JPH1196435A - Coin processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To quickly and surely process each coin by judging whether or not coins to which an identification code is applied are adjacent coins based on identified characteristics, and returning the result and the identification code to a controlling means. SOLUTION: When two coins are carried to an inspecting part 7 in a linked state, a mechanical control CPU detects the passage of the adjacent two coins through a sensor before inspection. At that time, the mechanical control CPU applies one identification code(index) to those adjacent two coins, and issues an inspection request to the inspecting CPU. The inspecting CPU identifies the adjacent two coins, and returns this result and the index to the mechanical control CPU. In this case, the presence of the adjacent two coins is judged by an image sensor 30, dimension sensor 40, and material sensor 60 of the inspecting part 7, and the denomination of each coin is judged. Then, the judged denomination of each coin and the judged result, and the index are response transmitted to the mechanical control CPU.

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 an automatic teller machine for handling cash such as coins and bills. The automatic teller machine incorporates a circulation type coin processing device that automatically performs coin depositing and dispensing processing.

[0003] At the time of deposit, the coin processing device accepts the deposited coin, identifies its authenticity and denomination, and stores the deposited coin in a corresponding denomination safe in accordance with the identification result. At the time of withdrawal, the required number of coins of the required denomination are taken out from the respective denomination safes, and the number of coins is discriminated after identifying the authenticity or the denomination.

This type of coin processing apparatus optically and magnetically identifies a transport path for transporting incoming and outgoing coins, and features (such as authenticity and denomination) of coins transported by the transport path. Inspection section for inspection). A pre-inspection sensor that detects the passage of coins is provided on the transport path immediately before the inspection unit. In addition, the coin processing device has a mechanical control CPU that controls the operation of each unit of the coin processing device, and an inspection CPU that controls the inspection unit.

When the mechanical control CPU detects the passage of a coin through the pre-inspection sensor, the mechanical control CPU
A predetermined identification code (index or the like) is given to the coin, and an inspection request of the coin is issued to the inspection CPU together with the identification code. The inspection CPU identifies the feature of the coin in accordance with the inspection request, and returns the identification result to the mechanical control CPU together with the identification code. And
The mechanical control CPU processes the coin provided with the identification code according to the identification result.

[0006]

However, when two coins are conveyed through the conveyance path in a connected state, the mechanical control CPU uses two coins for the hole connection process peculiar to coins in the sensor before inspection. Only one identification code can be assigned to the connected coin (hereinafter, referred to as two close coins), and only one inspection request can be issued to the two close coins. In this case, if the two nearby coins are conveyed downstream and processed while being connected, a counting error such as “counting mismatch” occurs, and if the two nearby coins are separated during the conveyance, “abnormal appearance” occurs. And other transport errors.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has as its object to provide a method for producing coins without causing a counting error or a transport error even when a plurality of coins are transported in a connected state. An object of the present invention is to provide a coin processing device capable of processing coins quickly and reliably.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a coin processing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a conveying means for conveying coins, and detecting that a coin has passed through the conveying means. Detecting means, identifying means for identifying the characteristics of the coins conveyed by the conveying means, and when passing of the coins is detected by the detecting means, a unique identification code is given to the coins. Control means for outputting an inspection request for the coin together with the identification code, and the coin provided with the identification code based on the feature identified by the identification means according to the inspection request from the control means is a close coin Determination means for determining whether or not the determination is made, and returning the determination result together with the identification code to the control means.

According to the coin processing apparatus of the present invention, the coin determined to be a close coin by the determination means is temporarily held for re-transportation by the transport means. It is characterized by further comprising a holding means.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coin processing apparatus, wherein the coin is transported by the transporting means, detecting means for detecting that the coin has passed through the transporting means, and transported by the transporting means. Means for identifying the characteristics of the coin
When the detection means detects the passage of a coin, a control means for assigning a unique identification code to the coin and outputting an inspection request for the coin together with the identification code, and an inspection request from the control means. According to the above, it is determined whether or not the coin provided with the identification code is a proximity coin based on the feature identified by the identification means, and the denomination of the coin is determined. Determining means for returning the coin to the control means together with the code;

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coin processing apparatus comprising: a conveying means for conveying coins; a detecting means for detecting that a coin has passed through the conveying means; Characteristic amount detecting means for detecting a physical characteristic amount of a coin, and when the detecting means detects the passage of the coin, a unique identification code is given to the coin, and the coin and the identification code are added together. Control means for outputting an inspection request, and according to the inspection request from the control means, whether or not the coin provided with the identification code based on the characteristic amount detected by the characteristic amount detection means is a close coin And returning the determination result together with the identification code to the control means.

According to the coin processing device of the present invention, the coins determined to be close coins by the determining means are temporarily held for re-transportation by the transport means. It is characterized by further comprising a holding means.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coin processing apparatus, comprising: a conveying means for conveying coins; a detecting means for detecting that a coin has passed through the conveying means; Characteristic amount detecting means for detecting a physical characteristic amount of a coin, and when the detecting means detects the passage of the coin, a unique identification code is given to the coin, and the coin and the identification code are added together. Control means for outputting an inspection request, and whether or not the coin provided with the identification code is a close coin based on the characteristic amount detected by the characteristic amount detection means according to the inspection request from the control means. Determining means for determining the denomination of the coin and returning the determination result to the control means together with the identification code; and attaching the identification code according to the determination result of the determination means. It has been the coin includes a sorting means for sorting the denomination, the.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coin processing apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the present invention. Pattern detection means for detecting a pattern on the surface of the coin, and when the detection means detects the passage of the coin, a unique identification code is assigned to the coin, and an inspection request for the coin is issued together with the identification code. Control means for outputting the, according to the inspection request from the control means, based on the detection result by the pattern detection means, to determine whether the coin given the identification code is a close coin,
Determining means for returning the determination result to the control means together with the identification code.

