JP6003558B2 - Coin processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a coin processing apparatus.

  The coin processing device is a device that manages coins handled by, for example, a register installed in a store or the like, and performs coin deposit processing and withdrawal processing. For example, the coin processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 below receives coins in a lump, recognizes the coins of each coin, determines the denomination, and pays out the coins according to the determination result. .

JP 2004-272461 A

  By the way, in the coin processing device, a configuration has been proposed in which coins are once paid out from a pay-out unit onto a conveying belt, and the conveying belt conveys the coins to a receiving unit downstream in the conveying direction. At this time, in order to suppress the coins from remaining on the belt, for example, an extruding member that pushes out the coins on the transport belt to the accommodation unit can be provided.

  However, the above coin processing apparatus has the following problems. That is, when the number of coins on the conveyor belt is large or when the coins are offset and accumulated, there is a risk that the coins on the conveyor belt will overflow into the accommodation section at once. Moreover, there is a possibility that the coin placed on the pushing member rises and locks with another member and jumps.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a coin processing device capable of appropriately transporting coins fed from a feeding unit onto a conveying belt to a storage unit. It is to provide.

In order to solve the above-described problem, according to an aspect of the present invention, a feeding unit that feeds out coins, a conveyor belt that transports the coins by receiving and rotating the coins fed out from the feeding unit, A receiving portion that is provided on the downstream side of the conveying belt in the conveying direction and accommodates coins conveyed by the conveying belt, a standby position that is located when coins are fed out from the feeding portion, and coins on the conveying belt are The push-out member that moves in conjunction with the rotation of the conveyor belt and the push-out member are moved intermittently when moving the push-out member from the standby position to the push-out position. or and a control unit for moving with acceleration or deceleration of the pusher member, wherein, during the intermittent movement of the pusher member, the temporary stop one The extrusion member positioned location after moving to the upstream side of the conveying direction, moves toward the pushing position, the coin handling apparatus is provided.

  According to such a coin processing device, the control unit moves the push-out member intermittently or moves the push-out member while accelerating or decelerating when the push-out member is moved from the standby position to the push-out position. In such a case, when the pushing member is moved intermittently, the coins on the transport belt are collapsed when the pushing member starts or stops moving, so that the piles of coins are leveled. Even when the pushing member is moved while accelerating or decelerating, the coins on the conveyor belt are broken, so that the piles of coins are leveled. Thereby, since the coin on a conveyance belt enters into an accommodating part gradually, it can suppress that a coin overflows. Moreover, since the pile of coins can be kept low, the coins can be prevented from locking between the extruded plate and other members. Therefore, according to said coin processing apparatus, it becomes possible to appropriately convey the coins fed from the feeding unit onto the conveying belt to the storage unit.

  In the coin processing apparatus, the control unit may move the push member while stopping the push member at a plurality of temporary stop positions when the push member is intermittently moved.

  Further, in the coin processing device, the feeding unit is provided for each denomination along the transport direction, and coins fed from a plurality of the feeding units on the upstream side in the transport direction are provided on the transport belt. It is good also as accumulating in the same position.

In order to solve the above-described problems, according to another aspect of the present invention, a feeding unit that feeds out coins, a conveyor belt that receives the coins fed out from the feeding unit and conveys the coins by rotating, and A receiving portion that is provided on the downstream side of the conveying belt in the conveying direction and accommodates coins conveyed by the conveying belt, a standby position that is located when coins are fed from the feeding portion, and coins on the conveying belt And an extrusion member that moves in conjunction with rotation of the conveyor belt, and the extrusion member is intermittently moved when the extrusion member is moved from the standby position to the extrusion position. the moved, or the and a control unit for the extrusion member is moved with acceleration and deceleration, and the control unit may respond to the integrated position and the number of stacked coins on the conveyor belt Te, varying the mode of intermittent movement of the pusher member, the coin handling apparatus is provided.

  Further, in the coin processing device, the control unit may vary the number of times the pushing member is temporarily stopped during the intermittent movement according to the number of coins accumulated on the transport belt.

  Further, in the coin processing device, the control unit moves the push-out member positioned at the temporary stop position upstream in the transport direction when the number of coins stacked at the predetermined stack position on the transport belt is equal to or greater than the predetermined number. It is good also as making it move intermittently toward the said extrusion position after moving to the side.

In order to solve the above-described problem, according to still another aspect of the present invention, a feeding unit that feeds out coins, a conveyor belt that receives the coins fed out from the feeding unit and conveys the coins by rotating, and A receiving portion that is provided on the downstream side of the conveying belt in the conveying direction and accommodates coins conveyed by the conveying belt, a standby position that is located when coins are fed from the feeding portion, and coins on the conveying belt And an extrusion member that moves in conjunction with rotation of the conveyor belt, and the extrusion member is intermittently moved when the extrusion member is moved from the standby position to the extrusion position. the moved, or the and a control unit for the extrusion member is moved with acceleration and deceleration, and the feeding unit, along said conveying direction, provided with a plurality of, before When the control unit pays out half the number of coins to be fed out from the feeding unit, the control unit moves the pushing member located at the standby position to the second standby position on the downstream side, and the second standby position is A coin processing device is provided that is a position moved from the standby position by a half of an interval between adjacent feeding sections in a direction .

  Further, in the coin processing apparatus, the second standby position may be a position on the upstream side of a position where the feeding portion of the transport belt receives the fed coin.

