JPH0317704B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a coin accumulating device for accumulating coins drawn out from a coin passage in a accumulating section, and particularly relates to a device installed in a coin wrapping machine.

[Conventional technology]

A coin accumulating device is often provided within the coin wrapping machine to accumulate coins taken out from the coin passage in an accumulating section. Such a coin accumulating device generally has a cylindrical shape, and uses a counting sensor to count the number of coins to be accumulated as the coins are conveyed through the coin passage, and drives a pulse motor based on the output of this counting sensor. Then, the support body that slides inside the cylinder and supports the lower surface of the accumulated coins is lowered. On this occasion,
Since the thickness of one sheet differs depending on the denomination, the amount of descent is set to a constant value that differs for each denomination.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

By the way, if all the accumulated coins are new coins, the thickness of the coins will be within a certain range and there is no problem with the amount of descent of the support during such accumulation, but in the case of circulating currency, the thickness There is a large variation in Therefore, if the support is simply lowered by the number of coins based on the median value per coin of each denomination, when only thin coins are accumulated, the space above the accumulated coins becomes large and the coins are may stand upright or be uneven. On the other hand, if only thick coins pass through, the accumulated height becomes larger than the amount of descent, and the space above the accumulated coins narrows, causing a problem in that subsequent coins collide and become jammed.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a coin accumulating device that prevents coins from clogging or misaligning by appropriately controlling the amount of space above the accumulated coins when accumulating coins.

[Means to solve the problem]

According to the present invention, the coins taken out from the coin passage are placed on the support part that descends inside the accumulation part, and when the accumulation starts, the distance between the upper surface of the support part and the surface of the coin passage is such that the coins do not stand upright. In the coin accumulating device, a space is provided with a certain amount of space, and coins are accumulated by lowering the supporting part by driving a pulse motor according to the thickness of the coins and the cumulative number of coins. a coin detection means for detecting coins passing through the coin passage; a detection means for detecting that the amount of space above the accumulated coins has fallen below a predetermined amount that may cause coin jam; and a coin detection means for detecting a coin passing through the coin passage; a reference pulse supply means for supplying a reference pulse to the pulse motor based on the output of the coin detection means so that the amount of descent of the support portion for one coin to be cured is less than the thickness of one hardened coin on average; , additional pulse supply means for supplying an additional pulse to the pulse motor for lowering the support part additionally when the detection means detects that the amount of the space has become less than the predetermined amount. A coin accumulating device characterized by:

[Effect]

According to the coin accumulating device according to the present invention, the pulse motor that drives the support part on which coins are accumulated is controlled so as to control the amount of space above the accumulated coins based on a value smaller than the maximum thickness of one coin. A pulse is supplied, and when the amount of space becomes less than a predetermined value, an additional pulse is supplied so that the position of the support part is further lowered. By performing such control, the amount of space is always kept small, so problems such as coins standing upright or other irregularities do not occur.

In addition, since the system detects when the amount of space becomes small and expands the space, coins do not get jammed.

〔Example〕

The present invention will be described below with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings.

The figures show an embodiment in which the coin accumulating device according to the present invention is applied to a coin accumulating section of a coin packaging machine, with FIG. 1 showing the front and FIG. 2 showing the longitudinal side.

Coins C sent out from a coin supply source (not shown)
A coin passage 2 is provided in the coin accumulating section A to convey coins by the movement of the conveyor belt 1 in the direction of the arrow.A pulley 3 of the conveyor belt 1 is supported by a shaft 4 so as to straddle the end of this passage 2. The folded end of the belt 1 faces above the approximate center of the coin accumulation section A.

An operating member P is provided above the coin accumulation section A. This actuating member P has a regulating member 5 rotatably supported by a shaft 5A and biased by a spring 5B. The lower surface of the regulating member 5 is at approximately the same level as the lower surface of the belt 1, so that the tip of the coin C to be fed is regulated. Further, a freely rotatable roller 6 is pivotally supported on the slightly rear side directly above the coin accumulating section A. This free roller 6 has a rotation center above the extension line of the coin passage 2, and a part of the circumferential surface is located on the extension line, and comes into contact with the coin led out from the coin passage 2,
Further, when the top surface of the accumulated coins in the accumulating section A is higher than a predetermined position, it comes into contact with the coins. When the roller 6 comes into contact with a coin and receives a force that resists the bias of the spring 5B, the regulating member 5 rotates and the detection means 70 detects this.

