JPH0450636B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (a) Technical Field This invention relates to a release control device for cylindrical coins used in currency exchange machines, etc., and in particular to improvements in the release control device for a cylindrical coin ejector having two rows of stacking lanes for cylindrical coins. Regarding.

(b) Prior Art In a cylindrical coin dispensing machine that takes out a desired number of cylindrical coins from a lane in which a plurality of cylindrical coins are stacked according to denomination and discharges them to a discharge port, the height of the discharge port is In order to keep the amount constant and increase the storage capacity of cylindrical coins with a simple structure, it is sufficient to provide a plurality of stacking lanes. In this case, when a plurality of cylindrical coins are to be discharged, the cylindrical coins can be taken out from each lane at the same time, so the time required for dispensing is shortened and efficiency is improved.

(c) Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, when there are multiple rows of stacked lanes, if all the tube coins in one lane are used and there are still many tube coins left in other lanes, it is difficult to take out all the coins at once. Since the number of cylinder coins that can be produced is reduced, the performance as an ejector is reduced.

An object of the present invention is to store the remaining amount of cylindrical coins for each denomination and lane in a cylindrical coin dispensing machine having two rows of laminated lanes. To provide a cylinder coin release control device capable of managing the remaining amount so that the number remaining is always constant.

(d) Means for Solving the Problems The cylindrical coin release control device of the present invention stacks a plurality of cylindrical coins according to denomination, provides two stacking lanes, and selectively controls the cylindrical coin collection section. the barrel is moved in front of the stacking lane, and a coin dispensing mechanism is operated in either or both lanes of the two stacking lanes to dispense a desired barrel coin and discharge it to a discharge port. In the coin dispensing device, the number of barreled coins storage means stores the remaining number of barreled coins in each lane for each denomination and lane, and a discharge command number determination unit that determines whether the commanded number of barreled coins to be discharged is 2 or 1. and when the commanded number of coins to be released is two, the coin feeding mechanism is operated in both lanes, and when the number of commanded coins to be released is two, the remaining coins for each lane stored in the cylinder coin storage means are operated. Coin dispensing mechanism operation lane selection means for operating the coin dispensing mechanism in the lane with the largest number of coins;
It is characterized by having the following.

(e) Effect In this invention, the remaining number of cylindrical coins in the stacked lanes provided in two rows for each denomination is stored for each denomination and lane, and when the number of cylindrical coins commanded to be released is two, In this case, cylindrical coins are ejected from both of the two stacked lanes, and when the number of ejection commands is one, the cylindrical coins are ejected from the lane with a larger number of stored cylindrical coins remaining. Therefore, when the number of remaining cylinder coins does not match in the two lanes for each denomination, the lane for discharging cylinder coins is selected so that the difference between the two is small, and the lane for discharging cylinder coins in one lane is selected so that the difference between the two is small. I have never experienced a situation where there were so many tubes of coins left in the other lane when all the coins were released.

(f) Embodiment FIG. 1 is a side structural view of a cylindrical coin discharger equipped with a discharge control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, in a cylindrical coin storage section 1, trays 3 for storing a plurality of cylindrical coins 2 of each denomination are stacked according to denomination. Each tray is arranged diagonally so that the stored coins can easily roll forward, and by removing the stopper 4 detachably attached to the back, 2 cylindrical coins can be stored in each tray.
can be replenished. The stacking lane for cylindrical coins consists of A lane and B lane as shown in Fig. 2, and each lane has 10 cylindrical trays 30a from above,
30b, 50 cylindrical tray 31a, 31b, 100 cylindrical tray 32a, 32b and 500 cylindrical tray 33
a and 33b are each stacked in a predetermined number of stages.

A cylindrical coin collecting device 5 for selectively collecting cylindrical coins from each tray is attached to the front of the cylindrical coin storage section 1 so as to be vertically movable. This recovery device 5
, a feeding mechanism 50 having a cam-shaped cross section that feeds forward the cylindrical coins that roll down from the tray 3, and a coin ejecting section 5 that receives and stores the fed cylindrical coins.
1, a sensor 52 that detects that a cylindrical coin is fed into the ejecting section 51, a sensor 53 that detects the presence or absence of a cylindrical coin within the ejecting section 51, and the above-mentioned feeding mechanism 5.
0, and a motor 54 that drives the coin ejecting unit 5.
The bottom plate 51a of No. 1 can be opened and closed in order to store the coins in the collection box 6 when collecting the cylindrical coins stored in the takeout section 51. The state shown by the one-dot chain line in the figure shows the case where the cylindrical coins stored in the coin takeout section 51 are collected into the collection box 6 by opening the outlet bottom plate 51a. In addition, 7 is a collection passage, 8 is a motor for vertically moving the cylindrical coin collection device 5, and 9
is a shutter that opens when taking out a coin from the coin takeout section 51.

