JPH1027276A - Vending machine cash processing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To prevent a change in the number of change transmitted from a coin processing device to a main control unit when a banknote is first inserted into a bill processing device in a vending machine that uses both banknotes and coins. An input line of a coin processing device and a transmission line common to slaves are OR-connected as illustrated in a dotted line range, and the transmission data from the banknote processing device transmission line 22 to the main control unit reception line 25 is subjected to coin processing. Monitoring can be performed by the device reception line 23. Further, based on this monitor signal, when a bill is inserted into the bill processing device, the change in the number of changes by the change detection sensor of the coin processing device is prohibited. Therefore, even if a bill is inserted into the bill processing device before the coin is inserted into the coin processing device and the change detection state changes thereafter,
It is possible to prevent such a problem that the product is sold but the change is not refunded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cash processing apparatus of a vending machine (hereinafter referred to as a vending machine) which controls a banknote processing apparatus and a coin processing apparatus by a main control unit in a master-slave system and pays out change.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, vending machines that can use coins and banknotes are:
A so-called master-slave system in which the main control unit integrally controls the coin processing device and the bill processing device is mainly used.
The configuration of each device and the money processing operation according to this method are as follows. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a master-slave system of a vending machine. Reference numeral 1 denotes a main control unit of a vending machine as a master.
The coin processing device 2, the bill processing device 3, and other devices 5 are collectively controlled. Each device has a built-in control microcomputer.

FIG. 5 shows a communication interface section between each of the above devices and the main control section. The main control unit 1 includes a pair of transmission / reception lines, that is, a main control unit reception line 55 and a main control unit transmission line 56.
The communication line is connected to a transmission / reception line of a slave such as the coin processing device 2 or the bill processing device 3. Information between each device and the main control unit includes a main control unit 1 and a coin processing device 2.
And between the main control unit 1 and the bill processing device 3. For example, information indicating the number of changes is periodically transmitted from the coin processing device 2 to the main control unit 1 via the coin processing device transmission line 51.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of setting the information on the number of changes transmitted from the coin processing device 2 to the main control unit 1 in the storage unit of the coin processing device. This operation is as follows. The coins are stored in the coin storage unit of the coin processing device 2 for each type such as 10 yen and 50 yen.
The number of changes held in the storage unit is detected by a sensor such as a proximity switch. Normally, if the number of held changes is 10 or more, it is set to 10 (with change), and if it is less than 0, it is set to 0 (no change).

[0005] When coins are waiting for insertion, that is, when waiting for a customer (step S61, branch N), a change set loop (from step S62 to step S66) is entered. In this loop, if the sensor detects that a change has been made (step S63, branch Y), the transmission information is set to 10 pieces of change (step S64), and if no change has been detected (step S63, branch N). ) Set the change number to 0 (step S65). When this change setting operation is performed for all types of coins, the process exits the change set loop and proceeds to step S67. By the above operation, during the coin standby, the number of change sets changes by replenishing and collecting coins in the coin storage unit.

On the other hand, when coins are inserted in step S61 (branch Y), the main controller 1 of the vending machine does not go through the change set loop because the main controller 1 determines whether or not the coin can be sold.
Proceed to step S67. That is, the change in the number of change sets is prohibited. In step S67,
The processing of adding / subtracting the number of change by the payout coin is performed, and the processing ends.

[0007] By the above operation, the number of change sets does not change when coins are inserted, so that there is no inconvenience that change cannot be paid out after the goods are provided.

[0008]

The change processing of a conventional vending machine has the following problems. When dispensing change with a vending machine that uses both coins and bills as described above, if bills are inserted into the bill processing device before coins are inserted, change cannot be refunded after the product is provided, and change processing cannot be performed properly. Sometimes. The reason is as follows.

[0009] For example, suppose that when selling a product with a price of 100 yen, there are ten 100 yen coins in the coin processing device 2. At this time, as described above, the change information transmitted from the coin processing device 2 to the main control unit 1 is set to 10 changes. Here, when one 1000-yen banknote is inserted into the banknote processing apparatus 3, the main control unit 1 determines that the product can be sold based on the transmission information of the coin processing apparatus 2, and provides the product.

