Article supply device

Abstract

The invention relates to an article supply device. Provided is an article supply device in which countermeasures are taken against the use of counterfeit coins. An article supply device (1) is provided with: an insertion unit (5) into which regular coins and counterfeit coins can be inserted; a passage part (20a) through which the coin inserted from the insertion part (5) can move; and an adsorption part (23) which cannot adsorb the regular coins and can adsorb the counterfeit coins in the passage part (20a), and the adsorption part (23) is arranged as a structural element of the passage part (20a). In a passage part (20a) through which the inserted coins pass, an adsorption part (23) capable of adsorbing only the counterfeit coins is used as a structural element of the passage part (20a), for example, a part of a side wall part of the passage part (20a) is set to be a flat surface without concave-convex parts and the like on the side wall part. As a result, it is possible to provide a coin insertion mechanism which does not interfere with the passage of regular coins and has a stable function.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an article feeding device. Background Art

[0002] In the past, there were various article supply devices (automatic vending machines) for automatically selling articles. In the article supply devices, various functions for judging the price required for purchasing articles are provided. For example, in Patent Document 1, a coin holding portion is configured so that the coins held in a row in the coin holding portion are electrically connected in series. In addition, a first electrode that contacts the coins located at one end of the row is provided in the coin holding portion, and a second electrode that contacts the coins located at the other end of the row is provided in the coin holding portion. The following structure is disclosed: based on whether a current flows between the first electrode and the second electrode, it is judged that the required number of coins have been inserted.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-196318 Summary of the invention

[0006] Problem that the invention aims to solve

[0007] In Patent Document 1, the completion of the insertion of the number of coins required for the purchase of the commodity is determined. However, in the article supply device, it is necessary to deal with the problem of using counterfeit coins in the past.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide an article supply device that takes measures to prevent the use of counterfeit coins.

[0009] Solutions for solving problems

[0010] An article supply device according to one technical solution of the present invention comprises: an insertion portion, which can insert coins of the first category and coins of the second category; a passage portion, which can allow coins inserted from the insertion portion to move; and an adsorption portion, which cannot adsorb coins of the first category but can adsorb coins of the second category in the passage portion, and is set as a structural element of the passage portion.

[0011] Effects of the Invention

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an article supply device that takes measures to prevent the use of counterfeit coins. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 This is a perspective view showing the appearance of an article supply device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 2 Yes means Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view of the internal structure of an article supply device.

[0015] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A perspective view of the coin insertion unit is shown.

[0016] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 An enlarged stereoscopic view of the adsorption portion shown.

[0017] Figure 5 It is along Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of a portion taken along line AA is shown.

[0018] Figure 6 It is an enlarged perspective view showing another form of the adsorption portion.

[0019] Description of Reference Numerals

[0020] 1. Article supply device; 5. Insertion part; 6. Return port; 20. Coin insertion unit; 20a. Coin passage part; 20ab. Inclined part; 20ac. Dropping part; 20as. Starting part; 20ae. Terminal part; 21w. First side wall part; 22w. Second side wall part; 23. Adsorption part; 23a. Adsorption surface; 24. Mounting part; 25. Holding part; 231. First adsorption part; 232. Second adsorption part; C. coin. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Hereinafter, an article supply device according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0022] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the article supply device 1 of this embodiment. Figure 2 It is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the article supply device 1 .

[0023] Figure 1 and Figure 2The article supply device 1 shown is a device capable of supplying articles P in the form of a spherical capsule shell containing toys and parts, for example. More specifically, the article supply device 1 includes: a storage section 10 capable of storing a plurality of articles P in a manner of randomly arranging the plurality of articles P; a supply section 30 having a rotating disk 31 rotatably provided at the bottom 10b of the storage section 10 and capable of randomly selecting and supplying the articles P one by one; and a locking section 41 that locks the supply section 30 so that it cannot operate. The article supply device 1 is unlocked by driving the locking section 41 by the control section 40 on the condition that the price is paid from the insertion section 5 of the coin C. Then, in the unlocked state, the operating section 4 provided on the front surface 2f is rotated. As a result, the gear train 4b provided on the top side of the shaft 4a of the operating section 4 rotates, and the rotating disk 31 rotates by means of its rack 31g. The articles P held in the holding holes 31 h of the rotating disk 31 fall at the positions of the through holes 10 bh provided in the bottom portion 10 b and are supplied to the supply port 9 via the article passage portion 9 a .