Further, according to the coin processing apparatus of the present invention, the coin determined to be a close coin by the determination means is temporarily held for re-transportation by the transport means. It is characterized by further comprising a holding means.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coin processing apparatus, comprising: a conveying means for conveying coins; a detecting means for detecting that a coin has passed through the conveying means; Pattern detection means for detecting a pattern on the surface of the coin, and when the detection means detects the passage of the coin, a unique identification code is assigned to the coin, and an inspection request for the coin is issued together with the identification code. Control means for outputting a coin, and in accordance with an inspection request from the control means, based on a detection result by the pattern detection means, determines whether or not the coin provided with the identification code is a close coin and determines whether or not the coin is a close coin. Determination means for determining the denomination of, and returning the determination result to the control means together with the identification code,
Sorting means for sorting the coins, to which the identification code has been assigned, by denomination according to the determination result of the determining means.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coin processing device, comprising: a conveying means for conveying coins; a detecting means for detecting that a coin has passed through the conveying means; Characteristic amount detecting means for detecting a physical characteristic amount of the coin, pattern detecting means for detecting a pattern on the surface of the coin conveyed by the conveying means, and passage of the coin detected by the detecting means At this time, the first control means for assigning a unique identification code to the coin and outputting an inspection request of the coin together with the identification code, and detecting the characteristic amount according to the inspection request from the first control means. A first determination for determining whether or not the coin provided with the identification code is a close coin in a state where a plurality of coins are connected, and determining a denomination of the coin based on a detection result by the means; Means According inspecting the request from the first control means, based on a detection result by the pattern detecting means,
While determining whether the coin with the identification code is a close coin in a state where a plurality of coins are connected,
Second determining means for determining the denomination of the coin, second control means for returning the determination results of the first determining means and the second determining means to the first control means together with the identification code, Sorting means for sorting the coins provided with the identification code according to denominations in accordance with the determination results of the first determining means and the second determining means.

Further, according to the coin processing device of the present invention, when the judgment results by the first and second judgment means are different, the judgment result by the second judgment means is determined by the second judgment means. It is characterized by giving priority to the determination result by the first determination means.

[0019]

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

FIG. 1 schematically shows the overall configuration of a circulation type coin processing apparatus mounted on an automatic teller machine (ATM) or the like.

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 at a position adjacent to the outlet of the disk 2a of the upper feeding section 2, and a conveying path 4 is formed as conveying means for forcibly conveying the coins fed by the pickup roller 3. Have been. The transport path 4 runs a transport belt 6 stretched between a pair of rollers 4a and 4b separated from each other by pressing the transport belt 6 against a substantially horizontal transport surface 5. On one side of the transport path 4, that is, on the far side in the figure, a transport reference surface (not shown) extending perpendicular to the substantially horizontal transport surface 5 is formed. Pickup roller 3
Is slightly inclined in the direction in which coins fed from the upper feeding section 2 are pressed against the transport reference plane. Therefore, coins fed by the pickup roller 3 are:
The sheet is pressed against the transfer reference surface, is aligned on the transfer surface 5, and is transferred at a predetermined position.

The coins taken out of the transport path 4 are transported one by one at a predetermined pitch according to the rotation speed ratio between the pickup roller 3 and the transport path 4.

Normally, since the upper feeding section 2 has a higher coin feeding ability than the pickup roller 3, coins are connected almost continuously before the pickup roller 3. Subsequent coin (outer diameter: Dia) is pick-up roller 3
Is driven at its rotation speed, and during the time that the coin advances by its own diameter, the previously extracted coin is driven at the transport speed of the downstream transport path 4, and the transport pitch Xint of the coin is Xint = (V2 · Dia) / V1 V1: upstream drive rotation speed (rotation speed of pickup roller 3) V2: downstream drive rotation speed (rotation speed of transport path 4)

The conveying path 4 forcibly conveys coins fed from the upper feeding section 2 while pressing the coins onto the conveying surface 5 by a conveying belt 6, and an inspection section 7 (discriminating means) disposed downstream. (To be described later). The inspection unit 7 optically and magnetically identifies the characteristics (such as authenticity and type) of the conveyed coin.

A pre-inspection sensor 4c as a detecting means having a light emitting element (LED) and a light receiving element (PD) provided on the transport path 4 immediately before the inspection section 7 with the transport surface 5 interposed therebetween.
Are arranged. The pre-inspection sensor 4c detects the passage of the coin by blocking the optical axis between the two with the coin.

The coins passing through the inspection unit 7 are transported again to the transport path 4.
, Is forcibly conveyed further downstream, and is sent to a sorting unit 8 as sorting means disposed downstream. Sorting section 8
Sorts coins transported by the transport path 4 by denomination (type) based on the identification result of the inspection unit 7. Sorting section 8
Are composed of, for example, well-known opposed gates 9,..., And selectively open and close these gates 9,... To sort coins into denominations.

The coins sorted by the sorting unit 8 are put into denomination safes (denomination stacking units) 10,... As denomination stacking units disposed therebelow, and are sorted and denominated by denomination. Is done.

