JPH11259718A - Coin processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a coin processing device which more safely carries coins in a short time at the time of payment, detailed check and coin loading. SOLUTION: A lower paying-out part 17 which separates coins discharged from a denomination-classified safes 10 at the time of payment or close inspection or coins discharged from a coin loading box 15 or an overflow stoker 13 at the time of coin replenishment to denomination-classified safes 10 on by one and pays out them with a prescribed pitch and a second coin forced carrying line 18 which carries coins paid out from the lower feeding-out part 17 up to the front of an inspection sensor 7 of a first coin forced carrying line 4 while keeping the prescribed pitch are provided. When coins are carried at the time of payment, inspection, and replenishment, they can be separated one by one and can be carried with the prescribed pitch in the same manner as money reception; and this, the occurrence of abnormalities such as overlay and stay of coins on the carrying line is prevented overall, and the distance of coin carrying for payment, inspection, and coin replenishment is shortened because it is unnecessary to carry coins to an upper paying-out part 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a coin processing apparatus mounted on an automatic teller machine for automatically performing cash deposit / withdrawal transactions at various financial institutions such as bank offices.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A financial institution such as a bank office is provided with an automatic teller machine for handling money (cash) such as coins and bills. This automatic cash dispensing machine incorporates a circulation type coin processing device that automatically performs coin deposit and withdrawal processing.

FIG. 11 shows a configuration of a conventional circulation type coin processing apparatus. As shown in the figure, this coin processing device includes a rotatable tray 101 as a depositing and dispensing unit. By rotating the tray 101, coins are dropped onto an upper feeding portion 102 having a centrifugal disk structure disposed vertically below.
The upper feeding section 102 separates the coins by centrifugal force and feeds the coins one by one to the transport path 104 by the pickup roller 103. The transport path 104 includes a pair of rollers 10 that are spaced apart from each other.
The coins are conveyed while being pinched between an endless conveyance belt 106 and a substantially horizontal conveyance surface 105 which are stretched between 4a and 104b.

[0004] The transport path 104 sends the coins fed from the upper feeding section 102 to an inspection sensor 107 for discriminating the characteristics (such as authenticity and type) of the coins optically and magnetically.
The coins passing through the inspection sensor 107 are transported again to the transport path 104.
Is transported further downstream and sent to the sorting unit 108. The sorting unit 108 performs a process of sorting coins transported by the transport path 104 into denominations (by type) based on the identification result of the inspection sensor 107. That is, the sorting unit 108
Has a plurality of opposing gates 109 arranged side by side in the coin conveying direction, and these opposing gates 109 are individually opened and closed based on the coin identification result by the inspection sensor 107, and coins are classified by denomination. Sort out. The coins sorted by the sorting unit 108 are put into a denomination safe 110 provided thereunder, and are sorted and accumulated according to the denomination.

The coins or retry coins identified as rejected coins by the inspection sensor 107 are sent to the sorting unit 1.
08, is transferred to the upper horizontal conveyor 131 horizontally arranged below the transport path 104 through the opposite type gate (reject / dispensing gate) 109a on the most downstream side. In addition, the coin before the payment is confirmed is thrown out to the temporary holding unit 141 through the opposing gate 109 b on the most upstream side of the sorting unit 108.

[0006] The reject coin and the retry coin pass through the upper horizontal conveyor 131 and the upper vertical conveyor 142 to receive the tray 101.
Transported to Further, a loading storage 13 which is a storage source of coins for replenishment in the denomination safe 110 and a collection destination of coins at the time of close inspection.
2, the coin released from the denomination safe 110, and the coin released from the overflow stacker 133 that stores excess coins when the denomination safe 110 is full, are the lower horizontal conveyor 134 and the lower vertical conveyor. 13
5 and is conveyed to the upper feeding section 102.

The upper vertical conveyor 142 and the lower vertical conveyor 135 are composed of a toothed belt or the like, and transport coins by hooking coins on the teeth of the belts. The upper horizontal conveyor 131 and the lower horizontal conveyor 134 transport coins while the coins are simply placed on the conveyor belt.

[0008] The flow of coins at the time of deposit is as follows.
The coin inserted into the receiving tray 101 passes through the upper feeding unit 102, the transport path 104, and the inspection sensor 107, and is temporarily stored in the temporary storage unit 141.
Is temporarily stored in the temporary storage unit 141 when the payment is confirmed.
From the upper feeding section 102 via the upper horizontal conveyor 134 and the upper vertical conveyor 142, and from the upper feeding section 102, again via the transport path 104 and the inspection sensor 107, to the sorting section 10
8 and is put into the denomination safe 110 by denomination. The reject coin and the retry coin are returned to the tray 101 via the reject / dispensing gate 109a, the upper horizontal conveyor 131, and the upper vertical conveyor 142.

