Media transport device, transport status determination method, and media handling device

Abstract

To enable a conveyance state of a medium to be recognized with high accuracy.SOLUTION: A coin dispensing part 40 of a coin depositing / dispensing part 12 changes a tip detection signal S53 and a rear detection signal S54 into on or off, respectively, with coins CN conveyed by a dispensing conveyance belt 46. At this time, a change control part 21 determines that a vibration abnormality occurs in a case where an intermediate off time TM is shorter than a coin interval time TP2 and a detection total time TA is shorter than a reference time TPS in a portion turned on twice in each detection state, and corrects the detection state to obtain a single continuous on. This enables the coin depositing / dispensing part 12 to prevent dispensing processing from stopping due to a determination that the detection state is abnormal, and recognition of a moving situation concerning the coins CN and counting of the number can be performed with high accuracy without being affected by the vibration abnormality.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 16

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a medium conveying device, a conveying state determination method, and a medium handling device, and is suitably applied, for example, to a cashier change system used at a checkout counter of a retail store such as a supermarket or a convenience store. [Background Art]

[0002] In recent years, among cashier change systems, those in which a POS register connected to a POS (Point Of Sales) system or the like is combined with a change machine that performs deposit and withdrawal processing of banknotes and coins have been becoming widespread. This change machine incorporates, for example, a general control unit that overall controls the entire machine, as well as a banknote processing device that processes banknotes, a coin processing device that processes coins, and the like.

[0003] Some of the coin deposit and withdrawal units include, for example, a coin deposit slot that allows a cashier to insert coins, a discrimination unit that discriminates the type, authenticity, etc., of the inserted coins, a storage that stores coins by denomination, a conveying unit that conveys change coins from the storage, and a coin withdrawal slot that stores the coins conveyed by the conveying unit and allows the cashier to take out the coins, and the like.

[0004] For example, when performing withdrawal processing, the coin deposit and withdrawal unit receives an instruction of an amount to be withdrawn as change (hereinafter referred to as a change amount) from the POS register, and determines the number of coins to be withdrawn for each denomination such that the total amount equals the change amount. Subsequently, for each denomination, the coin deposit and withdrawal unit conveys the determined number of coins from the storage via the conveying unit, and withdraws the coins as change.

[0005] Among these, as a coin deposit and withdrawal unit (medium conveying device), there has been proposed one that includes a plurality of detection units for detecting coins in addition to a conveying unit having a conveying belt and a guide unit for guiding coins (mediums), and a control unit (determination processing unit) that accurately determines the conveying state of coins based on transitions of detection results from the respective detection units (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2014-52802 (Figure 8, etc.) [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] Incidentally, in the coin deposit and withdrawal section described above, vibration abnormalities may occur in the transported coins due to the effects of impacts occurring inside or outside the casing, for example. In this case, although the detection unit obtains a detection result different from that of normal operation, it is desirable to continue the withdrawal process by determining that one coin has passed, since the transported coin has only vibrated temporarily and the transport unit can continue to transport coins and the detection unit can continue to detect coins normally.

[0008] On the other hand, in the coin deposit and withdrawal section, an abnormality may occur, for example, when a foreign object gets stuck between two coins being transported. In this case, the detection unit may be unable to properly detect the passage of the two coins due to the foreign object, so it is desirable to determine the transport condition as abnormal, stop the withdrawal process, and have maintenance work performed by maintenance personnel.

[0009] However, the detection results obtained from each detection unit may transition in a similar pattern whether a vibration anomaly or a foreign object anomaly occurs. Therefore, the coin deposit and withdrawal unit cannot distinguish between the occurrence of a vibration anomaly and the occurrence of a foreign object anomaly based on the transition of the detection results from each detection unit, resulting in the problem that withdrawal processing must be stopped in either case.

[0010] This invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and aims to propose a media transport device, a transport state determination method, and a media handling device that can determine the transport state of a medium with high accuracy. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] To solve the above problems, the media transport device of the present invention includes a transport unit that performs a transport process to transport a medium in a predetermined transport direction, a guide unit that restricts the movement of the medium in a width direction perpendicular to the transport direction, a pre-detection unit that detects the presence or absence of the medium and generates a pre-detection signal that changes to on or off, a post-detection unit that detects the presence or absence of the medium downstream of the pre-detection unit in the transport direction and generates a post-detection signal that changes to on or off, and a control unit that determines the direction of movement of the medium and whether the transport process is normal or abnormal based on the transitions of the pre-detection signal and the post-detection signal, wherein the control unit performs a correction process to consider the intermediate off time as on when at least one of the pre-detection signal or the post-detection signal changes sequentially to a first on, a first off, a second on, and a second off, and the intermediate off time from the first off to the second on is less than a first threshold and the total detection time from the first on to the second off is less than a second threshold, and performs a correction process when the intermediate off time is greater than or equal to the first threshold, or when the total detection time is greater than or equal to the second threshold. First, the first threshold is the shortest intermediate off time, which is the intermediate off time when the pre-detection signal and the post-detection signal change to on or off when the two media are transported in contact with each other along the transport direction. Second, the second threshold is a value that is smaller than the shortest total detection time, which is the total detection time when the pre-detection signal and the post-detection signal change to on or off when the two media are transported in contact with each other along the transport direction, and is larger than the sum of the shortest detection time from the first on to the first off and the shortest intermediate off time. I did that.

[0012] Furthermore, in the transport state determination method of the present invention, a transport step is performed by the transport processing of the transport unit to transport the medium in the transport direction while restricting the movement of the medium with a guide unit in the width direction perpendicular to a predetermined transport direction; a pre-detection step is performed by a pre-detection unit to detect the presence or absence of the medium and to generate a pre-detection signal that changes to on or off; a post-detection step is performed by a post-detection unit provided downstream of the pre-detection unit in the transport direction to detect the presence or absence of the medium and to generate a post-detection signal that changes to on or off; and a control unit determines the movement of the medium based on the transitions of the pre-detection signal and the post-detection signal. The system includes a determination step for determining whether the direction and transport process are normal or abnormal, and the determination step includes a correction process to consider the intermediate off time as on if, in a situation where at least one of the pre-detection signal or the post-detection signal has sequentially changed to a first on, a first off, a second on, and a second off, the intermediate off time from the first off to the second on is less than a first threshold and the total detection time from the first on to the second off is less than a second threshold, and if the intermediate off time is greater than or equal to the first threshold, or if the total detection time is greater than or equal to the second threshold, the correction process is performed. First, the first threshold is the shortest intermediate off time, which is the intermediate off time when the pre-detection signal and the post-detection signal change to on or off when the two media are transported in contact with each other along the transport direction. Second, the second threshold is a value that is smaller than the shortest total detection time, which is the total detection time when the pre-detection signal and the post-detection signal change to on or off when the two media are transported in contact with each other along the transport direction, and is larger than the sum of the shortest detection time from the first on to the first off and the shortest intermediate off time. I did that.

[0013] Furthermore, the media handling device of the present invention is provided with a storage section for storing media, the media transport device described above, and a storage section for storing the media transported by the media transport device.

[0014] In this invention, a pattern similar to the waveform of the pre-detection signal or the post-detection signal appears in both cases where a vibration abnormality occurs and a foreign object abnormality occurs. By appropriately defining the first and second thresholds, and using a comparison of the intermediate off-time with the first and second thresholds, The time conditions for each part in the pattern were appropriately set. As a result, the present invention can accurately detect the presence or absence of vibration abnormalities, and appropriately corrects the waveform if such abnormalities are found, while refraining from unnecessary corrections if no vibration abnormalities are detected. This allows the present invention to continue the transport process smoothly without requiring unnecessary maintenance work or other countermeasures. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, a media transport device, a transport state determination method, and a media handling device can be realized that can determine the transport state of a medium with high accuracy. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] This is a schematic perspective view showing the external configuration of a cash register change dispenser. [Figure 2] This is a simplified linear block diagram showing the block structure of a cash register change dispensing system. [Figure 3] This is a simplified diagram showing the configuration of the coin deposit and withdrawal section. [Figure 4] This is a simplified diagram showing the configuration of the coin deposit compartment. [Figure 5] This is a simplified diagram showing the configuration of the coin dispensing section. [Figure 6] This is a simplified diagram showing the configuration of the coin dispensing section. [Figure 7] This is a schematic diagram illustrating coin jamming at the withdrawal gate roller. [Figure 8] This is a schematic diagram showing the location of the detection holes and each detection state. [Figure 9]It is a schematic diagram showing a detection table. [Figure 10] It is a schematic diagram showing the transition of the position and detection state of coins. [Figure 11] It is a schematic diagram showing a detection state transition table. [Figure 12] It is a schematic diagram showing changes in detection signals in a connected state. [Figure 13] It is a schematic diagram showing changes in detection signals when vibration abnormality occurs. [Figure 14] It is a schematic diagram showing the state of coin conveyance when foreign matter abnormality occurs. [Figure 15] It is a schematic diagram showing changes in detection signals when foreign matter abnormality occurs. [Figure 16] It is a flowchart showing a vibration abnormality correction processing procedure according to the first embodiment. [Figure 17] It is a schematic diagram showing changes in respective detection signals when vibration abnormality occurs in a preceding detection signal. [Figure 18] It is a schematic diagram showing changes in respective detection signals when vibration abnormality occurs in a succeeding detection signal. [Figure 19] It is a schematic diagram showing the state of coin conveyance when foreign matter abnormality occurs. [Figure 20] It is a schematic diagram showing changes in respective detection signals when foreign matter abnormality occurs. [Figure 21] It is a flowchart showing a vibration abnormality correction processing procedure according to the second embodiment. MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0017] Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0018] [1. First Embodiment] [1-1. Configuration of Cash Register Change System] As shown schematically in Figure 1, the cash register change system 1 consists of an upper POS register 2 and a lower change dispenser 3, which are independent devices. This cash register change system 1 is operated by a cashier at the checkout counter (so-called register) of a retail store, such as a supermarket or convenience store, when a customer pays for the items they wish to purchase.

