JPS58171168A - Public telephone set - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To minimize the user's damage of change, by injecting plural kinds of coins into one accumulation route, and in case of calculating the charge for a call at the completion of the call, and selecting and receiving the accumulated coins. CONSTITUTION:When a transmitter/receiver of a telephone circuit 10 is unhooked a control part 20 including a CPU 22, an ROM 23, an RAM 24, an I/O port 21 is actuated and the operation is started by power supply from a power supply part 15. A coin processing part 30 discriminates the kinds of injected coins and that the injected coins are real ones or not, accumulates the injected coins on one accumulation route and stores the kinds of coins and the injected order of the coins in the RAM 24. After starting the call, the CPU 22 counts up charging signals from a station and stores the counted value in the RAM 24 as an unreceived charge. After completing the call, the CPU 22 decides the combination of coins to be received by the unreceived charge and the kinds of accumulated coins and sends information indicating the position on the route from which the coin is to be received to the coin processing part 30. Consequently, the coin processing part 30 selects and receives prescribed coins and returns the remaining coins.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a public telephone that stores a plurality of types of coins in one storage track in the order in which they are inserted.

Conventionally, in public telephones that can handle multiple types of coins, such as low-denomination coins and high-denomination coins, generally, a coin input slot 1 sorting track, a storage track, etc. are provided specifically for each type of coin, so the component parts and configuration The f! !
There was the inconvenience of having to check the input port according to Category 1 before loading the product.

In contrast to this (7), the above-mentioned drawbacks can be overcome by using one accumulation trajectory and accumulating various coins in a mixed manner in the order of input, but on the other hand, the coins are stored sequentially starting from the lowest accumulated coin. There was no other option, and it was not possible to adopt any storage method, such as giving priority to low-denomination or high-denomination coins.Therefore, it was naturally impossible to take any measures to minimize damage to users' change.

The present invention was made in view of this situation.
The purpose is to provide a public telephone that can store any stored coins while using a method of storing a mixture of multiple types of coins in one storage track.

In order to achieve such an object, the present invention provides a means for storing the types of input coins sorted by a coin sorting means in the order of accumulation, and a means for selecting accumulated coins to be stored from the stored contents and uncollected call charges. and a means for sorting each accumulated coin into a storage passage and a return passage according to the selection result. Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail using Examples.

DESCRIPTION OF CONFIGURATION FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a central power supply type public telephone.

In this example, by disconnecting the handset (off-hook), a line is established with the exchange without waiting for coins to be inserted, and a certain number of calls are made. The system adopts a so-called front-loop/rear-storage system for storing coins, and the overall configuration is roughly divided into a normal telephone circuit section 10, through which billing signals are sent from an exchange (not shown). It consists of a control unit 20 that controls storage and return of coins based on the commands received from the control unit 20, and a coin processing unit 30 that actually detects and sorts coins and stores them in a safe (not shown) or returns them based on commands from the control unit 20. .

In addition, it has a hook switch 40, a relay control circuit 50, a display circuit 60, and a numeric keypad keyboard 10 having a 3×4 matrix configuration.

The telephone circuit 10 has office line terminals Ll, L! It is connected to an exchange (not shown) via a central office line. The office line terminals Ll and L2 are connected to a bell circuit 11 that notifies that there is an incoming call, a billing signal receiving circuit 12 that detects a billing signal from the exchange, a diode bridge circuit 13, a relay contact fB, a dial pulse sending and forcing Cutting circuit 14
, a power supply circuit 15, and a communication circuit 16 are sequentially arranged and connected.

In the above configuration, in the on-hook state with the handset placed, the contact fs is in the state shown in the figure, but when off-hook in this state, the hook switch 40 is turned on, the relay control circuit 50 is activated, and the contact fs is in the state shown in the figure. switches to the opposite side (Hereinafter, this is referred to as operating or turning on,
Returning to the state shown is called recovery or turning off)
. As a result, a DC loop including the dial pulse sending and forced disconnection circuit 14 and the call circuit 1@ is closed to the office line terminals Ll and L2.

Here, a transistor is inserted in the circuit 14 in series with the DC loop, and although it is always on, it is repeatedly turned on and off in response to a dial signal from the control section 20. By transmitting a dial pulse to the exchange side to notify the other party's subscriber number and also receiving continuous off signals from the control unit 20, the contact C is continuously turned off and the contact C is put into the operating state (11). The DC loop can be forcibly cut off. In this way, the DC loop is closed and closed via relay contact 9B.
The reason why this is done is because this public telephone is of a retractable type and requires power to settle uncollected call charges even after the hook switch 40 is turned off.

That is, the circuit 13 forcibly disconnects the DC loop, notifies the exchange that the call has ended, and after recovery, turns on again and performs the settlement process using the power of the power supply circuit 15, which is charged by the current from the exchange. can be done.