At the time of withdrawal, the coins ejected from the denomination safe 110 are returned to the upper feeding section 102 through the lower horizontal conveyor 134 and the lower vertical conveyor 135, and are again returned from the upper feeding section 102 to the transport path 104 for inspection. Sensor 107, reject / dispensing gate 109a, upper horizontal conveyor 131,
It is returned to the tray 101 via the upper vertical conveyor 142.
Further, when replenishing and loading coins from the loading bin 132 to the denomination safe 110, coins discharged from the loading bin 132 are returned to the upper feeding section 102 through the lower horizontal conveyor 134 and the lower vertical conveyor 135, and are fed to the upper feeding section 102. After that, it is again loaded into the denomination safe 110 via the transport path 104, the inspection sensor 107, and the sorting unit 108.

Also, the coins ejected from the denomination safe 110 for the inspection are returned to the upper feeding section 102 through the lower horizontal conveyor 134 and the lower vertical conveyor 135, and are again transferred from the upper feeding section 102 to the transport path 104, the inspection sensor. 107, and is returned to the denomination safe 110 through the sorting unit 108.

[0011]

However, in a coin processing apparatus having such a configuration, the reliability of transporting coins by each conveyor is poor, and for example, coins may overlap or accumulate on a horizontal conveyor. It is structurally difficult to avoid the problem of coin transport. For this reason, at the time of withdrawal, close inspection, or replenishment of coins to the denomination safe, the lower horizontal conveyor 134 and the lower vertical conveyor 1
35, the coins are transported to the upper feeding section 102, the coins are separated one by one from the upper feeding section 102, and the
And transported to the inspection sensor 107. However, such a configuration inevitably increases the transport distance of coins, and is a factor that hinders shortening of processing time for dispensing, scrutinizing, and loading coins.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide a coin processing which can more stably convey coins at the time of withdrawal, scrutiny, and replenishment of coins. It is intended to provide equipment.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a coin processing apparatus capable of shortening the processing time for dispensing, scrutinizing, and loading coins.

[0014]

In order to achieve the above object, a coin processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises: an inspection unit for inspecting coins; A denomination stocker to accumulate, a sorting unit that sorts coins into denominations based on the inspection result obtained by the inspection unit and throws them into the denomination stocker, a deposit and withdrawal unit that deposits and withdraws coins,
A first payout unit that separates and feeds the coins introduced from the depositing / dispensing unit one by one, and the inspection unit while holding the coins fed one by one from the first payout unit from both sides thereof; A first transport path for sequentially transporting the coins to the sorting unit, a second payout unit that separates and pays out coins discharged from the denomination stocker one by one, and is fed one by one from the second payout unit. And a second transport path for transporting the coin while holding it from both sides thereof.

In the present invention, the coins discharged from the denomination stocker are separated and fed out one by one in the second feeding part, and the coins fed out one by one in the second transport path. Since the coins are transported while being held from both sides, coins discharged from the denomination-type stocker do not cause a transport failure such as overlapping or staying in the transport process.

Further, the coin processing device of the present invention is characterized in that
As described in, an inspection unit that inspects coins, a denomination stocker that accumulates coins by denomination, and sorts coins into denominations by the denomination stocker based on the inspection results obtained by the inspection unit A sorting unit for inserting and depositing coins, a deposit and withdrawal unit for depositing and dispensing coins, a first dispensing unit for separating and dispensing coins introduced from the depositing and dispensing unit one by one, and a first dispensing unit. A first transport path for sequentially transporting coins fed one by one to the inspection unit and the sorting unit while holding coins from both sides thereof, a replenishment coin storage for storing coins to be replenished to the denomination stocker, A second payout unit that separates and pays out coins discharged from the denomination stocker or the replenished coin storage one by one, and holds the coins fed one by one from the second payout unit from both sides thereof. Second to transport Characterized by comprising a transport path.

In the present invention, the coins discharged from the replenishment coin storage for storing coins to be replenished in the denomination stocker are separated and fed out one by one in the second feeding part, and are fed to the second transport path. Thus, the coins fed out one by one are conveyed while being held from both sides, so that coins discharged from the replenishment coin storage do not cause conveyance troubles such as overlap and stagnation in the conveyance process.

Further, according to the coin processing apparatus of the present invention, an inspection unit for inspecting coins, a denomination stocker for accumulating coins by denomination, and the inspection unit obtained by the inspection unit are provided. A sorting unit that sorts coins into denomination stockers based on denominations based on inspection results, a depositing and dispensing unit that deposits and withdraws coins, and separates coins introduced from the depositing and dispensing unit one by one. A first feeding portion for feeding coins, a first feeding path for sequentially feeding coins fed one by one from the first feeding portion to the inspection portion and the sorting portion while holding coins from both surfaces thereof, and An overflow stocker that accumulates coins transported by the first transport path when the type stocker is full, and a second type that separates and ejects coins discharged from the denomination stocker or the overflow stocker one by one. A feeding unit, and is characterized in that it comprises a second transport path for transporting while holding from the second both sides of from one by one fed coins feeding unit.