On the other hand, a roller 7' serving as a guide member 7 is provided on the side opposite to the end of the coin passage 2 of the coin accumulating section A. The roller 7' in the illustrated embodiment
The base is rotatably supported by a shaft 11 at the tip of an arm 10 which is swingably supported by a shaft 8 on a side plate 9, and this shaft 11 is connected to a long hole 12 formed in the side plate 9.
It is inserted so that it can move inside. Further, the arm 10 has a downward U-shaped engagement portion 13 on one side,
A pin 16 fixed to a plate 15 extending above a bearing portion 14, which will be described later, is fitted into the engaging portion 13. Therefore, when the bearing portion 14 is moved according to the coin type, the arm 10 swings about the shaft 8 via the pin 16, and the roller 7' is moved back and forth to a position commensurate with the coin diameter.

Next, the structure of the coin accumulating section A shown in the figure will be explained. Left and right support blocks 17, 17 are provided at the lower end of the coin passage 2, and the upper and lower pairs of pulleys 1 are connected to the support blocks 17, 17.
8, 18 and 19, 19 are respectively pivotally supported,
Belts 20, 20 are wound between these upper and lower pulleys 18, 18, 19, 19 so that one running surface thereof faces each other.

Protruding coin support parts 21, 21 are provided on the outer surfaces of the belts 20, 20 at symmetrical positions on the left and right belts 20, 20. In the illustrated embodiment, two other coin support parts 21, 21 are provided at equal intervals so that coins can be accumulated twice in one rotation of the belts 20, 20.

A pulse motor M (only one is shown in FIG. 1) is attached to each of the support blocks 17, 17 via a plate 22, and a fixed gear 24 and a shaft of a pulley 19 on the lower side are connected to a shaft 23 of the pulse motor M. The pulley 19 is meshed with the upper gear 25, so that the pulley 19 is rotated in the direction of the arrow.

Further, a detection plate 26 is fixed to the shaft 23 of the pulse motor M, and a peripheral edge of the detection plate 26 faces a sensor 27 supported by the plate 22.

The support blocks 17, 17 have a belt 2 between the upper and lower pulleys 18, 18, 19, 19.
Coins C that are accumulated by closing the gap between 0 and 20
Front plates 28 and 28 are respectively attached as holding members that prevent the coin C from falling off to the front and hold the peripheral edge of the coin C.

Near the end of the coin passage 2, a coin detection means 29 using a phototube is provided to detect the passing coin C, and when this detection means 29 detects the passing of the coin C, a signal is sent to a control section to be described later. given to 60.

In the illustrated embodiment, the interval between the left and right belts 20, 20 is set to an optimum state according to the denomination, taking into consideration the case where the accumulated coins C are of many denominations and the outer diameter differs depending on the denomination. It is equipped with an adjustment mechanism.

That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the support blocks 17, 17 are supported by arms, and when this arm group is set to the denomination to be packaged, the support positions of the support blocks 17, 17 are adjusted accordingly. It is being adjusted.

Connection plates 30, 30 are protruded from each side of the support blocks 17, 17, and bearing portions 31, 31 are provided at the ends of the connection plates 30, 30.
1 and 31, it is supported by first, second, third, and fourth arms 32, 33, 34, and 35, respectively, as shown in the fourth figure.

The first arm 32 that supports one end of the support block 17 on the right side (left side when viewed from the front) in the figure is
It has a trifurcated shape, and its central portion is rotatably supported in a horizontal plane by a shaft 36 on the body of the coin wrapping machine.The support block 17 is attached to the arm portion 32a of this arm 32 by the shaft 37, and A cam follower 38 is pivotally attached to the arm portion 32b, and this cam follower 38 is brought into contact with a cam 40 on a denomination setting shaft 39 by the bias of a spring 41. Further, an interlocking link 42 is connected to the other arm portion 32c.