In the above coin handling apparatus, wherein the extrusion member is stopped at the stop point of the multiple, the control unit, the pre-Symbol extrusion member after moving to the standby position, moves towards the pushing position It may be moved.

  The coin processing apparatus may further include a guide member that is provided in the vicinity of the push-out member positioned at the push-out position and guides the coin that moves from the transport belt to the storage unit.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately convey the coins fed out from the feeding unit onto the conveying belt to the storage unit.

It is the schematic which shows the internal structure of the coin processing apparatus 1 which concerns on 1st Embodiment. 4 is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of a front-rear transport unit 52. FIG. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the relationship between the extrusion board 76 and the side walls 73 and 74. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the movement process of the extrusion board 76 in the 2nd withdrawal process which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the position of the extrusion board 76 in the movement process which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the movement process of the extrusion board 76 in the 2nd withdrawal process which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the position of the extrusion board 76 in the movement process which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the position of the extrusion board 76 in the movement process which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the position of the extrusion board 76 in the movement process which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the position of the extrusion board 76 in the movement process which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the position of the extrusion board 76 in the movement process which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the position of the extrusion board 76 in the movement process which concerns on 5th Embodiment.

  Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in this specification and drawing, about the component which has the substantially same function structure, duplication description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol.

<1. First Embodiment>
(1-1. Configuration of Coin Processing Device)
The configuration of the coin processing device 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an internal configuration of a coin processing device 1 according to the first embodiment. In addition, Fig.1 (a) is the figure which looked at the inside from the front side of the coin processing apparatus 1, and FIG.1 (b) is the figure which looked at the inside from the side surface side.

  The coin processing device 1 manages coins handled by a register installed in a store or the like. The coin processing device 1 accepts coins in a lump and then recognizes coins to determine the denomination. Thereafter, the coin processing device 1 sorts out coins for each denomination according to the determination result, and dispenses the sorted coins.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the coin processing device 1 includes a coin receiving unit 10, a coin feeding unit 12, a coin discriminating unit 14, a sorting conveyance path 20, a reject coin accommodating unit 26, a temporary holding unit 30, A return box 34, a denomination hopper 36, a withdrawal box 40, a coin transfer unit 50, and a control unit 90 are provided.

  The coin receiving unit 10 is a part that receives a coin C to be inserted. The coin receiving unit 10 is located above the coin processing apparatus 1 and on the front side. The coin receiving unit 10 has an insertion slot 11 into which a coin C is inserted. The insertion slot 11 is wide open so that coins C can be easily put together. The coin C thrown into the coin receiving unit 10 falls to the coin feeding unit 12.

  The coin feeding unit 12 is located below the coin receiving unit 10 and feeds the coins C dropped from the coin receiving unit 10 one by one. For example, a rotating disk (not shown) is provided in the coin feeding portion 12. The coins C in the coin feeding unit 12 are moved by the centrifugal force when the rotating disk rotates, and are fed to the coin discriminating unit 14 one by one.

  The coin discriminating unit 14 discriminates the authenticity, denomination, etc. of the coin C fed from the coin feeding unit 12. The coin discriminating unit 14 has a sensor (not shown) for recognizing the coin C, and discriminates the true / false of the coin, the denomination, etc. based on the characteristics of the coin C detected by the sensor. The coin discriminating unit 14 transports the discriminated coin C to the sorting transport path 20.

  The sorting conveyance path 20 sorts and conveys the coin C based on the discrimination result by the coin discrimination unit 14. The sorting conveyance path 20 includes a reject port 21 located on the upstream side of the conveyance path and denomination receiving ports 22a to 22f located on the downstream side of the conveyance path. The coin C determined as not being a true coin by the coin determination unit 14 passes through the reject port 21. The coin C determined to be a true coin passes through the receiving ports 22a to 22f by denomination.

  The reject coin storage unit 26 stores coins that have passed through the reject port 21. A reject chute that guides the coin that has passed through the reject port 21 to the reject coin storage unit 26 is disposed below the reject port 21 (arranged along the route indicated by the arrow R in FIG. 1). The reject coin storage unit 26 has a door 28 that can be opened and closed on the front surface of the coin processing apparatus 1. When the door 28 is opened, the operator can pull out the reject coin accommodating portion 26 to the outside of the apparatus.

  The temporary storage unit 30 accommodates the coins that have passed through the money-type receiving ports 22a to 22f in the money type. Below the receiving ports 22a to 22f, coin dropping chutes that guide the coins that have passed through the receiving ports 22a to 22f to the temporary storage unit 30 are arranged (arranged along the route indicated by the arrow Q shown in FIG. 1). The temporary storage unit 30 is composed of temporary storage units 30a to 30f of denominations arranged in a straight line by dividing the inside of a frame surrounding four surrounding surfaces into denominations.

  The return box 34 accommodates coins that fall from the temporary storage unit 30 when the temporary storage unit 30 moves in the arrow H direction. The return box 34 can be pulled out of the apparatus from the front of the coin processing apparatus 1 by the user.

  The money type hopper 36 stores coins that fall from the temporary holding part 30 in the money type when the temporary holding part 30 moves in the arrow S direction. The money type hopper 36 includes a plurality of money type hoppers 36a to 36f arranged in a straight line so as to correspond to the money type temporary storage units 30a to 30f. The denomination hoppers 36a to 36f also have a payout portion that pays out coins one by one in the direction of arrow T shown in FIG.