Note that while the dial pulse is being sent out, the telephone call circuit 16:
Since the dial shunt signal inputted from the control section 20 creates a short circuit state, the calling party is not affected by noise caused by the dial pulse.

In addition, the power supply circuit 15 has reverse current blocking diodes DI, D2, D3, D4 due to the Zener voltage of constant voltage diodes ZZDI and Zn2 generated by the loop current.
, D5 through capacitor CI, C2,0
3 are charged individually, and these terminal voltages are set as the power supply voltage VEE.
, VMG, VDD,! The capacitor c1 is charged only when off-hook, but the containers C2 and C3 are charged even when on-hook. Power supply voltage VEE, which is always required for backing up the variable memory 240 described later, and power supply voltage VMG, which is heavily consumed to operate the electromagnet when processing coins.
is ensured.

Note that the diode bridge circuit 13 has a central line terminal Ll,
This is to keep the polarity of the voltage applied to the circuit 15 and the communication circuit 16 constant regardless of the polarity of the DC voltage from the exchange applied between L2.

The control unit 20 includes a well-known input/output capo) 21.1 processing device (
(hereinafter referred to as CPU)22. Fixed memory (hereinafter referred to as ROM)23. In addition to the variable memory (hereinafter referred to as RAM) 24, there is also a timing circuit 25 and a variable condition setting circuit 2.
It is equipped with 6.

This timing circuit 25 is composed of an oscillation circuit that generates a pulse with a period of 25 m5, and as described later, the timing circuit 25 is
2, whereas for main program qgram processing, 25
This is for providing an interrupt signal to cause m5 to perform interrupt processing. In addition, the variable condition setting circuit 26
Fi, for example, is used to arbitrarily set the call time per unit charge for local calls and the unit call charge for 1n gold, that is, the tariff, and is configured by Digital Switch Go.

In the above configuration, off-hook shift switch 4
0 is turned on, the contact 9s is operated by the relay control circuit 50, the DC loop is closed, and the power supply circuit 1
5 capacitor C1 is charged. As a result, CPU2
2 is supplied with a power supply voltage V D DAl, and the CPU 22 executes predetermined control operations while writing and reading necessary data to and from the RAM 24 according to a processing program stored in the ROM 23 in advance. This operation will be explained in detail later using a flowchart.

The coin processing section 30 includes a coin sorting device 31. Storage magnet 32. It is composed of a storage magnet 33 and a return magnet 34.

Here, the coin sorting device 31 is used to determine whether or not the inserted coin is a genuine coin scheduled to be used in this new machine, and to determine the denomination of the coin if it is a genuine coin. For example, a coin outer diameter identification device equipped with an optical sensor consisting of a light-emitting element and a light-receiving collector arranged oppositely across the coin's falling trajectory, and a coin outer diameter identification device equipped with an optical sensor consisting of a light-emitting element and a light-receiving collector arranged oppositely across the coin's falling trajectory, and a coin outer diameter identification device also arranged oppositely across the falling trajectory and mutually electromagnetic. The coin outer diameter identification device includes a detection coil consisting of a transmitting coil and a receiving coil that are coupled to each other. That is, the former utilizes the fact that the time for a falling coin to block the optical path between the light emitting and light receiving elements differs depending on the outer diameter of the coin, while the latter utilizes the fact that the peak value of the output voltage induced in the receiving coil, for example, is both different. This method utilizes the fact that the material of the coin interposed between the coils differs depending on the material, but all of these are well known, and in the application of the present invention, the configuration of the coin sorting device 31 is not limited to this. , any other sorting means can be used, so a detailed explanation will be omitted.

Based on the sorting results of the outer diameter and material sorting device, it is determined whether the coin is genuine or a counterfeit coin. If the coin is genuine, a sorting signal corresponding to the type is sent to the CPU 22 and stored in the RAM 24.
is stored in a certain amount range. For example, if the coins used are of four denominations: 100 yen, 50 yen, 20 yen, and 10 yen, the memory area with a capacity of 8 bits having a specific memory address in RAM 24 is used as the coin input memory, and the lower The 4 bits are made to correspond to each denomination, and when a sorting signal indicating a 100 yen coin is input, the 5th bit from the top is selected, and the 6th, 7th, and 8th bits are selected from the top as the denomination goes down. 1", it is possible to check which specie coin was inserted by looking at the contents of this coin input memory.Incidentally, the coin sorting device 3
Put a diagonal line in the signal line from 1 to the control unit 20, and put 14 next to it.
The number ``'' indicates that each of the four metal rods is provided with a signal line for transmitting a selection signal.

Incidentally, the above-described detection and sorting of inserted coins is performed at a cycle of 25 ms in an edge detection processing step placed at the beginning of the playback processing program, as will be described later.

Storage magnet 32. Storage magnet 33. The return magnet) 34ti operates an accumulation lever, storage lever, and return lever, which will be described later, respectively, and is operated by an operation command signal from the control unit 20.

The explanation of these will be supplemented later using the ts2 diagram.

