JPH04205698A - Coin processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To securely remove a magnetic foreign matter which a user erroneously puts in from a coin transportation line by permitting a rotating magnet to attract the magnetic foreign matter which is mixed with coins fetched and transported from a coin storage part, removing the foreign matter from the coin transportation line by scraping it off from the magnet. CONSTITUTION:A foreign matter exclusion mechanism 35 as a foreign matter exclusion means excluding the magnetic foreign matter G such as a clip which gets mixed with the coins K from the transportation line 27 is provided on the downstream side of the coin transportation line 27. The foreign matter exclusion mechanism 35 is constituted by possessing the magnet 36 which is provided in parallel with a restriction roller 28, rotates in the direction of an arrow D and attracts the magnetic foreign matter G, and a scraper 37 as the peeling means scraping off the magnetic foreign matter attracted to the magnet 36 from the magnet 36. Thus, the magnetic foreign matter which the user erroneously puts in can securely be removed from the coin transportation line although constitution is compact.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Purpose of the Invention (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a coin processing device that is incorporated into an automatic deposit machine installed in a service such as a bank.

(Prior Art) Normally, this type of coin processing device takes out a plurality of coins received in a batch into a coin storage section one by one through a conveyance means, and transfers them to a sorting path provided with a coin verification means. It is configured to send.

In addition, this type of device is designed to remove magnetic foreign objects mixed with coins from the conveyance path in order to prevent problems caused by magnetic foreign objects such as paper clips that are accidentally inserted with coins by the user. ing.

Conventionally, (a) ferrite magnets are placed on the coin transport path to attract magnetic foreign matter.

(b) As shown in Utility Model Publication No. 1-21404, magnetic foreign objects are attracted using an endless conveyor belt for conveying magnetic currency.

Such methods were used.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) However, in the case of (a), although it is compact, it is not configured to remove magnetic foreign matter attracted to the magnet, so the capacity to be attracted is limited. Those that are not removed will get mixed into the conveyance path. In addition, magnetic foreign objects attracted to the magnet include, for example, objects with irregular shapes such as clips, and there is a possibility that normal coins will be caught and cannot be transported.

In the case of (b), the structure is such that the attracted magnetic foreign matter can be removed from the conveyor belt, but when peeling the magnetic foreign matter from the belt, the coins must be moved to another location and ejected from the conveyor belt. Afterwards, the magnetic foreign matter on the belt must be peeled off, which increases the size of the mechanism, which is a very disadvantageous structure for coin processing devices that require compactness.

Furthermore, in both (a) and (b), the magnetic foreign object remains attracted to the magnet inside the device, or the foreign object receptacle remains collected in the box, and when the customer wishes to return it, they must contact the bank staff. I had to apply, which was a hassle.

Additionally, in recent years, more and more ATMs have become unmanned, which has become a real problem.

Therefore, the present invention, while having a compact configuration, can reliably remove magnetic foreign matter accidentally thrown in by a user from the coin conveyance path, and reliably prevent problems caused by magnetic foreign matter entering the sorting path. The objective is to provide a coin processing device that significantly reduces operational downtime and allows coins to be returned to customers without damage.

[Configuration of the Invention (Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention takes out a plurality of coins received in a coin storage section at once and transports them into one coin through a conveyance means.
A coin processing device which takes out coins one by one and feeds them into a sorting path provided with a coin verification means, comprising: a rotatable magnet provided opposite the coin transport path of the pick-up transport means to attract magnetic foreign objects; a foreign matter removing means having a peeling means for peeling magnetic foreign matter attracted to a magnet from the magnet, and removing from a coin conveying path magnetic foreign matter mixed into a coin taken out from the coin storage section and conveyed; The present invention is configured to include a return means for returning the excluded magnetic foreign matter to a return port.

(Function) According to the above configuration, the magnetic foreign matter mixed into the coin taken out from the coin storage section and conveyed is attracted to the rotating magnet and removed from the coin conveyance path, and the magnetic foreign matter attracted to the magnet is removed by the peeling means. It is peeled off from the magnet by moreover,
The magnetic foreign matter peeled off from the magnet is returned to the return slot by the return means.