[0024] In the article supply device 1, a coin insertion unit 20 is provided on the right side of the operation unit 4 (on the right side when facing the device). The coin insertion unit 20 is connected to the insertion unit 5 provided on the front surface 2f of the main body 2. And the coin C inserted from the insertion unit 5 falls to the holding unit 25 on the lower side of the unit through the passage portion 20a formed in the coin insertion unit 20 and is held by the holding unit 25. In addition, when a regular coin is inserted, when a predetermined amount of money is inserted and a predetermined operation is performed, the coin C held in the holding unit 25 is stored in the coin storage unit 29 provided at the lower side of the holding unit 25, for example. However, the inserted coin C may not be a regular coin of the first category, but a counterfeit coin of the second category. The article supply device 1 is configured as follows: in this case, the counterfeit coin can be caught in the adsorption unit 23 provided in the passage portion 20a as described later.

[0025] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 The coin insertion unit 20 is shown in a perspective view of the main parts.

[0026] like Figure 3 As shown, the coin insertion unit 20 is a thin unit in which a left half shell 21 and a right half shell 22 are combined from left to right, and the left and right side walls, namely, a first side wall portion 21w and a second side wall portion 22w, are close to each other to form an internal space.

[0027] Here, the left half shell 21 including the first side wall portion 21w is made of a colored material and is set to an opaque structure. On the other hand, the right half shell 22 including the second side wall portion 22w is made of a material with a different color from the left half shell 21 and is, for example, translucent. Figure 3 Observe the interior of the unit as shown.

[0028] The coin insertion unit 20 has a passage portion 20a formed therein from a starting end portion 20as (upper right side in the figure) where the coin C is inserted to a terminal portion 20ae which is an entrance of a holding portion 25 for holding the coin C. The passage portion 20a is a structure that allows the coin C to move under the action of gravity. For example, an inclined portion 20ab constituting an inclined surface for rolling the coin C is provided at the initial coin introduction portion including the starting end portion 20as. A falling portion 20ac is provided on the rear side of the inclined portion 20ab, and the coin C falls from the inclined portion 20ab. The fallen coin C is guided by the passage wall 20w and falls again, and falls to the holding portion 25 through the opening of the terminal portion 20ae which is the passage portion 20a.

[0029] In addition, in the falling portion 20ac, a first swing plate 20ag is provided on the upper side and a second swing plate 20ah is provided on the lower side. When a coin C comes onto the swing plates 20ag and 20ah, the coin C is rotated by the weight of the coin C to guide the coin C in the inclined direction of the plate portion. This can change the moving direction of the coin C and slow down the falling speed of the coin C, for example.

[0030] The coin C dropped into the holding portion 25 is held by the holding portion 25 capable of holding a legitimate coin. The holding portion 25 has a structure capable of causing the legitimate coin dropped into the holding portion 25 to move toward the front surface 2f side by its own weight (see Figure 2 ) The moving position of the coin C at this time is limited by the position limiting pin 25a, so that a specified number of coins C can be held.

[0031] The opening of the terminal portion 20ae is provided with a coin distributing member 20b for distributing coins C to the left and right sides. Figure 3 Although not shown in the figure, a holding portion having the same structure as the holding portion 25 is also provided on the first side wall portion 21w, so that the coins C can be sorted to the left and right by the coin sorting member 20b.

[0032] A return button 7 is provided on the lower side of the input portion 5. The return button 7 can discharge the coins C held in the holding portion 25 to the return port 6 by pressing the return button 7 when the user wishes to return the inserted coins C, for example.

[0033] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 The enlarged stereogram of the adsorption portion 23 is shown. Figure 5 It is along Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of the portion taken along line A-A.