The display circuit 60 is composed of, for example, a well-known 7-segment display type display and a display control circuit that controls the display, and the display circuit 60 is configured to display a total amount of accumulated coins minus uncollected call charges based on the control of the control unit 20. The amount of coins used, that is, the credit value, is displayed and notified to the caller. Although the configuration of this display s60 is not particularly limited, a liquid crystal display, for example, is suitable from the viewpoint of suppressing power consumption.

The overall circuit configuration of the public telephone of this embodiment has been described above, and FIG. 2 □ shows an outline of its track configuration.

In Figure WJ2, coins 101 inserted from a coin input port 100 are sorted by a coin sorting device 31 while rolling down an inclined sorting track 102 . As shown by arrow A, the lower end of the sorting track 102 leads to a return port (not shown), and a storage lever 103 is disposed in the middle thereof, and this storage lever 103 is attracted and operated by the excitation of the storage magnet 32. If it withdraws from orbit,
Coin 101 enters accumulation trajectory 104. Accumulation trajectory 104
It also consists of an inclined track, and at the bottom end there is a storage magnet 3.
A storage lever 105 and a return lever 106 are arranged, which are operated by being attracted by the excitation of the magnet 3 and the return magnet 34. The above storage lever 105 and return lever 1
06 is not in the operating state, coins 101/ri are accumulated in this accumulation track 104.

In this embodiment, the storage capacity is 5 sheets. On the other hand,
When the storage lever 105 is operated and withdrawn from the track, the coin 101 is stored in a safe (not shown) as shown by arrow B. Further, when the return lever 106 is operated and withdrawn from the track, the coin 101 is guided to the return port as shown by arrow C. Note that the specific configurations of each of the above magnets and levers are arbitrary.

Explanation of operation Next, the operation of the public telephone having the above configuration will be explained as shown in Figs.
This will be explained using chart 70 in FIG. Note that the explanation here is limited to the scope necessary for understanding the flow of processing specific to the present invention, and details of well-known processing operations that are naturally required for control using a CPU are not provided. It is omitted.

Overall Operational Description First, the overall operational flow of the main routine shown in FIG. 3 and the interrupt routine shown in FIG. 4 will be explained.

As mentioned above, in this embodiment, an interrupt signal is input to the main routine shown in FIG. jlE3 at a cycle of 25 m5, and the routine shown in FIG. 4 is interrupted. In fact, although the time required for processing the interrupt routine is not constant depending on the case, processing is started every 25m5+, and the operation of returning to the main routine processing again through a series of steps is repeated.

That is, first, when the caller removes the handset from the on-hook state, the contact fII operates as described above, the direct boil loop is closed, and the power supply voltage VDD can be supplied.

Therefore, when the control section 20 is supplied with the predetermined power supply voltage VDD, the control section 20 performs the initialization processing step 1000 in FIG.
Execute. That is, the CPU 22 accesses the ROM 23, and each memory area of the RAM 24 and the input/output board 2
Initialize the backup memory etc. of 1. At the final stage of this initialization process, the operation of the coin sorting device 31 is permitted, and interrupts are also permitted, and the timing circuit 25ti starts sending an interrupt signal. Therefore, from now on, the CPU 22 executes the process shown in the interrupt routine in FIG. 4 every 25 m5, regardless of the progress of the main routine in FIG.

Next, an outline of this interrupt routine will be explained.

That is, when the execution of the program shifts to interrupt processing, edge detection processing step 2000 is executed first.

Here, the telephone circuit section 1o is
and each input signal inputted from the coin processing section 3o, and stores data representing the results in a predetermined memory area of the RAM 24. For example, when charge number 4iJ is input through all of the charge signal receiving circuits 12, the content of charge 7 lag is set to 1-1, and charge 7 lag indicating the arrival of the charge signal is set. Further, if a sorting signal is input from the coin sorting device 31, data indicating the insertion of the coin is written into the coin insertion memory as described above.

Next, the program execution is dial control processing Stella 7'
Moved to 2001. That is, if there is an input from the push button dial configured by the keyboard TO,
Accordingly, the type of dialed number is determined, such as whether it is within the city or outside the city, whether it is a toll-free number or a prohibited number, etc., but since this is not directly related to the gist of the present invention, a detailed explanation will be omitted.

When the dial control process is finished, the program execution is
Next, the process moves to display processing step 2002. Here, as described above, processing is performed to display the amount of credit on the display device constituting the display circuit 6o, but since this is not directly related to the gist of the present invention, further explanation will be omitted.

Next, the program is executed in billing calculation processing step 20.
Move to 03. Here, the charging 7 lag memory has 7
It is checked whether or not the lag is set, and if it is set, the contents of the uncollected call charge memory provided in a part of the RAM 24 are updated. That is, this memory stores data indicating uncollected call charges, and therefore, the tariff is added for each charge. Similarly, the tariff is subtracted from the contents of the credit memory indicating credits. Note that if the credit becomes less than 0 as a result of this subtraction, the content of the hook processing flag memory provided in the specific area of the RAM 24 is set to "1" and the hook processing flag is set.