At the other end of the support block 17, the base of the second arm 33 is pivotally supported to the body by a shaft 43, and the tip of the second arm 33 is pivotally supported by a shaft 44.

The third arm 34 that supports one end of the support block 17 on the left side (right side when viewed from the front) in the figure is
It has a V-shape, and its bent portion is pivotally supported on the body by a shaft 45, and the tip of one arm portion 34a is attached to one end of the support block 17 by a shaft 46.

At the other end of the support block 17, the base of the fourth arm 35 is pivotally supported to the body by a shaft 47, and the tip of the fourth arm 35 is pivotally supported by a shaft 48.

The other end of the link 42 is a third arm 34.
The cam 4 is connected to the intermediate portion of the arm portion 34a of the cam 4, and thereby the first arm 32 rotates when setting the denomination.
0 within the range between the position shown by the solid line and the position shown by the chain line in FIG. The distance between the facing running surfaces is adjusted to match the outer diameter of the selected denomination coin.

On the other hand, the base of a fifth arm 49 is loosely fitted onto the shaft 47 of the fourth arm 35, and a roller 50 at the tip of this arm 49 is attached to the inner surface of the other arm portion 34b of the third arm 34 by a spring 51. It is being hit by force. A connecting plate 52 is fixed to the base of the fifth arm 49, and this connecting plate 52 is connected to the belts 20, 20 on the opposite side from the front plates 28, 28.
0, and a back plate 53 is fixed thereto. This back plate 53 is
It has the role of a holding member that closes the space between the running parts of the belts 20, 20 and holds the periphery of the coin C, and can slightly enter between the opposing surfaces of the belts 20, 20 in consideration of the accumulation of small diameter coins. A protrusion 53a having a semicylindrical horizontal cross section is formed on the surface of the back plate 53 facing the belts 20, 20.

In the figure, reference numeral 54 denotes a shutter provided at the lower end of the coin accumulating section A, which is opened when the accumulated coins Ca are transferred onto the guiding rod 55 of the packaging section. Reference numeral 56 denotes a bearing provided at the end of the coin passage 2, and is used to smoothly introduce the coin C from the coin passage 2 between the opposing running surfaces of the belts 20, 20.

FIG. 5 shows a control system of a coin packaging machine equipped with the coin accumulating device of FIGS. 1 to 3. In the figure, 60 is a control unit comprised of a central processing unit (CPU) that operates according to a program stored in a program memory (ROM) 62, and is connected to each device via a bus line BUS. Further, the control section 60 supplies a reference pulse and additional pulses, which will be described later. 64 is a data memory (RAM) that stores various data. A driving section 66 receives pulses from the control section 60 via the signal line PL, and drives the pulse motor M by the number of received pulses. In this embodiment, when the control unit 60 generates one pulse, the support position of the support device changes.
It is designed to descend by 0.455mm. 68 is a display unit that displays various data. 72 is a denomination input section for inputting the denomination of coins to be counted and packaged. 74 is a counting processing unit that feeds coins from a coin supply source (not shown) to the coin passage 2, and
Detect and count the coins. It also drives the conveyor belt 1. 76 is a wrapping processing section which wraps the coins accumulated in a predetermined number in the coin accumulating section A with paper or the like.
The control section 60 receives the output signals of the detection means 27, 29, and 70 and the denomination input signal from the denomination input section 72, and also cooperates with the counting processing section 74 and the packaging processing section 76 to control the driving section 66, The display section 68 is driven.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be explained.

First, when a denomination knob (not shown) is operated to set the denomination to be processed, the first arm 32 is rotated via the cam follower 38 by the cam 40 in response to this setting operation.