[0034] As shown in the figure, the suction part 23 for catching counterfeit coins is provided in the area where the inclined part 20ab is arranged, that is, near the starting end 20as. The inclined part 20ab is configured as follows: the movement speed of the inserted coin C is not so fast, and the counterfeit coin is sucked by the suction part 23 near the falling part 20ac (the movement speed will be faster), so that it does not fall to the falling part 20ac.

[0035] In addition, the adsorption part 23 is configured as a part of the side wall part which is a structural element of the passage part 20a. The adsorption part 23 is composed of, for example, a pair of magnets, namely, a first adsorption part 231 and a second adsorption part 232, and the first adsorption part 231 and the second adsorption part 232 are arranged at appropriate intervals in accordance with the size (d1) of the coin C. By arranging them up and down and separated by a predetermined distance like this, a structure is formed in which the magnetic force of the adsorption part 23 is enhanced. That is, the first adsorption part 231 and the second adsorption part 232 are arranged at a distance within a range that will affect each other's magnetic field. In addition, the structure in which the first adsorption part 231 and the second adsorption part 232 are arranged up and down becomes a structure that can deal with large and small counterfeit coins.

[0036] In addition, the adsorption part 23 is provided on the first side wall part 21w by means of the mounting part 24. The mounting part 24 holds the first adsorption part 231 and the second adsorption part 232 in the recessed part 24c of the cylindrical part 24a at one end thereof, for example. In addition, the mounting part 24 is fixed from the outside of the first side wall part 21w, for example, by means of screws 24b or the like. A pair of circular openings are formed in the first side wall part 21w, and the mounting part 24 is mounted in a manner that the cylindrical part 24a is embedded in the openings.

[0037] The adsorption surface 23a of the adsorption portion 23 and the top end surface 24at of the cylindrical portion 24a are in the same plane as the first side wall portion 21w. That is, the adsorption surface 23a forms the same plane as the first side wall portion 21w constituting the plane of the passage portion 20a, so that an effective magnetic force can be applied to the counterfeit coin to attract (adsorb). In addition, the top end surface 24at of the cylindrical portion 24a may be slightly concave relative to the first side wall portion 21w.

[0038] The passage portion 20a is configured so that, when a counterfeit coin is attracted to the attraction portion 23, the legitimate coin is not moved to a position forward of the attraction portion 23. The width (d3) of the passage portion 20a is set so that, when a counterfeit coin is attracted to the attraction portion 23, a width (d4) obtained by subtracting the thickness (d2) of the attracted coin C from the width (d3) of the passage portion 20a is smaller than the width of the legitimate coin. This can be achieved, for example, by setting the width (d3) of the passage portion 20a to be close to the coin width of the legitimate coin C.

[0039] In addition, when taking out the counterfeit coin adsorbed to the adsorption part 23 of the passage part 20a, the coin insertion unit 20 can be taken out from the main body 2. At this time, since the adsorption part 23 is located near the starting end 20as of the passage part 20a, the adsorbed counterfeit coin can be easily taken out from the starting end 20as side.

[0040] Figure 6 It is an enlarged perspective view showing another form of the adsorption unit 23 .

[0041] exist Figure 6 In the suction part 23 shown, the first suction part 231 and the second suction part 232 are arranged at positions staggered front and back and up and down in the direction of coin movement. Here, in particular, the distance between the two suction parts 231 and 232 in the direction of movement of the coin C is large. Moreover, the distance (d5) between the two suction parts 231 and 232 is set to be smaller than the maximum diameter of the regular coin C and the counterfeit coin. As a result, it is possible to apply a magnetic force to the counterfeit coin in a long area in the direction of coin movement, and it is possible to form a closed loop of the magnetic field using the magnetic flux lines between the two suction parts 231 and 232, so that the counterfeit coin can be captured more reliably.

[0042] As described above, in the article supply device 1 of this form, in the passage portion 20a through which the inserted coins pass, the legitimate coins are not affected by the magnetic force and are therefore not attracted, and only the counterfeit coins, which are often made of magnetic bodies, can be attracted. In addition, the attraction portion 23 is provided as a structural element of the passage portion 20a, for example, a part of the side wall portion of the passage portion 20a, and a flat surface is formed on the side wall portion, so that the passage of the legitimate coins is not hindered, and a coin insertion mechanism that performs stable functions can be provided.