In the present invention, coins discharged from the overflow stocker are separated and fed out one by one in the second feeding part, and the coins fed one by one are fed into the second conveying path. Since the coins are conveyed while being held more, coins discharged from the overflow stocker do not cause conveyance troubles such as overlapping and staying in the conveyance process.

Further, according to the coin processing apparatus of the present invention, the inspection unit for inspecting coins, the denomination stocker for accumulating coins by denomination, and the inspection unit obtained by the inspection unit are provided. A sorting unit that sorts coins into denomination stockers based on denominations based on inspection results, a depositing and dispensing unit that deposits and withdraws coins, and separates coins introduced from the depositing and dispensing unit one by one. A first feeding portion for feeding coins, a first feeding path for sequentially feeding coins fed one by one from the first feeding portion to the inspection portion and the sorting portion while holding coins from both surfaces thereof, and A second payout unit that separates and pays out coins discharged from the type stocker one by one;
A second transport path for transporting coins fed one by one from the second feed section to a first transport path between the inspection section and the first feed section while holding coins from one side at a time. It is characterized by having.

According to the present invention, coins discharged from the denomination-type stocker do not cause conveyance troubles such as overlapping or staying in the conveyance process, and the coin conveyance distance from the denomination-type stocker to the inspection unit can be shortened. .

Further, according to the coin processing apparatus of the present invention, an inspection unit for inspecting coins, a denomination stocker for accumulating coins by denomination, and the inspection unit obtained by the inspection unit are provided. A sorting unit that sorts coins into denomination stockers based on denominations based on inspection results, a depositing and dispensing unit that deposits and withdraws coins, and separates coins introduced from the depositing and dispensing unit one by one. A first feeding portion for feeding coins, a first feeding path for sequentially feeding coins fed one by one from the first feeding portion to the inspection portion and the sorting portion while holding coins from both surfaces thereof, and A replenishment coin storage for storing coins to be replenished in the classification stocker, a second dispensing unit for separating and dispensing coins discharged from the denomination stocker or the replenishment coin storage one by one, and the second dispensing One by one First between said inspecting part first feeding portion Ri issued coins and while holding from both sides
And a second transport path for transporting to the transport path.

In the present invention, coins ejected from the refill coin storage box are prevented from causing transport problems such as overlapping and stagnating during the transport process, and the coin transport distance from the refill coin storage box to the inspection section is shortened. Can be.

Further, the coin processing apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that
As described in, an inspection unit that inspects coins, a denomination stocker that accumulates coins by denomination, and sorts coins into denominations by the denomination stocker based on the inspection results obtained by the inspection unit A sorting unit for inserting and depositing coins, a deposit and withdrawal unit for depositing and dispensing coins, a first dispensing unit for separating and dispensing coins introduced from the depositing and dispensing unit one by one, and a first dispensing unit. A first transport path for sequentially transporting coins fed one by one to the inspection unit and the sorting unit while holding the coins from both sides thereof, and coins transported by the first transport path when the denomination stocker is full. Stocker, a second feeding unit for separating and feeding coins discharged from the denomination stocker or the overflow stocker one by one, and feeding one by one from the second feeding unit. Characterized by comprising a second transport path for transporting the coins to the first conveying path in between the first feeding portion and the inspection unit while holding from both sides thereof.

According to the present invention, coins discharged from the overflow stocker can be prevented from causing conveyance troubles such as overlapping and staying in the conveyance process, and the coin conveyance distance from the overflow stocker to the inspection section can be shortened.

Further, the coin processing device of the present invention is characterized in that
As described in any one of claims 1 to 6, in the coin processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the first transport path is formed in a U-shape such that the first transport path can transport the coin to the depositing / dispensing section while holding the coin from both sides thereof. , Extending through the turn-back portion. This eliminates the need to separately provide a transport unit for returning the deposited coin, for example, a reject coin, to the depositing / dispensing unit.