The coins identified as rejected coins by the inspection unit 7 are passed through the sorting unit 8, and the denominated cash 1
It is guided to a downstream transport path 12 via a U-turn transport path 11 disposed on the downstream side of 0, 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 through 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 section 17 feeds out coins thrown out of the safe 15 one by one and sends them to a sandwiching type vertical conveyor 18 constituted by a flat belt or the like. The coin is transported to the section 2. The coins conveyed to the upper feeding unit 2 are fed one by one in the same manner as described above, are conveyed on the conveyance path 4, and after the authenticity and the type are identified in the inspection unit 7, the coins are sorted by the sorting unit 8 and the predetermined money is discarded. Classified safe 10
Is stored in.

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 with a cash-type safe 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.

Incidentally, reference numeral 20 denotes a temporary holding section for temporarily holding a dispensed coin, a retry coin, and the like, and reference numeral 21 denotes a foreign matter collection box for collecting foreign matter. The coins held temporarily are placed in the counter gate 2
By selectively opening and closing Oa, the temporary holding unit 20 is guided.

In the downstream transport path 12 between the temporary storage section 20 and the tray 1, a plurality of coins (proximity coins) connected and transported are temporarily stored for retry processing. A dedicated temporary holding unit 22 (holding means) is provided. In the temporary holding section 22, the facing gate 2
The coin is guided by selectively opening and closing 2a.

FIG. 2 schematically shows the structure of the inspection unit 7. FIG. 2A is a plan view of the inspection unit 7 as viewed from above the transport surface 5, and FIG. 2B is a side view of the inspection unit 7 as viewed from the upstream side of the coin C in the transport direction (arrow a). (C) is a sectional view of the inspection unit 7 as viewed from the front.

The inspection section 7 is provided along the transport width direction with the transport belt 6 forcibly transporting the coin C interposed therebetween.
An opening 60a for entering and exiting the conveyor belt 6 at one side in the conveyance width direction.
A material detection sensor 60 (hereinafter, simply referred to as a material sensor 60), which is one of the physical characteristic amount detecting means, formed in a substantially U-shape having a shape similar to that of FIG. An outer diameter detection sensor 40 (hereinafter simply referred to as a diameter sensor 40), which is another physical characteristic amount detection means, formed in a substantially U-shape having an open portion 40a of An image sensor 30 as a pattern detecting means for optically detecting a pattern on the surface, and
The material sensor 60, the diameter sensor 40, and the image sensor 30 are integrally fixed, and are constituted by a base member 7a for attaching and detaching them to and from a mounted portion.

That is, the material sensor 60 and the diameter sensor 40 are provided with the open portions 60a, 40
a lower portion and an upper portion of the transport path 4 are fixedly formed in a U-shape, and a material sensor 60 and a diameter sensor 40 are integrated with a base member 7a for mounting to a mounted portion. The inspection unit 7 is integrally mounted. Then, the material sensor 60 and the diameter sensor 40
The conveyor belt 6 is disposed at the central opening of the belt.

The image sensor 30 is mounted on the inspection unit 7 as an option.
Switch connected to U (eg, dip switch)
Or a mechanical control CPU which will be described later.
The determination is made based on the presence or absence of a communication response with the communication device 80.

The diameter sensor 40 is the image sensor 3
0 can be substituted, the image sensor 30
Is not essential, but the inspection unit 7 of this embodiment includes a diameter sensor 40 in addition to the image sensor 30 in order to further enhance the coin identification accuracy in the inspection unit 7.

Then, as described above, the image sensor 3
The inspection unit 7 including the 0, the diameter sensor 40, and the material sensor 60 comprehensively determines the detection results of the sensors 30, 40, and 60, and identifies a coin denomination, authenticity, and the like.

Hereinafter, each sensor 30, 40, 6 of the inspection unit 7
0 will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 2, the image sensor 30 has a transparent plate 31 of sapphire glass or the like embedded at a substantially central position of the conveying surface 5 through which the coin C passes. C is forcibly transported by the transport belt 6. Under the transparent plate 31, LE as a light source for irradiating light to the surface of the coin C conveyed on the transparent plate 31 from an oblique direction with respect to the lower surface of the transparent plate 31.
A D (light emitting diode) array 32, a CCD type area sensor 33 as a photoelectric conversion element for receiving reflected light from the surface of the coin C and converting it into an electric signal, and a printed wiring board 34 to which the area sensor 33 is attached Is provided. These members are integrally supported by the base member 7a.

As described above, the LED array 32 is connected to the transparent plate 3
By arranging the coin C obliquely with respect to 1, it is possible to emphasize the shading of the uneven shape of the surface of the coin C conveyed on the transparent plate 31,
It becomes easier to binarize the detected signal.

Here, as the area sensor 33, for example, a consumer area sensor having 20 to 300,000 pixels is used. The area sensor 33 reads an image (pattern) on the surface of the coin C by momentarily turning on the LED array 32 when the coin C comes to a predetermined position, and transfers the image to a memory such as a RAM as image data. It is supposed to.

Here, the coin C by the image sensor 30
Will be described. An output signal from the area sensor 33 is converted into a digital value by an image processing unit 94 described later, and then sent to an inspection CPU 90 described later as image data of the coin C.
Etc. are stored in the memory.

When the image data of the coin C is stored in the RAM, the inspection CPU specifies an image area of the coin C from the image data stored in the RAM (performs a so-called check-out process). Next, the image data of the specified image area is binarized to extract the feature amount of the image. These image processes are performed by high-speed arithmetic processing by a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). When the characteristic amount is extracted, the inspection CPU compares the extracted characteristic amount with a determination table prepared in advance in the ROM to determine the authenticity or the type of the coin C.