When the coin diameter of the selected denomination is small, the arms 32, 33, 34, and 35 are moved toward the side shown by the solid lines in FIG. 17 moves toward and away from the left and right, and the distance between the opposing running surfaces of the belts 20, 20 is adjusted to match the coin C. At the same time, the fifth arm 49 is also moved by the third arm 34, and its back plate 53 is moved by the belts 20, 2.
It is positioned on the side between the running surfaces of 0 and is set so as to be able to guide the side of the accumulated coin Ca. Furthermore, the pin 16 moves with the movement of the bearing 14, swinging the arm 10 and moving the roller 7' as the guide member 7 back and forth to correspond to the diameter of the coin.

On the other hand, the coin support portions 2 of the left and right belts 20, 20
1 and 21 are placed near the end of the coin passage 2, and when the coin C supplied from the coin supply section is conveyed by the conveyor belt 1 on the coin passage 2, the coin C is placed near the end of the coin passage 2. From there, it is smoothly guided by the bearing 56 and enters the coin accumulation section A. The leading end of the coin C hits the circumferential surface of the free roller 6 (FIG. 4A), and the coin C is tilted forward with the leading end pointing slightly downward. The coin C moves forward in this posture, and the tip end comes into contact with the circumferential surface of the roller 7' serving as the guide member 7 (FIG. 4B). Since this guide member 7 has a convex curved surface, the tip of the coin C is deflected slightly upward (FIG. 4C), and the rear end of the coin C is deflected slightly downward from the passage surface of the coin passage 2. In the downward state, it hits the lower surface of the regulating member 5 and is stopped. In this state, when the next coin C enters as shown in Figure 4C, the tip of that coin C and the coin C
Since there is a distance H between the outer circumferential surfaces of the coins and the rear end, collisions between the outer circumferential surfaces of the coins can be avoided, and occurrence of coin jams due to collisions between the outer circumferential surfaces can be avoided.

When the next coin C enters, the preceding coin C enters between the opposing surfaces of the belts 20, 20, and the coin supporting section 2
1 and 21 so as to straddle them. When the detection means 29 of the coin passage 2 detects passage of the coin C, the detection signal is sent to the control section, the pulse motor M rotates a predetermined number of pulses, and the gears 24, 25
The belts 20, 20 are rotated through the pulley 19.
The running surfaces facing each other are moved downward in the manner described later, and accumulated in sequence.

When the predetermined number of coins to be accumulated is counted by the coin counting processing section 74, the counting signal is sent to the control section 60, the pulse motor M continues to rotate, and the sensor 2
7 is stopped when the detection plate 26 detects the fixed position.

During this time, the conveyor belt 1 is stopped, and the coins C on the coin passage 2 are also stopped by the stop of the counting mechanism.

As described above, the accumulated coins Ca riding on the coin supporting parts 21, 21 between the opposing running surfaces of the belts 20, 20 are
When the coin supports 21, 21 escape outward along the pulleys 19, 19, the lower end of the accumulated coin Ca is transferred onto the shutter 54.

When the coin support parts 21, 21 escape outward, another coin support part 21, 21 comes to a position where it can receive the coin C, waits for the next accumulation, starts counting operation again, and conveys the coin C. The accumulation of coins C sent by 1 is started.

At this time, the previous accumulated coin Ca already on the shutter 54 is transferred onto the support rod 55 located directly below the shutter 54 as the shutter 54 starts, and is transferred to the packaging processing section 76.

6 and 7 show the operation of the control system shown in FIG. 5. The case of accumulating US 25 cent coins will be explained below.

First, explanation will be given with reference to FIG. When coin accumulation is started, a support device movement process is started (100). First, coin detection means (sensor)
It is checked whether the output of sensor 29 has turned from on to off, that is, whether the coin has completely passed through sensor 29 (102). Then, when it changes from on to off, the next time the coin counter counts 1
(104). That is,
It is determined whether the detected coin is the first coin. If it is the first coin, the process returns to step 102. This is because when it is the first coin, there is a gap between the support position of the support device and the passage surface of the coin passage, so there is no need to lower the support position.

