the counter unit 83,
The outer diameter of the coin C is detected according to the second count operation output of the counter unit 83, and the material (magnetic property) of the coin C is detected according to the output of the A / D converter 96. Based on the result, the authenticity and type of the coin C are comprehensively identified.

On the other hand, the configuration of the transport path 4 near the inspection unit 7 is shown in FIGS. A motor is connected via a belt 102 to a rotating shaft 101a of a roller 101 on which the conveyor belt 6 is stretched.
103 rotating shafts are connected. The transport belt 6 is driven by the motor 103.

As a pressing means for applying a pressing force to the conveying belt 6 toward the conveying surface 5, a bracket 104 is provided above the inspection section 7.
One end of the arm 105 is pivotally supported by the bracket 104 so as to be rotatable.
Pressing pulley, which is a rotating body supported via
A spring 107 is provided for applying a biasing force toward the transfer surface 5 to the arm 105. The pressing pulley 106 presses the transport belt 6 while being in contact with the transport belt 6 and rotating with the transport belt 6.

A plurality of (four) blades 108 are provided on both sides of the pulley 106, respectively. These feathers
108 serves to send air to the conveying surface 5 with the rotation of the pressing pulley 106.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. Dust A generated by sliding contact between the coin C and the transport surface 5 is
While fluttering in the housing of the apparatus, it falls on the transport surface 5 and is accumulated. This is shown in the optical sensor 30 of FIG.

When the transport belt 6 is driven to transport the coin C, the pressing pulley 106 rotates. With this rotation, wind is sent to the transport surface 5 by the plurality of blades 108. By this blowing, the dust A accumulated on the transport surface 5 near the inspection unit 7 is scattered and removed.

Thus, the dust A is forcibly removed, so that the optical sensor 30 detects the diameter of the coin C, the optical sensor 50 detects the unevenness of the side surface of the coin C, and the magnetic sensor 60 detects the material of the coin C. Detection can be performed with high accuracy. Moreover, the pressing pulley
Since it is a simple configuration in which a plurality of blades 108 are attached to 106, it is inexpensive and does not cause a cost problem.

After the output of the optical sensor 50 is amplified by the amplifier 71, the DC component is cut by a DC component cut circuit 72 composed of a capacitor or the like, and supplied to an A / D converter 73. The A / D converter 73 converts an input signal into a digital signal. This digital signal is supplied to the CPU 80.

FIG. 11 shows an example of an analog signal output of the optical sensor 50 and a digital signal output of the A / D converter 73 when the coin C has a jagged pattern on its side.
FIG. 12 shows an example of the analog signal output of the optical sensor 50 and the digital signal output of the A / D converter 73 in the case where there is no jagged pattern on the side surface of the optical sensor 50.

The CPU 80 detects the concavo-convex shape on the side surface of the coin C according to the first count operation output of the counter section 83. On the other hand, the line sensor 36 outputs a signal of a high level for the light shielding portion of the coin C and a low level for the light incident portion for each scan (one scan). This output signal is processed by the signal processing circuit 70 and supplied to the CPU 80.

The counter unit 83 outputs the sensor circuit output from the signal processing unit 70 (a signal that is high only in the light shielding unit) and
The logical AND with the reference clock pulse corresponding to one pixel of the line sensor 36 is obtained, an outer diameter detection pulse corresponding to each pixel is generated, and the outer diameter detection pulse is counted (second counting operation). This second count operation output is:
The data is supplied to the CPU 80 as data representing the outer diameter of the coin C. The CPU 80 determines the outer diameter of the coin C by the line sensor 36.
, And the maximum value is stored in the RAM 8 while sequentially comparing the outer diameters detected in each scan.
1 is stored. FIG. 13 shows the second count operation output of the counter unit 83 associated with the transport of each coin.

The output of the secondary coil 64 of the magnetic sensor 60 is amplified by an amplifier 91, the DC component is cut by a DC component cut circuit 92, full-wave rectified by a full-wave rectifier circuit 93, and a low-pass filter After being smoothed by 94, it is supplied to an arithmetic circuit 95, where the above-described arithmetic processing is performed.

Vout = anp.multidot. (Vref-V54) This operation output Vout is supplied to the CPU 80 after being converted into a digital value of the A / D converter 96. CPU8
In the case of 0, the maximum value (peak value) is detected by sampling the output of the A / D converter 96 at predetermined intervals and sequentially comparing the results, and is stored in the RAM 81. The waveform of the calculation output Vout accompanying the transport of each coin has a gentle mountain shape as shown in FIG.