[0019] In the following explanation, the side facing the cashier and the opposite side will be referred to as the front and rear, respectively, and the left, right, top, and bottom will be defined and explained from the cashier's perspective.

[0020] POS register 2 is centrally controlled by a built-in register control unit 5. A barcode reader (not shown) is also connected to POS register 2, and the product is recognized by reading the barcode attached to the product with this barcode reader.

[0021] The display operation unit 6 is configured as a touch panel, comprising a display unit, such as a liquid crystal display, and an operation unit, such as a touch sensor, superimposed on the liquid crystal display. The display operation unit 6 displays the name and price of the recognized product on the liquid crystal display. The display operation unit 6 also displays input keys for numbers, etc., on a part of the display screen, and when the corresponding area on the touch sensor is pressed, it receives the input operation corresponding to that input key and transmits it to the register control unit 5. In response, the register control unit 5 performs various processes such as increasing or decreasing the quantity of products or correcting the price. The POS register 2 also has a built-in receipt processing unit 7. The receipt processing unit 7 prints the name and price of the recognized product on a receipt and ejects it from the receipt output port 7A.

[0022] Meanwhile, the change dispenser 3 is broadly composed of a banknote deposit / discharge section 11 on the left, a coin deposit / discharge section 12 on the right, and a display / operation section 13 at the front upper part. The banknote deposit / discharge section 11 takes in banknotes deposited by the cashier through the banknote deposit / discharge slot 14 and stores them in the banknote storage compartment 15, and also takes banknotes instructed by the cashier control unit 5 from the banknote storage compartment 15 and dispenses them as change through the banknote deposit / discharge slot 14.

[0023] The coin deposit / discharge unit 12, which functions as a media transport device, has a coin deposit slot 16 on its upper front section, and a reject slot 17 and a coin discharge slot 18 below it. This coin deposit / discharge unit 12 takes in coins CN inserted into the coin deposit slot 16 by a cashier and stores them in an internal storage compartment, and also dispenses coins CN of the appropriate denomination and number according to the amount instructed by the cashier control unit 5 as change from the coin discharge slot 18, which functions as a storage unit (details will be described later).

[0024] The display and operation unit 13 is composed of a predetermined display panel and predetermined operation buttons. The display panel of the display and operation unit 13 displays the operating status of the banknote deposit / discharge unit 11 and the coin deposit / discharge unit 12, for example, whether there is a shortage of coins for change in the coin deposit / discharge unit 12, whether an abnormality has been detected by a predetermined sensor, and the location of the abnormality. The operation buttons of the display and operation unit 13 receive instructions, for example, regarding the transport of coins CN, via press operations by cashiers or the like.

[0025] Furthermore, a change control unit 21 is provided inside the change dispenser 3. As a control unit, the change control unit 21 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 22 that performs calculations and a memory 23 made of flash memory, etc., as shown in the block configuration in Figure 2. This change control unit 21 controls the change dispenser 3 by reading various programs such as the change dispensing program and vibration abnormality correction program from the memory 23 using the CPU 22 and executing them. The CPU 22 is also connected to multiple motors, solenoids, and sensors incorporated into the banknote deposit / dispensing unit 11 and the coin deposit / dispensing unit 12 via I / O (Input / Output) ports 24 and 25, and is connected to the operation switches and display panel of the display operation unit 13 via I / O port 26. Furthermore, the CPU 22 is also connected to the register control unit 5 of the POS register 2, and they work together to perform various processes.

[0026] [1-2. Configuration of the coin deposit and withdrawal section] As shown in Figures 3(A) and (B) in plan view and side view, the coin deposit and withdrawal section 12 is broadly composed of a coin deposit section 30 that processes the deposit of coins CN and a coin withdrawal section 40 that processes the withdrawal of coins CN. Incidentally, like ordinary coins, coins CN are made of metals such as nickel, copper, and aluminum or alloys thereof, and are formed in the shape of a thin disc with two circular bases.

[0027] [1-2-1. Configuration of the coin deposit section] As shown in Figures 4(A) and 4(B), which correspond to Figures 3(A) and 3(B), the coin deposit section 30 is positioned to sequentially connect the upper left and upper rear sides of the coin deposit / withdrawal section 12, starting from the coin deposit slot 16 located at the front. The coin deposit slot 16 is formed in a mortar-like shape, and a discharge mechanism for discharging coins CN one by one is incorporated at its bottom. A sensor (not shown) for detecting the presence or absence of coins CN is also incorporated in the coin deposit slot 16 at a predetermined location.

[0028] The deposit section transport path 31 is a transport path that guides the coins CN as they move forward, and is composed of an upper transport path 31A that connects the front and rear of the upper left part of the coin deposit / withdrawal section 12, and a rear transport path 31B that connects the left and right of the upper rear part of the coin deposit / withdrawal section 12. A transfer roller 32 is provided on the left rear side of the coin deposit slot 16 in the deposit section transport path 31.

[0029] The transfer rollers 32 consist of two cylindrical rollers with their central axes oriented left to right, positioned to sandwich the upper transport path 31A of the deposit section transport path 31 from above and below. When these transfer rollers 32 rotate due to a driving force from a motor (not shown), they transfer the coins CN sent out from the coin deposit slot 16 along the deposit section transport path 31 to the coin discrimination transport section 33 at the rear. The coin discrimination transport section 33 has two rotating rollers and a belt that circles around both rollers. The rotation of the rollers drives the belt, trapping the coins CN between the belt and the deposit section transport path 31, and moving the coins CN backward along the deposit section transport path 31.

[0030] Behind the coin discrimination and transport unit 33, a coin sorting and transport unit 34 is positioned from the latter half of the upper transport path 31A to the rear transport path 31B of the deposit transport path 31. The coin sorting and transport unit 34 has a belt stretched between rollers positioned at multiple locations. When the rollers rotate, the unit travels around the belt, causing the coins CN to move backward along the upper transport path 31A, and then to the right along the rear transport path 31B.

[0031] To the left of the coin discrimination and transport unit 33 is a coin discrimination unit 35. The coin discrimination unit 35 has various sensors such as optical sensors and magnetic sensors, and detects various characteristics of coins CN, such as optical and magnetic properties. Based on the detection results, it determines the denomination and authenticity of the coins CN and notifies the change control unit 21 (Figure 2) of the determination result. In response, the change control unit 21 recognizes the denomination and authenticity of each coin CN and determines their respective transport destinations.

[0032] Below the coin sorting and transport section 34 in the upper transport path 31A, a vertically penetrating reject hole 31HR is formed, and a thin plate-shaped reject blade 36 is provided. This reject blade 36 rotates based on the control of the change control unit 21 to open or close the reject hole 31HR.

[0033] Below the coin sorting and transport section 34 in the rear transport path 31B, six coin denomination storage holes 31HA to 31HF are formed, penetrating vertically and arranged horizontally. Incidentally, the coin denomination storage holes 31HA to 31HF correspond to 50 yen, 5 yen, 500 yen, 100 yen, 10 yen, and 1 yen, respectively, and are located directly above the storage compartments (described later) provided for each coin denomination. In addition, thin plate-shaped coin denomination blades 37 (37A to 37F) are provided near the coin denomination storage holes 31HA to 31HF. Each coin denomination blade 37 rotates based on the control of the change control unit 21, opening or closing the coin denomination storage holes 31HA to 31HF, respectively.

[0034] In the actual checkout process, when a cashier receives coins CN from a customer as payment for goods, the cashier deposits the coins CN into the coin deposit slot 16. When the coin deposit slot 16 detects that coins CN have been deposited using a sensor, it sends the coins CN one by one to the deposit transport path 31 based on the control of the change control unit 21. These coins CN are then sequentially transported along the deposit transport path 31 by the transfer roller 32, the coin discrimination transport unit 33, and the coin sorting transport unit 34. During this transport, the coin discrimination unit 35 discriminates the denomination and authenticity of each coin CN being transported and notifies the change control unit 21 of the discrimination result.

[0035] If the coin discrimination unit 35 determines that a coin CN is genuine, the change control unit 21 closes the reject hole 31HR with the reject blade 36 and moves the coin CN sequentially along the upper transport path 31A and the rear transport path 31B. Subsequently, the change control unit 21 rotates each denomination blade 37 appropriately according to the denomination of the coin CN, opening only the denomination storage hole corresponding to the denomination of the coin CN and closing the other denomination storage holes, causing the coin CN to fall from the denomination storage hole corresponding to its denomination and be stored in the storage compartment (described later) corresponding to its denomination.

[0036] On the other hand, if the coin discrimination unit 35 determines that a coin CN is a rejected coin, the change control unit 21 rotates the reject blade 36 to open the reject hole 31HR and drops the coin CN into the reject transport path below (described later).

[0037] Incidentally, once the change control unit 21 has finished determining all the coins CN that have been inserted, it calculates the amount received by adding up the amounts of all the coins CN that have been determined to be genuine, and notifies the register control unit 5 (Figure 2) of the POS register 2 of this amount. In response, the register control unit 5 calculates the amount of change by subtracting the price of the goods from the amount received, and notifies the change control unit 21 of this amount.

[0038] [1-2-2. Configuration of the coin dispensing section] As shown in Figures 3(A) and 3(B) and corresponding Figures 5(A) and 3(B), respectively, the coin dispensing section 40 has a coin reject transport path 41 behind the reject opening 17, and storage compartments 42 for each denomination of coins behind the coin dispensing opening 18. The coin reject transport path 41 is located at the left end of the coin dispensing section 40, connecting directly below the reject hole 31HR (Figure 4(A)) to directly behind the reject opening 17, and its bottom surface is inclined to descend as it moves forward. As a result, the coin reject transport path 41 causes rejected coins that have fallen from the reject hole 31HR to slide forward and reach the reject opening 17.

