JPS6325396B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a device for detecting a coin jam in a vending machine or the like.

[Prior Art] Vending machines are designed to dispense goods or change by pushing a purchase button after inserting a predetermined coin into a coin slot.

However, if the inserted coins become jammed for some reason, normal sales operations will not be possible.
If a coin jam occurs, it is necessary to promptly detect it and take measures such as opening the side plate of the coin validation device and ejecting the jammed coin based on the detection signal.

Conventionally, as an example of such a coin jam detection device, the one described in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 53-20397 is known. This device has a means for storing the number A of coins inserted, a means B storing the number B of coins stored in the hardened storage section among the inserted coins, and a means for storing the number C of returned coins among the inserted coins. After the purchaser presses the purchase button, it is determined whether the relationship A=B+C is established. If A=B+C, no coin jam has occurred, and A>B+C
If so, it is determined that a coin jam has occurred, and if a coin jam is determined, the sale is canceled and
I'm trying to issue a warning.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the above conventional system, after the purchase button is pressed, it is determined whether or not there is a coin jam by looking at the relationship between the number of coins. A coin jam cannot be detected until it is pressed, and it takes time to detect it. As a result, there is a problem in that there is a delay in responding to the occurrence of a coin jam, and the processing capacity of the vending machine for customers per unit time is reduced.

In addition, with this conventional system, if the purchase button is pressed before the number of stored coins B and the number of returned coins C are counted, a false alarm will be generated, so even if the purchase button is pressed early, the detection time for coin jams can be shortened. is not possible.

Therefore, the present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and when a coin jam occurs, it can be detected without waiting for the purchase button to be pressed, reducing the detection time and processing for vending machine customers. It is an object of the present invention to provide a coin jam detection device whose performance is not reduced.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention provides, as means for solving the above problems, an inserted coin detector that detects inserted coins, a coin verification device that determines whether the inserted coins are genuine or false, and A plurality of outflow coin detectors are provided in each of the outflow paths of the coin verification device, and a first coin detector that counts the number of inserted coins based on the output signal of the input coin detector.
a counter (corresponding to area C1 in the embodiment); a second counter (corresponding to area C2 in the embodiment) that counts the number of outflow coins based on the OR signal of the plurality of outflow coin detectors; A first timer (timer T in the embodiment) starts timing operation based on the output signal of the inserted coin detector when the second coin is inserted.
1), and a second timer (corresponding to the timer of the embodiment) that starts timing operation based on the output signal of the inserted coin detector due to the second coin inserted during the operation of the first timer. Compatible with T2)
a first memory (corresponding to area M1 in the embodiment) in which the count value of the first counter is stored when an output signal of the inserted coin detector is generated due to the insertion of the first coin; a first comparison means (the CPU 2 of the embodiment
3), and a second memory (area in the embodiment) in which the value of the first counter at this point in time is stored when the output signal of the inserted coin detector is generated by the second coin subsequently inserted. Compatible with M2) and
a second comparison means (implemented) that compares the counted value of the second counter with the value stored in the second memory when a time determined by the second timer has elapsed from this point; (corresponding to the CPU 23 in the example) and a determination unit (corresponding to the CPU 23 in the example) that determines whether a coin is jammed in the coin verification device based on the comparison results of the first and second comparison means. .

[Operation] In the present invention, the timer starts operating every time an inserted coin is detected by the coin detector provided at the entrance of the coin verification device. At least two timers are provided, and when the next coin is inserted while the first timer is operating, the second timer is operated to cope with the subsequent insertion of coins. Then, the total value of the inserted coins is counted by the first counter. On the outflow side of the coin verification device, each time the outflow coin detector installed in each passage detects an outflow coin, the coin verification device stores the total value of the outflow coins that have been verified in a second counter. I turn and count. Said first and second
Each time the timer starts operating, that is, each time an inserted coin is detected, the total value of the inserted coins counted by the first counter is stored in the first and second memories. The time limit of each timer is set to the time normally required for the coin verification device to verify the coin (approximately 0.5 seconds to 1.5 seconds), and each time the set time is counted, the first and second comparison means are used. Then, the total value of outflow coins counted by the second counter is sequentially compared with the total value of input coins stored in the first and second memories. If the number of outflowing coins at this time is smaller than the number of input coins, it is determined that coins are jammed.

[Effects of the Invention] Thus, according to the present invention, by providing a plurality of timers and a plurality of memories, it is possible to independently detect a coin jam for each successively inserted coin. Can be done. Therefore, if a coin jam occurs, it can be detected immediately without waiting for all coins to be inserted or the purchase button to be pressed. It is possible to maintain a high processing capacity for customers per unit time.

[Examples] Examples of the present invention will be described in detail below.

FIG. 1 shows an outline of the coin verification device. A diameter sorting section 1 identifies the outer diameter and diameter of coins and sorts them into types. The diameter sorting section 1 is provided with three elongated holes 3, 4, and 5 from the input port 2 side.
The diameter selection section 1 is slightly inclined with respect to the vertical plane.
The height of the first elongated hole is slightly larger than the diameter of a 50 yen coin, the height of the second elongated hole 4 is slightly larger than the diameter of a 100 yen coin, and the height of the third elongated hole 5 is slightly larger than the diameter of a 10 yen coin. It is set to be slightly larger than the diameter of , and gradually increases in size. The coins are sorted by this outer diameter, and 6.
50 yen coin selector shown as 7, 8, 100
You will be guided to the yen coin selector and 10 yen coin selector.

These selectors 6, 7, and 8 distinguish between genuine and fake coins, and the counterfeit coins are discharged onto a return conveyor 9, while the genuine coins are led to a storage section 10.

Coins that have fallen onto the return conveyor 9 are returned to the return slot 1.
1 to be returned to the customer. The coins held in the holding unit 10 are collected into a cash box (not shown) when the next customer inserts coins.

Since the above configuration is well known, it will not be explained in detail.

A coin detector shown as 12 is provided downstream of the input port 2 of such a coin verification device and upstream of the diameter sorting section 1. This is called an inserted coin detector.

Coin detectors 13, 14, 15 are provided in the passage between the coin selectors 6, 7, 8 and the pool 10. A coin detector 16 is provided above the return tray 11 to detect the hardening of the returned coin. These coin detectors 13, 14, 15, and 16 are called outflow coin detectors provided in the outflow path of the coin verification device.

In FIG. 2, coin detectors 12, 13, 1
4, 15, and 16 are shown with the same reference numerals as in FIG. These coin detectors consist of a light emitting diode and a phototransistor pair, only the phototransistor being shown in FIG. The output lines (phototransistor collectors) of the coin detectors 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 are connected to corresponding DT flip-flop circuits 17, 18,
Connected to T terminals 19, 20, and 21. A signal HIGH is applied to the D terminals of the DT flip-flops 17, 18, 19, 20, and 21 via a resistor 22.

Denoted as 23 is a microprocessor (CPU). The interface of microprocessor 23 is shown as 24.

Now, when inserted coin detector 12 detects a coin and produces an output signal HIGH on output line 12A (shown as 12A in FIG. 3), this sets flip-flop 17 and produces an output signal HIGH.

When the CPU 23 senses the output signal (shown as 17A in FIG. 3) on the output line 17A of the flip-flop 17 via the interface 24,
By outputting a reset signal (shown as 17B in FIG. 3) on line 17B, flip-flop 17 is reset and the signal on line 17A goes LOW as shown in FIG.

An area C1 is provided in a random access memory (RAM) 25 to count the output signals of the inserted coin detector 12. Outflow coin detector 13,1
Area C2 is provided for counting the logical sum of the output signals of 4, 15, and 16. Two other areas M1 and M2 are provided.

A timer circuit is shown as 26. Here are 2
Two timers T1 and T2 are provided, and the start of operation of the timers is controlled by the CPU 23. As a flag to indicate that these timers are running,
Areas T1F and T2F of RAM 25 are used.

The processing of the CPU 23 is executed according to the program shown in the flowchart of FIG. first.
At step 27, outflow coin detectors 13, 14, 15, 16 (flip-flop 1
8, 19, 20, 21) are sensed, and if there is a detection signal, the contents of area C2 are incremented by 1 in step 28.

Inserted coin detector 1 at the step marked with numeral 29
The output of flip-flop 2 (flip-flop 17) is sensed, and if there is a detection signal, the contents of step area C1 labeled 30 are incremented by one. If the contents of the flag T1F are read in the step labeled 31 and the timer T1 is not operating, the CPU 23 outputs a signal to the timer circuit 26 to activate the timer T1 in the step labeled 32, and the flag T1F is set. Ru.

Now, the time point when the first inserted coin is detected is shown as t1 in FIG. From this point on, timer T1 operates and starts counting. C at time t1
The content of 1 becomes 1. Of course, the content of C2 at this time t1 is still 0.

At step 33, it is determined that the timer T1 has not yet counted the set time S0.
The process moves on to step 27 and then to step 29. During this time, when the next inserted coin is detected, at step 30, the contents of C1 are incremented by 1 and become 2, and then
Since timer T1 is in operation, the program proceeds to step 34, starts another timer T2, sets flag T2F, and transfers the contents of area C1 to area M2. This point in time is shown as t2 in FIG.