Further, according to the coin processing device of the present invention, as set forth in claim 8, in the coin processing device of any one of claims 1 to 6, the first transport path and the second
The transport speeds of the transport paths are the same. Thereby, the transport pitch of coins that have joined from the second transport path to the first transport path can be matched with the prescribed transport pitch on the first transport path, and the coins can be moved on the first transport path. Is detected by an optical sensor or the like, and based on the detection result, it is possible to unify the criteria for determining an abnormality in coin transport pitch, coin overlap, and the like.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coin processing apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the first feeding section and the second feeding section are provided. Each of the sections pays out coins at a pitch corresponding to the diameter of the coin to be fed. Thereby, coins can be conveyed at an optimal pitch for each denomination. For example, the passage of coins on the first conveyance path is detected by an optical sensor or the like, and the coin conveyance pitch abnormality or the like is determined based on the detection result. Variations in determination accuracy for each denomination when determining whether coins overlap or the like can be eliminated.

Further, by adding means for variably controlling the coin feeding pitch of the first feeding unit and the second feeding unit, it is possible to follow the secular variation of the characteristics of the optical sensor for detecting the passage of the coin and the like. To set an optimum coin feeding pitch.

[0030]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a circulating coin processing apparatus mounted on an automatic teller machine (ATM) or the like.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a rotatable receiving tray as a depositing and dispensing unit. At the time of depositing, various mixed coin groups are inserted from the outside of the apparatus, and at the time of dispensing, coins of each denomination to be paid out are discharged. . The tray 1 rotates when coins are inserted, and causes the coins to drop onto the upper feeding portion 2 of the centrifugal disk structure disposed vertically below.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the upper feeding portion 2 includes a bearing 21, a disk 23 rotatably held by a driving motor 22 on the bearing 21, and a disk 2.
3 is provided with a cylindrical outer circumference regulating cylindrical guide 24 formed on the upper part of the bearing 21 so as to surround the outer circumference of the bearing 3, and a mountain-shaped ridge 25 provided in the center of the surface of the disk 23 so as to be ridge-shaped. It is configured. That is, the upper feeding portion 2
The coin dropped from the tray 1 is received on the disk 23, and the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the disk 23 disperses the coin to the outer peripheral side, and the outlet 26 along the inner surface of the outer peripheral regulating cylindrical guide 24.
The coins are paid out one by one by moving the coins. In addition, a height regulation guide 27 for regulating the height of coins toward the exit 26 is provided in front of the exit 26. As shown in FIG. 1, a pickup roller 3 for feeding coins one by one to a first coin forced conveyance path 4 is disposed near the end of the outlet 26 of the upper feeding section 2.
The first coin forced conveyance path 4 includes an endless conveyance belt 6 stretched between a plurality of rollers 4a, and a lower first coin forced conveyance path formed by the conveyance belt 6 and the lower conveyance surface 5a. , A first forcible coin transport path formed by the transport belt 6 and the upper transport surface 5b,
U-turn transport path 3 forcing the coin forced transport path into a U-turn shape
4.

The coins sent from the upper feeding section 2 to the lower first coin forced conveying path 4 are separated by a predetermined pitch at a predetermined pitch depending on the speed ratio between the pickup roller 3 and the first coin forced conveying path 4, and one coin is sent out. Are transported one by one. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the following coin (outer diameter: Dia) is driven at the transport speed V1 of the pickup roller 3, and the coin is separated by the radial distance Di.
The coin removed earlier is driven at the transport speed V2 of the transport path 4 for a time that advances by a. Therefore, the coin transport pitch Xint is expressed as follows: Xint = (V2 · Dia) / V1

The coin transport pitch Xint is, for example,
The frequency can be arbitrarily set by varying the frequency of a pulse motor (not shown) for driving the pickup roller 3 to vary the rotation speed N1 of the pickup roller 3.

The lower first coin forcing transport path 4 transports coins fed from the upper feeding section 2 while holding the coins between the lower transport surface 5a and the transport belt 6, and provides the characteristics of the coins (true or false, etc.). And the like are sent to the inspection sensor 7 for optically and magnetically identifying the type.

FIG. 5 is a view showing the appearance of the inspection sensor 7. As shown in FIG. The inspection sensor 7 is detachable from the lower conveying surface 5 a and the conveying belt 6. The inspection sensor 7 has a transport surface 7a for transporting coins, and a sensor reference surface 7b provided perpendicular to the transport surface 7a and along the coin transport direction (the direction of arrow a in the figure). The inspection sensor 7 is provided with a concave / convex shape on the side surface of the coin, for example, a jagged pattern (50 yen, 100 yen) or a mark (500 yen) from the upstream side in the coin transport direction.
Sensor 30 that optically detects the outer diameter of a coin, and a transmitted magnetic flux amount detection type material sensor 60 that magnetically detects the material of the coin. On the sensor reference surface 7b, a side edge sensor 30 is provided.
There is provided an opening 31 through which light from the light source can pass on the transport path.