That is, generally, the coin C is circular,
Rotate 360 degrees. Therefore, it is difficult to specify the direction. Further, even when performing image processing, considering the rotation of the coin C, the processing time becomes impractical (response is delayed).

Therefore, it is necessary to extract a feature amount irrelevant to the rotation of the coin C. In this example, the area sensor 33
The area where the image of the coin C is captured is specified from the image data captured in step (i.e., a so-called check processing is performed). Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the specified area is divided into ring-shaped areas having a predetermined width (for example, about 1 mm), and in each ring area, image data is binarized by a predetermined threshold to integrate the density. Value (high-level integration value)
Ask for. Next, from the relationship (distribution) of the main density integration value in each ring area, the similarity with the distribution data of each genuine coin stored in advance (reference distribution pattern as reference value data) is calculated. If the value is equal to or more than a predetermined value (for example, about 0.9), it is determined that the coin is a genuine coin and the denomination is determined.

The diameter sensor 40 has a transfer surface 41 as shown in FIG. 4 (and FIG. 2). This transport surface 41
Is formed of a transparent and strong sapphire glass disposed in the same plane as the transparent plate 31 so as to form the transport surface 5 of the inspection unit 7 together with the transparent plate 31. still,
The transfer surface 41 made of sapphire glass extends to a material sensor 60 described later.

The diameter sensor 40 has an opening 40 a on one side along the width direction of the transfer surface 41.
(Light emitting diode) array 42 as a light source disposed along the transport surface width direction above the
A printed wiring board 43 to which the D array 42 is attached;
An optical slit 44 for guiding the light from the ED array 42 to the transport surface 41, an optical slit 45 disposed below the transport surface 41, a self-fox lens for condensing light passing through the optical slit 45, and the like. A condensing lens 46, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) type line sensor 47 for receiving light through the condensing lens 46, a printed wiring board 48 to which the line sensor 47 is attached, and the like are provided.

Between the back side of the transport surface 41 and the condenser lens 46, a guide member 49 for masking the transport belt 6 and for preventing the detection accuracy from being deteriorated due to the deflection of the transport belt 6 is provided. Due to the presence of the guide member 49, the optical slit 45 is divided into two along the width direction of the transport surface 41.

The optical slit 45, the condenser lens 46, and the line sensor 47 constitute a photoelectric conversion unit that receives the light emitted from the LED array 42 through the transport surface 41 and converts the light into an electric signal. Further, guide members 51 and 52 for guiding the conveyance of the coin C and forming an effective detection area are provided at both ends in the width direction of the conveyance surface 41. The inner surfaces of the guide members 51 and 52 facing each other are coins C.
Is used as a transport reference plane.

The transport surface 4 is transported by the transport belt 6.
When the coin C is forcibly conveyed over the coin 1, the light emitted from the LED array 42 is blocked by the coin C, and a light / dark signal due to the shadow of the coin generated at that time is detected by the line sensor 47. Then, the denomination of the coin C is determined by comparing the sensor output with a diameter determination table prepared in advance in the ROM (see FIG. 7B). Further, by measuring the length from the effective area defined by the guide member 51 to the shadow end of the coin, the transport position of the coin C,
That is, the distance (width shift amount) from the guide member 51 to the end of the coin C can be detected.

Here, a method of measuring the outer diameter and the width of the coin C will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

In the (a) CCD output signal corresponding to one scan of the line sensor 47, the shadow area due to the coin C is High, and the other areas are Low. 1
Only the reference clock corresponding to the pixel and the effective detection area corresponding to the area between the guide members 51 and 52 are Hig.
(c) An effective pixel area signal is prepared in advance, and a logical product of the (b) reference clock and the (c) effective pixel area signal and the above (a) CCD output signal is obtained. (D) An effective clock corresponding to the length of the light shielding area can be obtained. The diameter of the coin C can be measured by counting the number of effective clocks by a counter 95 described later and obtaining the maximum value.

The reference clock (passing position clock) from the guide member 51 (at the beginning of the effective pixel area) to the end of the shadow area by coin C (at the beginning of the CCD output signal) is counted by a counter described later. By determining the minimum value of the passing position clock, the width of the coin C can be measured.

As shown in FIG. 6, the material sensor 60 has an open portion 60a on one side along the width direction of the transport surface 41,
Furthermore, a wide primary core 61 extending in the width direction of the transport path below the transport surface 41, a primary coil 62 for excitation wound around the primary core 61, and wrapped around the primary coil 62 The first secondary coil 63 receives electromagnetic induction from the primary coil 62 and a wide secondary core 64 extending along the transport path width direction above the transport surface 41.
A second secondary coil 65 wound around the secondary core 64 and receiving electromagnetic induction from the primary coil 62 is provided. The primary coil 62 is excited by a sine wave signal emitted from a sine wave oscillator 66.

The outputs from the first and second secondary coils 63 and 65 are respectively amplified to a predetermined level through an amplifier circuit 67, and then the DC component is cut by a DC component cut circuit 68 comprising a capacitor or the like. , Is subjected to full-wave rectification by a full-wave rectifier circuit 69, and an LPF (low-pass filter)
, And supplied to the arithmetic circuit 71 as a first secondary coil rectified output V21 and a second secondary coil rectified output V22.

In the arithmetic circuit 71, these rectified outputs V21
The output signal Vout is calculated in accordance with the following formula based on Vout and V22. Where AMP1, AMP2, and AMP3
Is a constant.