[0039] The storage compartments 42 (42A to 42F), which serve as storage areas, are divided into six sections along the left-right direction, each forming a long, narrow space in the front-to-back direction, and each is connected to a storage opening 31HA to 31HF for each denomination (Figure 4(A)). Each storage compartment 42 is assigned a different denomination, and coins CN are stored separated by denomination. As shown in Figure 5(B), a coin dispensing and transporting section 43 is incorporated into the bottom of each storage compartment 42. The coin dispensing and transporting section 43, which serves as a transporting section, has two rollers 44 and 45, a coin dispensing and transporting belt 46, and guide walls 47 and 48, etc.

[0040] Roller 44 is positioned at a slightly elevated position near the front end of the cash dispensing and conveying section 43. Roller 45 is positioned at a slightly lower position near the rear end of the cash dispensing and conveying section 43. Both rollers 44 and 45 are formed in a cylindrical shape with their central axis oriented in the left-right direction, and are supported so as to be rotatable about this central axis.

[0041] The cash dispenser conveying belt 46 is an endless belt made of a flexible material, stretched around the rollers 44 and 45, and has a certain degree of tension. For this reason, the cash dispenser conveying belt 46 is inclined so that its upper surface rises as it moves forward, and it moves in conjunction with the rotation of the rollers 44 and 45. Furthermore, the cash dispenser conveying belt 46 has a relatively large coefficient of friction with respect to the coins CN.

[0042] Furthermore, since the dispensing conveying belt 46 is located at the bottom of the storage compartment 42, it places the coins CN stored in the storage compartment 42 on its upper portion (hereinafter referred to as the upper part of the dispensing conveying belt 46U). When the rollers 44 and 45 are rotated based on the control of the change control unit 21, the upper portion of the dispensing conveying belt 46 travels back and forth, conveying the coins CN stored in the storage compartment 42 in the back and forth direction with almost no slippage. Hereafter, the forward direction, which is the direction in which the coins CN to be dispensed are conveyed, will also be referred to as the conveying direction, and the left and right directions perpendicular to it will also be referred to as the width direction. Also below, the front side will be referred to as the downstream side, and the rear side, which is the opposite side, will be referred to as the upstream side.

[0043] Guide walls 47 and 48, which serve as guide sections, are positioned adjacent to or very close to the left and right sides, respectively, of the upper part 46U of the dispensing conveyor belt. As shown in the schematic cross-sectional view in Figure 6(A), guide walls 47 and 48 have guide wall bottom surfaces 47A and 48A that form a plane substantially continuous with the upper surface 46U of the dispensing conveyor belt, as well as guide wall sides 47B and 48B that form the left and right inner walls. As shown in the cross-sectional view in Figure 6(B), if the diameter of the coin CN is D and its thickness is T, the conveyor path width W, which is the distance between the guide wall sides 47B and 48B, satisfies the following equations (1) and (2).

[0044] W > D + T ……(1) W < 2D ……(2)

[0045] The actual transport path width W is set to a value obtained by adding a predetermined margin to the sum of the diameter D and the thickness T. Therefore, the payout transport belt 46 can transport coins CN along the front-to-back direction without jamming them between the guide wall sides 47B and 48B, even if a coin CN is lying on its side with its disc surface facing up or down, or if another coin CN is standing upright with its disc surface facing left or right adjacent to it. Furthermore, the guide wall sides 47B and 48B can transport the coins CN with the number of coins CN in the left-to-right direction kept to less than two, that is, with the number of rows in the left-to-right direction being one.

[0046] Furthermore, a dispensing section 50 is provided at the front of each storage compartment 42 (Figure 5). This dispensing section 50 includes a dispensing gate roller 51, a dispensing gate 52, a front detection section 53, and a rear detection section 54. The dispensing gate roller 51 is cylindrical with its central axis oriented in the left-right direction, and is positioned so as to leave a gap between its lower surface and the upper part of the dispensing conveying belt 46 that is slightly wider than the thickness T of the coin CN (Figure 6(B)).

[0047] Based on the control of the change control unit 21, the dispensing gate roller 51 rotates counterclockwise in Figure 5(B), that is, with its lower side moving backward. As a result, if the coins CN are being transported forward on the dispensing conveying belt 46 in a separated state without stacking, the dispensing gate roller 51 will continue to move forward without obstructing the transport of the coins CN.

[0048] On the other hand, if two or more coins CN are stacked on top of each other and being transported forward on the withdrawal conveying belt 46, the withdrawal gate roller 51 blocks the upper layers of coins CN, excluding the bottom layer, or breaks up the stack, that is, eliminates the overlapping of coins CN, allowing only the bottom layer of coins CN to pass through one by one. As a result, the withdrawal gate roller 51 can limit the number of coins CN in the vertical direction to less than two, that is, reduce the number of rows in the vertical direction to one, and transport the coins CN in a single row in the front-to-back direction.

[0049] The dispensing gate 52 has a long, slender cylindrical dispensing gate pin 52P on its lower side, and based on the control of the change control unit 21, the dispensing gate pin 52P is moved vertically within a predetermined range of movement. When the dispensing gate pin 52P is moved to its uppermost position, it forms a gap between itself and the upper part 46U of the dispensing conveying belt that is larger than the thickness T of the coin CN, allowing it to pass through without interfering with the coin CN being conveyed by the dispensing conveying unit 43. On the other hand, when the dispensing gate pin 52P is moved to its lowermost position, it approaches or comes into contact with the upper part 46U of the dispensing conveying belt, stopping the conveying of the coin CN and preventing the outflow of coin CN from the storage compartment 42 or the removal of coin CN through fraudulent means.

[0050] The front detection unit 53 and the rear detection unit 54 are both positioned in front of the dispensing gate roller 51 and behind the front end of the dispensing conveying belt 46. The front detection unit 53 consists of a light emitter 53A that emits a predetermined detection light L1 and a light receiver 53B that receives the detection light L1. The light emitter 53A is positioned below the upper part 46U of the dispensing conveying belt. The light receiver 53B is positioned above the upper part 46U of the dispensing conveying belt and generates a front detection signal S53 according to the amount of detection light L1 received, which is sent to the change control unit 21 (Figure 2).

[0051] The post-detection unit 54 is configured similarly to the pre-detection unit 53 and includes a light emitter 54A that emits a predetermined detection light L2 and a light receiver 54B that receives the detection light L2. The light emitter 54A is located below the upper part 46U of the cash dispenser, similar to the light emitter 53A. The light receiver 54B is located above the upper part 46U of the cash dispenser, similar to the light receiver 53B, and generates a post-detection signal S54 according to the amount of detection light L2 received, which is sent to the change control unit 21 (Figure 2).

[0052] For the sake of explanation, in the following, regarding the signal level of the pre-detection signal S53, the state in which the detection light L1 is blocked by the coin CN and the amount of light received by the light receiver 53B is less than a predetermined threshold, i.e., the state in which the coin CN is detected, will be referred to as "on". On the other hand, the state in which the detection light L1 is not blocked and the amount of light received by the light receiver 53B is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, i.e., the state in which the coin CN is not detected, will be referred to as "off". Similarly, regarding the signal level of the post-detection signal S54, the detection state corresponding to the amount of light received by the detection light L2 will be referred to as "on" or "off".

[0053] When the coin dispensing unit 40 performs a dispensing operation, it operates the dispensing transport units 43 of each storage unit 42 based on the control of the change control unit 21. At this time, the coins CN transported forward (i.e. downstream) by each dispensing transport unit 43 pass through the areas illuminated by detection lights L1 and L2 from the front detection unit 53 and the rear detection unit 54, and then eventually fall from the front end of the dispensing transport belt 46 and are stored in the coin dispensing opening 18.

[0054] However, depending on the stacking of coins CN, the dispensing gate roller 51 may not be able to properly break up the coins CN as shown in Figure 7, and may jam the coins CN. At this time, the dispensing transport unit 43 first tries to continue the movement of the belt by rotating rollers 44 and 45, but due to friction between the coins CN and the dispensing transport belt 46, the dispensing transport belt 46 becomes unable to move, and tension is applied to the dispensing transport belt 46 for a while.

[0055] Eventually, the change control unit 21 detects, using a predetermined detection unit, that the cash conveying belt 46 is not moving and that the rollers 44 and 45 are not rotating, and stops the rotational drive of the rollers 44 and 45. As a result, the upper part U of the cash conveying belt 46 moves slightly backward due to the tension applied, causing the coins CN placed on it to move slightly backward.

[0056] [1-2-3. Arrangement of the pre-detection unit and post-detection unit] Next, the detailed arrangement of the pre-detection unit 53 and the post-detection unit 54 in the coin dispensing unit 40 will be described. As shown in Figure 8(A), which is an enlarged view of a part of Figure 5(A), the light emitter 53A and light receiver 53B of the pre-detection unit 53 are mounted in positions such that detection light L1 passes through the pre-detection hole H1 drilled in the guide wall 47. Similarly, the light emitter 54A and light receiver 54B of the post-detection unit 54 are mounted in positions such that detection light L2 passes through the post-detection hole H2 drilled in the guide wall 48.

[0057] Furthermore, the positions of the front detection hole H1 and the rear detection hole H2 are adjusted so that they are separated by a predetermined gap S from the guide wall side surface 47B and the guide wall side surface 48B, respectively. This gap S is set between the diameter D of the coin CN and the transport path width W (Figure 6) to satisfy the following equations (3) and (4).