The coin passing through the inspection sensor 7 is transported further downstream by the lower first coin forced transport path 4, reaches the upper first forced coin transport path via the U-turn transport path 34, and is sent to the sorting section 8. Can be

The sorting section 8 is a section for sorting coins into denominations (by type). A plurality of facing gates 9 are arranged in the sorting unit 8 along the coin transport direction. Opening and closing operations of these opposing gates 9 are controlled based on the coin identification result obtained by the inspection sensor 7. The coins sorted by the sorting unit 8 are inserted into a denomination-type safe 10 arranged below the coins.

FIG. 6 shows a main part of the sorting unit 8. As shown in the drawing, the sorting unit 8 is provided with an opposed gate 9 for dropping coins into denomination safes by denomination along the coin transport direction. Above and below the upstream end of each opposed gate 9, pass-through sensors 91 and 92 on the light-emitting side and light-receiving side for detecting the passage of coins are arranged to face each other. Each of the opposed gates 91 and 92 is driven by a driving means such as a rotary solenoid.

The opening / closing operation of each of the opposed gates 9 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C. For example, 9c) is the previous opposed gate (9
The opening operation is started at the timing when the passage sensors 91 and 92 arranged above and below the upstream end of FIG.
(A)), the passage sensors 9 arranged above and below the upstream end of the own opposing gate (9c) that has opened.
The closing operation is started at the timing when the light shielding end accompanying the passing end of the coin C is detected by 1, 92. In a portion where the opposing gates are not continuous as shown in FIG. 6, a passage sensor is disposed in front of the gate by the gate pitch, and the same opening / closing control is performed. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the lowermost portion of the upper first forced coin transport path 4 is provided for introducing transported coins into the overflow stocker 13 when the coin type destination safe 10 is full. A facing overflow gate 51 and a facing temporary holding gate 52 for introducing coins to be transported to the temporary storage 20 for temporarily storing coins before payment confirmation are provided. The lowermost end of the first coin forcing transport path 4 communicates with the receiving tray 1,
Rejected coins detected by the inspection sensor 7 at the time of deposit or retry coins requiring re-inspection are returned to the tray 1.

When the overflow stocker 13 becomes full, coins are transferred from the opposing gate 53 disposed on the downstream side of the U-turn transport path 34 to the coin loading storage 1.
5 is to be thrown.

Immediately below the cash-type safe 10, there is provided a lower feeding section 17 having basically the same structure as the above-described upper feeding section 2. The lower pay-out section 17 is provided with a cash-type safe 1
0, coin storage 15 and overflow stocker 13
, And the received coins are separated one by one and fed out to the second coin forced conveyance path 18 at a predetermined pitch. The second forcible coin transport path 18 has a configuration capable of transporting coins while maintaining the pitch between the coins while holding the coins from both sides, similarly to the first forcible coin transport path 4 described above. It is.

A pickup roller 33 for feeding coins one by one to the second coin forcible conveying path 18 is arranged near the end of the exit of the lower feeding section 17, and the coins fed from the lower feeding section 17 are: Pickup roller 33 and second
The coins are conveyed at a predetermined pitch depending on the speed ratio with the coin forced conveyance path 18.

The second coin forced transport path 18 is constituted by a pair of endless transport belts 36 and 37 and a transport surface 38 which are respectively extended between a plurality of rollers 34 and rollers 35. The transport belts 36 and 37 are arranged so that the belt surfaces of the transport belts 36 and 37 are pressed against each other, and the coins are transported while being sandwiched between the transport belts 36 and 37 pressed against each other. By setting the transport speeds of the transport belts 36 and 37 to be the same, coins fed out from the lower feed-out section 17 at a predetermined pitch through the pickup roller 33 are transported while maintaining the same pitch.

The downstream end of the second coin forced transport path 18 is
The coins conveyed through the second coin forcible conveying path 18 are formed between the upper coin feeding section 2 and the inspection sensor 7 through the converging section 19. Is joined to the lower first coin forcing transport path 4 from the position.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control system of the coin processing apparatus of the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the control system of the coin processing device includes a CPU (hereinafter, referred to as a high-order CPU) 80 of a higher-order mechanical control system that controls the operation of the entire device and a CPU (hereinafter, a higher-order CPU) that controls the inspection sensor 7.
Inspection CPU 90). Upper CPU 8
0 and the inspection CPU 90 respectively have ROMs 81 and 91 storing programs, RAMs 82 and 92 for temporarily storing processing data and the like, and ICUs (interruption controllers) 83 and 93 for controlling mutual interruption operations.
Is connected. Communication between the host CPU 80 and the inspection CPU 90 is performed via the dual port RAM 85.