On the other hand, if the charging 7 lag is not set, the program execution will immediately proceed to the next coin insertion processing step 20.
Move to 04.

In this coin insertion process step 20o4, as will be explained in detail later using the flowchart of FIG. 5, the content of the coin insertion memory is checked for the insertion of a coin,
The storage magnet 32 is operated under certain conditions to allow coins to be stored.

In the next timer processing step 2005, RAM2
4. If the flag is set according to the contents of the various timer request flag memories provided in
The contents of each timer provided in AM24 are incremented by "1". That is, while the timer request flag is set, the contents of the timer are incremented every 25 m5, so that time can be measured based on the contents of this timer.

Program execution then moves to dialing processing step 2006. Here, in response to input from the keyboard 10, a dial signal indicating the number of the called party is sent to the exchange and notified.

After completing the interrupt routine once in this way, the program execution returns to the main routine again and processing is resumed from the interrupted position.

Now, in the main routine shown in FIG. 3, when the initialization processing step 1000 is completed, the execution of the program shifts to the self-diagnosis processing step 1001. This is to self-diagnose whether there is a coin jam or other failure using various sensors (not shown) arranged on the coin track, but the actual output state of the senna system is detected in the edge detection processing step 2000. A bladder indicating the diagnosis result is set in a predetermined 7-lag memory. Therefore, the process itself in step 1001 is to check the contents of a predetermined flag register, but since it is not directly related to the gist of the present invention, a detailed explanation will be omitted.

If it is confirmed that there is no abnormality, the execution of the program moves to a call permission processing step 1002, and the return magnet 34 is operated to put the return lever 106 in the coin return inhibiting state, so that coins can be stored.

Therefore, if the calling party inserts a coin and performs a dialing operation, and the called party answers, a telephone conversation is started.

Next, the execution of the program moves to step 1003 for determining whether or not the hook is on-hook, and if it is confirmed that the off-hook continues by checking the input signal from the hook switch 40, the program moves to step 1004 for determining storage. On the other hand, if on-hook is confirmed, the process moves to step 1008, where a hook processing flag is set, and then the process moves to hook processing step 1009, which will be described later.

In storage determination processing step 1004, it is determined whether or not the lowest accumulated coin should be stored, according to certain conditions, as will be explained in detail later with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

Next, the execution of the program moves to step 1oos, which determines whether the hook processing flag is set, and if the flag is set, moves to hook processing step 100g. If the flag is not set, the process moves to the next storage processing step 1006.

Regarding this storage processing step 1006, M7 will be used later.
As will be described in detail with reference to chart 70 in the figure, the lowest coin is actually stored based on the result previously determined in storage determination processing step 1004.

Next, the program execution moves to step 1007, which determines whether the hook processing flag is set, and if the flag is set, the hook processing step 1 is executed.
Transition to 009. If the flag is not set, the process returns to step 1003. Thereafter, as long as the call continues effectively, the processes from step 1003 to step 10 lower are repeatedly executed.

In the hook processing step 1009, by turning off the transistor of the dial pulse sending and forced disconnection circuit 14, the contact point 98 is turned off until i is in the operating state.
The DC loop is cut only for 00 m5. As a result, the exchange can be notified of the end of the call, and the power circuit can proceed to the next payment processing step 1010 while maintaining the same state as when off-hook. It should be noted that at this point, the exchange is restored, so the billing signal no longer arrives.

In the settlement processing step 1010, as will be explained later using the frame chart in FIG. 8, a combination of accumulated coins is selected to settle uncollected call charges in a manner that minimizes the loss of change for the user. do.

Next, the program is executed in storage processing step 1011.
to move to. Here, the above-mentioned payment processing step 1010
According to the combination selected in , each accumulated coin is stored or returned in order starting from the lowest coin. The program itself is similar to the storage processing step 1006 described above, and will be explained in detail later using the flowchart of FIG.

Next, program execution moves to termination processing step 1012. Here, it is confirmed that the final predetermined display time for return items determined in the payment process has elapsed,
After confirming that the power supply voltage VMG has been charged to 4.5V or higher and confirming that the on-hook state continues, the contact 9I is restored.

Next, as mentioned above, each step of coin insertion processing, storage judgment processing, storage processing, and payment processing is explained in Figures 5 to 5.
This will be explained in detail using the flowchart in Figure 8, but to facilitate understanding, some particularly important memories are listed in the table below, and their configurations will be summarized and explained. . These memories are provided using specific areas of the RAM 24, and each has a capacity of 8 bits, similar to the coin insertion memory, uncollected call charge memory, credit memory, etc. described above.