[0058] S <D ……(3) WS <D ……(4)

[0059] As a result, the front detection unit 53 and the rear detection unit 54 can reliably block the detection light L1 and L2 with the coin CN being transported by the dispensing conveyor belt 46, even if the coin CN is biased to either the left or right and is transported while in contact with the guide wall side surface 47B or the guide wall side surface 48B, thereby detecting its presence. Furthermore, the rear detection hole H2 is located a distance G in front of the front detection hole H1. Therefore, from the perspective of a coin CN being transported forward by the dispensing conveyor belt 46, the rear detection hole H2 is reached after the front detection hole H1.

[0060] Furthermore, the positions of the front detection hole H1 and the rear detection hole H2, that is, the positions of the front detection unit 53 and the rear detection unit 54, can take any of the detection states shown in Figures 8(A), (B), (C), and (D) during the process of transporting the coins CN forward by the coin transport belt 46.

[0061] Figure 8(A) shows a state where two coins CN1 and CN2 are being transported by the dispensing conveyor belt 46 in a connected front-to-back configuration, with the front detection hole H1 and rear detection hole H2 both positioned behind the center CN1Q of coin CN1 and in front of the center CN2Q of coin CN2. Furthermore, coins CN1 and CN2 are in contact between the front detection hole H1 and rear detection hole H2 in the front-to-back direction. At this time, both the front detection signal S53 and the rear detection signal S54 are off. The front detection signal S53 and the rear detection signal S54 are also off when there are no coins CN near the front detection unit 53 and the rear detection unit 54. Hereinafter, this will be referred to as the no-detection state ST0.

[0062] Figure 8(B) shows a state where a single coin CN1 is being transported by the dispensing conveyor belt 46, with the front detection hole H1 covered by the coin CN, while the rear detection hole H2 is not covered. At this time, the front detection signal S53 is ON, while the rear detection signal S54 is OFF. Hereafter, this will be referred to as the front detection state ST1.

[0063] Figure 8(C) shows a state where a single coin CN is being transported by the dispensing conveyor belt 46, and both the front detection hole H1 and the rear detection hole H2 are covered by the coin CN. At this time, both the front detection signal S53 and the rear detection signal S54 are ON. Hereinafter, this will be referred to as the double detection state ST2.

[0064] Figure 8(D) shows a state in which a single coin CN1 is being transported by the dispensing conveyor belt 46, with the front detection hole H1 not covered by the coin CN, while the rear detection hole H2 is covered. At this time, the front detection signal S53 is off, while the rear detection signal S54 is on. Hereafter, this will be referred to as the rear detection state ST3.

[0065] Thus, the pre-detection signal S53 and the post-detection signal S54 can take on four types of detection states (no detection state ST0, pre-detection state ST1, both detection states ST2, and post-detection state ST3) in terms of signal level (i.e., on or off). The relationship between each detection state and the signal levels of the pre-detection signal S53 and the post-detection signal S54 can be summarized and represented as shown in the detection table TBL1 in Figure 9. Incidentally, the distance G of the coin dispensing unit 40 is set to a relatively small value so that when transporting coins CN, it does not take on any detection states other than the four types of detection states described above, for example, when the pre-detection hole H1 is covered by coin CN1 while the post-detection hole H2 is covered by another coin CN2.

[0066] [1-3. Coin Recognition and Counting] Next, the process for recognizing and counting coins CN based on the states of the pre-detection signal S53 and the post-detection signal S54 will be explained, divided into basic processing and processing to improve accuracy.

[0067] [1-3-1. Basic coin recognition process] First, in the coin dispensing section 40, we assume that one coin CN is transported forward by the dispensing conveying belt 46 as time progresses. Figure 10 shows a simplified plan view of the positional relationship between the coin CN and each detection hole, corresponding to five points in time, such as t0, t1, t2, t3, and t4, and signal waveforms representing the time-dependent change in the signal levels of the pre-detection signal S53 and the post-detection signal S54.

[0068] At time t0, neither the front detection hole H1 nor the rear detection hole H2 is covered by the coin CN, and both the front detection signal S53 and the rear detection signal S54 are off. At this time, the detection state is the no-detection state ST0. At time t1, the coin CN covers the front detection hole H1 but not the rear detection hole H2, so the front detection signal S53 is on and the rear detection signal S54 is off. At this time, the detection state is the front detection state ST1.

[0069] At time t2, the coin CN covers both the front detection hole H1 and the rear detection hole H2, so both the front detection signal S53 and the rear detection signal S54 are turned on. At this time, the detection state is the double detection state ST2. At time t3, the coin CN covers the rear detection hole H2 but not the front detection hole H1, so the front detection signal S53 is turned off and the rear detection signal S54 is turned on. At this time, the detection state is the rear detection state ST3. At time t4, the coin CN does not cover either the front detection hole H1 or the rear detection hole H2, so both the front detection signal S53 and the rear detection signal S54 are turned off. At this time, the detection state returns to the no-detection state ST0.

[0070] Thus, when a single coin CN is transported forward in the coin dispensing unit 40, the detection state transitions in the following order: no detection state ST0, first detection state ST1, both detection state ST2, second detection state ST3, and no detection state ST0. Conversely, if a single coin CN is transported backward in the coin dispensing unit 40, the detection state transitions in the following order: no detection state ST0, second detection state ST3, both detection state ST2, first detection state ST1, and no detection state ST0.

[0071] Therefore, if the transitions occur in the following order: no detection state ST0 to first detection state ST1, first detection state ST1 to both detection state ST2, both detection state ST2 to later detection state ST3, and later detection state ST3 to no detection state ST0, it can be determined that the coin CN is moving forward, i.e., downstream. On the other hand, if the transitions occur in the following order: no detection state ST0 to later detection state ST3, later detection state ST3 to both detection state ST2, both detection state ST2 to first detection state ST1, and first detection state ST1 to no detection state ST0, it can be determined that the coin CN is moving backward, i.e., upstream.

[0072] Furthermore, if the same detection state persists, it can be determined that the coin CN is stationary, moving very slowly in either the forward or backward direction, or not being transported at all (only in the case of no detection state ST0) for the duration corresponding to the detection cycle.

[0073] In contrast, when the transition occurs in the order of no detection state ST0 to both detection state ST2, and from the first detection state ST1 to the second detection state ST3, as well as in the reverse order, it can be determined that the coin CN has not been detected correctly, that is, at least one of the first detection unit 53 and the second detection unit 54 is malfunctioning.

[0074] The relationship between the detection state before and after these transitions can be summarized and represented as shown in the detection state transition table TBL2 in Figure 11. That is, from this detection state transition table TBL2, it is possible to determine the movement status of the coin CN, such as whether the coin CN is moving forward, moving backward, stationary, or whether at least one of the forward detection unit 53 and the backward detection unit 54 is abnormal, based on the detection state before and after the transition.

[0075] Therefore, the change control unit 21 (Figure 2) stores the detection table TBL1 (Figure 9) and the detection state transition table TBL2 (Figure 11) in the memory 23 beforehand. When the coin dispensing unit 40 dispenses coins CN, the change control unit 21 first acquires the detection signals (pre-detection signal S53 and post-detection signal S54) from the pre-detection unit 53 and post-detection unit 54 at a predetermined detection cycle (for example, 50 Hz), and determines the detection state for each detection cycle by referring to the detection table TBL1. Subsequently, the change control unit 21 refers to the detection state transition table TBL2 and recognizes the movement status of the coins CN, such as the direction of movement (forward or backward) or stagnation, based on the transition of the detection state in two consecutive detection cycles.

[0076] Here, the change control unit 21 determines that one coin CN has been dispensed when it transitions from an undetected state ST0, through a first detection state ST1, a double detection state ST2, and a later detection state ST3, and then returns to an undetected state ST0, and increases the number of dispensed coins CN by 1. Also, if the change control unit 21 transitions from an undetected state ST0, through a later detection state ST3, a double detection state ST2, and a first detection state ST1, and then returns to an undetected state ST0, it determines that for some reason one coin CN has moved backward and returned from the coin dispensing slot 18 side to the storage compartment 42 side, and decreases the number of dispensed coins CN by 1.

[0077] On the other hand, the change control unit 21 determines that a coin CN that was moving forward has switched direction and returned to the backward direction when it transitions in the order of no detection state ST0, first detection state ST1 and no detection state ST0, or when it transitions in the order of no detection state ST0, first detection state ST1, both detection state ST2, first detection state ST1 and no detection state ST0. At this time, the change control unit 21 does not increase or decrease the number of coins CN that have been dispensed.

[0078] Similarly, the change control unit 21 determines that a coin CN that was moving backward has switched direction and returned to the forward direction when it transitions in the order of no detection state ST0, post-detection state ST3 and no detection state ST0, or when it transitions in the order of no detection state ST0, post-detection state ST3, both detection state ST2, post-detection state ST3 and no detection state ST0. In this case as well, the change control unit 21 does not increase or decrease the number of coins CN that have been dispensed.

[0079] In this way, the change control unit 21 determines the detection state for each period based on detection signals periodically obtained from the pre-detection unit 53 and the post-detection unit 54 through basic coin recognition and counting processes, recognizes the movement status of the coins CN from the transitions, and also counts the number of coins CN that have been dispensed.

[0080] [1-3-2. Time of change in detection state in the detection unit] Next, we will explain the relationship between the transport state of the coin CN and the time interval when the pre-detection signal S53 and the post-detection signal S54, respectively, change to "on" or "off" in the pre-detection unit 53 and post-detection unit 54 of the coin dispensing unit 40.

[0081] Here, we assume that in the coin dispensing unit 40, two coins CN are being transported normally with their peripheral surfaces in contact with each other (hereinafter referred to as the connected state), and that the front detection unit 53 and the rear detection unit 54 are able to properly detect the coins CN (hereinafter referred to as connected normal detection). In this case, as shown in Figure 12, the front detection signal S53 changes from off to on and then back to off for each coin CN. The rear detection signal S54 changes similarly, with a slight delay compared to the front detection signal S53.