The inspection CPU 90 has a counter 95 for counting the number of clocks and irregularities detected by the diameter sensor 40 and the side edge sensor 30 in the inspection sensor 7.
And an A / D converter 73 for digitizing an output signal from the material sensor 60. Inspection sensor 7
Each of the sensors 40, 30, and 60 can perform offset adjustment and gain adjustment by the adjustment circuit 84. A key input unit 98 and a display unit 97 for the worker are connected to the inspection CPU 90 through a parallel I / O 96. Further, the inspection CPU 90 is connected to an E ² PROM 100 which is a nonvolatile memory. This E
^{2 The} PROM 100 stores inspection reference data and the like obtained by inspecting a reference medium (reference coin) by the inspection sensor 7.

As described above, the upper CPU 80 controls the opening and closing of each of the opposing gates 9, 51, 52, 53 based on the detection signals of the passage sensors 91, 92 of the sorting section 8 and also controls the coins on each transport path. The transport state is monitored as follows.

The upper CPU 80 is provided with each of the passage sensors 91 and 9
From the detection signal obtained in step 2, the time of the dark signal obtained when the coin passes through the sensor area (dark time) and the time of the bright signal obtained when the coin does not exist in the sensor area (coin pitch) are detected. I do. From these detection results, the upper CPU 80 regards the dark time as being normal if it is within the predetermined first value range, and if the dark time exceeds the upper limit of the first value range, the coins stay in the corresponding sensor area. If the value is less than the lower limit of the first value width, it is determined that the coin transport position in the transport path width direction is abnormal.
Also, the upper CPU 80 regards the coin pitch as normal if the coin pitch is within a predetermined second value range,
If the value exceeds the upper limit of the second value range, a pitch expansion abnormality is determined, and if the value is less than the lower value of the second value range, a pitch reduction abnormality is determined.

The upper CPU 80 that has detected the above abnormality,
Immediately, the coin feeding operation of the upper feeding section 2 or the lower feeding section 17 is stopped, the coins on the coin forced conveying paths 4, 18 are returned to the tray 1, and the upper feeding section 2, the first coin forcing from the tray 1. Control is performed so that coins are fed to the transport path 4, returned to the transport source, and transported again (retry).

Next, the flow of coins at the time of deposit of the coin processing apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS.

The receiving tray 1 is rotated when coins are inserted, so that the coins drop onto the upper feeding portion 2 disposed vertically below (FIG. 8-). Thereafter, the upper feeding unit 2, the pick-up roller 3, the first coin forced conveying path 4 and the like are driven, so that the coins are separated from the upper feeding unit 2 one by one, and the lower first forced coin conveying path 4 is moved. (Fig. 8
-). The coin fed out to the lower first coin forced conveyance path 4 is sent to the inspection sensor 7, where the detection of a rejected coin or the like is performed (FIG. 8-), and then the coin passes through the U-turn conveyance path 34 (FIG. 8). FIG. 8-), upper first coin forced transport path 4
(See FIG. 8-), pass through the sorting unit 8 and temporarily store 2
0 (FIG. 8-).

When the deposit is confirmed, coins are discharged from the temporary storage 20 to the upper feeding section 2 (FIG. 9-), and thereafter, the upper feeding section 2, the pick-up roller 3 and the first coin forcible transport path 4 are moved. By being driven, the coins are separated one by one from the upper feeding section 2 and fed to the lower first coin forced transport path 4 (FIG. 9-). The coin fed out to the lower first coin forced conveyance path 4 is sent to the inspection sensor 7, where the coin denomination and the like are identified (FIG. 9-
) And the U-turn transport path 34 (FIG. 9-) to reach the upper first coin forced transport path 4 provided with the sorting unit 8 (FIG. 9-).
). The sorting unit 8 sorts the conveyed coins for each denomination based on the coin identification result obtained by the inspection sensor 7 and inputs the coins to the corresponding denomination safe 10 (FIG. 9-).
). With the above, the deposit of the coin is completed.

Next, the flow of coins at the time of withdrawal is shown in FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

The coins thrown out of the denomination-type safe 10 are put into the lower pay-out section 17 disposed immediately below the denomination-type safe 10 (FIG. 10-). Thereafter, by driving the lower feeding section 17, the pickup roller 33, the second coin forced conveyance path 18 and the like, the coins are separated one by one from the lower feeding section 17 and are moved to the second coin forced conveyance path 18. It is fed out at a predetermined pitch (FIG. 10-). The coin fed out to the second coin forcible conveying path 18 is conveyed while maintaining the pitch at the time of feeding out (FIG. 10-), and from the position between the upper feeding section 2 and the inspection sensor 7 through the merging section 19. It joins the lower first coin forced transport path 4 (FIG. 10-). Thereafter, the coins are sent to the inspection sensor 7, where the inspection required for the dispensing process is performed (FIG. 10-), the U-turn transport path 34, the upper first coin forced transport path 4, the sorting section, 8 and is carried to the pan 1 (FIG. 10-). Further, when performing a close inspection (a process of matching the actual money in the denomination-type safe 10 with the money in management), coins are similarly thrown out from the denomination-type safe 10 to the lower payout unit 17 and the lower payout unit is dispensed. From 17, coins are transported in the order of the second coin forced transport path 18, the merging section 19, the first coin forced transport path 4, and the sorting section 8, and returned to the original denomination safe 10. Further, when replenishing and loading coins from the coin storage 15 or the overflow stocker 13 to the denomination safe 10, similarly, the coins are thrown from the coin storage 15 and the overflow stocker 13 to the lower feeding section 17 and the lower feeding is performed. From the unit 17, coins are transferred to the second forced coin transport path 18, the merging unit 19, the first forced coin transport path 4, and the sorting unit 8.
And transport the coins to the target denomination safe 10.