For the second or subsequent coins, a normal falling pulse reference pulse generation routine R1 is started. That is,
First, one pulse is output (106). Then, 1 is added to the count value of the pulse counter (108).
Next, it is checked whether the count value of the coin counter is equal to 4n+1 (n is a natural number) (110).
If they are equal, it is checked whether the count value of the pulse counter has reached 4 (112). On the other hand, if they are not equal in step 110, it is checked whether the count value of the pulse counter has reached 3 (step 110).
4). If 4 or 3 has not been reached in steps 112 and 114, the process returns to step 106. When the pulse counter has been reached, the pulse counter is reset (116).
Finish the normal falling pulse generation routine R1. As a result of doing this, the count value of the coin counter is 4n+
1, 4 pulses are given for each coin,
At all other times, 3 pulses are given per coin.

The number of pulses is determined by taking into account the decrease in thickness of coins due to coin wear, etc., and its variation, and is the total value when the thickest possible thickness (for example, the thickness of a new coin) is stacked by the number of wrapped coins. The number of pulses (or the amount of descent of the support position when one pulse is applied) is determined so that the amount of descent of the support portion is smaller than the height. For example, the new US 25 cent coin is approximately 1.75mm, but it is
When stacking sheets, the total thickness of the number of sheets that needs to be lowered (49) is 1.75 mm x 49, so as shown above, 4 pulses are generated for one of the 4 sheets, and 3 pulses are generated for the remaining 3 sheets. It is designed so that the average amount of descent (50-1) x 0.455 x (4 x 1/4 + 3 x 3/4) is small. Then, the deficiency in the falling amount is compensated for by a falling pulse for correction, which will be described later. On the other hand, if the amount of descent is too large, there will be too much space between the top surface of the accumulated coins and the passage surface of the coin passage, which may cause coins to jam due to the coins standing upright or being uneven. This is to avoid the situation.

Further, when the coin to be counted and wrapped is a 25 cent coin, the combination of 4 pulses and 3 pulses as described above is used, but when the coin is of a different denomination, the amount of generated pulses changes. For example, in the case of a 50 cent coin (the thickness of a new coin is 2.25 mm), 5 pulses are generated for the 3n+1st coin, and 4 pulses are generated for the other coins. Such a change in the number of generated pulses is performed by the control unit 60 based on the signal from the denomination input unit 72.
but by using different programs or different program parts.

In step 102, if the sensor 29 has not turned off from on, turn on the timer (12
0). Then, if the sensor 29 changes from on to off (124) until a predetermined time, for example 15 ms has passed (122), the timer is turned off (126) and the process proceeds to step 104. This is from the moment a coin reaches the sensor 29 until it passes through the sensor 29.
Since it was within about 15 ms, the normal falling pulse generation routine R1 was performed.

On the other hand, when the sensor 29 does not turn off from on within 15 ms (122, 124), the timer is turned off (128), and then the correction detection means (sensor) 70 is continuously turned on for a predetermined period of time, for example, 15 ms. (130A to 130)
E). That is, first, it is determined whether the sensor 70 is on (130A), if it is on, the timer is turned on (130B), it is determined whether 15 ms have passed since the sensor 70 was turned on (130C), and if it is not, the sensor 70 is turned on again. After confirming (130D), the process returns to step 130C. Then, when 15ms has passed, turn off the timer (130E), check the status of the sensor 70 again (130F), and if it is on,
It is determined that the sensor 70 is continuously on for 15ms.

On the other hand, steps 130A, 130D, 130F
If the sensor 70 is off, reset the trouble counter (131) and proceed to step 102.
Return to On the other hand, as described above, when the sensor 70 remains on for 15 ms or more, step 13
After 0F, descending pulse generation routine for correction
Perform R2.

That is, first output one pulse (132), add 1 to the count value of the pulse counter (134), repeat this until the count value reaches 3 (136), and then reset the pulse counter (138). ).
When the sensor 70 continues to be on in this way (130A to 130F), three pulses are generated. This is because the top surface of the stacked coins is above the predetermined position and comes into contact with the roller 6, causing the regulating member 5 to be released by the spring 5B.
In order to correct this situation, the supporting position is lowered.