[0082] In Figure 12, the timing of when the pre-detection signal S53 changes to ON for the first time is defined as times t11 to t13, with reference to time t10. Furthermore, the single coin time TP1, coin interval time TP2, and connected coin time TP3 are defined. That is, the pre-detection signal S53 is first ON at time t10, first OFF at time t11, second ON at time t12, and second OFF at time t13.

[0083] The single coin time TP1 represents the time from time t10 to t11 and the time from time t12 to t13, respectively, and corresponds to the time from when a single coin CN begins to pass through the pre-detection hole H1 (i.e., the position of the pre-detection unit 53) until it finishes passing through. This single coin time TP1 is the shortest time that the pre-detection signal S53 remains ON when a single coin CN is transported normally. Hereafter, the single coin time TP1 will also be referred to as the shortest detection time.

[0084] The coin interval time TP2 represents the time from time t11 to t12, and corresponds to the time from when the first coin CN1 has finished passing through the first detection hole H1 until the second coin CN2 begins to pass through. This coin interval time TP2 is the shortest time that the first detection signal S53 remains in the off state when two connected coins CN are transported normally. Hereafter, the coin interval time TP2 will also be referred to as the shortest intermediate off time.

[0085] The connected coin time TP3 represents the time from time t10 to t13, and corresponds to the time from when the first coin CN1 begins to pass through the first detection hole H1 until the second coin CN2 finishes passing through the same first detection hole H1. This coin interval time TP2 is the shortest time during which the first detection signal S53 changes from on, off, on, and off when two connected coins CN are transported normally. Hereafter, the connected coin time TP3 will also be referred to as the shortest total detection time.

[0086] [1-3-3. Detection and Response to Anomalies] Next, we will explain the cases in which the forward detection unit 53 and the post-detection unit 54 of the coin dispensing unit 40 do not match the transport state of the coin CN based on the forward detection signal S53 and the post-detection signal S54, or when the transport state of the coin CN cannot be detected properly, i.e., when an abnormality occurs. In the following explanation, we will use the forward detection unit 53 as an example, but the same applies to the post-detection unit 54.

[0087] In the coin dispensing section 40, the coins CN being transported by the dispensing conveyor belt 46 may vibrate due to the effects of impacts, for example, occurring inside or outside the coin deposit / dispensing section 12. At this time, the detection unit 53 may experience fluctuations in which the detection light L1 and detection light L2, which were previously blocked by the coins CN, are temporarily no longer blocked, causing the detection signal S53 to temporarily switch from ON to OFF and then immediately back to ON. Hereinafter, this will be referred to as a vibration abnormality.

[0088] When this vibration anomaly occurs, the pre-detection signal S53, as shown in Figure 13, starts from off, similar to the case of normal connection detection (Figure 12), and changes sequentially to on, off, on, and off, resulting in a pattern where on appears twice. Here, the timing at which the pre-detection signal S53 changes to on for the first time is defined as time t20, and the timings at which subsequent changes occur are defined as times t21 to t23, respectively. In other words, the pre-detection signal S53 becomes on for the first time at time t20, off for the first time at time t21, on for the second time at time t22, and off for the second time at time t23.

[0089] Here, we focus on the total detection time TA and the intermediate off time TM in Figure 13. When a vibration anomaly occurs, the total detection time TA should be about the same as the single coin time TP1, and even considering errors, it should be significantly shorter than the connected coin time TP3. On the other hand, considering the period when a single coin CN vibrates, the intermediate off time TM is expected to be significantly shorter than the coin spacing time TP2.

[0090] On the other hand, in the coin dispensing unit 40, as schematically shown in Figure 14, which corresponds to Figure 8(A), a foreign object OBJ may adhere to the front side of the second coin CN2. Hereinafter, this will be referred to as a foreign object abnormality. At this time, the pre-detection signal S53 changes sequentially from off to on, off, on, and off, as shown in Figure 15, for example, with a pattern in which it is on twice. Here, the timing at which the pre-detection signal S53 changes to on for the first time is defined as time t30, and the timings at which subsequent changes occur are defined as times t31 to t33, respectively. That is, the pre-detection signal S53 is first on at time t30, first off at time t31, second on at time t32, and second off at time t33.

[0091] When this foreign object anomaly occurs, in the case of the initial detection signal S53, compared to the case of normal connection detection (Figure 12), time t32 is earlier than time t12 due to the influence of the foreign object OBJ, and the intermediate off time TM is shorter than the coin interval time TP2. In this case, the total detection time TA is expected to be equal to or longer than the connected coin time TP3, taking into account detection errors, etc.

[0092] As described above, in the case of normal connection detection (Figure 12), when a vibration abnormality occurs in one coin CN (Figure 13), and when a foreign object abnormality occurs during the transport of two coins CN (Figure 15), the forward detection signal S53 will show ON twice. However, in the case of a vibration abnormality, although the forward detection signal S53 shows ON twice, it is necessary to recognize that only one coin CN was transported. In this case, the transport process of the coins CN is performed normally, and it is not necessary to stop the dispensing process or perform maintenance work. On the other hand, if a foreign object abnormality occurs, it is necessary to determine that an abnormality has occurred, stop the dispensing process, and have maintenance personnel perform appropriate maintenance work.

[0093] Therefore, we will examine the conditions for distinguishing between cases where a vibration anomaly occurs and cases where two coins CN are transported and detected normally, or cases where a foreign object anomaly occurs. First, if the intermediate off time TM is shorter than the coin spacing time TP2, it is not at least not the case of normal connection detection (Figure 12), but in addition to the possibility of a vibration anomaly (Figure 13), there is also the possibility of a foreign object anomaly (Figure 15).

[0094] Next, focusing on the total detection time TA, if the total detection time TA is shorter than the connected coin time TP3, the possibility of there being two coins CN is ruled out, and it can be determined to be a vibration anomaly (Figure 13). If the total detection time TA is equal to or greater than the connected coin time TP3, it can be determined to be a foreign object anomaly (Figure 15).

[0095] Based on these considerations, the change control unit 21 (Figure 2), which controls the coin dispensing unit 40, pre-defines a reference time TPS as a criterion for making decisions regarding the time of the detected state. As shown in Figure 12, this reference time TPS is set to a time that satisfies the following relationship (5) between the single coin time TP1, the coin interval time TP2, and the connected coin time TP3.

[0096] TP1+TP2 <TPS<TP3 ……(5)

[0097] Furthermore, when two ON signals appear in the waveform of the detection state in the pre-detection unit 53, the change control unit 21 performs comparison processing with respect to the intermediate OFF time TM and the total detection time TA between the coin interval time TP2 and the reference time TPS, as shown in equations (6) and (7) below. Hereinafter, the coin interval time TP2 will also be referred to as the first threshold, and the reference time TPS will also be referred to as the second threshold.

[0098] TM <TP2 ……(6) TA <TPS ……(7)

[0099] The change control unit 21 determines that if both equations (6) and (7) are satisfied, a vibration anomaly (Figure 13) has occurred, and although the coins CN are being transported normally, an anomaly is indicated in the pre-detection signal S53. At this time, the change control unit 21 determines that the transport process of the coins CN is normal, and performs a correction process to turn on the detection state for the entire duration of the total detection time TA, in order to consider that the detection state was continuously on during the intermediate off time TM, and then performs recognition processing based on the detection state transition table TBL2 (Figure 11). Also, if at least one of equations (6) and (7) is not satisfied, the change control unit 21 determines that a foreign object anomaly has occurred instead of a vibration anomaly, or that the two coins have passed through normally. At this time, the change control unit 21 performs recognition processing based on the detection state transition table TBL2 (Figure 11) without performing the correction process to turn on the intermediate off time TM as described above.

[0100] [1-3-4. Vibration Anomaly Correction Processing] Next, the vibration abnormality correction process, which determines vibration abnormalities and corrects the detection state in the change control unit 21, will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 16. The coin interval time TP2 and the reference time TPS (Figure 12) are pre-stored in the memory 23 (Figure 2) of the change control unit 21. Here, the pre-detection unit 53 will be used as an example, but the same process is performed for the post-detection unit 54.

[0101] When a coin CN is dispensed from the coin dispensing unit 40, the change control unit 21 (Figure 2) starts the vibration abnormality correction procedure RT1 (Figure 16) by having the CPU 22 read and execute the vibration abnormality correction program from the memory 23, and then moves to the first step SP1. In step SP1, the change control unit 21 checks the signal level (i.e., on or off) based on the pre-detection signal S53 obtained from the pre-detection unit 53, and then moves to the next step SP2.

[0102] In step SP2, the change control unit 21 determines whether the previously detected signal S53 has changed from on to off, that is, whether it has fallen and the on period has ended. If a negative result is obtained here, the change control unit 221 returns to step SP1 and waits for the timing when the signal level will change from on to off.

[0103] On the other hand, if a positive result is obtained in step SP2, this indicates that the pre-detection signal S53 has changed from on to off, and therefore it is necessary to check whether or not a vibration abnormality has occurred. At this point, the change control unit 21 moves on to the next step SP3.

[0104] In step SP3, the change control unit 21 focuses on the two most recent ON periods in the detected signal S53, calculates the intermediate OFF time TM and the total detection time TA (Figure 13), and then proceeds to the next step SP4.

[0105] In step SP4, the change control unit 21 determines whether the intermediate off time TM is shorter (smaller) than the coin interval time TP2, and whether the total detection time TA is shorter (smaller) than the reference time TPS. If a positive result is obtained here, it indicates that there is a high probability that the two ON portions currently under consideration in the previously detected signal S53 are due to abnormal vibration. At this point, the change control unit 21 moves on to the next step SP5.