Vout = AMP1 * [AMP2 * V21−AMP3 * V22] Then, this output signal Vout is supplied to the A
The signal is input to the / D converter 73, where it is periodically converted to a digital signal and output as an output signal of the material sensor 60. And the maximum value (peak) of this output signal
Is compared with a material determination table previously recorded in the ROM as shown in FIG. 7A to determine the material of the coin C passing through the material sensor 60.

The image sensor 3 in the inspection unit 7
The arrangement order of 0, the diameter sensor 40, and the material sensor 60 can be appropriately set.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a control system for controlling the operation of the coin processing device configured as described above. The control system of the coin processing device includes a mechanical control CPU 80 (control means) for controlling the operation of the entire apparatus and an inspection CPU 90 (judgment means) for controlling the inspection unit 7. Each C
In the PUs 80 and 90, a ROM 8 in which a program is recorded is stored.
RAM 91 for temporarily storing 1, 91, processing data, etc.
2, 92, and ICU controlling mutual interrupt operation
(Interrupt controllers) 83 and 93 are connected. The communication between the CPUs 80 and 90 is performed in parallel via the dual port RAM 85.

The pre-inspection sensor 4c is connected to the mechanical control CPU 80 via an A / D converter 86.

The inspection CPU 90 receives the clock detected by the image processing unit 94 for digitizing the image read by the area sensor 33 of the image sensor 30 and the clock detected by the diameter sensor 40 for detecting the diameter and width of the coin C. A counter 95 for counting and an A / D converter 73 for digitizing an output signal from the material sensor 60 are connected.

Further, the inspection CPU 90 is connected to a parallel I / O 96 for reading the set values from a switch S for setting various inspection conditions. The switch S is disposed on an operation unit (not shown) of the coin processing device, and an input operation is performed by a worker.

FIG. 9 schematically shows the switch S. The switch S includes an 8-bit dip switch S1 that can be switched on and off, and rotary switches S2 and S that can be switched at four positions 0 to F along the circumference.
3 and a push switch S4. Also,
A display unit 9 having a 7-segment LED for displaying a switching state of each switch in the vicinity of the switch S.
8 are provided.

By the way, in the above-mentioned coin processing apparatus, a plurality of coins are transported in a connected state and
When supplied to the coin, a coin counting error or a transport error may occur.

For example, when the two coins are conveyed to the inspection unit 7 in a connected state (hereinafter, simply referred to as two adjacent coins), the mechanical control CPU 80 outputs the two coins through the pre-inspection sensor 4c. Detect passage. At this time, the mechanical control CPU 80 assigns one identification code (index) to the two nearby coins and issues an inspection request to the inspection CPU 90 together with the index. The inspection CPU 90 identifies the near two coins indexed in response to the inspection request, and returns the result to the mechanical control CPU 80 together with the index.

However, if only one inspection request can be issued for two nearby coins as described above, a counting error such as “counting mismatch” may occur if the processing is performed while the two nearby coins are connected. When two nearby coins are separated during the conveyance, a conveyance error such as "abnormal appearance" occurs.

For this reason, in the present embodiment, in consideration of a case where a plurality of coins are conveyed in a connected state, for example, when two nearby coins are conveyed, two coins are connected and conveyed. In addition to determining what is being done, the denomination of each coin is determined. In particular,
Each of the image sensor 30, the diameter sensor 40, and the material sensor 60 of the inspection unit 7 can determine that two coins are close to each other and can also determine the denomination of each coin. Thus, even when a plurality of coins are conveyed in a connected state, each coin can be processed quickly and reliably without causing a counting error or a conveyance error.

The operation of the image sensor 30 for judging whether or not the coins are two close coins and for judging the denomination of each coin when it is judged that the coins are two close coins will be described below. This will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

When the passage of a coin is detected by the mechanical control CPU 80 via the pre-inspection sensor 4c and an inspection request is issued to the inspection CPU 90 together with the index, the inspection CPU 90 transmits the coin through the image sensor 30 in accordance with the inspection request. Then, the image data of the coin indexed by the mechanical control CPU 80 is read (step 1).

At this time, the inspection CPU 90 digitizes the output signal from the area sensor 33 by the image processing section 94, and stores the digitized image data in the RAM 92 together with the index.

Based on the image data, the inspection CPU 90 evenly extracts the edges of the coin from the entire circumference of the coin (step 2), and detects and cuts out the outline of the coin from the plurality of extracted edges (detection). (Step 3).

That is, in the digitized image data, the outside of the outline is clearly darker than the inside of the coin, so that the pixels at the boundary between light and dark are uniformly extracted along the outer periphery of the coin, so that the coin is extracted. Can be extracted. Here, as shown in FIG. 11A, coordinates (x1, y1), (x2, y) of three edges along the outer periphery of the coin
2), (x3, y3) were extracted. And these three
The two coordinates were applied to the equation of FIG. 12A to calculate the coordinates (a, b) of the center position of the coin and the diameter R of the coin, and cut off the outline of the coin.

Next, the diameter R of the coin calculated by the inspection is compared with a reference diameter r set in advance based on the maximum diameter of the circulated coin, and the calculated diameter R of the coin is compared with the reference diameter. It is determined whether or not r is exceeded (step 4).

As a result of this determination, if it is determined that the calculated diameter R of the coin does not exceed the reference diameter r, it is determined that the coin is one coin as shown in FIG. It is determined, and the feature amount of the coin is extracted (step 5),
The denomination of the coin is determined (step 6). And
The denomination determined in step 6 and the determination result in step 4 (that is, whether or not the coin is a plurality of coins) are transmitted as a response to the mechanical control CPU 80 together with the index.