In this way, despite having a compact configuration that uses rotating magnets, it is possible to reliably remove magnetic foreign objects accidentally thrown in by users from the coin transport path, and to ensure that problems caused by magnetic foreign objects entering the sorting path can be avoided. As a result, the period of operational outage is significantly reduced, and items placed in the system can be returned to customers without damage.

(Embodiment) An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an automatic teller machine (ATM) incorporating the coin processing device of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a side view of the same.

1 in the figure is the ATM main body, and the customer service side of this ATM main body includes a CRT display section 2 for communicating with customers, a coin slot 3, a bill slot 4, and a card for inserting the customer's ID card. In addition to providing an input slot 5 and a bill dispensing port 6 for taking out banknotes and recording paper, a foreign object return port 8 is provided for returning magnetic foreign matter G that has been mistakenly put into the coin processing device 7 from the coin input port 3. It is in a state of being Further, between the coin processing device 7 and the foreign matter return port 8, as shown in FIG. 3, there is provided a magnetic foreign matter return path 9 consisting of a duct chute as a return means.

Further, the coin processing device 7 of the present invention has a configuration as shown in FIGS. 1, 4, and 5.

That is, numeral 10 in the figure is a tray into which the coins K... inserted from the coin slot 3 are received.
When the lid (not shown) provided in the coin slot 3 is closed, it rotates in the direction of arrow A in FIG. .

The coin storage section] 5 opens and closes a hopper 16, an upper surface on the inclined lower end side of a conveyor belt 17 stretched so as to close the bottom of the hopper 16, and a foreign matter discharge port 18 formed at the lower end of the hopper 16. It is formed of a lid body 19 and the like.

The conveyor belt 17 is an endless conveyor belt that is stretched around a driving roller 25 and a driven roller 26 and stretched in an inclined state.
A coin transport path 27 for transporting coins in the direction is formed.

Further, a regulating roller 28 is provided in the middle of the coin conveying path 27 so that a gap exists between the coin conveying path 27 and the upper surface of the conveying belt 7, which is narrower than two coins and wider than one coin. This regulating roller 28 is for regulating two or more coins K from being sent out at the same time to a sorting path 31 provided with a coin validator 30 as a subsequent coin validating means. It consists of a rubber roller that rotates in the direction of returning K (in the direction of arrow C).

Then, by the conveyor belt 17 and the regulating roller 28,
It constitutes a take-out and conveyance means 32 that sequentially takes out and conveys the coins K.

Further, a photodiode 33a that is a light emitting element and a phototransistor 33b that is a light receiving element are arranged slightly downstream (on the inclined upper end side) of the position of the regulation roller 28 of the coin transport path 27 with the coin transport path 27 in between. An optical detector 33 is provided to count the number of coins that have passed through the regulating roller 28 section.

Further, on the downstream side of the coin conveyance path 27, a foreign object removal mechanism 35 is provided as a foreign object removal means for removing magnetic foreign objects G such as clips mixed into the coin K from the conveyance path 27.

The foreign matter removal mechanism 35 is arranged in parallel with the regulation roller 28,
and a structure including a cylindrical magnet 36 that rotates in the direction of the arrow to attract the magnetic foreign matter G, and a scraper 37 as a peeling means for peeling off the magnetic foreign matter G attracted to the magnet 36 from the magnet 36. It has become.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the scraper 37 has a groove 36a formed in the magnet 36.

It has tongue pieces 37a, 37a nested with 36a, and is able to reliably peel off the magnetic foreign matter G that is attracted to the circumferential surface of the magnet 36.

Further, the scraper 37 is connected with an inclination to the base end side of the magnetic material return passage 9 consisting of a chute duct,
The magnetic foreign matter G peeled off from the magnet 36 is removed by the scraper 37.
The AT slides on the upper surface and flows down into the magnetic material return passage 9.
The foreign matter is returned to a foreign matter return opening 8 provided on the front surface of the M main body 1.