  The withdrawal box 40 accumulates the coins fed out (sent out) from the hoppers 36a to 36f according to denomination in the denomination. The dispensing box 40 is detachably attached to the attaching / detaching portion 45 and can be pulled out of the apparatus from the front surface of the coin processing apparatus 1 by the user. Below the denomination-type hoppers 36a to 36f, a chute for guiding the fed coins to the dispensing box 40 is arranged (arranged along the route indicated by the arrow T shown in FIG. 1). In the dispensing box 40, dispensing small boxes 42a to 42f of different types from which coins can be taken out are stored in a straight line. The dispensing small boxes 42a to 42f are provided corresponding to the money type hoppers 36a to 36f. A sensor (not shown) for detecting whether the dispensing box 40 is attached or removed is provided on the main body side of the coin processing device 1.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the coin transfer unit 50 transfers the coins fed from the denomination hoppers 36 a to 36 f toward the takeout port 60 in a state where the dispensing box 40 is removed. The coin transfer unit 50 includes a front / rear transport unit 52, a collective small box 54, a stage 56, a vertical transport unit 58, and a takeout port 60.

(Configuration of front and rear transfer unit)
The front / rear transport unit 52 is positioned below the dispensing box 40 attached to the detachable unit 45. When the dispensing box 40 is removed from the attachment / detachment unit 45, the front / rear transport unit 52 causes the coins fed out from the denomination hoppers 36a to 36f, which are examples of the delivery unit, to fall through the attachment / detachment unit 45. It has become. The front-rear transport unit 52 receives the dropped coins and transports them to a collective small box 54 that is an example of a storage unit located downstream in the transport direction.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of the front-rear transport unit 52. In FIG. 2, the withdrawal box 40 is removed. As shown in FIG. 2, the front-rear conveyance unit 52 includes a conveyance belt 70, a conveyance motor 71, side walls 73 and 74, an extrusion plate 76 that is an example of an extrusion member, and an outlet guide 78 that is an example of a guide member. , Position detection sensors 80 and 81.

  The conveyance belt 70 is located below the hopper 36 by type of money (withdrawal hoppers 36a to 36f), and can be rotated in the conveyance direction (Y direction in FIG. 2B) by receiving the driving force of the conveyance motor 71. . The conveyor belt 70 receives the coins fed out from the hoppers 36a to 36f provided in the conveying direction, and conveys the coins to the collective small box 54 located downstream in the conveying direction by rotating. . The transport belt 70 can rotate in the forward direction for transporting coins to the collective small box 54 and rotate in the direction opposite to the forward direction.

  The side walls 73 and 74 are provided on both sides of the conveyance belt 70 along the conveyance direction. The side walls 73 and 74 restrict the coins conveyed by the conveyor belt 70 (coins accumulated on the conveyor belt 70) from overflowing from the conveyor belt 70. Here, the height of the side walls 73 and 74 is set to be equal to or higher than the accumulation height corresponding to the number of coins to be dispensed at a time.

  The extrusion plate 76 is attached to the conveyor belt 70 and moves in conjunction with the rotation of the conveyor belt 70. The push-out plate 76 reciprocates between the standby position and the push-out position with the rotation of the conveyor belt 70 (forward or reverse rotation). When the pushing plate 76 is located at the standby position, coins are fed out from the denomination hoppers 36a to 36f. The push-out plate 76 has a function of pushing out the coins accumulated on the conveyor belt 70 so as to drop into the collective small box 54 when positioned at the push-out position.

  Although the details will be described later, the push plate 76 according to the first embodiment moves intermittently when moving from the standby position to the push position. That is, the extrusion plate 76 stops at a plurality of temporary stop positions when moving from the standby position to the extrusion position.

  Further, the push-out plate 76 restricts the coins accumulated on the transport belt 70 from moving upstream. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the extrusion plate 76 has a nested structure with respect to the side walls 73 and 74 so that the coin C cannot pass between the extrusion plate 76 and the side walls 73 and 74 toward the upstream side. It has become. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the relationship between the extrusion plate 76 and the side walls 73 and 74.

  The outlet guide 78 is provided in the vicinity of the extrusion plate 76 positioned at the extrusion position, on the most downstream side in the conveyance direction of the conveyance belt 70. The exit guide 78 guides coins moving from the transport belt 70 to the collective small box 54. Further, the outlet guide 78 regulates the height of coins accumulated on the conveyor belt 70 at the downstream conveyor outlet. By restricting in this way, it is possible to prevent the coins from being scattered due to the high accumulation of coins on the conveyor belt 70, so that it is possible to prevent the coins from entering the collective small box 54. The height of the coins regulated by the exit guide 78 is desirably such that the coins can surely enter the collective small box 54.

  The position detection sensor 80 is a sensor that detects the standby position of the extrusion plate 76, and the position detection sensor 81 is a sensor that detects the extrusion position of the extrusion plate 76. The position detection sensors 80 and 81 are, for example, optical sensors, and detect the position of the push-out plate 76 when the detected portion of the push-out plate 76 shields the sensor.

Returning to FIG. 1, the description of the configuration example of the coin processing device 1 will be continued.
The collective small box 54 is located downstream of the front and rear transport belts 52 in the transport direction, and accumulates coins transported by the front and rear transport belts 52. Since the size of the collective small box 54 is smaller than that of the withdrawal box 40, the accumulation amount of coins in the collective small box 54 is smaller than the accumulation amount of the withdrawal box 40. The collective small box 54 has a first position (a position shown in FIG. 1B) where the coins conveyed by the front and rear conveyance belts 52 are stacked, and a second position facing the take-out port 60 above the first position. Located in. Further, the collective small box 54 collects coins of different types in a lump unlike the dispensing box 40 that collects coins by denomination.