[0043] Furthermore, in the article supply device 1 of this embodiment, when a counterfeit coin is sucked by the suction unit 23 , the selling of the commodity can be stopped by not moving the legitimate coin to a position forward of the suction unit 23 .

[0044] In the article supply device 1 of this embodiment, the counterfeit coin is captured by the suction portion 23 at a position close to the coin input portion 5, so the counterfeit coin can be easily taken out from the input portion 5 without providing a separate take-out port structure.

[0045] In addition, in the article supply device 1 of this embodiment, the passage portion 20a is provided with a structure in which two side walls face each other, and the adsorption portion 23 is arranged on one side (the first side wall portion 21w), so that the flat surface of the coin C can face the surface of the adsorption portion 23. Thus, the catching force (magnetic force) of the adsorption portion 23 can be increased for counterfeit coins, and reliable countermeasures against counterfeit coins can be taken.

[0046] In the article supply device 1 of this embodiment, the first side wall portion 21w provided with the suction portion 23 on the side wall portion of the passage portion 20a is made of a color different from that of the second side wall portion 22w, so that when taking out counterfeit coins or other maintenance operations, the position of the suction portion 23 is easily identified and the workability is improved. In addition, the second side wall portion 22w is made of a light-transmitting material, so that the passage portion 20a can be visually viewed from the outside, which can improve the maintainability of the coin insertion unit 20.

[0047] In the article supply device 1 of this form, the passage portion 20a is provided with a falling portion 20ac for coins to fall, so that the coins can be moved quickly. In addition, a falling sound is generated when the coin is inserted, which can make the buyer aware that the insertion operation is successfully performed. In addition, when a counterfeit coin is inserted, the counterfeit coin is caught by the inclined portion 20ab near the falling portion 20ac and does not fall, so that the falling sound can be avoided. As a result, the person who inserts the counterfeit coin can know that the insertion has failed. In addition, the adsorption portion 23 is provided on the inclined portion 20ab, so that the moving speed that can easily capture the counterfeit coin can be set by using the inclination angle.

[0048] In addition, in the article supply device 1 of this form, a plurality of adsorption parts 23 composed of magnets are provided, so that a closed loop of the magnetic field can be formed between the magnets, the magnetic flux density can be increased, and counterfeit coins can be captured more reliably. In addition, when the plurality of adsorption parts 23 are arranged at a large distance in the direction of coin movement, the magnetic capture force can be applied to the counterfeit coins multiple times without forming a closed loop of the magnetic field. Thus, for example, after the initial adsorption part reduces the moving speed, the counterfeit coins can be easily captured by the next adsorption part, and reliable capture can be performed. In addition, since the plurality of adsorption parts 23 are separated in the up and down directions relative to the direction of coin movement, it is easy to deal with counterfeit coins of different sizes, and the reliability can be further improved as a countermeasure against counterfeit coins.

[0049] In addition, the distance between the plurality of adsorption parts 23 is set, for example, to be smaller than the maximum diameter of a regular coin in the coin moving direction, so that a state can be formed in which magnetic flux lines pass through the counterfeit coin between the front and rear adsorption parts 23, and a strong catching force can be applied in a maximum long area in the coin moving direction. Thus, the catching force of the counterfeit coin can be strengthened, and a more reliable countermeasure against counterfeit coins can be taken.

[0050] In the article supply device 1 of this form, the holding portion 25 has an inclination that allows regular coins to move by their own weight. Therefore, multiple regular coins can be arranged without spacing and held in the holding portion 25, making it easy to hold and confirm (detect) the coins corresponding to the equivalent number of coins for the goods.

[0051] In the article supply device 1 of this form, the coin insertion unit 20 is formed with a structure including at least the passage portion 20a and the holding portion 25, so that the coin insertion unit 20 can be easily removed and installed as a unit relative to the main body 2 of the article supply device 1, and the maintainability is good.