Outflow coin detector 13,1 while timer T1 is operating
When a coin is detected at 4, 15, 16, code 28
The content of area C2 is +1 in the step marked with
Here, the content of C2 is 1. Timer T
1 completes counting the set time S0, the process moves from the step 33 to the step 35. This point in time is shown as t3 in FIG. In step 35, the contents of area C2 and M1 are compared.

As a result of this comparison, the fact that the content of C2 is smaller than the content of M1 means that the time from when the inserted coin detector 12 detects the first inserted coin until the set time S0 elapses (as shown in FIG. This means that the contents of C2 are not changed between the time points t1 and t3 shown. In other words, the coin inserted at time t1 is still in the outflow coin detectors 13, 14, 1.
5, 16 means that it is not detected.

Therefore, if the content of C2 is smaller than the content of M1 (at time t3, M1 is 1, so C2 is 0), the process moves to step 36 and a coin jam detection signal is sent.

When the coin jam detection signal is sent, the sub-plate and side plate of the coin verification device are opened. As a result, the coin jam is cleared and the coins are returned to the return slot 11.

In the step marked with the reference numeral 35 mentioned above,
If the content of C2 is greater than or equal to the content of M1, the process then proceeds to step 37.

At time t3, the fact that the content of C2 is greater than the content of M1 means the following.
That is, this indicates that the two coins inserted at times t1 and t2 between times t1 and t3 shown in FIG. 5 have already been detected by any of the outflow side detectors 13, 14, 15, and 16.

When the process moves to step 37, flag T2F is read out, and it is determined whether or not timer T2 is in operation. At time t3, timer T2 is still operating.

Therefore, the process moves to step 38. Here, the measured time S1 of time T2 is read out, and the remaining time S0-S1 with respect to the set time is calculated.
The CPU 23 calculates. This remaining time is transferred to timer T1. After this, a signal is sent to activate T1, and at time t2 the content "2" of C1 stored in M2 is transferred to M1.

In step 39, timer T2 and flag T2F are reset, followed by time t.
It is activated by the coin inserted at step 4.

At time t5, timer T1 indicates the remaining time S0-S1
When the time measurement ends, the same process as that at time t3 is executed. At this time, if timer T2 is counting S2, timer T1 is counting S0-S2.
The time is set.

If the timer T1 is made to measure the remaining time of the timer T2 in this manner, the processing after the step 33 only requires looking at the time-up of T1, which has the effect of simplifying the program.

This invention can be easily implemented using a microprocessor. However, implementation is not limited to a microprocessor, and dedicated counters may be used in place of areas C1 and C2. The timer circuit 26 can be configured to use a dedicated independent circuit and interrupt the CPU 23 when time-up occurs, or even further.
It is also possible to use a RAM area to count the CPU clock pulses here.

It goes without saying that the target coin validation device is not limited to a mechanical one, and may also be an electronic coin validation device.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a coin verification device and the arrangement of a coin detector, Fig. 2 is a drawing showing an example of hardware in which the present invention is implemented, and Fig. 3 is an interface with the flip-flop shown in Fig. 2. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the program of the microprocessor shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the operation. 12; Inserted coin detector, 12, 13, 14, 1
5, 16; Outflow coin detector, M1, M2, C1,
C2; RAM area 23; microprocessor (CPU); 26; timer circuit.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An inserted coin detector that detects an inserted coin, a coin verification device that determines whether the inserted coin is genuine or false, and a plurality of outflow coins provided in each of the outflow paths of the coin verification device. a detector, and a first for counting the number of inserted coins based on the output signal of the inserted coin detector.
and a second counter for counting the number of outflow coins based on the logical sum signal of the plurality of outflow coin detectors.
a counter, a first timer that starts timing operation based on the output signal of the inserted coin detector when the first coin is inserted, and a second coin that is subsequently inserted while the first timer is operating. a second timer that starts a timing operation based on the output signal of the inserted coin detector; and a second timer that starts a timing operation based on the output signal of the inserted coin detector; The first stored
a memory, and a first comparing means for comparing the counted value of the second counter with the value of the first memory when a time determined by the first timer has elapsed from this point in time; 2 were subsequently introduced
a second memory in which the value of the first counter at this point in time is stored when the output signal of the inserted coin detector due to the second coin is generated;
a second comparison means for comparing the counted value of the second counter with the value stored in the second memory when a time determined by a timer has elapsed; A coin jam detection device comprising: a determination unit that determines whether a coin is jammed in a coin verification device based on the comparison result of the comparison means. 2. The determination section is configured with a microprocessor,
The coin jam detection device according to claim 1, wherein the first counter, the second counter, the first memory, and the second memory are provided in an area of a random access memory of the microprocessor. 3. After the first timer has counted the set time, the value of the second memory is stored in the first memory, and the timed value of the second timer is transferred to the first timer, and the set time is counted. The coin jam detection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the remaining coin is counted by the first timer.