  The stage 56 supports the collective small box 54. The vertical conveyance unit 58 conveys the stage 56 supporting the collective small box 54 in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the vertical transport unit 58 transports the stage 56 upward so as to move the collective small box 54 between the first position and the second position.

  The takeout port 60 is for the user to take out the coins accumulated in the collective small box 54 located at the second position. The takeout port 60 is provided above the dispensing box 40. Specifically, the take-out port 60 is provided at a position where the user can take out the collective small box 54 without bending.

  The control unit 90 controls the overall operation of the coin processing device 1. The control unit 90 includes a control unit that controls the operation of each component described above, and a storage unit that stores programs executed by the control unit and various data.

(1-2. Withdrawal processing example)
An example of the withdrawal process of the coin processing apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration will be described.

  The coin processing device 1 can execute a first withdrawal process or a second withdrawal process as the withdrawal process. The first withdrawal process refers to, for example, a withdrawal process for coins as a change reserve used in a register, or a withdrawal process for coins for exchange. The second withdrawal process refers to, for example, a withdrawal process for coins as a change reserve used by a foreign employee such as a financial institution, or a withdrawal process for coins for exchange. Since a large amount of coins is withdrawn during the first withdrawal process, the coins are accumulated in the withdrawal box 40. In the second withdrawal process, a small amount of coins is dispensed, and therefore, the coins are accumulated in the collective small box 54.

  Hereinafter, an example of the second withdrawal process will be described. The second withdrawal process is started from a state where coins are stored in the withdrawal hoppers 36a to 36f and the withdrawal box 40 is withdrawn.

  First, when the user inputs the number of coins to be dispensed for each denomination on the withdrawal screen displayed on the display unit, the corresponding denomination coin is provided by the payout unit provided in the withdrawal hoppers 36a to 36f. Is paid out. Here, since the dispensing box 40 is pulled out, the fed coin passes through the attaching / detaching portion 45 along the route indicated by the arrow T in FIG. 1 and falls onto the conveying belt 70 of the front and rear conveying portion 52.

  Thereafter, the conveyor belt 70 rotates to convey the coins on the conveyor belt 70 forward. The conveyed coins are collected in the collective small box 54 located at the first position. Thereafter, the stage 56 on which the collective small box 54 is placed moves upward by rotating the vertical conveyance unit 58.

  Then, when the collective small box 54 is positioned at the second position facing the take-out port 60 as the stage 56 moves, the movement of the stage 56 stops. Thereafter, when the user opens the door of the takeout port 60, the collective small box 54 can be taken out. At this time, a guidance screen for taking out the collective small box 54 from the takeout port 60 is displayed.

(1-3. Problems when coins are conveyed by belt)
By the way, when a coin is conveyed by the conveyance belt 70, the following problems may occur.

  That is, when the amount of coins accumulated on the conveyor belt 70 is large, or when coins are offset and accumulated on the belt, when the conveyor belt 70 conveys coins, the coins tend to fall into the collective small box 54 all at once. For this reason, coins may overflow without entering the collective box 54. Further, when the coin pushed by the push plate 76 is restricted by the outlet guide 78, the coin may be locked between the push plate 76 and the outlet guide 78. If the push plate 76 is further moved in the locked state, the coins may jump out and scatter out of the conveyance path.

  Accordingly, in the present embodiment, in order to solve the above-described problem, the conveyance process is performed so that the conveyance belt 70 intermittently conveys coins. At this time, when the pusher plate 76 moves from the standby position to the push-out position, the pusher plate 76 performs intermittent movement that moves while temporarily stopping at the temporary stop position.

(1-4. Movement processing of extrusion plate 76)
With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the movement process of the extrusion plate 76 in the second dispensing process according to the first embodiment will be described. The movement process of the extrusion plate 76 is executed by the control unit 90. That is, the control unit of the control unit 90 executes the movement process of the push-out plate 76 based on the program (software) stored in the storage unit.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the movement process of the extrusion plate 76 in the second dispensing process according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the position of the extrusion plate 76 in the movement processing according to the first embodiment.

  The flowchart of FIG. 4 starts from a state in which the extrusion plate 76 is located at the standby position. In the flowchart of FIG. 4, the control unit 90 pays out coins from the denomination hoppers 36 a to 36 f based on the number of coins dispensed specified by the user or the like (step S <b> 102). The fed coins are accumulated on the conveying belt 70 that is stopped. At this time, the coins fed out from the denomination hoppers 36 d to 36 f on the upstream side in the transport direction are accumulated at the same position on the transport belt 70. This is because the coins fed out from the denomination hoppers 36e and 36f are guided by the guide 85 (FIG. 5) to the same position as the accumulation position of the coins fed out from the denomination hopper 36d.

  Next, when the payout of coins corresponding to the number of coins to be dispensed from the hoppers 36a to 36f by type is completed (step S104: Yes), the control unit 90 drives the transport motor 71 to rotate the transport belt 70, thereby waiting. The extruding plate 76 located at is moved downstream. In the first embodiment, the control unit 90 first performs a first movement operation of the push-out plate 76 (step S106).

  Here, the first movement operation will be described. In the first movement operation, the push plate 76 located at the standby position moves to the temporary stop position a and stops for a predetermined time, and then moves to the downstream temporary stop position b. Thereafter, the pushing plate 76 stops at the temporary stop position b for a predetermined time and then moves to the downstream temporary stop position c. That is, the pusher plate 76 moves from the standby position to the temporary stop position d while repeating the movement and the stop.