In order to constantly monitor the coin transport state based on the detection signals of the pass sensors 91 and 92 of the sorting unit 8 under constant conditions, the pitches of coins fed from the upper feeding unit 2 and the lower feeding unit 17, respectively. Are preferably the same. For the same purpose, it is desirable that the transport speeds of the first coin forced transport path 4 and the second coin forced transport path 18 are also the same.

As described above, in the coin processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, coins discharged from the denomination safe 10 at the time of dispensing or scrutiny, and furthermore, the coin loading box 15 and the overflow stocker at the time of replenishment loading of coins into the denomination safe 10 The coin ejected from the coin 13 is fed to the lower feeding section 17 and the second coin forced conveyance path 18.
Thus, the coins are conveyed one by one to a position just before the inspection sensor 7 in the first forced coin conveyance path 4 while maintaining the predetermined pitch.
In other words, with this coin processing device, it is possible to transport coins at the time of dispensing, at the time of close inspection, and at the time of refilling, while separating coins one by one and maintaining a predetermined pitch, as at the time of depositing. Become. Therefore, it is possible to generally prevent the occurrence of abnormalities such as stacking of coins and stagnation on the transport path, and it is necessary to transport the coins to the upper feeding section 2 at the time of withdrawal, scrutiny and replenishment as described above. Since coins are no longer present, coins can be conveyed at the time of dispensing, scrutiny, and replenishment, and the processing time can be shortened.

[0059]

As described above, according to the present invention, coins discharged from the denomination stocker, the replenishment coin storage, and the coins discharged from the overflow stocker are separated and fed out one by one in the second feeding part. Since the coins fed out one by one are transported while being held from both sides in the transport path 2, coins released from the denomination stocker, the replenished coin storage, and the coins released from the overflow stocker may overlap or stay in the transporting process. In addition, it is possible to reduce the coin transport distance from the denomination stocker, the refill coin storage, and the overflow stocker to the inspection unit.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a coin processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a configuration of an upper feeding section of the coin processing apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view showing an upper feeding portion of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a method of determining a pitch of coins fed from an upper feeding section.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an inspection sensor of the coin processing apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a main part of a sorting unit of the coin processing apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration of a control system of the coin processing device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a flow of coins before payment is fixed when the coin processing device of FIG. 1 is deposited.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a flow of coins after payment is determined by the coin processing apparatus of FIG. 1 upon payment.

10 is a diagram showing a flow of coins at the time of dispensing of the coin processing device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional coin processing device.

[Description of Signs] 1 ... Pay-in / pay-out section 2 ... Top feeding section 3, 33 ... Pickup roller 4 ... First coin forced conveyance path 7 ... Inspection sensor 8 ... Selection section 9,51,52, 53: Opposite gate 10: Deposit safe 13: Overflow stocker 15: Coin storage 17: Lower dispensing section 18: Second coin forced conveyance path 19: Merging section 34: U-turn conveyance Road 80: Upper CPU 91, 92: Pass sensor

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Takuya Murayama 70 Yanagimachi, Saiwai-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside the Toshiba Yanagimachi Plant Co., Ltd. Inside

Claims (10)