Since the output of the magnetic sensor 60 is the integral value of the magnetic flux, it has a gentle mountain shape as described above, and the peak value can be easily detected. As is well known, the principle of detection is
It compares the amount of eddy current generated on the coin surface with respect to the alternating magnetic field. The amount of eddy current is determined by the conductivity of the material of the coin, and white copper coins with a small dielectric constant are small while aluminum coins and bronze with a large dielectric constant are small. Coins grow big. Therefore, the output of the magnetic sensor 60 increases as the coin has a higher dielectric constant.

[2] A second embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 15, the transport surface 5 near the inspection unit 7
A fan 110 is provided opposite to the fan. This fan 110
Functions to send wind to the transport surface 5.

A driver 112 for driving the motor 111 of the fan 110 is provided, and the driving of the driver 112 is controlled by the output of the AND circuit 113. AND circuit 113
, A motor drive control signal and a door open / close detection signal are input.

The motor drive control signal is transmitted to, for example, the inspection unit 7
Are set to logic "1" when the conveyor belt 6 is driven, and to logic "0" when the conveyor belt 6 is not driven. The door open / close detection signal becomes logic “1” when the housing door of the apparatus is closed, and becomes logic “0” when it is opened.

FIG. 16 shows an example of the housing of the apparatus. That is, an upper door 121 and a lower door 122 for maintenance are respectively provided on the side surface of the housing 120 so as to be freely opened and closed. These doors 12
1,122 is opened at the time of jam removal by a staff member or regular cleaning.

The doors 121 and 122 are provided with light shielding members 123, respectively, and the housing 120 is provided with a photo interrupter including a light emitting element 124a and a light receiving element 124b. The photo-interrupter moves the door 121,
It detects the opening and closing of the door 122 optically, and outputs the above-mentioned door opening / closing detection signal which becomes logic "1" when the door is closed and becomes logic "0" when the door is opened.

The fan 110 is moved by the driver 112, the AND circuit 113, and each photo interrupter to the conveyor belt 6.
A control means is configured to allow the interlocking only when the doors 121 and 122 are closed while interlocking with the control.

According to such a configuration, when the transport belt 6 is driven to transport the coin C (at the time of execution of processing such as deposit, withdrawal, loading, and scrutiny), the upper door 121 of the housing 120 is also provided. When both the lower door 122 and the lower door 122 are closed, the output of the AND circuit 113 becomes logic “1” and the driver 112
Operates, and the fan 110 is driven. By driving the fan 110, wind is sent to the transport surface 5, and dust A accumulated on the transport surface 5 near the inspection unit 7 is scattered and removed.

Thus, the dust A is forcibly removed, so that the optical sensor 30 detects the diameter of the coin C, the optical sensor 50 detects the irregular shape of the side of the coin C, and the magnetic sensor 60 detects the material of the coin C. Detection can be performed with high accuracy.

Further, the housing 12 is used for maintenance or the like.
When the doors 121 and 122 are open, the driving of the fan 110 is prohibited, so that troubles such as the blades of the fan 110 hitting the fingers of the staff can be avoided, and sufficient safety can be secured. As a result, a protective member for preventing the intrusion of fingers into the installation location of the fan 110, for example, the fan 110
There is no need to take measures such as providing a protective frame around the device.

If the protective frame is not required, unnecessary increase of the cost can be avoided, and the fan 110 can be arranged in the immediate vicinity of the optical sensors 30 and 50, thereby improving the dust removing effect.

If the diagnosis section of the main control firmware diagnoses a sensor error (door closing error, module error in the apparatus), the conveyor belt 6 is not driven, and the fan 110 is not driven. This is also safe.

Other structures and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment. [3] A third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, the CPU 80 of the inspection unit 7 includes the following control means.

Optical sensors 30, 50 and magnetic sensor 6
Periodically detect the offset value of each output of 0,
When the detected offset value deviates from the reference offset value detected during the initial adjustment by a predetermined amount or more, the fan 101
Control means for operating a predetermined time.

The other structure is the same as that of the second embodiment. The operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First,
The count value n for the number of operations of the fan 110 is cleared to zero (step 201).

Optical sensors 30 and 50 and magnetic sensor 6
The offset value of each output of 0 is periodically detected (step 202). The offset value refers to each sensor 3
This is an output value when there is no detected object (coin C) at locations 0, 50, and 60.

Each detected offset value is compared with a reference offset value detected in advance at the time of initial adjustment and stored in the RAM 81 or the like. In this comparison, if all of the detected offset values are within a predetermined amount centered on the respective reference offset value, it is determined that the offset value is not abnormal (NO in step 203), and the motor is stopped. The drive control signal is set to logic "0" (step 204). That is, the fan 101 is not driven.