  Here, the temporary stop position a is a position between the money type hopper 36d and the money type hopper 36e in the transport direction, and the temporary stop position b is a position between the money type hopper 36c and the money type hopper 36d, The temporary stop position c is a position between the money type hopper 36b and the money type hopper 36c, and the temporary stop position d is a position between the money type hopper 36a and the money type hopper 36b. And the space | interval between temporary stop positions a-d is the same as the space | interval in the conveyance direction of dies 36a-36f. The temporary stop position d is set to a position where no coin is pressed between the extrusion plate 76 located at the temporary stop position d and the outlet guide 78 when coins are accumulated in the vicinity of the extrusion plate 76. Yes. Thereby, it can prevent that a coin locks between the extrusion board 76 and the exit guide 78. FIG.

  When the above-described first movement operation is performed, the coins accumulated on the conveyance belt 70 are conveyed toward the downstream side. At this time, the coins on the conveyor belt 70 may slip on the belt or roll to the upstream side, but are pushed by the extrusion plate 76 and conveyed downstream.

  Moreover, the coins accumulated on the conveyor belt 70 can be broken by performing the first movement operation described above. For example, a pile of coins accumulated on the conveyor belt 70 tends to remain at the original position according to the law of inertia when the push-out plate 76 starts to move (that is, when the conveyor motor 71 is activated). Collapses gradually upstream. Further, when the pushing plate 76 is temporarily stopped (when the driving of the conveying motor 71 is stopped), the piles of coins accumulated on the conveying belt 70 are similarly collapsed to the downstream side by the law of inertia. As a result, the piles of coins on the conveyor belt 70 are lowered (the accumulation state of the coins is leveled), and the coins gradually fall into the collective small box 54. As a result, since coins try to fall into the collective small box 54 at once, the problem that coins overflow without entering the collective small box 54 can be solved.

  Thereafter, the control unit 90 activates the transport motor 71 to move the pusher plate 76 to the upstream side when a predetermined time elapses after the pusher plate 76 stops at the temporary stop position d immediately before the extrusion position. An operation is performed (step S108). In the second movement operation, the pushing plate 76 moves to a temporary stop position e between the temporary stop position b and the temporary stop position c in the transport direction. In the above description, the pause position e is located between the pause position b and the pause position c. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the pause position e is the pause position c and the pause position d. It may be located between.

  Due to the second moving operation, when the transport motor 71 is activated (when the movement of the push-out plate 76 is started), the coins collapse further to the downstream side in the transport direction, thereby further reducing the coin pile. In particular, when coins fed from the denomination hoppers 36d to 36f are accumulated in the vicinity of the push-out plate 76 of the conveyor belt 70, the coins can be effectively destroyed.

  Thereafter, the control unit 90 drives the transport motor 71 to move the pusher plate 76 to the downstream pusher position when a predetermined time elapses after the pusher plate 76 stops at the temporary stop position e. Is performed (step S110). At this time, the control unit 90 detects the pushing plate 76 being moved by the position detection sensor 81, thereby stopping the movement of the pushing plate 76 and positioning it at the pushing position.

  Due to the third moving operation, the coins remaining on the conveyor belt 70 are pushed by the push-out plate 76 and gradually fall into the collective small box 54. Since the coins gradually fall into the collective small box 54 during the first moving operation and the second moving operation described above, it is possible to prevent a large amount of coins from falling into the collective small box 54 during the third moving operation. Is done. Further, since the piles of coins near the extrusion plate 76 are collapsed by the second movement operation, it is possible to prevent the coins from being locked between the extrusion plate 76 and the outlet guide 78 during the third movement operation.

  Thereafter, the control unit 90 moves the extrusion plate 76 located at the extrusion position to the standby position (step S112). At this time, the control unit 90 detects the pushing plate 76 being moved by the position detection sensor 80, thereby stopping the movement of the pushing plate 76 and positioning it at the standby position. Thereby, the movement process of the extrusion board 76 which concerns on 1st Embodiment is completed.

  In the above description, only the push-out position and the standby position are detected by the position detection sensors 80 and 81. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the temporary stop positions a to e may be detected by the sensor. Thereby, it becomes possible to stop the extrusion plate 76 at an accurate position.

  In addition, after the third movement operation, a movement operation (also referred to as a bad push operation) in which the push plate 76 is moved slightly upstream (for example, to the temporary stop position d) in the transport direction and then moved again to the extrusion position. You can go. As a result, the coins that have remained on the conveyor belt 70 can be reliably dropped into the collective small box 54.

(1-5. Effectiveness)
As described above, in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, when the control unit 90 moves the push plate 76 from the standby position to the push position, the push plate 76 is temporarily stopped at the pause position. While moving (intermittent movement). That is, the control unit 90 intermittently conveys coins to the conveyance belt 70 to which the extrusion plate 76 is attached.

  When the pushing plate 76 moves while being paused at the pause position, the coins accumulated on the conveyor belt 70 are broken when the pushing plate 76 starts or stops moving. The pile of coins is leveled. Thereby, since the coin on the conveyance belt 70 falls to the collective small box 54 gradually, it can suppress that a coin overflows. Moreover, since it can suppress that the coin pile is restrained low and a coin locks between the extrusion board 76 and the exit guide 78, it can suppress that a coin jumps.