However, when returning the change 900 yen, if the detection state of the change number sensor of the coin processing device 2 changes and the change 0 is detected, the coin processing device 2 mainly operates the change number 0 by the above operation. It is transmitted to the control unit. For this reason,
Normal change return may not be possible. That is,
When a coin is inserted into the coin processing device 2 first, change of change is prohibited even if the detection state of the sensor changes, so that normal change processing is performed. However, when a bill is first inserted into the bill processing apparatus 3, the bill processing apparatus transmission line 52 is connected to the main control unit reception line 55 as shown in FIG. Processing device receiving line 53)
Cannot detect this bill insertion. Therefore, on the coin processing device 2 side, step S61 in the flowchart of FIG.
It is determined that there is no coin insertion (branch N), and a change in the detection state of the sensor is set in the change information (in the above case, the number of changes is 0) and transmitted to the main control unit 1 because the change enters the change set loop. It is.

The change in the sensor detection state described above occurs, for example, in the following case. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a state in which coins 73 are stored in a coin storage unit (change tube) 71 of the coin processing device 2. The number of coins is detected by an empty sensor 72 such as a proximity switch. Usually, since there is a gap 74 between the coin 73 and the change tube 71, depending on whether the coin is at a position close to the sensor or away from the sensor,
The output of the empty sensor 72 changes. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing this state. For example, when 13 coins are actually stored in the change tube 71, it is output that there is a change when the sensor is close to the sensor (the left diagram in FIG. 8), but there is no change when the coin is at a position away from the sensor. Is output (the right figure in FIG. 8).

[0012] An object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine which uses both banknotes and coins.
The purpose is to prohibit a change in the number of changes transmitted from the coin processing device to the main control unit.

[0013]

According to the present invention, there is provided a cash processing apparatus for a vending machine, wherein the bill processing apparatus and the coin processing apparatus are controlled by a master controller in a master-slave manner. A bill detecting means for detecting that a bill is inserted into the processing device, a number detecting means for detecting the number of change coins stored in the coin processing device, and a number setting means for setting and storing the number of coins by the number detecting means. , Based on the bill detection means, comprising monitoring means for monitoring the transmission information of the bill insertion from the bill processing device to the main control unit, when the monitoring means detects that a bill has been inserted into the bill processing device, The change of the number of change by the number setting means is prohibited.

Thus, when the bill is inserted into the bill processing device first, the change of the number of change is prohibited based on the information of the monitoring means. Further, if the monitoring means monitors the signal from the bill processing device to the main control unit and the signal from the main control unit to the coin processing device by logical OR on the transmission path, the bill processing can be performed with a simple circuit configuration. The insertion of bills into the device is monitored.

Further, if the signal from the bill processing device to the main control unit and the signal from the main control unit to the coin processing device have identification codes for identifying themselves, the signal from the bill processing device can be obtained. Are easily identified.

[0016]

FIG. 1 is a configuration block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. The vending machine according to the present invention is controlled by a master-slave method. Reference numeral 1 denotes a main control unit of a vending machine as a master, which collectively controls a coin processing device 2, a bill processing device 3, and other devices 5 as slaves via a serial communication line 4. Each device has a built-in control microcomputer.

FIG. 2 shows a communication interface unit between each of the above devices and the main control unit 1. The difference between this interface unit and the above-mentioned conventional interface unit (FIG. 5) is that the transmission line common to the slaves and the input line of the coin processing device 2 are connected by a logical sum (OR) as shown by a dotted line. Connection)
It is doing. Therefore, the data transmitted from the bill processing device 3 to the main control unit 1 can be monitored on the coin processing device 2 side. That is, in the conventional interface unit (FIG. 5), the coin processing device 2 cannot recognize the insertion of the bill into the bill processing device 3, but the interface unit according to the present invention (FIG. 2) can recognize it. Note that the receiving line 23 of the coin processing device 2 is connected to the bill processing device 3.
And the transmission data to the main control unit 1 and the transmission data to the coin processing device 2 from the main control unit 1 are input.
Both can be identified by, for example, a code such as a header of each signal.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are flow charts showing the operation of the main part of the money processing by the interface unit according to the present invention. First, FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation of monitoring whether or not a bill is inserted into the bill processing device 3 on the coin processing device 2 side. If there is no data request from the banknote processing apparatus 3 (step S31, branch N), the process ends. If there is a request (branch Y), the data of the bill processing device 3 is received, and after the transmission is completed (step S32, branch Y), when a bill is inserted (step S33, branch Y), the coin processing device 2 A bill insertion flag is set in a storage unit or the like in the microcomputer (step S34). If there is no bill insertion (step S33, branch N), the bill insertion flag is cleared (step S35), and the process ends.