[0106] In step SP5, the change control unit 21 performs a correction process on the two ON portions of the previously detected signal S53 that are currently under focus, so that the signal level during the intermediate OFF time TM is continuously considered ON, that is, the entire duration of the total detection time TA is ON, and then moves on to the next step SP6.

[0107] In step SP6, the change control unit 21 completes the vibration abnormality correction processing procedure RT1 and, based on the corrected pre-detection signal S53 and post-detection signal S54, determines the transition of the detection state and performs recognition processing according to the detection state transition table TBL2 (Figure 11). Incidentally, the change control unit 21 repeatedly executes the vibration abnormality correction processing procedure RT1 while the cash dispensing process is being performed and the cash dispensing conveyor belt 46 is running.

[0108] On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step SP4, this indicates that the two ON periods currently under focus in the detection state are not due to abnormal vibration, but are highly likely to be due to the passage of two normal coins or a foreign object abnormality. At this point, the change control unit 21 moves to the next step SP6 without performing the processing in step SP5 and terminates the vibration abnormality correction processing procedure RT1. After that, the change control unit 21 determines the transition of the detection state based on the pre-detection signal S53 and the post-detection signal S54, and then performs recognition processing according to the detection state transition table TBL2 (Figure 11). Incidentally, if the change control unit 21 determines that a foreign object abnormality has occurred by performing a predetermined abnormality determination process, it performs abnormality response processing such as stopping the dispensing process or notifying the occurrence of the abnormality.

[0109] [1-4. Effects, etc.] In the above configuration, the coin deposit / discharge unit 12 of the cash register change system 1 according to the first embodiment changes the forward detection signal S53 and the backward detection signal S54 generated by the forward detection unit 53 and the backward detection unit 54, respectively, on or off according to the position of the coins CN being transported by the dispensing transport belt 46 of the coin dispensing unit 40. The change control unit 21 recognizes the movement status of the coins CN based on four types of detection state transitions (Figure 11) determined based on the signal levels of the forward detection signal S53 and the backward detection signal S54, and further counts the number of coins CN.

[0110] At this time, the change control unit 21 determines whether or not there is a vibration abnormality based on the two most recent ON portions in the pre-detection signal S53 and the post-detection signal S54, and corrects the detection state to treat it as one consecutive ON if a vibration abnormality has occurred (Figure 16). As a result, even if two ONs appear in the portion corresponding to one coin CN due to the occurrence of a vibration abnormality in the pre-detection signal S53 and the post-detection signal S54 (Figure 13), the change control unit 21 can correct this to one ON and continue to recognize the movement status of the coin CN and count the number of coins.

[0111] As a result, the change control unit 21 can accurately detect the number of coins CN to be dispensed by the coin dispensing unit 40, and can prevent situations in which the dispensing process is stopped due to an abnormal detection status even though the coins CN are being transported normally.

[0112] In particular, the change control unit 21 sets the following conditions for determining whether or not there is a vibration abnormality: in addition to the intermediate off time TM being shorter than the coin interval time TP2 as shown in equation (6), the total detection time TA being shorter than the reference time TPS as shown in equation (7) (Figure 16). Therefore, even if the intermediate off time TM becomes relatively short due to a foreign object abnormality (Figures 14 and 15), the change control unit 21 is not in danger of mistakenly determining this as a vibration abnormality, and can accurately determine the vibration abnormality.

[0113] Furthermore, in the coin deposit / dispensing unit 12, compared to the coin dispensing unit described in Patent Document 1, the coin dispensing unit 40 does not require the addition of sensors or structural changes. Instead, the change control unit 21 executes the vibration abnormality correction procedure RT1 (Figure 16) based on the pre-detection signal S53 and post-detection signal S54 obtained from the existing pre-detection unit 53 and post-detection unit 54. Therefore, the coin deposit / dispensing unit 12 does not require any changes to the hardware configuration of the coin dispensing unit described in Patent Document 1, and can address vibration abnormalities with relatively low costs such as adding or modifying programs.

[0114] In addition, the coin deposit / discharge unit 12 corrects the pre-detection signal S53 and post-detection signal S54 only when it determines that there is a vibration abnormality, and maintains the pre-detection signal S53 and post-detection signal S54 as they are otherwise. As a result, the coin deposit / discharge unit 12 can recognize the movement status of coins CN and count the number of coins based on the detection state transition table TBL2 (Figure 11) using a method similar to that described in Patent Document 1, based on the state transitions in the pre-detection signal S53 and post-detection signal S54.

[0115] With the above configuration, the coin dispensing unit 40 of the coin deposit / dispensing unit 12 changes the pre-detection signal S53 and the post-detection signal S54 on or off, respectively, based on the coins CN transported by the dispensing transport belt 46. At this time, the change control unit 21 determines that a vibration abnormality has occurred if, in the portion where the unit is turned on twice in each detection state, the intermediate off time TM is shorter than the coin interval time TP2 and the total detection time TA is shorter than the reference time TPS, and corrects the detection state to one consecutive on. As a result, the coin deposit / dispensing unit 12 can prevent the dispensing process from being stopped due to the detection state being determined to be abnormal, and can accurately recognize the movement status of the coins CN and count the number of coins without being affected by vibration abnormalities.

[0116] [2. Second Embodiment] The cash register change system 201 (Figure 1) according to the second embodiment differs from the cash register change system 1 according to the first embodiment in that it has a change dispenser 203 instead of the change dispenser 3, but is otherwise configured similarly. The change dispenser 203 differs from the change dispenser 3 according to the first embodiment in that it has a change control unit 221 instead of the change control unit 21, but is otherwise configured similarly.

[0117] The change control unit 221 differs from the first embodiment in that it has a memory 223 instead of memory 23, but is otherwise configured similarly. Memory 223 stores a vibration abnormality correction program and the like, which is partially different from memory 23 in the first embodiment.

[0118] In this second embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the change control unit 221 determines the presence or absence of vibration abnormalities by combining the changes in the signal levels of both the pre-detection signal S53 and the post-detection signal S54, and corrects the changes in the signal waveform caused by the vibration abnormalities.

[0119] As shown in Figure 10, in the coin dispensing unit 40, when a single coin CN is being transported normally forward by the dispensing conveying belt 46, that is, when it is being transported without vibration abnormalities, the detection states transition in the following order: no detection state ST0, first detection state ST1, both detection states ST2, second detection state ST3, and no detection state ST0. Hereinafter, this pattern of detection state transitions will be referred to as the normal transition pattern.

[0120] Here, we consider the case where an abnormal vibration occurs in a single coin CN being transported forward by the dispensing conveyor belt 46. First, Figure 17 shows the waveform and the transition of the detection state when the pre-detection signal S53 is temporarily turned off due to the abnormal vibration. In Figure 17, the timing of when the pre-detection signal S53 or the post-detection signal S54 changes to on or off is set to times t51 to t55, with time t50 being the reference time when the pre-detection signal S53 changes to on for the first time. That is, the pre-detection signal S53 is first turned on at time t50, first turned off at time t52, second turned on at time t53, and second turned off at time t54. In this case, the detection state will transition in the following order: no detection state ST0, pre-detection state ST1, both detection states ST2, post-detection state ST3, both detection states ST2, post-detection state ST3, and no detection state ST0. Hereafter, this pattern of detection state transitions will be called the pre-vibration abnormal transition pattern.

[0121] Next, Figure 18 shows the waveform and detection state transitions when the post-detection signal S54 is temporarily turned off due to abnormal vibration. In Figure 18, the timing of when the pre-detection signal S53 turns on for the first time is taken as the reference time t60, and the timing of when the pre-detection signal S53 or post-detection signal S54 turns on or off is taken as times t61 to t65, respectively. That is, the post-detection signal S54 turns on for the first time at time t61, turns off for the first time at time t62, turns on for the second time at time t63, and turns off for the second time at time t65. In this case, the detection state transitions in the following order: no detection state ST0, pre-detection state ST1, both detection states ST2, pre-detection state ST1, both detection states ST2, post-detection state ST3, and no detection state ST0. Hereafter, this detection state transition pattern will be called the post-vibration abnormality transition pattern.

[0122] On the other hand, in the coin dispensing unit 40, as schematically shown in Figure 19, which corresponds to Figure 14, when two coins CN1 and CN2 are transported in a connected state, a foreign object OBJ may get stuck between the first coin CN1 and the second coin CN2, i.e., a foreign object abnormality may occur. At this time, the post-detection signal S54 remains ON for the portion corresponding to the coin spacing time TP2 (Figure 12), as shown in Figure 20, for example. In Figure 20, the timing of when the pre-detection signal S53 or post-detection signal S54 changes to ON or OFF is set to times t71 to t75, with reference to time t70, when the pre-detection signal S53 changes to ON for the first time. That is, the pre-detection signal S53 is first ON at time t70, first OFF at time t72, second ON at time t73, and second OFF at time t74.

[0123] Comparing Figure 20 with Figure 17, we see that all detected states follow a pre-vibration anomaly transition pattern, transitioning in the order of "no detection state ST0, pre-detection state ST1, both detection states ST2, post-detection state ST3, both detection states ST2, post-detection state ST3 and no detection state ST0". Therefore, the change control unit 221 cannot distinguish between vibration anomalies and foreign object anomalies from the detection state transition patterns of the pre-detection signal S53 and post-detection signal S54.

[0124] Therefore, in the second embodiment, the same determination process as in the first embodiment is performed using the total detection time TA and the intermediate off time TM. In both Figure 17 and Figure 18, the same relationship as in the first embodiment (Figure 13) applies to the total detection time TA and the intermediate off time TM. That is, the total detection time TA is about the same as the single coin time TP1 shown in Figure 12, and even considering errors, it is a sufficiently shorter time than the connected coin time TP3. Also, considering the period when a single coin CN vibrates, the intermediate off time TM is expected to be a sufficiently shorter time than the coin spacing time TP2 shown in Figure 12.