[0052] The above is a description of the present invention, but the present invention can be appropriately modified within the scope of its technical concept. For example, in the above embodiment, the coin insertion unit 20 is provided in the article supply device 1 for selling the capsule shell article P, but the device provided with the coin insertion unit 20 is not limited to this, and can be applied to various articles for selling devices.

[0053] In the above-described embodiment, the structure of the adsorption portion 23 is such that two magnets are arranged. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a structure in which one magnet or three or more magnets are arranged may be used.

[0054] As described above, the following matters are disclosed in this specification. (1)

[0056] An article supply device, wherein:

[0057] The article supply device comprises:

[0058] an input portion into which coins of the first category and coins of the second category can be input;

[0059] a passage portion through which coins inserted from the insertion portion can move; and

[0060] a suction portion which is incapable of sucking coins of the first category and capable of sucking coins of the second category in the passage portion,

[0061] The adsorption portion is provided as a structural element of the passage portion. (2)

[0063] The article supply device according to (1), wherein:

[0064] The adsorption portion is configured as a part of a side wall portion of the passage portion. (3)

[0066] The article supply device according to (2), wherein:

[0067] The adsorption surface of the adsorption portion and the wall surface of the side wall portion form a flush plane. (4)

[0069] The article supply device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein:

[0070] The adsorption portion is provided so as not to protrude in the passage portion. (5)

[0072] The article supply device according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein:

[0073] The passage portion is configured so as not to move the coin of the first type to a position forward of the suction portion when the coin of the second type is suctioned by the suction portion. (6)

[0075] The article supply device according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein:

[0076] The passage portion is configured to be able to discharge the second type of coins attracted to the attraction portion from the input portion. (7)

[0078] The article supply device according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein:

[0079] The adsorption portion is formed as a part of the side wall portion of the passage portion.

[0080] The article supply device further comprises a mounting portion, which is used to mount the adsorption portion on the side wall portion.

[0081] The mounting portion, together with the adsorption portion, constitutes a part of the side wall portion. (8)

[0083] The article supply device according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein:

[0084] The adsorption portion is formed as a part of the side wall portion of the passage portion.

[0085] The side wall portion includes a first side wall portion and a second side wall portion,

[0086] The adsorption portion is configured as a part of the first side wall portion. (9)

[0088] The article supply device according to (8), wherein:

[0089] The first side wall portion is configured to be colored, and the second side wall portion is configured to be a color different from that of the first side wall portion. (10)

[0091] The article supply device according to (9), wherein:

[0092] The second side wall portion is made of a light-transmitting material. (11)

[0094] The article supply device according to any one of (1) to (10), wherein:

[0095] The passage portion includes a starting end portion and a terminal end portion.

[0096] The adsorption portion is provided at a position close to the starting end portion of the starting end portion and the ending end portion. (12)

[0098] The article supply device according to any one of (1) to (11), wherein:

[0099] The passage portion includes a drop portion, and the drop portion can allow coins to fall.

[0100] The passage portion is configured to prevent the coins of the second type attracted to the attracting portion from falling toward the falling portion. (13)

[0102] The article supply device according to any one of (1) to (12), wherein:

[0103] The attraction portion is composed of a magnet, and the magnet can attract the second type of coins using magnetic force. (14)

[0105] The article supply device according to any one of (1) to (13), wherein:

[0106] The adsorption part includes at least a first adsorption part and a second adsorption part.

[0107] The first adsorption unit and the second adsorption unit are provided at a predetermined distance from each other. (15)

[0109] The article supply device according to (14), wherein:

[0110] The first suction portion and the second suction portion are provided at positions offset from each other in at least one of a front-rear direction and an up-down direction in the coin moving direction. (16)

[0112] The article supply device according to (14) or (15), wherein:

[0113] The predetermined distance is a distance smaller than the maximum diameter of the inserted coins of the first category and the second category. (17)

[0115] The article supply device according to any one of (1) to (16), wherein:

[0116] The passage portion includes a drop portion, and the drop portion can allow coins to fall.

[0117] The passage portion includes an inclined portion so that the coins of the first category inserted into the insertion portion can move by their own weight.