Next, FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of setting the change number information from the coin processing device 2 to the main controller 1. This flowchart has a configuration in which a step of determining whether or not a bill has been inserted into the bill processing apparatus 3 has been added between steps S61 and S62 of the flowchart (FIG. 6) showing the conventional operation described above.

That is, in FIG. 4, when there is no coin insertion in the coin processing device 2 (step S41, branch N), it is determined whether or not the above-mentioned bill insertion flag is on (step S42). If it is on (branch Y), the process proceeds to step S48 to prohibit change in change information. When the switch is not turned on, that is, when there is no insertion of a bill (branch N), a change set loop (from step S43 to step S47) is entered in the same manner as in the conventional change quantity setting operation. That is, for each coin type, if the sensor detects change (step S44, branch Y), the number of change is set to 10 (step S45), and if no change is detected (step S44, branch). N) Change number 0 is set (step S46), change number addition / subtraction processing is performed in step S48 (step S48), and the process ends.

According to the above operation, conventionally, when a bill was inserted into the bill processing apparatus 3 before coins were inserted into the coin processing apparatus 2, the change could not be recognized on the coin processing apparatus 2 side. Although the number of change is set in accordance with the change in the number of change, the present invention can recognize the insertion of the bill according to the state of the flag indicating that there is a bill inserted. Therefore, the change proceeds to the money processing operation without entering the change set loop. Changes can be prohibited.

Thus, even when a bill is inserted into the bill processing device first, change in change is prohibited and change processing can be performed appropriately.

[0023]

According to the present invention, insertion of a bill into the bill processing apparatus is monitored on the coin processing apparatus side, and a change in the number of change by the coin detecting means is prohibited. Therefore, even if a bill is inserted into the banknote handling machine before the coin is inserted into the coin handling machine and the change detection state changes after that, the product is sold but the change is not refunded. It is possible to improve the reliability of the change dispensing operation.

If the signal on the communication line from the banknote processing unit to the main control unit and the signal on the communication line from the main control unit to the coin processing unit are monitored by a logical sum as the monitoring means, a simple circuit configuration can be obtained. , The insertion of the bill into the bill processing device can be monitored. Furthermore, if the identification code is attached to the signal on the communication line from the bill processing device to the main control unit and the signal on the communication line from the main control unit to the coin processing device, the bill insertion signal to the bill processing device is easily provided. Can be identified.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an interface unit according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a bill insertion monitoring operation of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a change setting operation of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a conventional interface unit.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a conventional change setting operation.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a coin storage state;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a relationship between a coin storage state and a sensor output.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Main control part, 2 ... Coin processing apparatus, 3 ... Banknote processing apparatus,
4: Serial communication line, 5: Other devices, 21, 51 ...
Coin processing device transmission line, 22, 52: banknote processing device transmission line, 23, 53: coin processing device reception line, 24, 54: banknote processing device reception line, 25, 55: main control unit reception line, 2
6, 56: main control unit transmission line, 71: change tube, 72
... empty sensor, 73 ... coin, 74 ... clearance.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A bill processing device for a vending machine in which a bill processing device and a coin processing device are controlled in a master-slave manner by a main controller, wherein a bill detection device detects that a bill has been inserted into the bill processing device. Means, a number detecting means for detecting the number of change coins stored in the coin processing apparatus, a number setting means for setting and storing the number of coins by the number detecting means, and a main control unit from the bill processing apparatus based on the bill detecting means. Monitoring means for monitoring transmission information indicating that a bill has been inserted into the bill processing device, wherein when the monitoring means detects that a bill has been inserted into the bill processing device, the change in the number of change by the number setting means is prohibited. And vending machine cash processing equipment. 2. The money processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring means monitors a signal from the bill processing device to the main control unit and a signal from the main control unit to the coin processing device by a logical sum on a transmission path. A cash processing apparatus for a vending machine. 3. The money processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the signal from the bill processing device to the main control unit and the signal from the main control unit to the coin processing device have identification codes for identifying themselves. A cash processing apparatus for a vending machine.