In the extraction of the characteristic amount in step 5, the pixel area of the coin specified by the cutoff is divided into a plurality of annular areas unrelated to rotation as described with reference to FIG. High level). Then, these integrated values are compared with genuine coin integral data stored in advance to determine the denomination.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step 4 that the calculated diameter R of the coin is larger than the reference diameter r, the coin is connected to a plurality of coins, for example, as shown in FIG. It is determined that the coins are two close coins as shown in b), and it is determined that the imaginary pixel area A has been cut off in the process of step 3. In this case, the respective edges of the coin on the upstream side and the coin on the downstream side in the transport direction are separately extracted (step 7), and the outline of each coin is extracted from the coordinates of the plurality of extracted edges in the same manner as in the processing of step 3. It is cut off (step 8).

In step 7, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 11C, the image taken in step 1 is roughly divided into three along the transport direction, and the upstream 1/3 portion and the downstream 1
Three edges (a total of six edges) are extracted from each of the / 3 portions. Then, the extracted six coordinates (x1, y
1), (x2, Y2), (x3, Y3), (x4, y4
), (X5, y5) and (x6, y6) are shown in FIG.
And the coordinates (a1, b1) and (a2, b2) of the center position of each coin, and the diameter R of each coin.
1 and R2 are calculated, and the outline of each coin is cut off.

Then, in the same manner as in the processing in step 5, the feature amount of each coin is extracted (step 9), and as in the processing in step 6, the denomination of each coin is determined (step 1).
0). Then, the denomination of each coin determined in step 10 and the determination result in step 4 (ie, whether or not the coin is a plurality of coins) are included in the mechanical control C along with the index.
A response is transmitted to PU80.

Next, the diameter sensor 40 and the material sensor 60
Will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS.

When the passage of a coin is detected by the mechanical control CPU 80 via the pre-inspection sensor 4c and an inspection request is issued to the inspection CPU 90 together with the index, the inspection CPU 90 starts the coin from the time when the inspection request is issued. Is monitored, and the detection start scheduled time by each of the sensors 40 and 60 is obtained (step 1). Then, the inspection CPU 90 determines whether or not the acquired start time has been reached (step 2), monitors the rise of the output of each of the sensors 40, 60 at the detection start time, and detects each of the sensors 40, 60 immediately after the rise of the output. The peak (first peak) of the output from 60 is detected (step 3).

On the condition that the detection of the first peak by each of the sensors 40 and 60 of the coin is completed (step 4), the inspection CPU 90 returns to the sensors 40 and 60 of the following coins that have passed the pre-inspection sensor 4c. Is obtained (step 5). And the inspection CPU 90
Determines whether or not the acquired arrival time has been reached (step 6). If the arrival time has been reached, that is, if the subsequent coin has reached each of the sensors 40 and 60, the coin is counted as 1
The number of coins, the authenticity, and the denomination are determined based on the first peak of the coin detected in step 3 (step 7).

The result of the determination in step 7 is sent to the mechanical control CPU 80 together with the index assigned to the coin.
Is sent as a response.

On the other hand, in step 6, the subsequent coins are
Before it is determined that 0, 60 has been reached, each sensor 4
When the second, third,..., N-th peaks of the coin are detected at 0 and 60, it is determined that the number of coins is plural (n), and at the same time, each peak value and the number of peaks are stored. (Steps 8 to 10), the subsequent coins are
On condition that the number of coins reaches 60, the number, authenticity, and denomination of the coin are determined based on the stored peak value and peak number. The determination result is transmitted as a response to the mechanical control CPU 80 together with the index.

FIG. 14 shows a flow of the judging operation in the above-mentioned step 7. According to this, each sensor 4
From the peak values detected at 0 and 60, material determination, diameter determination, and denomination determination are performed on the coin (steps 71 to 74).

Then, it is determined whether or not the material, diameter, and denomination of all the coins have been determined (step 75), and the number of the coins, that is, the presence or absence of a nearby coin is determined (step 75). 77).

FIGS. 15 and 16 show the diameter sensor 40 and the material sensor 60 when the number of coins is one.
3 shows an example of the output waveform. Here, the coin is 1
The output waveforms at circles, 5, 10, 50, 100, and 500 yen are shown. As described above, when the number of coins is one, the output waveform detected by each of the sensors 40 and 60 is a gentle mountain-shaped waveform having one peak. Therefore, the denomination of the coin can be easily determined from the peak value of the output waveform, and the number of coins can be easily determined from the number of peaks.

FIGS. 17 and 18 show each of the sensors 40 and 40 when the coin is a plurality of coins, especially two coins in close proximity.
60 shows an example of the output waveform. Here, two 1
When two coins are conveyed in an aligned state, that is, in the state shown in FIG. 19A, two coins are conveyed in an inclined state, that is, in a state shown in FIG. One of a sheet
When a 0 yen coin is transported in an inclined state, when two 50 yen coins are transported while being aligned or inclined, and when a 1 yen coin and a 50 yen coin are transported in a closely aligned state The output waveform of each sensor 40, 60 is shown.
According to this, even when the coin is a close two coin, the denomination of each coin can be easily determined from each peak value of the detected output waveform, and the close two coins can be determined from the number of peaks. Can be easily determined.

FIG. 20 shows each of the sensors 30, 4 described above.
An example of transmission data of an inspection request transmitted from the mechanical control CPU 80 to the inspection CPU 90 and an example of transmission data of response transmission transmitted from the inspection CPU 90 to the mechanical control CPU 80 at the time of the determination operation at 0 and 60 are shown.