It stores data indicating which denomination of coins are stored at a location. Here, since the storage capacity of the storage track 104 is 5, the 5 storage memories (0) to (4) correspond to the 5 storage positions from the lowest to the highest, respectively, and are stored. Stores data indicating the coin amount of the coins.

As mentioned earlier, if the four denominations of coins used in this phone are IOO yen, SO yen, 20 yen, and 10 yen coins, then the data indicating the denominations of these coins, that is, the hexadecimal notation %64" (100 yen), Hayabusa 32# (50 yen), %14
” (20 yen), 'OA', and (10 yen) are stored. Note that the M6th memory (5) is a spare memory. This will be described later.

Next, the accumulation number memory stores data indicating how many coins of which denomination are accumulated in the entire accumulation trajectory, and each memory (0) to (4) stores data indicating how many coins of which denomination are accumulated in the entire accumulation orbit. The coins (100 yen) and the lowest denomination coins (10 yen) are supported sequentially. That is, the contents are obtained by dividing the contents of the storage memory by denomination KID.

On the other hand, the storage number memory stores data indicating the number of coins to be stored among the accumulated coins by denomination, and each memory (0) to (4) stores the highest denomination coin (
100 yen) to the lowest denomination coin (10 yen).

In addition, the storage-return memory (0) to (4)t corresponds to the storage positions sequentially from the lowest to the highest, and stores data indicating whether the coins at each storage position should be stored or returned. ing. In other words, if it is storage, %01"
(Hexadecimal notation, same below), IQIll in case of return
, if neither is the case, S is used as processing end data.
Each data of FF' is stored. Therefore, this storage
The contents of the return memory are such that the stored number of coins shown in the stored coin number memory is assigned to the coins at each storage position. Allocation is performed, for example, starting from the lowest level. For example, if 10 yen coins are stored at the lowest and highest positions, and the number of coins stored is 1, storage data % 01'' is written to the storage/shipping memory (0) corresponding to the lowest position. It will be done.

Coin Insertion Process FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the coin insertion process routine. As mentioned above, this coin insertion processing routine is an interrupt routine that starts every 25m5 cycles.
It is executed following the billing calculation process.

When the program execution moves to the coin insertion process, 1.
In step 2010, a determination is made as to whether new specie coins have been inserted. This is done by checking the data stored in the coin input memory. That is, if the bit corresponding to each denomination in the coin insertion memory is 11'', it means that a genuine coin of that denomination has been inserted.

Now, the denomination itself does not matter, but if the input of specie coins is confirmed, the program execution moves to step 2011,
Determining whether or not the storage track is full This can be determined by whether or not coin amount data is written in the storage memory (4) corresponding to the topmost one.

If it is not full, the process immediately moves to the storage magnet processing step 2013K, moves the storage magnet 32 to retract the storage lever 103 from the track, and guides the input coins 101 falling from the transfer to the storage track 104.

When accumulation is permitted in this manner, the contents of the credit memory and accumulation memory are then updated in coin insertion calculation processing step 2014. That is, the coin amount of the newly accumulated coin is added to the contents of the credit memory, and the coin amount data is written to the storage memory corresponding to the lowest storage position among the storage memories in which no coin amount data is written.゛On the other hand, if the accumulation trajectory is already full, the program execution moves from step 2011 to the next step 2012, and it is determined whether the uncollected call charge exceeds the lowest coin amount. be done. This is done by comparing the contents of the uncollected call charge memory and the contents of the storage memory (0).

If the uncollected call charge already exceeds the lowest coin amount, step 2o13 is subsequently executed and the inserted coins are accumulated; however, if the uncollected call charge is still below the lowest coin amount. , no accumulation is allowed, and the inserted coins are returned directly to the return slot in a state of over 70-. As explained in the next storage judgment process and storage process, coins are not stored as long as the call continues, and the coins are not stored when the storage track is full and the uncollected call charge has already reached the lowest coin amount. This is due to the system in which the lowest coin is stored only when additional specie coins are inserted. That is, only when the above conditions are met, the storage of additionally inserted coins is allowed, and the lowest coin is stored. In this way, when storage is permitted in a full state, data indicating the coin amount of the additionally inserted coin is provisionally written into the spare storage memory (5). In addition, when allowing accumulation when the coin is full in this way, the storage of the lowest coin is done separately in the main routine, so if the storage is delayed and there is a risk that the accumulation will not be carried out smoothly, the storage The actual capacity of the orbit should be set to 6 sheets.

Further, when executing step 201G, if additional insertion of genuine coins is not detected, the coin insertion processing routine is ended without any further substantial processing.

Next, storage determination processing will be explained.

Storage Judgment Process FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the storage judgment processing routine. As described above, this storage determination process determines whether or not the lowest coin should be stored while the call continues.

When the program execution moves to storage determination processing, first,
In step 1020, the command ``j'' to set the contents of storage/return memory to 'FF' is executed.

Here, processing completion data %FF'' is stored in all five storage/return memories.