[0125] On the other hand, if a foreign object abnormality occurs as shown in Figure 19, the pre-detection signal S53 and post-detection signal S54 in Figure 20 are expected to have an intermediate off time TM equivalent to the coin interval time TP2, and a total detection time TA equivalent to or greater than the connected coin time TP3, compared to the case of normal connection detection (Figure 12).

[0126] Therefore, in the change control unit 221, similar to the change control unit 21 in the first embodiment, a reference time TPS was set between the single coin time TP1, the coin interval time TP2, and the connected coin time TP3 such that equation (5) was satisfied. Also, in the change control unit 221, similar to the change control unit 21, conditions such as those in equations (6) and (7) were set between the intermediate off time TM and the total detection time TA, and the coin interval time TP2 and the reference time TPS.

[0127] TP1+TP2 <TPS<TP3 ……(5) TM <TP2 ……(6) TA <TPS ……(7)

[0128] The change control unit 221 determines that a vibration anomaly has occurred if the detection state in the pre-detection signal S53 and the post-detection signal S54 is either a pre-vibration anomaly transition pattern (Figure 17) or a post-vibration anomaly transition pattern (Figure 18), and both equations (6) and (7) are satisfied. At this time, the change control unit 221 considers that the detection state was continuously on during the intermediate off time TM, that is, it corrects the detection state to on for the entire duration of the total detection time TA, and then performs recognition processing based on the detection state transition table TBL2 (Figure 11).

[0129] Furthermore, if the change control unit 221 detects that a foreign object abnormality has occurred rather than a vibration abnormality, even if it is either a pre-vibration abnormality transition pattern (Figure 17) or a post-vibration abnormality transition pattern (Figure 18), and at least one of equations (6) and (7) is not satisfied, it will determine that a foreign object abnormality has occurred and will perform abnormality response processing such as stopping the cash withdrawal process.

[0130] Next, the vibration abnormality correction process, which determines vibration abnormalities and corrects the detection state in the change control unit 221, will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 21, which corresponds to Figure 16. Note that, as in the first embodiment, the coin interval time TP2 and the reference time TPS (Figure 12) are pre-stored in the memory 223 (Figure 2) of the change control unit 221.

[0131] When a coin CN is dispensed from the coin dispensing unit 40, the change control unit 221 (Figure 2) starts the vibration abnormality correction procedure RT2 (Figure 21) by having the CPU 22 read and execute the vibration abnormality correction program from the memory 223, and then moves to the first step SP21. In step SP21, the change control unit 221 checks the transition pattern of the most recent detection state based on the changes in the pre-detection signal S53 and post-detection signal S54 obtained from the pre-detection unit 53 and post-detection unit 54, and then moves to the next step SP22.

[0132] In step SP22, the change control unit 221 determines whether the most recent detected state transition pattern is either a pre-vibration abnormality transition pattern (Figure 17) or a post-vibration abnormality transition pattern (Figure 18). If a negative result is obtained, the change control unit 221 returns to step SP1 and waits for the appearance of either a pre-vibration abnormality transition pattern or a post-vibration abnormality transition pattern.

[0133] On the other hand, if a positive result is obtained in step SP22, this indicates that it is necessary to confirm whether or not a vibration anomaly has occurred. At this point, the change control unit 21 moves on to the next step SP23. In step SP23, the change control unit 221 focuses on the two most recent ON periods in the pre-detection signal S53 if it is a pre-vibration anomaly transition pattern (Figure 17), or in the post-detection signal S54 if it is a post-vibration anomaly transition pattern (Figure 18), calculates the intermediate OFF time TM and the total detection time TA respectively, and moves on to the next step SP24.

[0134] Subsequently, in steps SP24 to SP26, the change control unit 221 performs the same processing as in steps SP4 to SP6 (Figure 16). That is, if the intermediate off time TM is shorter than the coin interval time TP2 and the total detection time TA is shorter than the reference time TPS, the change control unit 221 determines that a vibration anomaly has occurred, corrects the signal level of the intermediate off time TM to turn on, and terminates the vibration anomaly correction processing procedure RT2. Incidentally, similar to the first embodiment, the change control unit 221 repeatedly executes the vibration anomaly correction processing procedure RT2 while the dispensing process is being performed and the dispensing conveyor belt 46 is running.

[0135] In the above configuration, the change control unit 221 of the cash register change system 201 according to the second embodiment determines that a vibration anomaly has occurred and corrects the detection signal if a pre-vibration anomaly transition pattern (Figure 17) or a post-vibration anomaly transition pattern (Figure 18) appears, and the intermediate off time TM is shorter than the coin interval time TP2, and the total detection time TA is shorter than the reference time TPS. As a result, the change control unit 221 can accurately detect the number of coins CN to be dispensed by the coin dispensing unit 40, similar to the first embodiment, and can prevent situations in which the dispensing process is stopped due to an abnormal detection state even though the coins CN are being transported normally.

[0136] In particular, the change control unit 221 adds the condition that the detection state transition pattern determined based on both the pre-detection signal S53 and the post-detection signal S54 is either a pre-vibration abnormality transition pattern (Figure 17) or a post-vibration abnormality transition pattern (Figure 18). Therefore, the change control unit 221 can determine the presence or absence of vibration abnormalities with higher accuracy compared to the first embodiment, which uses only one of the pre-detection signal S53 or the post-detection signal S54.

[0137] In other respects as well, the cash register change system 201 according to the second embodiment can achieve the same effects and advantages as the cash register change system 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0138] [3. Other Embodiments] In the first embodiment described above, the determination of the detection state based on the pre-detection signal S53 and the post-detection signal S54, and the execution of the vibration abnormality correction processing procedure RT1 (Figure 16) were performed in the change control unit 21 (Figure 2). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a coin control unit that performs calculation processing may be provided in the coin deposit / dispensing unit 12, and the determination of the detection state based on the pre-detection signal S53 and the post-detection signal S54, and the execution of the vibration abnormality correction processing procedure RT1 may be performed in the coin control unit, or the change control unit 21 and the coin control unit may perform these operations in cooperation. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0139] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, only one type of coin spacing time TP2 is pre-stored in memory 23 (Figure 2), and this is read out and used when the vibration abnormality correction processing procedure RT1 (Figure 16) is executed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the coin spacing time TP2 may be measured for each denomination of coins CN and pre-stored in memory 23, and when the vibration abnormality correction processing procedure RT1 (Figure 16) is executed, the coin spacing time TP2 corresponding to the denomination in the storage compartment 42 may be read out and used. This makes it possible to improve the accuracy of vibration abnormality detection, for example, when the diameter of the coins differs greatly for each denomination. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0140] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, only one type of reference time TPS is pre-stored in memory 23 (Figure 2), and this is read out and used when the vibration abnormality correction processing procedure RT1 (Figure 16) is executed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a reference time TPS may be set for each denomination of coin CN within a range that satisfies equation (5), and the reference time TPS corresponding to the denomination in the storage compartment 42 may be read out and used when the vibration abnormality correction processing procedure RT1 (Figure 16) is executed. This makes it possible to improve the accuracy of vibration abnormality detection, for example, when the diameter of the coins differs greatly for each denomination. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0141] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, a configuration was described in which a front detection hole H1 through which the detection light L1 of the front detection unit 53 passes is drilled in the guide wall 47, and a rear detection hole H2 through which the detection light L2 of the rear detection unit 54 passes is drilled in the guide wall 48, that is, arranged on the left and right sides of the cash dispensing conveyor belt 46, respectively. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the front detection hole H1 and the rear detection hole H2 may both be placed on the guide wall 47, that is, on the left side of the cash dispensing conveyor belt 46, or they may be placed on either the left or right side of the cash dispensing conveyor belt 46, or for example, if the cash dispensing conveyor belt 46 is configured to run on multiple belts, they may be placed between the belts. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0142] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, a configuration was described in which the distance from the guide wall side surface 47B to the front detection hole H1 and the distance from the guide wall side surface 48B to the rear detection hole H2 were the same gap S. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, when the distance from the guide wall side surface 47B to the front detection hole H1 is gap S1 and the distance from the guide wall side surface 48B to the rear detection hole H2 is gap S2, gaps S1 and S2 may be made different. In this case, both gaps S1 and S2 only need to satisfy equations (3) and (4) described above. Also, the distance G between the front detection hole H1 and the rear detection hole H2 in the front-rear direction can be any value within the range in which all four detection states, namely no detection state ST0, front detection state ST1, both detection states ST2 and rear detection state ST3 (Figure 8), can be taken when transporting coins CN, and other detection states cannot be taken. Furthermore, the transport path width W (Figure 6) only needs to be larger than the diameter D of the coin CN, and the coins CN should not be spread out in two or more rows in the left-right direction on the dispensing transport belt 46. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0143] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, a configuration was described in which coins CN are transported by a coin transport belt 46, which is stretched between two rollers arranged front and rear. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and coins CN may be transported back and forth by various transport methods, such as multiple rollers or combinations of rollers and belts. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0144] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, a configuration was described in which the transport path for the coins CN is inclined only in the front-to-back direction and not in the left-to-right direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the transport path for the coins CN may be inclined in the left-to-right direction so that the coins CN are transported while in contact with either the left or right side. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0145] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, an abnormal detection state transition is recognized as "abnormal" in the detection state transition table TBL2 (Figure 11), and a corresponding action such as stopping the withdrawal process or notifying the user of the abnormality is taken. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, withdrawal processing may be stopped or an abnormality notification may be taken only after an abnormal detection state transition has been detected a predetermined number of times or more, or withdrawal processing may be continued while ignoring abnormal detection state transitions. Also, if "stagnation" continues for a predetermined number of times or more, it may be judged as "abnormal." The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0146] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, a method was described in which forward, backward, stagnation, or abnormality is determined from the transition of two consecutive detection states based on the detection state transition table TBL2 (Figure 11). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and forward and backward directions may be determined from various transition patterns. For example, using the two states of no detection state ST0 and both detection state ST2 as delimiters, the transitions in the order of no detection state ST0, first detection state ST1, and both detection state ST2, and the transitions in the order of both detection state ST2, later detection state ST3, and no detection state ST0 may be determined as forward directions. Also, the transitions in the order of no detection state ST0, later detection state ST3, and both detection state ST2, and the transitions in the order of both detection state ST2, first detection state ST1, and no detection state ST0 may be determined as backward directions. In these cases, any other transitions can be determined as abnormal. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0147] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, a configuration was described in which a thin, disc-shaped coin CN, serving as a medium, is transported by the coin dispensing unit 40. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may also be applied when transporting a medium of various shapes, such as a sphere or cylinder, along a transport path. In this case, the shape of the medium should be such that it can take on all four detection states when transporting the coin CN, and not take on any other detection states. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0148] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the present invention was applied to a cash register change dispensing system 1, which is a payment machine operated by a cashier. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may also be applied to a cash register change dispensing system configured as a self-service payment machine or a semi-self-service payment machine operated by the customer themselves. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0149] Furthermore, the first embodiment described above describes an application of the present invention to a cash register change system 1 connected to a POS register used in the checkout area of ​​a supermarket, convenience store, etc. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may also be applied to various devices that handle coins, such as terminals used by bank employees, such as automated teller machines (window terminals) used in banks, and various vending machines. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0150] Furthermore, the first embodiment described above described an application of the present invention to a cash register change system 1 that handles coins as a medium. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may also be applied to a medium transport device that transports various mediums, such as tokens used in amusement arcades. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0151] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and other embodiments. That is, the scope of the present invention extends to embodiments obtained by arbitrarily combining some or all of the embodiments described above and other embodiments. The scope of the present invention also extends to cases where a part of the configuration described in any embodiment among the embodiments described above and other embodiments is extracted and substituted or adapted for a part of the configuration of any embodiment among the embodiments described above and other embodiments, or where the extracted part of the configuration is added to any embodiment.