When the passage of the coin is detected by the pre-inspection sensor 4c, an inspection request is issued from the mechanical control CPU 80 to the inspection CPU 90 together with an index as an identification code of the coin. In this example, the index is composed of 2 BYTE. After receiving the inspection request, the inspection CPU 90 performs a process of discriminating the coin, and after a lapse of a predetermined time from the reception of the inspection request, the mechanical control CPU 80.
And the number of nearby coins along with the index (for 1,
No coins nearby), denomination of each coin, dual port RA
At the predetermined address of M85, the coins are recorded in order from the lower order to the upper order address and the response is transmitted.

FIG. 21 is a block diagram of a control system in a state where the above-described image sensor 30 is mounted in the inspection unit 7. The control system of the inspection unit 7 is divided into a first inspection (diameter sensor and material sensor side) and a second inspection (image sensor side).

The control system on the first inspection side includes a ROM 91a storing a control program, a RAM 92a for temporarily recording various data, a CPU 90a (first determination means) for sequentially reading and executing the control program, and a diameter sensor 40.
Counter that counts the clock output from
U) 95, an SCU 97 for performing a serial interface with the second inspection, and an A / D converter 73 for sequentially A / D converting and taking in output signals from the material sensor 60.

The control system on the second inspection side includes a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) 99 for processing images at high speed, a ROM 91b storing a control program,
RAM 92b for temporarily recording image data captured in one scan, and CP for controlling DSP 99 and the like
U90b (second determination means) is provided. If the image sensor 30 is provided as a standard equipment in the inspection unit 7, the SCU between the first inspection and the second inspection is unnecessary.

If the judgment result in the first inspection does not match the judgment result in the second inspection,
The second inspection, that is, the overall determination is performed with priority given to the determination result in the image sensor 30.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, based on the detection results of the image sensor 30, the diameter sensor 40, and the material sensor 60 of the inspection unit 7, the inspection CPU
At 90, it can be determined whether or not the coins to be transported are two close coins (a plurality of coins). If the two coins are two close coins, the denomination of each coin can be determined. Then, the results of these determinations are sent to the mechanical control CP together with the index of the coin.
It is transmitted to U80, and is processed without performing retry control even if two coins are in close proximity.

Therefore, even when a plurality of coins are conveyed in a connected state, each coin can be processed quickly and reliably without a counting error or a conveying error, and the operating rate of the coin processing apparatus can be reduced. Can be improved.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be variously modified within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, even when two nearby coins are conveyed, the denomination of each coin is determined and processed without performing retry control.
The coins determined to be two close coins by 0, 40, and 60 may be temporarily held and retried. In this case, the two nearby coins that have passed through the inspection unit 7 pass through the sorting unit 8, and pass through the U-turn transport path 11 and the downstream transport path 12, and are temporarily stored in the temporary storage unit 22 dedicated to the nearby coins.
And the retry processing is performed via the upper feeding section 2.

In the above-described embodiment, two adjacent coins have been described as an example. However, even when three or more coins are connected and conveyed, the processing of this embodiment is effective. . Further, for example, the retry processing may not be performed when two nearby coins are conveyed, and the retry processing may be performed on the close coins when it is determined that three or more coins are conveyed in series. .

[0104]

As described above, the coin processing apparatus of the present invention has the above-described configuration and operation, so that even if a plurality of coins are conveyed in a connected state. Each coin can be quickly and reliably processed without causing a counting error or a transport error.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a coin processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 (a) is a plan view, FIG. 2 (b) is a side view, and FIG. 2 (c) is a sectional view showing an inspection unit detachably incorporated in the coin processing apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a view for explaining a feature amount extracting operation by an image sensor incorporated in the inspection unit of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a diameter sensor incorporated in the inspection unit in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a timing chart for explaining an operation of detecting the diameter and the amount of width of the coin by the diameter sensor of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a material sensor incorporated in the inspection unit of FIG. 2 together with its signal processing circuit.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a determination table in the diameter sensor of FIG. 4 and the material sensor of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a control system for controlling the operation of the coin processing apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a switch unit on which an input operation is performed by a worker.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a determination operation performed by the image sensor of the inspection unit in FIG. 2;

FIG. 11 is a view for explaining an inspection operation together with the flowchart of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a calculation formula at the time of a detection operation.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a determination operation by a diameter sensor and a material sensor.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart for explaining a determination operation together with FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a graph showing an output waveform of a diameter sensor when one coin is conveyed.

FIG. 16 is a graph showing an output waveform of a material sensor when one coin is transported.

FIG. 17 is a graph showing an output waveform of a diameter sensor when two nearby coins are conveyed.

FIG. 18 is a graph showing an output waveform of a material sensor when two nearby coins are transported.

FIG. 19 is a view for explaining a conveyance state of two nearby coins.

FIG. 20 shows a mechanical control CPU and an inspection CPU of the coin processing device.
The figure which shows the example of the transmission data at the time of the inspection request | requirement transmitted between these, and the example of the transmission data at the time of response transmission.

FIG. 21 is a block diagram showing first and second inspections of a control system that controls the operation of the inspection unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Receiving tray, 2 ... Top feeding part, 2a ... Disk, 3 ... Pickup roller, 4 ... Conveyance path, 4c ... Inspection sensor, 5 ... Conveying surface, 6 ... Conveyor belt, 7 ... Inspection part, 8 ... Sorting part 9, 14, 16: Gate, 10: Deposit safe, 11: U-turn transport path, 12: Downstream transport path, 13: Overflow box, 15: Safe, 17: Lower feeding section, 18: Vertical conveyor, 19: Coin Discharge unit, 20, 22: temporary storage unit, 21: foreign matter collection box, 30: image sensor, 40: diameter sensor, 60: material sensor, 80: mechanical control CPU, 90: inspection CPU, C: coin.