  Further, according to the first embodiment, the coins on the conveyor belt 70 can be transferred without reducing the number of coins fed out from the denomination hoppers 36a to 36f (in other words, even if the number of coins is large). It becomes possible to convey appropriately.

<2. Second Embodiment>
In the second embodiment, the movement operation (intermittent movement) of the push-out plate 76 is controlled based on information on the coin accumulation position and the number of accumulated coins on the conveyor belt 70. Thereby, for example, when the number of coins on the conveyor belt 70 is small, the processing time can be shortened by not performing the first movement operation and the second movement operation. Hereinafter, the movement process of the push-out plate 76 in the second withdrawal process according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the movement process of the extrusion plate 76 in the second dispensing process according to the second embodiment. 7 to 9 are schematic diagrams for explaining the position of the extrusion plate 76 in the movement process according to the second embodiment.

  The sixth flowchart is also started from a state in which the pushing plate 76 is located at the standby position. In the flowchart of FIG. 6, the control unit 90 pays out coins from the denomination hoppers 36a to 36f based on the number of coins dispensed specified by the user or the like (step S202). The fed coins are accumulated on the conveying belt 70 that is stopped.

  Next, in the control unit 90, the total number of coins fed out from the denomination hoppers 36a to 36 is larger than the predetermined number (first condition), and the number of coins of each denomination is larger than the predetermined number. It is determined whether (second condition) is satisfied (step S204). If at least one of the first condition and the second condition is not satisfied in step S204 (No), the control unit 90 performs the first movement operation and the first movement of the extrusion plate 76 as shown in FIG. The third moving operation is performed without performing the second moving operation (step S216).

  When at least one of the first condition and the second condition is not satisfied, the height of the piles of coins accumulated on the conveyor belt 70 is low. For this reason, in such a case, it is possible to prevent the coins from falling into the collective small box 54 at once without stopping the push-out plate 76 and breaking the pile of coins. Further, the processing time can be shortened by not performing the first movement operation and the second movement operation of the extrusion plate 76.

  On the other hand, when the first condition and the second condition are satisfied in step S204 (Yes), the control unit 90 determines the number of coins fed out from the denomination hopper from which the most coins are drawn out. (Step S206). Then, the control unit 90 determines the number of times to temporarily stop the push-out plate 76 in the first movement operation according to the number of coins determined in step S206.

  Specifically, when the number of coins is n or more which is a set value, the control unit 90 performs four temporary stop positions as shown in FIG. 8A during the first movement operation. The pushing plate 76 is temporarily stopped at a, b, c, d (step S208). When the number of coins is not less than the set value of m and less than n (n is greater than m), the control unit 90 performs the first movement operation as shown in FIG. The pushing plate 76 is temporarily stopped at two position stop positions b and d (step S210). When the number of coins is less than m, the control unit 90 stops the push-out plate 76 at one temporary stop position d as shown in FIG. 8C during the first movement operation ( Step S212).

  As described above, in the second embodiment, the greater the number of coins of the denomination that is fed out the most, the greater the number of times that the push-out plate 76 is temporarily stopped during the first movement operation. As the number of coins increases, the pile of coins on the conveyor belt 70 tends to increase. Therefore, the pile of coins can be lowered by increasing the number of times of temporary stop. On the other hand, when the number of coins is small, the pile of coins can be lowered even if the number of times of temporary suspension is small, so that the processing time can be shortened.

  Next, the control unit 90 determines whether or not the total number of coins fed out from the two upstream denomination hoppers 36e and 36f is equal to or greater than a predetermined number (step S214). If the total number of coins is greater than or equal to the predetermined number in step S214 (Yes), the control unit 90 performs the second movement operation of the push-out plate 76 as shown in FIG. 3 is performed (steps S216 and S218). On the other hand, when the total number of coins is less than the predetermined number in step S214 (No), the control unit 90 performs the third movement without performing the second movement operation as shown in FIG. 9B. An operation is performed (step S218).

  As the number of coins fed out from the two upstream denomination hoppers 36e and 36f increases, the coin pile near the push-out plate 76 tends to increase. For this reason, when the total number of coins is equal to or larger than the predetermined number, the second movement operation for moving the push plate 76 upstream can be performed to effectively collapse and lower the coin pile near the push plate 76. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the coins from being locked during the third movement operation. On the other hand, when the total number of coins is less than the predetermined number, the pile of coins in the vicinity of the push-out plate 76 is not high, so that the coins are not transferred during the third movement operation without performing the second movement operation. There is no fear of locking. And processing time can be shortened by not performing 2nd movement operation | movement.

  Thereafter, the control unit 90 moves the extrusion plate 76 located at the extrusion position to the standby position (step S220). Thereby, the movement process of the extrusion board 76 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment is completed.

  The embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9 described above is merely an example. For example, a sensor for detecting the accumulation state of coins on the conveyor belt 70 is provided, and the extrusion plate is based on the detection result of the sensor. The movement of 76 may be controlled. Thereby, accurate control according to the accumulation state of the coin on the conveyance belt 70 can be performed.

<3. Third Embodiment>
In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the first to third movement operations of the push-out plate 76 are performed after the coins are completely fed out from the denomination hoppers 36a to 36f.

  On the other hand, in the third embodiment, when the number of coins to be fed from the denomination hopper from which the largest number of coins have been unreeled is greater than or equal to a predetermined number, the number of coins to be unpaid from the denomination hoppers 36a to 36f After feeding out half the number of sheets, the pushing plate 76 positioned at the standby position is moved to the second standby position on the downstream side, and then the remaining number of coins are fed out. In this way, since the accumulation of coins can be suppressed by shifting the accumulation position of the coins on the conveyor belt 70 in the middle of the feeding of the coins from the hoppers 36a to 36f, the coins can be suppressed more effectively. Jumping and spilling when the pushing plate 76 pushes out coins can be prevented.

  FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining the position of the extrusion plate 76 in the movement process according to the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, the second standby position is a position on the upstream side of the position where the coins C dropped from the denomination hoppers 36a to 36f are accumulated, like the standby position (first standby position). Further, the second standby position is a position moved from the standby position by a half of the interval between adjacent hoppers of the denomination hoppers 36a to 36f.

  In the third embodiment, the control unit 90 determines the number of coins to be paid out from the denomination hoppers 36a to 36f from the number of coins to be dispensed designated by the user or the like. Then, the control unit 90 specifies the number of coins of the denomination from which the largest number of coins are paid out, and when the specified number of coins is equal to or greater than the predetermined number, Only half of the number of gold is fed from the hoppers 36a to 36f. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10 (a), coins that are half the number of withdrawals are stacked on the conveyor belt 70.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 10B, the control unit 90 moves the push plate 76 located at the standby position to the second standby position. Thereby, the pile of coins on the conveyor belt 70 is located at a position between adjacent hoppers.

  Thereafter, the control unit 90 pays out the remaining coins from the denomination hoppers 36a to 36f. As shown in FIG. 10C, the fed coins are accumulated between the coin piles formed in the first feeding. Thereby, it will be in the state where the pile of the coin of the conveyance belt 70 was equalized.

  Thereafter, the control unit 90 performs a third movement operation for moving the push plate 76 located at the second standby position to the push position. As a result, the coins that are leveled on the conveyor belt 70 gradually fall into the collective small box 54 during the third movement operation. Thereby, jumping and spilling when the pushing plate 76 pushes out coins can be prevented. Further, by combining with the second embodiment, a greater effect can be achieved.

  In the above description, when the push-out plate 76 is positioned at the second standby position, the remaining half of the coins are paid out. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the pushing plate 76 located at the standby position may be moved toward the second standby position, and the remaining half of the dispensed number of coins may be paid out while being moved more slowly than the normal movement speed. Thereby, processing time can be shortened.

  In the above description, the third movement operation is performed without performing the first movement operation and the second movement operation after the pusher plate 76 is moved to the second standby position. However, the present invention is not limited to this. . For example, the first to third moving operations may be performed on the push-out plate 76 located at the second standby position, as in the first embodiment. As a result, the coins on the conveyor belt 70 are further leveled.

<4. Fourth Embodiment>
In 4th Embodiment, the 1st movement operation | movement of the extrusion board 76 differs from 1st Embodiment. Specifically, in the first embodiment, the pushing plate 76 is moved to the temporary stop position a and then moved to the temporary stop position b after a predetermined time has elapsed. On the other hand, in the first movement operation in the fourth embodiment, the pushing plate 76 located at the upstream temporary stop position a is returned to the standby position, and after a predetermined time has elapsed, the temporary stop position b is reached. Move. Thereby, the coins accumulated on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the conveyance belt 70 (particularly, in the vicinity of the extrusion plate 76) can be destroyed at an early stage.

  FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining the position of the extrusion plate 76 in the movement process according to the fourth embodiment.

  In the fourth embodiment, the control unit 90 first moves the push plate 76 located at the standby position to the temporary stop position a as shown in FIG. 11 as the first movement operation of the push plate 76. Thereafter, when a predetermined time has elapsed, the control unit 90 moves the push plate 76 located at the temporary stop position a to the standby position. At this time, coins accumulated on the upstream side in the transport direction (particularly in the vicinity of the extrusion plate 76) collapse to the downstream side in the transport direction. For this reason, the coins accumulated in the vicinity of the extrusion plate 76 can be leveled at an early stage.

  The control unit 90 moves the push plate 76 located at the standby position to the temporary stop position b when a predetermined time has passed. At this time, coins accumulated on the upstream side in the transport direction collapse to the upstream side in the transport direction. Thereafter, as in the first embodiment, the control unit 90 moves the pusher plate 76 located at the temporary stop position b to the temporary stop positions c and d. The subsequent second movement operation and third movement operation are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  In the above description, the push-out plate 76 positioned at the temporary stop position a is temporarily returned to the standby position. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The pushing plate 76 positioned at the temporary stop positions b, c, d may be temporarily returned to the standby position. And by combining with 2nd Embodiment, it will become possible to collapse a pile of coins aiming at a location where many coins accumulate.

  Further, as in the second embodiment, it is determined whether or not to return the push-out plate 76 located at the temporary stop position to the standby position based on the information on the coin accumulation position and the number of accumulated coins on the conveyor belt 70. Also good.

  Further, in combination with the third embodiment, when the coins with half the number of withdrawals are paid out (first payout), the pushing plate 76 is moved to the second standby position, and then the remaining state is temporarily stopped. You may pay out coins (second payout). In such a case, the pile of coins fed out for the first time is broken before the second coin is drawn out, so that the pile of coins after the second feeding can be lowered.

<5. Fifth Embodiment>
In the first to fourth embodiments, during the conveyance process of the conveyance belt 70, the push plate 76 positioned at the standby position is moved to the extrusion position while being temporarily stopped. On the other hand, in 5th Embodiment, the extrusion board 76 located in a standby position is moved to an extrusion position, accelerating / decelerating.

  FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram for explaining the position of the extrusion plate 76 in the movement process according to the fifth embodiment.

  In the fifth embodiment, when the feeding of coins from the hoppers 36a to 36f is completed, the control unit 90 moves the pushing plate 76 located at the standby position to the pushing position while accelerating / decelerating it. The control unit 90 accelerates and decelerates the rotation speed of the transport motor 71, so that the pushing plate 76 moves while repeating acceleration and deceleration.

  Incidentally, acceleration / deceleration of the rotation speed of the conveyance motor 71 is realized by turning off an ON signal for driving the conveyance motor 71 at a predetermined interval, as shown in FIG. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the rotational speed of the transport motor 71 may be detected and ON and OFF may be repeated.

  In the fifth embodiment, when the push-out plate 76 is accelerated and decelerated, the coins accumulated on the conveyor belt 70 are collapsed. In particular, the coins can be effectively broken by moving the pushing plate 76 while repeating acceleration and deceleration. In the fifth embodiment, since the extrusion plate 76 is not temporarily stopped, the processing time can be shortened.

  In the above description, the first to third movement operations of the extrusion plate 76 are not performed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, while accelerating / decelerating the extrusion plate 76 during the first to third movement operations. It may be moved. Moreover, you may implement in combination with 2nd-4th embodiment.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can come up with various changes or modifications within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. Of course, it is understood that these also belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Coin processing apparatus 36, 36a-36f Money type hopper 52 Front / rear conveyance part 54 Collective small box 70 Conveyance belt 71 Conveyance motor 73, 74 Side wall 76 Extrusion board 78 Exit guide 80, 81 Position detection sensor 90 Control unit

Claims (10)

A payout part for paying out coins;
A conveyor belt that receives the coins fed out from the feeding unit and conveys the coins by rotating;
An accommodation portion that is provided on the downstream side of the conveyance belt in the conveyance direction and accommodates coins conveyed by the conveyance belt;
An extruding member that moves in conjunction with rotation of the conveyor belt between a standby position that is located when coins are fed out from the feeding section and an extrusion position that pushes out coins on the conveying belt to the storage section;
A controller that moves the push member intermittently or moves the push member while accelerating or decelerating when moving the push member from the standby position to the push position;
Equipped with a,
In the intermittent movement of the push-out member, the control unit moves the push-out member located at one temporary stop position to the upstream side in the transport direction, and then moves it toward the push-out position. apparatus. The coin processing device according to claim 1,
The said control part is a coin processing apparatus which moves the said extrusion member, stopping at the some pause position in the case of the intermittent movement of the said extrusion member. The coin processing device according to claim 1 ,
The feeding section is provided for each denomination along the transport direction,
A coin processing device in which coins fed from a plurality of the feeding units on the upstream side in the transport direction are accumulated at the same position of the transport belt. A payout part for paying out coins;
A conveyor belt that receives the coins fed out from the feeding unit and conveys the coins by rotating;
An accommodation portion that is provided on the downstream side of the conveyance belt in the conveyance direction and accommodates coins conveyed by the conveyance belt;
An extruding member that moves in conjunction with rotation of the conveyor belt between a standby position that is located when coins are fed out from the feeding section and an extrusion position that pushes out coins on the conveying belt to the storage section;
A controller that moves the push member intermittently or moves the push member while accelerating or decelerating when moving the push member from the standby position to the push position;
With
The said control part is a coin processing apparatus which changes the aspect of the intermittent movement of the said extrusion member according to the accumulation position and the number of accumulation of the coin on the said conveyance belt. The coin processing device according to claim 4 ,
The said control part is a coin processing apparatus which changes the frequency | count of the temporary stop of the said extrusion member in the case of the said intermittent movement according to the accumulation | storage number of coins on the said conveyance belt. In the coin processing apparatus according to claim 4 or 5 ,
When the number of coins stacked at a predetermined stacking position on the transport belt is greater than or equal to a predetermined number, the control unit moves the pusher member positioned at the temporary stop position to the upstream side in the transport direction, and then A coin processing device that moves intermittently toward the position. A payout part for paying out coins;
A conveyor belt that receives the coins fed out from the feeding unit and conveys the coins by rotating;
An accommodation portion that is provided on the downstream side of the conveyance belt in the conveyance direction and accommodates coins conveyed by the conveyance belt;
An extruding member that moves in conjunction with rotation of the conveyor belt between a standby position that is located when coins are fed out from the feeding section and an extrusion position that pushes out coins on the conveying belt to the storage section;
A controller that moves the push member intermittently or moves the push member while accelerating or decelerating when moving the push member from the standby position to the push position;
With
A plurality of the feeding sections are provided along the transport direction,
When the control unit pays out half the number of coins to be fed out from the feeding unit, the control unit moves the pushing member located at the standby position to a second standby position on the downstream side,
The second standby position is a coin processing device that is a position moved from the standby position by a half of the interval between adjacent feeding sections in the transport direction. The coin processing device according to claim 7 ,
The coin processing device, wherein the second standby position is a position on the upstream side of a position where the feeding portion of the conveyor belt receives the coins that are fed. The coin processing device according to claim 1,
The pusher member is stopped at the stop point of the multiple,
Wherein, the pre-Symbol extrusion member after moving to the standby position, is moved towards the pushing position, the coin processing device. In the coin processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 , 4, and 7 ,
A coin processing apparatus, further comprising a guide member that is provided in the vicinity of the push-out member located at the push-out position and guides a coin that moves from the transport belt to the storage unit.

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