After routine R2, 1 is added to the count value of the trouble counter (140), it is checked whether the count value has reached 3 (142), and when it has reached, trouble processing is carried out (144). This is because the correction routine R2 has been repeated three times, so it is determined that due to some abnormality, the top surface of the accumulated coins continues to be higher than the predetermined position.

If the count value of the trouble counter has not reached 3 (142), the process returns to step 130 after a predetermined period of time, for example, 15 ms (146, 148, 150).

On the other hand, the control unit 60 always monitors whether the sensor 70 has changed from off to on, and when it has changed from off to on, it starts interrupt processing for the operation shown in FIG. 6 (160). In this interrupt processing, it is first determined whether routine R1 or R2 in FIG. 6 is being executed (162), and if routine R1 or R2 is not being executed, one pulse is output (164). On the other hand, if routine R1 or R2 is being executed, the interrupt processing is ended without outputting a pulse (166). The generation of one pulse by such an interrupt process causes the support position to be lowered by one pulse when the coin momentarily contacts the roller 6 while being led from the passage to the accumulation section A.

In the illustrated embodiment, pulse motors M, M are mounted on the left and right support blocks 17, 17, respectively, and pulleys 19, 1 of the left and right belts 20, 20 are mounted on the left and right support blocks 17, 17, respectively.
Although a configuration is shown in which the belts 9 are driven respectively, an interlocking mechanism may be interposed so that one of the pulse motors M drives the pulley 19 of the other belt 20. Further, the coin detection means 29 may be any suitable means such as a phototube or a proximity switch.
Sensor 27 and detection board 2 are used to detect fixed positions of 0 and 20.
6 is used, but this is the coin support part 21, 2
The fixed position of 1 may be directly detected by a microswitch, a phototube, or the like. If there is no need to accumulate coins and only calculations are to be performed, for example, this can be done by sufficiently opening the gap between the left and right belts 20, 20, and inserting a collection guide dedicated to calculations therein.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, the pulse motor that drives the support plate on which coins are accumulated is set to a value smaller than the maximum thickness of one coin to control the amount of space above the accumulated coins. A pulse is supplied, and when this amount of space falls below a predetermined amount, an additional pulse is supplied to lower the position of the support plate further. It can be controlled to such an extent that it does not occur, and it is possible to effectively prevent misalignment of coins.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a front view of essential parts showing one embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a vertical side view of the same, Fig. 3 is a plan view showing an example of an adjustment mechanism for the denomination, and Figs. 4 A to C are FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the control system, and FIGS. 6 and 7 are flowcharts showing the operation of the control system. A... Coin accumulation section, 1... Conveyor belt, 2...
Coin passage, 3...Pulley, 5...Regulation member, 6
...Free roller, 7...Guide member, 20, 20...
... Belt, 21, 21 ... Coin support section, 26 ...
Detection board, 27...Sensor, 28...Front plate, 29,
70...detection means, 32...first arm, 33...
...Second arm, 34...Third arm, 35...Fourth arm, 39...Denomination setting axis, 40...Cam,
49...Fifth arm, 53...Back plate, 53a...
Protrusion, 54...Shutter, 55...Guiding rod, M...
...pulse motor, C...coin, Ca...cumulative coin,
P... Operating member.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. Coins taken out from a coin passage are placed on a support part that descends within the accumulator, and at the start of accumulation, the distance between the top surface of the support part and the surface of the coin passage is adjusted so that the coins are upright. A coin accumulating device in which a space is provided with a certain amount of space so that coins are accumulated, and the supporting part is lowered by a pulse motor drive according to the thickness of the coins and the cumulative number of coins, and the coins are accumulated. hard detection means for detecting coins passing through the coin passage; detection means for detecting when the amount of space above the accumulated coins has fallen below a predetermined amount that may cause a coin jam; Reference pulse supply means for supplying a reference pulse to the pulse motor based on the output of the coin detection means so that the amount of descent of the support portion with respect to one coin to be drawn out is less than the thickness of one coin on average; and additional pulse supply means for supplying an additional pulse to the pulse motor to further lower the support part when the detection means detects that the amount of the space has become less than the predetermined amount. A coin accumulating device characterized by: