JPH0457039B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a coin sorting machine, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a coin sorting machine that stores coins sorted by type in a coin sorting passage in a temporary storage section and takes them into a storage section for receiving and storing coins. Concerning a coin sorting machine that stores the coins in a crowded manner.

[Technical background of the invention and problems in the background art]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, coin sorting machines have been known in which classified coins are temporarily held in a holding section and transferred to a receiving storage section through a receiving operation by an attendant. The reason for providing the temporary storage section is to confirm the number of coins before storing them in the receiving storage section. In other words, when coins are collected from a cashier at a cashier in a supermarket or department store, etc., the number and amount of coins entered on the collection slip by the cashier are stored in a temporary storage section using a coin sorting machine. After checking that the coins match the calculated number and amount, the operator performs a loading operation to store the coins in the loading storage section.

By the way, in the coin sorting machine as mentioned above,
If a large amount of coins are brought, there is a limit to the number of coins that can be held, so instead of storing them all at once in the temporary storage unit, the coins will be stored in the temporary storage unit for a predetermined number (for example, 500 coins of one denomination). After checking the count and storing it in the storage section, the process is repeated. In such a process, if a coin jams or the like occurs during counting and results in an incorrect count, if the operator does not know this and the coins are stored in the receiving storage section, the counted data and the contents of the slip may be incorrect. They no longer match. Therefore, it becomes necessary to count all the coins stored in the receiving storage section again. Furthermore, if the sales proceeds from other cash registers have already been stored in the receiving storage section, it is difficult to distinguish between the sales proceeds and the like, making it impossible to re-count and confirm.

[Purpose of the invention]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a coin sorting machine that does not require re-counting the coins in the receiving storage section even if an accident such as coin jamming occurs in the coin sorting passage.

[Summary of the invention]

The coin sorting machine of the present invention is designed to automatically transfer coins from the temporary holding section to the reject coin storage section when an abnormality occurs in the conveyance and sorting of coins.

[Embodiments of the invention]

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

The coin sorting machine has a hopper 1a at the top of the machine body 1 for feeding coins in batches, as shown in FIG. 1 in a vertical cross-sectional view and in FIG. 2 as a side view.
and a coin supply section 1c which has a rotary disk 1b and feeds the coins put into the hopper 1a one by one into the coin sorting passage 2. In the classification passage 2, one to several classification holes 3, 3, etc. are arranged in series in order from small diameter to large diameter, depending on the model.
A temporary storage section 4 for coins is provided below the coin storage section 3, and a take-in storage box 6 and a reject box 7, which constitute the take-in storage section 5, are arranged below the coin temporary storage section 4.

Appropriate known technology can be adopted for the coin sorting passage 2 and the coin transport mechanism. A coin transport belt 8' for transporting coins c, and a coin transport belt 8' located on one side of this passage surface 2a, regulating the position of one end of the coin c, aligning the coin c with the sorting hole 3 to ensure a reliable sorting function. It has a reference member 9, etc. which performs this function, and when the coin c to be transferred reaches the sorting hole 3, 3, . However, the classification path 2 and the coin transfer means may have other configurations as long as they have the above functions.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the temporary holding chamber 4 receives the sorted coins c through the sorting holes 3, 3, etc. on its upper surface, and rotates them to the left and right within a predetermined angular range around the horizontal axis of rotation. A bottom plate 10 that is rotated;
Left and right side plates 11A, which are located on both sides of the bottom plate 10 and cooperate with the bottom plate 10 to form a coin receiving space;
11B, and there are coins c on the bottom plate 10.
The partition plate 1 corresponds to the number of classifications (6 types in the example).
2, 12... are erected. Therefore, for example, if only one type of coin c is dropped from a single sorting hole 3,
In the case of a single-function sorting machine in which other coins are collected from the end of the coin sorting path 2, the partition plates 12, 12 only need to be provided at both ends of the bottom plate 10.

Partition plates 12, 12 rising from both ends of the bottom plate 10
Shafts 13, 13 are fixed to the central portions of the outer surfaces of the partition plates 12, 12, and both outer edges 12a, 12a of the partition plates 12, 12 are shaped to protrude in an arc shape centered on the shafts 13, 13.

The shafts 13, 13 are connected to the end wall 14a of the machine frame 14,
It is rotatably supported by bearings 15, 15 provided on the shaft 14a, and a pulley 16 is attached to one shaft 13.
0 can be rotated left and right within a predetermined angle range. Note that this driving method is not limited to a belt and a pulley, but may also use a gear, a crank mechanism, or the like. Further, the rotation angle of the bottom plate 10 is controlled by a keep cam 17 and a keep switch 18 provided on the other shaft 13.

The side plates 11A, 11B are the partition plates 12,
It has an arcuate cross section that conforms to the shape of the outer edges 12a, 12a of the partition plates 12, and has a length extending further outward from the partition plates 12, 12. These side plates 11A and 11B are connected to the shafts 13 and 13.
The lower end edges 11'A, 11'B of the arms 19A, 19A and 19B, 19B, whose bases are pivotally supported, are in contact with or close to the upper surface of the side edge of the bottom plate 10, and further The stopper portions 20, 20 are prevented from descending by engagement with the engaging end of the machine frame 14, and the stopper portions 20, 20 are constantly urged in the direction of engagement with the machine frame 14 by springs 21, 21. has been done.

Therefore, when the bottom plate 10 rotates in either direction, openings A and B are formed between the descending side edge of the bottom plate 10 and the lower end of the side plate 11A or 11B on the same side. Coins c stored on the top plate 10 are slid down on the bottom plate 10 and are ejected from the opening A or B.

In this example, when the above-mentioned opening A or B is formed, the side plate 11A or 11B on that side moves slightly upward to make the opening larger, and in order to prevent the coin c from accumulating, each side plate 11A , 11B are configured to rotate and retreat in conjunction with the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the bottom plate 10.

That is, the configuration is such that the arm 19 on the one end side
One end of the levers 22A, 22B is pivotally attached to the levers 22A, 19B by a pin 23 and a long hole 24, and the other ends of these levers 22A, 22B are connected by a common pin 25, and this pin 25 is One end is pivotally connected to the other end of the lever 27 which is pinned to the fixing member 26, and when the bottom plate 10 rotates, one side plate 1
When 1A or 11B is pushed up, the other side plate 11B or 11A is also pulled up by the connection of the levers 22A, 22B, and 27.

A storage box 6 constituting the intake storage section 5
The redirect box 7 can be inserted into and removed from the lower part of the body 1, and the upper opening of the storage box 6 faces the opening A side formed by the rotation of the bottom plate 10 of the temporary storage chamber 4. Redirect Box 7
The opening at the top of the opening B is arranged to face the opening B which is also formed on the opposite side.
In this embodiment, the storage box 6 and the redirect box 7 are installed on one movable trolley 28, and are movable on the floor by wheels 29, 29... to facilitate insertion and removal into a predetermined position below the body 1. There is.

It goes without saying that the storage box 6 and the redirect box 7 are divided according to the number of divisions in the temporary holding room 4.

In the figure, 30 is a chute that guides the coins c from the sorting holes 3, 3, . and a chute for guiding the coin c into each opening of the rigid box 7.

Next, the operation of the above coin sorting machine will be explained.

When the coin c supplied to the coin sorting passage 2 and transported by the transfer belt 8 reaches the sorting hole 3 corresponding to the diameter of the coin, it falls downward from the sorting hole 3.

The fallen coin c falls between the predetermined partition plates 12, 12... of the temporary holding chamber 4 through the chute 30, and is caught and held on the bottom plate 10 (the
figure).

In this way, the coins c sent one after another are sorted and held between the corresponding partition plates 12, 12, . . . . After the sorting work is completed, if you want to take the items into the storage box 6 and store them, start the motor M3 to the take-in side and move the bottom plate 10 to the fourth
From the state shown in the figure, it rotates clockwise as shown in FIG. 5A, and the right end of the bottom plate 10 separates from the lower end 11'A of the side plate 11A, and gradually tilts while pushing up the lower end of the other side plate 11B. When the bottom plate 10 further rotates, the pin 23 of the arm 19B comes into contact with the inner end of the elongated hole 24 of the lever 22B, and the lever 22B is pushed up. As a result, the connecting end of the lever 27 is pushed up, so that the lever 22A on the other side is also pushed up, and the side plate 11A is also pulled up (FIG. 5B).

As a result, the inclined lower end of the bottom plate 10 and the lower end 11'A of the side plate 11A are separated by a large distance, and an opening A is formed.
The classified coins c held between 2 and 12 are taken into the storage box 6 all at once.

When the rotation of the bottom plate 10 reaches a predetermined angle by a keep cam 17 and a keep switch 18, the motor is stopped by the signal.

Next, if an accident such as a coin jam occurs in the sorting passage, it is necessary to reject the sorted coins c, and the motor M3 is rotated in the opposite direction as shown in FIGS. 6A and B. When the bottom plate 10 is tilted in the opposite direction, the lever 22A is pushed up to form an opening B, which allows the bottom plate 10 to be recovered into the reject box 7.

To return the bottom plate 10 to its original state, the motor M3 is rotated in the opposite direction to that described above.

FIG. 7 shows the control system of the coin sorting machine described above.

The central processing unit CPU is a computer consisting of memory ROM and RAM, for example, a microcomputer 50 includes an operation section 51, an abnormality detection section 52, a sensor section 53, a level switch 54, and a residual detection section 5.
5. Performs data processing on the signals from the keep switch 18 based on these signals, provides control signals to the motor drive control section 57 and solenoid drive control section 58, and provides display data to the display section 59.

FIG. 8 shows a part of the memory RAM, and as shown in the figure, the number of coins held in the temporary storage section (strictly speaking, those that have passed through the sensor section 53 and are still unused) for each denomination is shown in FIG. A sub memory 1SM to 500SM serves as an auxiliary storage section for storing coins (including coins that have not reached the temporary holding section), and a main memory 1MM to 500SM serves as a main memory section for storing the number of coins stored in the receiving storage section. and various flags FLG1
~FLG6 included.

The power recovery flag FLG1 is set when power is restored after a power outage. The sensor abnormality flag is the sensor part 5.
It is set when an abnormality occurs in 3. Other flags will be described later.

The operation unit 51 includes a start switch 51a for instructing to start and stop counting classification, a stop switch 51b, and a clear switch 51c for clearing the count value in the memory.

The sensor section 53 determines the type of coin, and increases the contents of the sub-memory according to the determination result. Further, in the case of an abnormal coin, a signal to that effect is given to an abnormality detection section 52, which will be described later. moreover,
As long as the coin is in a position facing the sensor section 53, a signal indicating this continues to be generated. This signal is also given to the abnormality detection section 52.

The level switch 54 detects coins on the rotating disk 1b.

The residual detection section 55 detects coins remaining on the sorting path 2 after the coin transport belt 8' stops, and detects, for example, electrical continuity between the standard member 9 and the sorting path 2 due to coins. It was designed to do so. Remaining coins occur, for example, in the case of deformed coins.

The abnormality detection section 52 detects abnormalities such as coin jams. First, if the coin continues to pass through the sensor section 53 for a predetermined time or longer, and the level switch 5
When the presence of a coin is detected in step 4, it is determined that a coin is jammed at the disk outlet, that is, a jam 1 has occurred, and a jam 1 flag FLG3 is set. Also,
If coins remain on the sorting passage 2 after the transfer belt 8' is stopped, it is determined that the coin is jammed on the sorting passage, that is, a jam 2, and the jam is flagged.
Set FLG4. Furthermore, the sensor section 53
When the coin remains at the position for a predetermined time or longer, the sensor section 53 determines that the coin is jammed, that is, jam 3, and a jam 3 flag FLG5 is set. Furthermore, in the case of an abnormal coin, an abnormal coin flag FLG6 is set.

The display unit 59 displays the contents of the sub memories 1SM to 500SM and the main memories 1MM to 500MM. Further, when an abnormality occurs in flags FLG2 to FLG6, the details of the abnormality are displayed.

The motor drive control section 57 controls the drive of the motors M1 to M3. Motor M1 drives rotating disk 1b and lead-out belt 8. Motor M2 drives coin transport belt 8'. Motor M
3 rotates the temporary holding section.

The solenoid drive control section 58 is an Ilenoid SD
1. It controls the drive of SD2. The solenoid SD1 has a first stopper (not shown) projected into the passage to stop the coin on the upstream side of the sensor section 53 (on the outlet passage 8 side). Solenoid SD2 is
A second stopper (not shown) is made to protrude into the passage to stop the coins on the downstream side of the sensor section 53 (on the sorting passage 2 side). The solenoids SD1, SD2 and the first stopper and second stopper driven by them are provided at a location indicated by the reference numeral 41 in FIG. -13935 (by the same applicant) can be used.

FIG. 9 shows the operation of the coin sorting machine described above.

First, coins of multiple denominations to be classified are put into the hopper 1a, and the start switch 51a of the operation section 51 is turned on (100). As a result, the sub memory SM, main memory MM, and various flags FLG1 to FLG6 are reset. Also,
The rotation of the motor M2 causes the coin transfer belt 8' of the coin sorting path 2 to rotate (101). Further, after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the rotation of the motor M1 rotates the rotary disk 1b of the coin supply section 1c and the delivery belt 8 (102).

The sensor unit 53 detects the sent coin and determines the denomination (103). When the coin remains at the position of the sensor section 53 for a predetermined period of time or more,
As a blockage in the sensor section 53, that is, a jam 3, a flag FLG5 is set (104), and the process proceeds to step 121.

If it is determined that the coin is not a jam 3, but is not one of the expected denominations (currency of another country, counterfeit coin, deformed coin, etc.), an abnormal coin is detected and the abnormal coin flag FLG6 is set. (105) and proceeds to step 120.

If the coin is not an abnormal coin, 1 is added to the count value of the coin of the detected denomination, that is, the contents of the submemory (106). Next, for any denomination, it is checked whether the count value has reached a predetermined value, for example, 500 coins (107), and if it has not reached it, step 10 is performed.
Return to 3.

When the predetermined number of sheets has been reached, the rotating disk 1b and the lead-out belt 8 are stopped by stopping the motor M1.
to stop. As a result, the derivation of coins is stopped. Also, the solenoid SD1 is energized and the first stopper projects into the passage to stop the 500th and subsequent coins.

A predetermined period of time (for example, 3
After the elapse of 2 seconds, assuming that all the coins on the sorting path 2 have been stored in the temporary holding section, the motor M2 is stopped to stop the transfer belt 8' (109). Next, the residual detection unit 56 determines whether there is residual passage, and if the coin is clogged on the sorting path, that is, jam 2 has occurred (110),
The jam 2 flag FLG4 is set and the process proceeds to step 123.

If jam 2 has not occurred, the motor M3 is rotated forward to take coins from the temporary storage section and store them in the storage section (111). Then, the count data for each denomination in the submemory is added to the cumulative value for each denomination in the main memory (112), and the submemory is cleared (113).

After that, solenoid SD1 is turned off, the first stopper is retracted from the passage (114), and step 1 is activated.
Return to 01. Thereafter, coins are counted and sorted in the same way as above.

If an abnormal coin is detected in step 105, the solenoid SD2 is energized, the second stopper is projected into the passage, and the abnormal coin is stopped on the downstream side of the sensor section 53 (sorting passage 2 side) (120 ).

Next, as in step 108, motor M1 is stopped and solenoid SD1 is energized (121), and then as in step 109, motor M1 is energized (121).
2 is stopped (122).

Next, the motor M3 is reversely rotated, and the temporary holding section 4
Store the coins in Reject Box 7 (123). This is to enable re-counting and re-classification by returning the coins in the temporary holding section.

Next, all sub-memories are cleared (124), solenoids SD1 and SD2 are turned off, and the first and second stoppers are evacuated from the passage (125). and,
After resetting the flag, the clerk removes the cause of the abnormality, takes out the redirect box 7, and puts the coin into the hopper 1a (126). Thereafter, when the start switch 51a is pressed (127), the process returns to step 101.

If the coin is not detected in step 103, it is determined whether this state has continued for a predetermined time or longer (115). If the predetermined time has not been reached, the next step is to check whether or not the stop switch 51b has been pressed, and then press the stop switch 51b. If not, step 10
Return to 3.

In step 115, if the predetermined time or more has elapsed, then based on the state of the level switch 54,
It is checked whether a coin jam has occurred in jam 1, that is, at the outlet of the rotating disk (118). When the level switch 54 is on, it is assumed that a jam 1 has occurred, and a jam 1 flag FLG3 is set, and the process proceeds to step 121.

When the stop switch 51b is pressed in step 116 and when jam 1 does not occur in step 117, the capture process 128 is performed.
Do the following. This is carried out when the coin feeding from the coin supply section is completed normally, and consists of the same processing as steps 108-114. If jam 2 occurs (110) during this capture process, the process moves to step 123. When the import process is completed normally, all operations are completed (129).

Although not shown in the flowchart, when the power recovery flag FLG1 and the sensor abnormality flag FLG2 are set, the coins in the temporary holding section are stored in the reject box in the same manner as above.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, when an accident such as a coin jam occurs, the coins held in the temporary holding section are automatically returned, so only the coins need be counted again, and the coins are not loaded. There is no need to re-count all the coins in the storage section. Moreover, since the counting data is also subjected to addition processing when the coins are stored from the temporary holding section to the receiving storage section, erroneous counting is eliminated.

In addition, since it has a function of adding the number of temporarily reserved coins to the main storage unit when they are stored, it is possible to process coins that exceed the amount stored in the temporarily reserved unit.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing a coin sorting machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a side view of the same, Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a temporary storage section, Figs. 4, 5 A, B, and 6th
Figures A and B are diagrams showing the operation of the temporary storage section, Figure 7 is a block diagram showing the control system of the coin sorting machine, Figure 8 is a memory ship showing part of the memory area, and Figure 9 is a diagram showing the operation of the temporary storage section.
The figure is a flowchart showing the operation of the coin sorting machine. 2... Coin classification passage, 4... Temporary holding room, 6... Storage box, 7... Redirect box, 50... Computer, 52... Abnormality detection section, 57... Motor drive control section, M3... Motor, c... Coin.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a coin sorting machine that sorts coins by passing coins C of a plurality of denominations through a coin sorting passage 2, the coins classified in the coin sorting passage are temporarily held by denomination. a temporary holding section 4; a coin receiving storage section 6 for receiving and storing coins released from the temporary holding section; and a coin receiving storage section 6 for receiving and storing coins released from the temporary holding section; a reject coin storage section 7 that receives coins held in the temporary storage section; a drive section M3 that drives the coins held in the temporary storage section to be stored in the coin take-in storage section or the reject coin storage section; an auxiliary storage section that stores the number of coins to be held; a main storage section that stores the number of coins that have been sorted; an anomaly detection section 52 that detects an abnormality in the conveyance and sorting of the coins; In response to the abnormality detection signal, the drive unit is operated to store the coins held in the temporary storage unit into the reject coin storage unit, and the number of coins held in the temporary storage unit reaches a predetermined number. When the amount of coins reached or there are no more coins to be sorted, the driving section is operated to store the coins held in the temporary storage section into the coin receiving storage section, and the number of coins stored in the auxiliary storage section is operated. A coin sorting machine comprising: controllers 50 and 57 for adding the number of coins stored in a main storage unit;