[0118] The falling portion is configured to allow the coins of the first type passing through the inclined portion to freely fall. (18)

[0120] The article supply device according to any one of (1) to (17), wherein:

[0121] The passage portion includes a drop portion, and the drop portion can allow coins to fall.

[0122] The article supply device further comprises a holding portion capable of holding the coins of the first category dropped from the drop portion.

[0123] The holding portion includes an inclination that enables the coins of the first type dropped on the dropping portion to move by their own weight. (19)

[0125] The article supply device according to any one of (1) to (18), wherein:

[0126] The article supply device forms a coin insertion unit with a structure including at least the above-mentioned passage portion and the above-mentioned holding portion.

Claims

1. An article supply device, wherein: The article supply device comprises: an input portion into which coins of the first category and coins of the second category can be input; a passage portion capable of allowing coins inserted from the input portion to move; as well as a suction portion which cannot suction the coins of the first category but can suction the coins of the second category in the passage portion, The adsorption portion is provided as a structural element of the passage portion.

2. The article supply device according to claim 1, wherein: The adsorption portion is configured as a part of a side wall portion of the passage portion.

3. The article supply device according to claim 2, wherein: The adsorption surface of the adsorption portion and the wall surface of the side wall portion form a same plane.

4. The article supply device according to claim 3, wherein: The adsorption portion is provided so as not to protrude in the passage portion.

5. The article supply device according to claim 4, wherein: The passage portion is configured not to move the coin of the first type to a position forward of the suction portion when the coin of the second type is suctioned by the suction portion.

6. The article supply device according to claim 5, wherein: The passage portion is configured to be able to discharge the coins of the second type attracted to the attraction portion from the input portion.

7. The article supply device according to claim 6, wherein: The article supply device further comprises a mounting portion, which is used to mount the adsorption portion on the side wall portion. The mounting portion, together with the adsorption portion, is configured as a part of the side wall portion.

8. The article supply device according to claim 7, wherein: The side wall portion includes a first side wall portion and a second side wall portion, The adsorption portion constitutes a part of the first side wall portion.

9. The article supply device according to claim 8, wherein: The first side wall portion is configured to be colored, and the second side wall portion is configured to be a color different from that of the first side wall portion.

10. The article supply device according to claim 9, wherein: The second side wall portion is made of a light-transmitting material.

11. The article supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: The passage portion includes a starting end portion and a terminal end portion, The adsorption portion is provided at a position close to the starting end portion of the starting end portion and the ending end portion.

12. The article supply device according to claim 11, wherein: The passage portion includes a drop portion, and the drop portion can allow coins to fall. The passage portion is configured to prevent the coins of the second type attracted to the attraction portion from falling toward the drop portion.

13. The article supply device according to claim 12, wherein: The attraction portion is composed of a magnet, and the magnet can attract the second type of coins using magnetic force.

14. The article supply device according to claim 13, wherein: The adsorption part includes at least a first adsorption part and a second adsorption part, The first adsorption unit and the second adsorption unit are provided at a predetermined distance from each other.

15. The article supply device according to claim 14, wherein: The first suction portion and the second suction portion are provided at positions offset from each other in at least one of a front-rear direction and a top-bottom direction in the coin moving direction.

16. The article supply device according to claim 15, wherein: The predetermined distance is a distance smaller than the maximum diameter of the inserted coins of the first category and the coins of the second category.

17. The article supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: The passage portion includes a drop portion, and the drop portion can allow coins to fall. The passage portion includes an inclined portion so that the coins of the first category inserted into the insertion portion can move by their own weight. The falling portion is configured to allow the coins of the first type passing through the inclined portion to freely fall.

18. The article supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: The passage portion includes a drop portion, and the drop portion can allow coins to fall. The article supply device further comprises a holding portion capable of holding the coins of the first category dropped by the drop portion. The holding portion includes an inclination that enables the coins of the first type dropped on the dropping portion to move by their own weight.

19. The article supply device according to claim 18, wherein: The article supply device forms a coin insertion unit with a structure including at least the passage portion and the holding portion.

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