FIG. 3 is a rear structural view of the cylindrical coin collecting device. As shown in the figure, the cylindrical coins in the A lane are fed out by a feeding mechanism 50a, and the cylindrical coins in the B lane are fed out by a feeding mechanism 50b. Each feeding mechanism 50a, 50b is connected to a clutch 55a, 5, respectively.
5b to the motor 54, and by selecting the connection state of the clutches 55a and 55b, the cylinder coins can be sent out simultaneously from both lanes, or the cylinder coins can be sent out only from either lane. You can

FIG. 4 is a control block diagram of the cylindrical coin ejecting machine. The CPU 20 has a ROM that stores programs.
21, a RAM 22 for storing data, an input port 23, and an output port 24 are connected. The input port 23 receives a coin presence/absence detection signal from the sensor 53, a coin release detection signal from the sensor 52, a position detection signal for the cylindrical coin collecting device 5, and a cylindrical coin release instruction/number data from a control section (not shown). . The cylinder coin release instructions and number data are as follows:
For example, when this cylindrical coin ejector is applied to a money exchange machine, the coin is output from the control unit of the money exchange machine. Output port 24 outputs motor control signals for controlling the rotation of motor 54 and motor 8, and clutches 55a and 55b.
A control signal for moving the cylindrical coin collecting device 5 up and down is output.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the main memory configuration of the RAM 22. As shown in FIG. Areas M1 to M4 each store a discharge instruction number of 500 yen to 10 yen. This instruction number is made up of data led to the input port 23 from an external control unit. Area M5 stores the denomination currently released by the cylinder coin collection device. This denomination data is determined by the position of the cylindrical coin collecting device 5. Areas MA1 to MAn store the number of coins remaining in each tray of the A lane. Also, the area MB1 to MBn
stores the number of coins remaining in each tray of B lane. For example, the area MA1 stores the number of cylindrical coins stored in the No. 1 tray of the A lane, that is, the tray located at the uppermost position among the 10 cylindrical trays 30a. Further, the area MBn stores the number of cylindrical coins stored in the No. n tray of the B lane, that is, the tray located at the lowest position of the 500 cylindrical trays. These areas MA and MB
When the clerk first sets a predetermined number of tube coins on each tray, the set value is set automatically or by the clerk's manual operation. Then, as described later, each time a cylinder of coins is released from each tray, the number of released coins is reduced.
The current remaining capacity is always stored in each area.

In the cylindrical coin discharging machine having the above configuration, the cylindrical coin discharging operation will next be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

First, step n1 (hereinafter, step ni is simply ni)
That's what it means. ), if there is an instruction to release a cylinder of coins, the number of coins to be released is set in one of the areas M1 to M4 of the RAM 22 in step n2. Then, in steps n3 to n6, the denomination for which the discharge instruction was given is determined, and the designated number of coins is discharged according to each denomination. For example, when there is an instruction to dispense 500 yen, first, at n7, the cylinder coin collecting device 5 is moved to the position of the 500 yen tray where coins remain, and at n8, the instructed number of coins is dispensed. In n8, maximum 2 coin releases, i.e. A lane and B
The coins are released one by one from each lane, and if the instructed number is 3 or more, the process proceeds from n9 to n7, and the remaining coins are released again at n8. And n9
When the instructed number reaches 0, proceed to n4 and determine whether there is a discharge instruction for the next denomination. Similar to the above operation, if there is an instruction to release 100 yen, n7,
Perform the same operation as n8 on n10 and n11, and
If there is an instruction to release 50 yen, in n13 and n14,
When there is an instruction to release 10 yen, the same operations as n7 and n8 above are performed in n16 and n17, respectively. After completing the ejecting operation for all the coins for which ejecting instructions have been given, return the cylinder coin collecting device to its original position in n19.
That is, it is moved to the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 1 and ends.

FIG. 7 is a detailed flowchart of the subroutines executed in steps n8, n11, n14, and n17. First, at n20, it is determined whether there are coins in both lanes A and B. If there are no coins in both lanes, it cannot be ejected, so the process ends, and if only one has coins, the clutch of the lane with coins is turned on (n22).
After discharging the coins of that lane, the clutch is released (n24) and the indicated number is decremented. The above operation is performed until the designated number reaches 0 as long as there are coins remaining in the lane, and ends when the number reaches 0.