Then, in step 1021, the previous step 20
10, it is determined whether or not specie money has been inserted.

If the insertion of specie coins is detected, execution of the program moves to step 1022 and proceeds to step 20 described above.
11, it is determined whether the storage orbit is full or not.

If the storage is full, it is determined in step 1023 whether the uncollected call charge exceeds the lowest coin amount, similarly to step 2012 described above.

If the uncollected call charge exceeds the lowest coin amount, in the next step 1024, a data drop indicating storage is stored in the storage/return memory (0) corresponding to the lowest coin amount.
Write.

On the other hand, if there is no input of specie coins, if there is input but the yaku accumulation orbit is not full, or if the uncollected call charge is less than the lowest coin amount even if it is full, the subsequent After performing the processing, the storage determination processing routine is ended.

Next, storage processing will be explained.

Storage Processing FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the storage processing routine. As mentioned earlier, in this storage process, the storage/return of each accumulated coin is determined in the storage judgment process described above or the settlement process described in detail next, and data indicating the judgment result is written to the storage/return memory. This is done when each accumulated coin is actually stored and returned based on the data after being stored. However, as mentioned above, only the lowest coin is stored while the call continues.

When the program execution moves to storage processing, step 1
At 030, the storage/return memory (
0) is stored data.

If this is storage data, the process moves to the next coin storage processing step 1031, and the storage magnet 33
Operate to pull the storage lever 105 out of the storage track.
1. Drop the lowest coin into the storage passage leading to the safe. In this case, a stop bin is operated by a well-known escape mechanism (not shown in the figure) in conjunction with the storage lever 105 to prevent higher accumulated coins from falling down.

When coins are stored in this manner, the process then moves to coin calculation processing step 1032. Here, the contents of the storage memory are shifted down and the contents of the uncollected call charge memory are updated. In other words, the data stored in the second and higher storage memories (1) to (5) are each
The coins are transferred to storage memories (0) to (4) corresponding to lower levels, and the amount of stored coins is subtracted from the contents of the uncollected call charge memory.

On the other hand, if the contents of storage/return memory (0) are not storage data, the program execution is performed in step 1.
The process moves from step 030 to step 1033, where it is determined whether the contents of the memory are return data.

If it is return data, the process moves to the next coin return processing step 1034, in which the return magnet 34 is operated to retract the return lever 106, and the lowest coin is dropped into the return path leading to the return slot.

In this case as well, the stop bin operates in conjunction with the return lever 106 to prevent subsequent coins from falling.

The operation time of both the storage magnet 33 and the return magnet 34 is 300m5, and they are restored after 300ms of salmon passing, and the storage lever 105 and the return coin (-106) are also restored.At the same time, the stop bin turtle is restored, so subsequent coins are transferred to the storage lever 105. Then, the coin falls to the position where it is stopped by the return lever 10@, and becomes the lowest coin.

After completing the coin calculation processing step 1032 or the coin return processing step 1034, the program execution moves to an interval processing step 1035. This means that after the storage or return magnet is operated to store or return the item, until the next storage or return operation,
This is to set an interval of 300 mB, and after the program is finished, the execution of the program moves to step 1030 again, and the contents of the storage/return memory (0) updated by the previous storage or return are checked. Then, the same process as described above is repeated until the contents of the storage/return memory (0) become the process end data 'FF'.

That is, when the content of the storage/return memory (0) becomes 'FF', step 1030 and step 1 are performed.
033 and immediately ends the storage processing routine.

Therefore, while the call is continuing, as mentioned above, in one storage judgment processing routine, the storage data s01'' is only written to one storage/return memory (0) depending on the case. The processing routine either ends with one lowest coin stored or ends without storing or returning the coin at all.

On the other hand, after the end of the call, all accumulated coins are either stored or returned in accordance with the decision result in the payment processing described below.

Therefore, the payment processing will be explained next.

Settlement Processing FIG. 8 is a 70-chart showing the settlement processing routine. As mentioned earlier, this payment process is done after one call ends.
That is, after the hook processing step 1009 is completed, the combination of accumulated coins for calculating the uncollected call charges by n is determined.

When the program execution moves to payment processing, step 1
At 040, data indicating the number of accumulated coins for each denomination is stored in each accumulated quantity memory. This is done by counting the number of accumulated coins in order from the highest denomination coin according to the contents of the accumulation memory as described above, and storing the result in the corresponding accumulated number mesori as the accumulated number of coins of the relevant denomination.

Next, in step 1041, a process is performed in which the fraction of the uncollected call charge is rounded up to the lowest coin amount. That is, although the uncollected call charges are not necessarily an integral multiple of the minimum amount in coins, the amount that can actually be collected is based on the minimum amount in coins. Specifically, it can be calculated by dividing the uncollected call charges by the minimum amount in coins, and if there is a remainder, add "l" to the quotient.