Further, above the magnet 36, there is a photodiode 40a which is a light emitting element and a phototransistor 40 which is a light receiving element.
An optical detector 40 consisting of a magnet 36 and a magnet 36 is also provided to detect that a magnetic foreign object G is attracted to the magnet 36.

The regulating roller 28 and the magnet 36 are interlocked by a series of gears 42, 43, 44, 45 that mesh with each other, and the gear 42 meshes with a driving force transmission gear (not shown) to transmit the driving force. It is meant to be transmitted.

Further, the sorting path 31 is connected to a guide 50 as shown in FIG.
and a conveyor belt 5 stretched along the upper surface of the guide 50.
1, and a coin passage detector 52 is provided upstream of the location where the coin validator 30 is disposed.

On the other hand, the lid 19 that opens and closes the foreign matter discharge port 18 is opened and closed by a lid opening/closing mechanism 55, as shown in FIG. The lid opening/closing mechanism 55 transmits the rotational force of the rotating shaft 56a of the rotary solenoid 56 to five brackets protruding from the pivot end side of the lid 19 via an arm 57 and a link 58 in order. It is designed to rotate in the direction of arrow E. At this time, the conveyor belt 17 is reversely rotated -10- to release the foreign matter in the coin storage section 15 into the foreign matter storage box 60.

Furthermore, a detector 65 for detecting objects within the coin storage section 15 is provided at the bottom of the coin storage section 15, as shown in FIG.

Next, the operation of the coin processing device having the above structure will be explained.

The coin I (...) inserted from the coin slot 3 is stored in the tray 10 and then transferred to the coin storage section 1 as described above.
5 is released. Then, the coin K in the coin storage section 15 is
.
8, the sheets are taken out one by one and transported to the foreign matter removal mechanism 35.
passes under the magnet 36.

In the case of Japanese coins, they are non-magnetic and all coins K...
.passes under this magnet 36 and is sent into the sorting path 31.

However, although the magnetic foreign object G such as a paper clip passes under the regulation roller 28, it is attracted to the magnet 36 of the foreign object removal mechanism 35 and removed from the coin conveyance path 27, and the magnetic foreign object G attracted to the magnet 36 is G is stripped from the magnet 36 by a scraper 37.

The stripped magnetic foreign matter G is returned to the foreign matter return port 8 via the magnetic foreign matter return path 9. The magnetic foreign substance G is the magnet 36
The optical detector 40 detects that it is adsorbed to.

The output of this optical detector 40 is communicated to the ATM main body side control circuit by a control circuit (not shown) of the coin processing device, and the control circuit of the ATM main body 1 issues a warning on the CR7 display section 2, for example, that a foreign object has been returned. .

In this way, all the coins K in the coin storage section 15...
・Take out and transport.

However, foreign matter larger than the outer diameter of the coin cannot pass through the gap between the regulating roller 28 and the conveyor belt 17.

Therefore, it remains in the coin storage section 15.

In order to detect this, after a certain period of time has elapsed since the optical detector 33 disposed on the coin transport path 27 stops counting coins, the transport belt] 7 is rotated in the reverse direction. When the detector 65 provided in the coin storage section 15 does not detect any object, it is assumed that all the objects have been taken out, and the taking out operation of the coin processing device 7 is stopped.

However, at this time, when the detector 65 detects that an object remains, it indicates that a foreign object that is not a coin has been inserted.
The rotary solenoid 56 of the lid opening/closing mechanism 55 operates to open the lid 19, and the foreign material storage box 60 is discharged from the foreign material discharge port 18.
is released and stored.

Then, when the detector 65 no longer detects an object, the conveyor belt 17 is stopped, and the lid 19 that opens and closes the foreign object discharge port 18 is closed to complete the removal operation.

As described above, in the present invention, although the rotating magnet 36 is used in a compact configuration, it is possible to reliably remove the magnetic foreign matter G accidentally thrown in by the user from the coin conveyance path 27. Problems caused by contamination in the sorting path 31 are reliably prevented, the period of operational stoppage is significantly reduced, and the items thrown in can be returned to customers without damage.

FIG. 6 shows a modification of the method for removing magnetic foreign matter G.