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A conveying means for conveying coins, a detecting means for detecting that a coin has passed through the conveying means, an identifying means for identifying characteristics of coins conveyed by the conveying means, and a detecting means When the passage of a coin is detected at the control unit, a unique identification code is given to the coin, and a control unit that outputs a request for inspection of the coin together with the identification code, and according to the inspection request from the control unit, A determination unit that determines whether or not the coin to which the identification code is assigned is a close coin based on the feature identified by the identification unit, and returns a determination result to the control unit together with the identification code; A coin processing device comprising: 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a holding means for temporarily holding coins determined to be proximity coins by said determining means for re-transportation by said transport means. The coin processing device according to claim 1. 3. A transporting means for transporting coins, a detecting means for detecting that a coin has passed through the transporting means, an identifying means for identifying characteristics of coins transported by the transporting means, and the detecting means. When the passage of a coin is detected at the control unit, a unique identification code is given to the coin, and a control unit that outputs a request for inspection of the coin together with the identification code, and according to the inspection request from the control unit, Based on the features identified by the identification means, it is determined whether or not the coin provided with the identification code is a close coin, and the denomination of the coin is determined. A coin which is provided with: a judging unit to be returned to the control unit; and a sorting unit for sorting the coin, to which the identification code is given, by denomination according to the judgment result of the judging unit. Processing equipment. 4. A transport means for transporting coins, a detecting means for detecting that a coin has passed through the transport means, and a feature value detection for detecting a physical feature quantity of the coin transported by the transport means. Means, when the passage of a coin is detected by the detection means, a unique identification code is given to the coin, and a control means for outputting an inspection request for the coin together with the identification code; and According to the inspection request of the above, it is determined whether or not the coin provided with the identification code is a close coin based on the characteristic amount detected by the characteristic amount detecting means, and the determination result is determined together with the identification code by the control. A coin processing device comprising: a determination unit that returns to the unit. 5. The storage device according to claim 4, further comprising a holding means for temporarily holding coins determined to be proximity coins by said determination means for re-transportation by said transport means. The coin processing device according to claim 1. 6. A transport unit for transporting coins, a detecting unit for detecting that a coin has passed through the transport unit, and a feature value detection for detecting a physical feature value of the coin transported by the transport device. Means, when the passage of a coin is detected by the detection means, a unique identification code is given to the coin, and a control means for outputting an inspection request for the coin together with the identification code; and According to the inspection request, based on the feature amount detected by the feature amount detecting means, determine whether the coin provided with the identification code is a close coin and determine the denomination of the coin, Determining means for returning the determination result together with the identification code to the control means; and sorting means for sorting the coins, to which the identification code is assigned, by denomination according to the determination result of the determination means, A coin processing device comprising: 7. A conveying means for conveying coins, a detecting means for detecting that a coin has passed through the conveying means, a pattern detecting means for detecting a pattern on a surface of the coin conveyed by the conveying means, A control means for assigning a unique identification code to the coin when the detection means detects the passage of the coin, and outputting an inspection request for the coin together with the identification code; and an inspection request from the control means. According to, the determination unit determines whether or not the coin to which the identification code is given is a close coin based on the detection result by the pattern detection unit, and returns the determination result to the control unit together with the identification code, A coin processing device comprising: 8. The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a holding means for temporarily holding coins determined to be proximity coins by said determination means for re-transportation by said transport means. The coin processing device according to claim 1. 9. A conveying means for conveying coins, a detecting means for detecting that a coin has passed through the conveying means, a pattern detecting means for detecting a pattern on a surface of a coin conveyed by the conveying means, A control means for assigning a unique identification code to the coin when the detection means detects the passage of the coin, and outputting an inspection request for the coin together with the identification code; and an inspection request from the control means. According to the detection result by the pattern detection means, it is determined whether or not the coin provided with the identification code is a close coin and the denomination of the coin is determined, the determination result is the identification code Together with a determining means for returning to the control means, and a sorting means for sorting the coins, to which the identification code is assigned, by denomination according to the determination result of the determining means. Coin processing equipment. 10. A transporting means for transporting coins, a detecting means for detecting that a coin has passed through the transporting means, and a feature quantity detecting means for detecting a physical feature quantity of the coin transported by the transporting means. Means, a pattern detecting means for detecting a pattern on the surface of the coin conveyed by the conveying means, when the passage of the coin is detected by the detecting means, to give a unique identification code to the coin A first control means for outputting an inspection request for the coin together with the identification code, and the identification code is given based on a detection result by the feature amount detection means in accordance with the inspection request from the first control means. The first coin determining unit determines whether or not the coin is a close coin in which a plurality of coins are connected, and determines a denomination of the coin according to an inspection request from the first control unit. ,Up Based on the detection result by the patterning means, it is determined whether or not the coin provided with the identification code is a close coin in a state where a plurality of coins are connected, and a denomination of the coin is determined. A second control means for returning the determination results of the first and second determination means to the first control means together with the identification code; a first determination means and a second determination means. And a sorting unit that sorts, by denomination, the coin to which the identification code is assigned according to the determination result of the determining unit. 11. The method according to claim 1, wherein when the determination results by said first and second determination means are different, the determination result by said second determination means has priority over the determination result by said first determination means. The coin processing device according to claim 10, wherein