Next, in step 1042, data indicating uncollected call charges is stored in the working memory provided in the Sakisada area of the RAM 24. Thereafter, based on the data stored in the working memory, a combination of accumulated coins that will compensate for uncollected call charges is selected, but this is done in such a way that high value coins are stored preferentially.

That is, first, the presence or absence of coins is checked in order from the highest denomination coin. First, step 104
In step 3, it is determined whether or not processing of all denominations has been completed, and if not, in step 1044, an operation is started in which the storage memory (0) corresponding to the highest denomination coin is designated in order and the presence or absence of coins is checked. .

Therefore, if it is confirmed in step 1045 that coins of the relevant denomination are accumulated, step 1045
At step 46, the uncollected call charge as the content of the working memory is divided by the amount of the coin to find the permitted number of storages, that is, the maximum number of times the coin can be stored that number of times without exceeding 4 uncollected call charges.

However, in reality, it cannot be stored unless there is actually that much accumulation. Therefore, in step 1o41, it is determined whether or not the number of stored sheets is greater than the number of storage permissions.

In the first case, if the number of accumulated coins is equal to or greater than the number of permitted storages, in step 1048, the amount of coins M class equivalent to the number of permitted storages is subtracted from the uncollected call charges, and if the coins of the relevant denomination are stored, The remaining uncollected call charges are calculated.

On the other hand, in the second case, if the number of accumulated coins is less than the permitted number of times of storage, in step 10491C, the total amount of coins equivalent to the number of accumulated coins that can actually be stored is subtracted from the uncollected call charges.

After one of the above subtraction processes is completed, data indicating the number of sheets stored is written in the storage memory in step 105G. That is, in the first case, the number of permitted storages is written as is, and in the second case, the number of accumulated sheets is written.

Then, in step 1051, the result of the above subtraction is
It is determined whether or not the uncollected call charge has become zero. If it is zero, the process moves to the next step 1o52, but if it is not zero, the process returns to step 1o43, and the same process is repeated for successively lower denomination coins.

Note that if it is confirmed in step 1045 that there is no accumulation of coins of the relevant denomination, the execution of the program immediately moves to step 1043 to perform processing on coins of lower denominations.

As a result, if processing for all denominations has been completed even though the uncollected call charges have not reached exactly zero, in other words, if there is no combination of accumulated coins that exactly corresponds to the uncollected call charges, The depth of the program moves from step 1043 to step 10S3, where the minimum coin amount is added to the uncollected call charge, and the same processing as described above is repeated from step 1042 on the uncollected call charge after the addition. As a result, if a combination of accumulated coins with an amount matching the uncollected call charges cannot be selected, the minimum amount of coins is further added and the same process is repeated.

If a combination of accumulated coins that matches the uncollected call charges is selected in this way, that is, if the uncollected call charges as the contents of the working memory become zero in step 1051, the program is executed in step 105.
2, storage or return data is written in the storage/return memory according to the storage number memory and the contents of the storage memory.

As mentioned above, this is a task of allocating the number of stored coins of each denomination to each coin actually stored as indicated by the contents of the storage memory, and the allocation is performed with priority given to the lower order.

Therefore, for example, the accumulated coins are 20 yen from the lowest,
If it is 20 yen or 100 yen, each storage memory (0) to (5
) contents are '14'' (20 yen) each.

114', %64' (100 yen), '00'
, '00'. In contrast, storage number memory (0)
The contents of ~(3) are rlj, l-0J, rlJ, respectively.
In the case of rOJ, that is, when one 100 yen coin and one 20 yen coin should be stored, it is determined that the third 100 yen coin from the bottom and the lowest 20 yen coin should be stored. , the second 20 yen must be returned. As a result, the storage/return memories (0) to (2) K are '01', Hayabusa 00'', and Sol''+7, respectively.
) data is written. The remaining storage/return memory (3) corresponding to the storage position where no coins are actually stored;
The contents of (4) even include the ``FF'' moat.

In this way, after the storage/return is determined for each of all accumulated coins and the toll data is written in the storage/return memory, the program execution moves to step 1011.
The storage process described above is performed.

The operation of the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has been explained in detail using the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 3 to 8, but as is clear from the above, , this embodiment has the following effects.

In other words, as a general rule, coins are not stored while the call is ongoing.
At the end of a call, a combination of accumulated coins that is equal to or greater than the uncollected call charge and whose total sum is closest to the uncollected call charge is selected and stored, so that damage to the user's change can be minimized.

In addition, the accumulation lever can be operated to operate the accumulation lever under the limitation that if additional specie coins are inserted while the accumulation track is full and the unaccumulated call charge is greater than the lowest accumulation coin amount while the call is continuing. By allowing the storage S of additionally inserted coins and storing the lowest coin, it is possible to avoid restrictions on call time due to storage capacity.

Similarly, as a means of escaping from the call time constraints, it is also effective to change the storage determination processing routine program as follows.