On the other hand, when there are coins in both lanes A and B, it is determined in n27 whether the designated number is 1 or not. When the indicated number is 2 or more, proceed to n28, turn on both clutches 55a and 55b, and when one tube coin is released from both lanes at the same time (n29), turn off both clutches (n30). , n31~
Update memory contents with n33. The update method is
First, in n31, subtract 1 from the number of cylinder coins stored in the area MA corresponding to the discharge tray, then in n32
subtract 1 from the number of cylinder coins stored in the area MB corresponding to the B lane discharge tray, then n33
Then, 2 is subtracted from the number of instructions stored in areas M1 to M4. Then, as a result of the calculation in n33, if the indicated number is not 0, the process returns to n20 again. Therefore, for example, if the number of designated lines initially set in the areas M1 to M4 is 5, the above operations n28 to n33 will be executed twice. When the number of commands becomes 1 with n27,
Next, proceed to n35, and compare the remaining number of coins in the trays of lane A and lane B, which store the denominations to be discharged. This comparison compares the area MA and
This is done based on the number data stored in the area of the MB corresponding to the denomination to be released. If A
If the number of remaining bottles in the lane is large, turn on the clutch 55a (n36) and release from the A lane, and in n39 move to the area MA where the remaining number of bottles in the A lane ejection tray is stored.
Subtract 1 from (n39), and subtract 1 from the number of instructions stored in areas M1 to M4 (n40).
finish. If the remaining number of coins in the B lane is greater than the remaining number of coins in the A lane, the clutch 55b is turned on (n41), coins are ejected from the B lane, and the area for storing the remaining number of coins in the B lane discharge tray. Subtract 1 from MB (n44), and further subtract 1 from the designated number of lines stored in areas M1 to M4 (n40) and end. In this way, when the number of instructions is 2 or more,
1 from both lanes A and B at the same time by n28~n33
While ejecting the coins one by one, the contents of the memory are updated, and when the number of designated coins reaches 1, the coins are ejected from the lane where the number of remaining coins is n35 or less. Therefore, if the number of coins initially set in both lanes is the same, the difference in the number of remaining coins remaining in both lanes for each denomination will be 0 or 1, and will never be more than 2. . Therefore, there is no possibility that the remaining amount of coins in one lane becomes significantly smaller than the remaining amount of coins in the other lane, and coins can be discharged very efficiently.

In the above embodiment, the remaining number of coins for each denomination for each lane is stored in memory, and the operation of the feeding mechanism is controlled so that the difference between the two stored numbers is always minimized. There is, but the number of instructions is 1
The feeding mechanism to be activated when the book is full may be alternately selected. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a subroutine for discharging the designated number of bottles when the dispensing mechanism is alternately selected. The difference in steps compared to Fig. 7 is that n31 and n32 are gone, and n35,
This is the point where n39 and n44 are replaced with n100, n101, and n102, respectively. The memory is provided with a flag area that is inverted every time one tube coin is released when the designated number reaches one, and the state of the flag is determined at n100. The set or reset state of the flag is associated with the lane in which coins were previously released independently. If the single cylinder coin was discharged from lane A last time, it is determined by n100 and the coin is discharged from lane B this time. Furthermore, if the previous individual release was performed from the B lane, the current operation is such that the individual release is performed from the A lane. Then, the flags are inverted at n101 and n102. In this manner, by mutually selecting the individual tube coin discharge lanes, coins can be efficiently discharged while keeping the remaining number of coins in each lane substantially the same.

Another way to keep the number of remaining coins in each lane approximately the same is to use random numbers. FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the instruction number release subroutine when random numbers are used. The differences between the step and FIG. 7 are that n31, n32, n39, and n44 are not present, and that n35 is replaced with n200. That is, at n200, determine the output of the random number generator, which is always in the state of 1 or 0, by the timer interrupt,
When the value is 0, a single coin is discharged from the A lane, and when it is 1, a single coin is discharged from the B lane. By repeating this operation many times, it becomes possible to make the remaining number of coins in each lane almost the same.

(g) Effects of the Invention According to the invention, the coin feeding mechanism is controlled so that the difference in the number of coins remaining in each of the two lanes provided for each denomination is minimized.
I have never been told that when all the tube coins in one lane are used, there are still many tube coins left in the other lane. There is an advantage in that the processing time required for release can be kept to a minimum until it runs out.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a side structural view of a cylindrical coin ejector in which a release control device according to an embodiment of the present invention is implemented, Fig. 2 is a rear structural view of the cylindrical coin ejector, and Fig. 3 is a structural view of the cylindrical coin ejector. FIG. Further, Fig. 4 is a control block diagram of the above-mentioned cylindrical coin ejecting machine, Fig. 5 is a main part configuration diagram of the RAM 22, Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the above-mentioned cylindrical coin discharging machine, and Fig. 7 is a control block diagram of the above-mentioned cylindrical coin ejecting machine. This is a flowchart of a subroutine. Furthermore, Figures 8 and 9
The figures each show a flowchart of a subroutine for releasing the designated number of bottles when the present invention is applied. 1... cylindrical coin storage unit, 2... cylindrical coin, 3... tray, 5... cylindrical coin collection device, 50... feeding mechanism, MA... cylindrical coin number storage area for A lane,
MB... Storage area for the number of cylinder coins for B lane.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1 A plurality of set cylindrical coins are stacked according to denomination, two stacking lanes are provided, a cylindrical coin collecting section is selectively moved in front of the stacking lane, and In a cylindrical coin dispensing device in which a coin dispensing mechanism is activated in both lanes or one of the laminated lanes to dispense a desired cylindrical coin and discharge it to a discharge port, the number of remaining cylindrical coins in each lane is determined by a cylinder coin number storage means for storing the number of cylinder coins by type and lane; a discharge command number determining means for determining whether the command number of cylinder coins to be discharged is 2 or 1; If the coin dispensing mechanism is operated in both lanes and the number of coins to be ejected is one, the coin dispensing mechanism is operated in the lane with the greater number of coins remaining for each lane stored in the cylinder coin storage means. A cylindrical coin release control device comprising: operation lane selection means for a coin payout mechanism.