[0152] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the coin deposit / discharge unit 12 as a media transport device was configured with a dispensing transport unit 43 as a transport unit, guide walls 47 and 48 as guide units, a pre-detection unit 53 as a pre-detection unit, a post-detection unit 54 as a post-detection unit, and a change control unit 21 as a control unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the media transport device may be configured with a transport unit, guide unit, pre-detection unit, post-detection unit, and control unit having various other configurations. [Industrial applicability]

[0153] The present invention can also be used in various conveying devices that transport and count media such as coins. [Explanation of symbols]

[0154] 1, 201... Cash register change system, 3, 203... Change dispenser, 12... Coin deposit / dispensing section, 16... Coin deposit slot, 18... Coin dispensing slot, 21, 221... Change control unit, 40... Coin dispensing section, 42... Storage unit, 46... Dispensing conveyor belt, 47, 48... Guide wall, 47B, 48B... Guide wall side, 53... Front detection unit, 54... Rear detection unit, L1, L2... Detection light, H1... Front passage hole, H2... Rear passage hole Perforation, CN... Coin, S53... Pre-detection signal, S54... Post-detection signal, ST0... No detection state, ST1... Pre-detection state, ST2... Both detection states, ST3... Post-detection state, TA... Total detection time, TM... Intermediate off time, TP1... Single coin time, TP2... Coin interval time, TP3... Connected coin time, TPS... Reference time, TBL1... Detection table, TBL2... Detection state transition table.

Claims

1. A transport unit that performs transport processing to transport the medium in a predetermined transport direction, A guide unit that restricts the movement of the medium in the width direction perpendicular to the transport direction, A pre-detection unit that detects the presence or absence of the aforementioned medium and generates a pre-detection signal that changes to on or off, A post-detection unit, located downstream of the pre-detection unit in the transport direction, detects the presence or absence of the medium and generates a post-detection signal that changes to either on or off. A control unit that determines the direction of movement of the medium and whether the transport process is normal or abnormal based on the transitions of the preceding detection signal and the succeeding detection signal. Equipped with, The control unit, in a situation where at least one of the pre-detection signal or the post-detection signal changes sequentially to a first on, a first off, a second on, and a second off, If the intermediate off time from the first off state to the second on state is less than the first threshold, and the total detection time from the first on state to the second off state is less than the second threshold, a correction process is performed to consider the intermediate off time as on. If the intermediate off time is equal to or greater than the first threshold, or if the total detection time is equal to or greater than the second threshold, the correction process is not performed. The first threshold is the shortest intermediate off time, which is the intermediate off time at which the pre-detection signal and the post-detection signal change to on or off when the two media are transported in contact with each other along the transport direction. The second threshold is smaller than the shortest total detection time, which is the total detection time when the first detection signal and the second detection signal change to on or off when the two media are transported in contact with each other along the transport direction, and is larger than the sum of the shortest detection time from the first on to the first off and the shortest intermediate off time. A media transport device characterized by the following features.

2. The control unit, in a situation where the pre-detection signal changes sequentially to the first ON, the first OFF, the second ON, and the second OFF, and the post-detection signal changes to ON between the first ON and the first OFF, and changes to OFF after the second OFF, If the intermediate off time from the first off to the second on is less than the first threshold, and the total detection time from the first on to the second off is less than the second threshold, the correction process is performed. If the intermediate off-time is equal to or greater than the first threshold, or if the total detection time is equal to or greater than the second threshold, the correction process is not performed. The media transport device according to feature 1.

3. The control unit, in a situation where the post-detection signal changes sequentially to the first ON, the first OFF, the second ON, and the second OFF, and the pre-detection signal changes to ON before the first ON, and changes to OFF between the second ON and the second OFF, If the intermediate off time from the first off to the second on is less than the first threshold, and the total detection time from the first on to the second off is less than the second threshold, the correction process is performed. If the intermediate off-time is equal to or greater than the first threshold, or if the total detection time is equal to or greater than the second threshold, the correction process is not performed. The media transport device according to feature 1.

4. The control unit determines whether to perform the correction process based on the intermediate off time and the total detection time. If it determines to perform the correction process, it performs the correction process and then determines the direction of media movement and whether the transport process is normal or abnormal based on the transitions of the pre-detection signal and the post-detection signal. The media transport device according to feature 1.

5. The aforementioned pre-detection unit and the aforementioned post-detection unit are, The device is configured to take on four detection states during transport of the medium: a double detection state in which both the pre-detection unit and the post-detection unit simultaneously detect one medium; a pre-detection state in which the pre-detection unit detects one medium and the post-detection unit does not detect any other medium; a post-detection state in which the post-detection unit detects one medium and the pre-detection unit does not detect any other medium; and a no-detection state in which neither the pre-detection unit nor the post-detection unit detects any medium between two mediums that are transported in contact with each other along the transport direction, or when no medium is nearby. The media transport device according to feature 1.

6. The control unit, Based on the detection results of the pre-detection unit and the post-detection unit, it is determined that an abnormality occurs if the system transitions from the no-detection state to the state where both detections are made, from the state where both detections are made to the state where no detections are made, from the pre-detection state to the post-detection state, and from the post-detection state to the pre-detection state. The media transport device according to feature 5.

7. The conveying unit comprises a conveying belt that carries the disc-shaped medium in the conveying direction by placing it on its upper portion and traveling along it. The guide section is provided on both sides of the conveyor belt with respect to the width direction, and restricts the range of movement of the medium in the width direction to a conveyor path width W that is greater than the sum of the diameter D and thickness T of the medium and less than twice the diameter D. The aforementioned front detection unit and rear detection unit are arranged such that the distance S from the guide unit in the width direction satisfies the following equations (1) and (2). S < D ... (1) WS<D...(2) The media transport device according to feature 1.

8. A transport step in which the transport unit transports the medium in the transport direction while restricting the movement of the medium with a guide unit in the width direction perpendicular to the predetermined transport direction, A pre-detection step involves a pre-detection unit detecting the presence or absence of the medium and generating a pre-detection signal that changes to either on or off, A post-detection step is provided with respect to the transport direction, where a post-detection unit is located downstream of the pre-detection unit, detects the presence or absence of the medium, and generates a post-detection signal that changes to on or off. The control unit performs a determination step to determine the direction of movement of the medium and whether the transport process is normal or abnormal, based on the transitions of the preceding detection signal and the succeeding detection signal. It has, The determination step is performed when at least one of the pre-detection signal or the post-detection signal changes sequentially to a first on, a first off, a second on, and a second off. If the intermediate off time from the first off state to the second on state is less than the first threshold, and the total detection time from the first on state to the second off state is less than the second threshold, a correction process is performed to consider the intermediate off time as on. If the intermediate off time is equal to or greater than the first threshold, or if the total detection time is equal to or greater than the second threshold, the correction process is not performed. The first threshold is the shortest intermediate off time, which is the intermediate off time at which the pre-detection signal and the post-detection signal change to on or off when the two media are transported in contact with each other along the transport direction. The second threshold is smaller than the shortest total detection time, which is the total detection time when the first detection signal and the second detection signal change to on or off when the two media are transported in contact with each other along the transport direction, and is larger than the sum of the shortest detection time from the first on to the first off and the shortest intermediate off time. A method for determining the transport state, characterized by the features described above.

9. A storage compartment for media, A medium transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which transports the medium from the storage section, A storage section for storing the medium transported by the medium transport device and A media handling device characterized by having the following features.

Images