Embodiment m2, ie, FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a storage determination processing routine in another embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, when the execution of the program shifts to storage determination processing, an instruction to set the contents of the storage/return memory to 'FF' is executed in step 1060.

Next, in step 1061 it is determined whether or not specie coins have been inserted, and if so, it is determined in step 1062 whether or not the accumulation track is full. It is determined whether or not the collected call charge exceeds the lowest accumulated coin amount. If it is, in step 1064, the storage/return memory (0
), the data indicating the storage of the lowest coin is written, and if it is not higher, the storage judgment processing routine is terminated.The flow of the process is the same as in the first embodiment described using FIG. 6.

However, if insertion of a specie coin is not detected in step 1061 and if the accumulation track is not full in step 1062, the program execution moves to step 1065 and the lowest coin amount is stored in the accumulated memory. It is determined whether the contents of (0) are equal to the highest coin amount, and if they are equal, it is further determined in step 1066 whether or not the uncollected call charge exceeds the highest coin amount, that is, the lowest coin amount. If the value exceeds the value, the process moves to step 1064 and the storage data is written in the storage/return memo') (0). If the lowest coin amount is not equal to the highest coin amount in step 1065, and step 1
If the uncollected call charge is less than the maximum coin amount at 066, the collection determination processing routine is immediately terminated.

In other words, regardless of the conditions of additional specie input and full storage orbit, if the lowest coin is the coin of the highest value, when the uncollected call charge exceeds the coin amount, the lowest coin is stored. Although it is possible to insert additional coins and extend the call time, storing coins while the call is continuing under the above conditions has no effect on the settlement using the least damage method at the end of the call. That is clear.

Other Embodiments In addition, in the above-described embodiment, an operation command signal is given to the storage magnet that moves the storage lever upon selection indicating the insertion of genuine coins. The storage lever may be actuated by feeding the storage magnet through a logic circuit. In that case, for example, if the storage track is not full, or even if it is full but the uncollected call charges are larger than the lowest coin amount, a gate forming the logic circuit may be opened by a signal from the CPU. .

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a method was used in which the storage lever is always closed with a gold film, and the storage lever is fully opened to permit storage only in the case of genuine coins, but the present invention is not limited to this. Alternatively, the entrance to the storage track may be kept open at all times, and all input coins may be stored as long as the storage track is full and does not overflow. In that case, for example, the fact that the coin is a pseudo coin may be stored in the memory, and when the coin reaches the lowest position, it may be processed as being returned unconditionally.

Furthermore, in the above-mentioned mourning example, in principle, change is not collected while the call is continuing, and only the case where change is collected and collected after the call ends in a manner that minimizes the damage to the user. However, the application of the present invention is not limited to this, and the accumulated coins to be stored can be determined according to an arbitrary policy, such as giving priority to low-value coins or giving priority to high-value coins, regardless of whether the call is continuing or after the call ends. good.

Therefore, a first storage method may be used in which a certain amount of coins is stored in advance in response to the arrival of a billing signal, and a call is permitted for a time corresponding to the amount of coins stored.

Effects of the present invention According to the present invention, each coin accumulated in one accumulation track can be freely distributed to a storage path and a return path, so that coins can be freely distributed according to any storage method including the minimum damage method. It can store any coins, and
It has various excellent effects such as being able to reduce the component parts and the size of the structure, and being easy to handle as the user can insert coins arbitrarily from one coin slot without checking the type of coins one by one.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a circuit configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the coin track of the public telephone shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the main routine program, FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the interrupt routine program, FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the coin insertion processing routine program, and FIG. 6 is an example of the storage judgment processing routine program. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the storage judgment processing routine program, FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the payment processing routine program, and FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing another example of the storage judgment processing routine program. . 10...Telephone circuit, 20...Control unit, 21...
...I/O boat, 22...-Central processing unit, 23
...-Fixed memory, 24#fist...Variable memory, 30.
. . . Coin processing section, 31 . . . Coin sorting device, 32.
...Storage magnet, 33...Storage magnet,
34... Φ Return magnet, 102... Sorting track, 103... Accumulation lever, 104...
Accumulation track, 105----Storage lever, 106----
return lever. Patent applicant: Tamura Denko Seisakusho Co., Ltd. Agent: Masaki Yamakawa (and 1 other person)

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) In a public telephone that stores multiple types of coins in the order in which they are inserted into one storage track, there is provided a coin sorting means for determining whether or not an inserted coin is a genuine coin and its type; a storage means for storing the type of the storage means; a selection means for selecting accumulated coins to be stored from the contents of the storage means and uncollected call charges; and a selection means for sorting the accumulated coins into a storage passage and a return passage according to the selection result. A congregation telephone equipped with the means and the image of death. (2) The selection means is characterized in that the selection means selects, as the accumulated coins to be stored at the end of the call, a combination of accumulated coins that is equal to or greater than the uncollected call charge and has a total value that is closest to the uncollected call charge. A public telephone set according to claim 1.