If any one of the detected offset values deviates from the reference offset value by a predetermined amount or more, and if the count value n does not reach a set value, for example, "3" (NO in step 205), the offset value When it is determined that the abnormality is abnormal and the cause is the accumulation of dust A on the transport surface 5 (YES in step 203, NO in step 205), the count value n is increased by "1" and the motor drive control signal is increased. Is set to logic "1" for a predetermined time (step 20).
6,207). As a result, the fan 101 is driven for a predetermined time.

In this way, when the fan 101 operates for a predetermined time, air is blown to the transport surface 5, and the dust A that would have accumulated on the transport surface 5 near the inspection unit 7 is scattered and removed. Thereby, the detection of the diameter of the coin C by the optical sensor 30, the detection of the unevenness of the side surface of the coin C by the optical sensor 50, and the detection of the material of the coin C by the magnetic sensor 60 can be performed with high accuracy.

If the offset value abnormality is not resolved even though the fan 101 operates for a predetermined time (step
203, YES), the count value n is incremented by "1" again, the motor drive control signal is set to logic "1" for a predetermined time, and the fan 101 is driven (steps 206 and 207).
).

As described above, by repeating the operation of the fan 101 for a predetermined time, the reliability of dust removal can be increased. However, if the count value n reaches the set value “3” without canceling the offset value abnormality (YES in step 203,
YES in step 205), the processing of the offset abnormality error (the processing by the attendant) is executed based on the determination that the cause of the offset value abnormality is not the dust A (step 208).
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0081]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the wind is sent to the transport surface, dust on the transport surface can be forcibly removed, and the characteristics of the coin can be accurately determined. It is possible to provide a coin processing device with excellent discernable reliability.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a main part of a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a pressing pulley and a blade according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of each embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an optical sensor for diameter detection in each embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a view of a part of the transport surface in each embodiment as viewed from above.

FIG. 6 is a view of a part of a transport surface and a transport coin in each embodiment as viewed from above.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an optical sensor for detecting unevenness in each embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of the configuration of the optical sensor for detecting the uneven shape and the peripheral portion thereof in each embodiment as viewed from above.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration of a magnetic sensor in each embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a control circuit of an inspection unit in each embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a waveform diagram showing an example in which an analog signal output from the optical sensor for detecting unevenness in each embodiment and a digital signal obtained by processing the analog signal have a jagged pattern.

FIG. 12 is a waveform diagram showing an example in which an analog signal output from the optical sensor for detecting unevenness in each embodiment and a digital signal obtained by processing the analog signal are marked.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a second count operation output of the counter unit in each embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an output waveform of a magnetic sensor in each embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a configuration of a main part of the second embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a housing of the apparatus according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 4 ... Conveying path 5 ... Conveying surface 6 ... Conveying belt 7 ... Inspection part (identification means) 30 ... Optical sensor for diameter detection 50 ... Optical sensor for unevenness detection 60 ... Magnetic sensor 80 ... CPU 105 ... Arm 106 ... Pressing Pulley 107 ... Spring 108 ... Blade 110 ... Fan 112 ... Driver 113 ... AND circuit 121 ... Upper door 122 ... Lower door

Claims (10)

[Claims] A transporting surface, a belt for pressing coins against the transporting surface and transporting the same, pressing means for applying a pressing force to the belt toward the transporting surface by a rotating body rotating in contact with the belt; A coin processing device comprising: a blade provided on a rotating body; and identification means for identifying characteristics of coins on the transport surface. 2. The coin processing device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the blades are provided on both side surfaces of the rotating body, respectively, and the blade sends wind to the transport surface as the rotating body rotates. 3. The pressing means includes the rotating body, an arm supporting a rotating shaft of the rotating body, and a spring for applying a biasing force to the arm toward the transfer surface. The coin processing device according to claim 1. 4. The coin processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotating body is a pulley. 5. A transport surface, a belt for pressing coins against the transport surface and transporting the same, a fan for blowing air to the transport surface, and identification means for identifying characteristics of coins on the transport surface. A coin processing device characterized by the above-mentioned. 6. A coin processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising control means for interlocking said fan with said belt. 7. The coin processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising control means for permitting the operation of the fan when the housing door of the apparatus is closed. 8. A control means for detecting an offset value of the output of the sensor in the identification means, and operating the fan for a predetermined time when the detected offset value deviates from a reference offset value. Claim 5
The coin processing device according to claim 1. 9. A control means for detecting an offset value of an output of a sensor in said identification means, and operating said fan for a predetermined time when said detected offset value deviates from a reference offset value detected at the time of initial adjustment by a predetermined amount or more. The coin processing device according to claim 5, further comprising: 10. An offset value of a sensor output from said identification means is periodically detected, and when said detected offset value deviates from a reference offset value detected during initial adjustment by a predetermined amount or more, said fan is operated for a predetermined time. The coin processing device according to claim 5, further comprising control means for causing the coin to be processed.