The cylindrical magnetic material attraction roller 36' is made of a magnetic material integrally with the shaft 66. This shaft 66 has a structure in which it is excited by a coil 65. Magnetic flux is arrow F
The magnetic material attracting roller 36' is excited as shown in FIG. In this way, the magnetic foreign matter G is attracted to the excited roller 36'.

After a certain period of time after the optical detector 40 detects the magnetic foreign matter G on the roller 36', the power is momentarily cut off, thereby ejecting the magnetic foreign matter G onto the scraper 37. This ensures that the magnetic foreign matter G is attracted and removed.

In the above-mentioned example, the magnetic foreign matter G was returned to the foreign matter return port 8 via the magnetic foreign matter return path 9, but in the case of a bank, the bank staff is in a state where they can maintain it, and all foreign matter is removed. By storing the foreign object in the storage box 60 and issuing a warning that the foreign object has been stored, it is more reliable for a bank employee to take out the foreign object from the coin processing device 7 and return it to the customer. Therefore, a configuration is adopted in which the magnetic foreign matter is guided from the magnetic foreign matter return path 9 to the foreign matter storage box 60. In this way, depending on the ATM system configuration, it is possible to return large foreign objects to general customers by guiding them to the foreign object storage box 60 for collecting large foreign objects instead of discharging them to the foreign object return port 8 on the front of the ATM main body 1. It is.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7, foreign objects larger than coins are stored in the foreign object storage box 60, small magnetic foreign objects are returned to the foreign object return port 8, and the foreign object storage box 60 is connected to the foreign object return port 8. By doing so, the foreign object in the foreign object storage box 60 may also be returned to the customer through the foreign object return port 8, and a warning may be displayed on the CRT display section 2 to warn the customer that the foreign object should be returned.

Generally, foreign objects larger than coins are often valuable items such as keys and rings, and smaller objects are often valuable items such as paper clips. Therefore, in the case of valuable items, it is appropriate to leave it to the bank staff to dispose of it, and in the case of small items, it is appropriate to leave it to each person to dispose of it themselves.

However, it has become popular in recent years since ATMs became unmanned = 1
5- In some cases, it may be desirable to return all foreign objects to the customer. Therefore, the method shown in FIG. 7 above is effective.

In addition, it goes without saying that the present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist thereof.

In addition, in the description of other embodiments, the same parts as those of the above-mentioned embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed explanation will be omitted.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, magnetic foreign matter accidentally thrown in by a user can be reliably removed from the coin conveyance path despite having a compact configuration, and the magnetic foreign matter can be removed from the sorting path. It is possible to provide a coin processing device that reliably prevents malfunctions caused by contamination, significantly reduces the period of operational downtime, and allows coins to be returned to customers without damage.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 5 show an embodiment of the present invention,
Fig. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of the main parts of the coin processing device, Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of an automatic deposit machine incorporating the coin processing device, and Fig. 3 is a schematic side view. 4 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of the main parts of the coin processing device, and FIG.
6 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the foreign object removal mechanism, and FIG. 7 is a schematic side view showing another embodiment of the present invention. 7... Coin processing device, 8... Return port, 9... Magnetic foreign matter return passage (return means), 15... Coin storage section, 2
7... Coin transport path, 30... Coin verification means, 31...
Sorting path, 32... Taking out and conveying means, 35... Foreign matter removing means, 36... Magnet, 37... Scraper (peeling means), G... Magnetic foreign matter, K... Coin, Applicant Agent Patent Attorney Takeki Suzue, 20

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A coin processing device configured to take out a plurality of coins received in a batch into a coin storage section one by one via a take-out conveyance means and feed them into a sorting path provided with a coin verification means, comprising: A rotatable magnet that is provided opposite to the coin transport path of the take-out transport means and that attracts magnetic foreign matter, and a peeling means that peels off the magnetic foreign matter that has been attracted to the magnet from the magnet, and the coin is taken out from the coin storage section and transported. A coin comprising: a foreign object removing means for removing magnetic foreign objects mixed into a coin from a coin transport path; and a return means for returning the magnetic foreign objects removed by the foreign object removing means to a return slot. Processing equipment.