[Claims] An inspection unit for inspecting coins, a denomination stocker for accumulating coins by denomination, and coins are sorted by denomination based on the inspection result obtained by the inspection unit, and are stored in the denomination stocker. A sorting unit to be inserted, a depositing and dispensing unit for depositing and dispensing coins, a first dispensing unit for separating and dispensing coins introduced from the depositing and dispensing unit one by one, and one sheet from the first dispensing unit. A first transport path for sequentially transporting coins fed out to the inspection unit and the sorting unit while holding the coins fed out from both sides thereof, and a second feed-out unit that separates coins released from the denomination stocker one by one and feeds them out. A coin processing device comprising: a pay-out section; and a second transport path that transports coins fed one by one from the second pay-out section while holding the coins from both sides thereof. 2. An inspection unit for inspecting coins, a denomination stocker for storing coins by denomination, and sorting coins into denominations by denomination based on the inspection results obtained by the inspection unit. A sorting unit to be inserted, a depositing and dispensing unit for depositing and dispensing coins, a first dispensing unit for separating and dispensing coins introduced from the depositing and dispensing unit one by one, and one sheet from the first dispensing unit. A first transport path for sequentially transporting the coins fed out to the inspection unit and the sorting unit while holding the coins fed from both sides thereof, a replenishment coin storage for storing coins to be replenished to the denomination stocker; A second dispensing unit that separates and ejects the coins discharged from the stocker or the replenished coin storage, and transports the coins fed one by one from the second feeding unit while holding the coins from both sides thereof Second Coin processing apparatus characterized by comprising a sending passage. 3. An inspection unit for inspecting coins, a denomination stocker for storing coins by denomination, and sorting coins into denominations by denomination based on the inspection results obtained by the inspection unit. A sorting unit to be inserted, a depositing and dispensing unit for depositing and dispensing coins, a first dispensing unit for separating and dispensing coins introduced from the depositing and dispensing unit one by one, and one sheet from the first dispensing unit. A first transport path for sequentially transporting coins fed out to the inspection section and the sorting section while holding the coins fed from both sides thereof, and storing coins transported by the first transport path when the denomination stocker is full. An overflow stocker, a second payout unit that separates and pays out coins discharged from the denomination stocker or the overflow stocker one by one, and feeds out one by one from the second payout unit. Coin processing apparatus characterized by comprising a second transport path for transporting the coins while maintaining from both sides thereof. 4. An inspection unit for inspecting coins, a denomination stocker for accumulating coins by denomination, and sorting coins into denominations by denomination based on the inspection results obtained by the inspection unit. A sorting unit to be inserted, a depositing and dispensing unit for depositing and dispensing coins, a first dispensing unit for separating and dispensing coins introduced from the depositing and dispensing unit one by one, and one sheet from the first dispensing unit. A first transport path for sequentially transporting coins fed out to the inspection unit and the sorting unit while holding the coins fed out from both sides thereof, and a second feed-out unit that separates coins released from the denomination stocker one by one and feeds them out. A feeding unit, and a second feeding unit that conveys coins fed one by one from the second feeding unit to a first feeding path between the inspection unit and the first feeding unit while holding the coins from both surfaces thereof. And a transport path. That the coin processing apparatus. 5. An inspection unit for inspecting coins, a denomination stocker for accumulating coins by denomination, and sorting coins into denominations based on the inspection results obtained by the inspection unit. A sorting unit to be inserted, a depositing and dispensing unit for depositing and dispensing coins, a first dispensing unit for separating and dispensing coins introduced from the depositing and dispensing unit one by one, and one sheet from the first dispensing unit. A first transport path for sequentially transporting the coins fed out to the inspection unit and the sorting unit while holding the coins fed from both sides thereof, a replenishment coin storage for storing coins to be replenished to the denomination stocker; A second payout unit that separates and feeds out the coins discharged from the stocker or the replenishment coin storage, and the inspection while holding the coins fed out one by one from the second payout unit from both sides thereof Department and front First the first coin processing apparatus characterized by comprising a second transport path for transporting the conveying path between the feeding portion. 6. An inspection unit for inspecting coins, a denomination stocker for accumulating coins by denomination, and sorting coins into denominations by denomination based on the inspection results obtained by the inspection unit. A sorting unit to be inserted, a depositing and dispensing unit for depositing and dispensing coins, a first dispensing unit for separating and dispensing coins introduced from the depositing and dispensing unit one by one, and one sheet from the first dispensing unit. A first transport path for sequentially transporting coins fed out to the inspection section and the sorting section while holding the coins fed from both sides thereof, and storing coins transported by the first transport path when the denomination stocker is full. An overflow stocker, a second payout unit that separates and pays out coins discharged from the denomination stocker or the overflow stocker one by one, and feeds out one by one from the second payout unit. Coin processing apparatus characterized by comprising a second transport path for transporting the first transport path between the coin said first feeding unit and the inspection unit while holding from both sides that. 7. The coin processing device according to claim 1, wherein the first transport path is folded back in a U-shape such that the first transport path can transport the coin to the depositing / dispensing section while holding the coin from both sides thereof. A coin processing device extending through a section. 8. The coin processing device according to claim 1, wherein a transport speed of the first transport path and a transport speed of the second transport path are the same. 9. The coin processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first pay-out unit and the second pay-out unit respectively feed coins at a pitch corresponding to a diameter of the coin to be fed. Characterized coin processing device. 10. The coin processing device according to claim 9, further comprising: means for variably controlling a coin feeding pitch of the first feeding portion and the second feeding portion.