Depositing machine

Abstract

To provide a depositing machine that makes it easy to grasp the amount of coins fed into a slot.SOLUTION: A depositing machine 1 includes: a deposit chamber 3 formed with an inlet 31 into which coins are inserted and an outlet 32 from which the coins inserted through the inlet 31 are discharged; a transport unit 5 that transports the coins discharged from the outlet 32; a duct 4 connecting the outlet 32 and the transport unit 5; a first door 71 that opens and closes the inlet 31; and a second door 72 that opens and closes the outlet 32. The second door 72 is closed when the first door 71 is open, and the second door 72 is open when the first door 71 is closed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a deposit machine for storing coins. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a deposit machine that stores coins inserted through an insertion slot in a storage vault (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In such a deposit machine, coins inserted through the insertion slot are transported to a transport unit and temporarily stored in a storage vault. The deposit machine is provided with a guide path that connects the insertion slot and the transport unit and guides the coins inserted through the insertion slot to the transport unit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-93248 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The transport unit has a limit to the amount of coins it can transport at one time, and if it tries to process more coins than the limit at once, it can cause problems such as coin jams. In conventional deposit machines, coins inserted into the slot are transported to the transport unit by a guide path, making it difficult for users to grasp the amount of coins inserted through the slot. As a result, users may operate the transport unit without realizing that they have inserted more coins than the specified amount, resulting in problems such as clogging.

[0005] The disclosed technology has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a deposit machine that makes it easy to grasp the amount of coins inserted into the insertion slot. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The machine is equipped with an input box having an input port through which coins are inserted and an output port through which coins inserted from the input port are ejected, a transport unit that transports coins ejected from the output port, a duct connecting the output port and the transport unit, a first door that opens and closes the input port, and a second door that opens and closes the output port, and when the first door is open, the second door is closed, and when the first door is closed, the second door is open. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the deposit machine disclosed in the present application, it is easy to grasp the amount of coins inserted into the insertion slot. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a deposit machine according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic cross-sectional configuration taken along line II-II shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the door body in the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a side view of the door body in the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the input storage area when the first door is in an open state in the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the input storage area when the first door is in a closed state in the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the opening and closing mechanism in the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the first door in the open state. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an opening / closing mechanism according to a modified example. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged perspective view of a storage cabinet according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the deposit machine disclosed in the present application will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the deposit machine disclosed in the present application is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0010] <Embodiment> <Outline of deposit machine configuration> Fig. 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a deposit machine according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional configuration taken along line II-II in Fig. 1. The deposit machine 1 includes a housing 2, a deposit box 3, a duct 4, a transport unit 5, a storage box 6, a door body 7, a first biasing unit 8, and an opening / closing mechanism 9.

[0011] The housing 2 constitutes the outer shell of the deposit machine 1. The aforementioned deposit box 3 is provided on the front surface 21 of the housing 2, and the duct 4 and the transport unit 5 are provided inside the housing 2.

[0012] The deposit box 3 protrudes forward beyond the front surface 21 of the housing 2. The deposit box 3 is formed with an deposit slot 31 and an ejection slot 32. The deposit slot 31 is an opening formed on the top surface of the deposit box 3. Coins can be inserted into the interior of the deposit box 3 through the deposit slot 31. The ejection slot 32 is an opening that connects the interior of the deposit box 3 with the interior of the housing 2. Coins inserted into the deposit box 3 are ejected into the interior of the housing 2 through the ejection slot 32.

[0013] The duct 4 is provided inside the housing 2. One end of the duct 4 is connected to the discharge port 32 of the deposit box 3. The other end of the duct 4 is connected to the transport unit 5. The coins discharged from the discharge port 32 of the deposit box 3 are guided to the transport unit 5 by the duct 4. The deposit box 3 and the duct 4 form a guide path that guides the coins inserted from the deposit port 31 to the transport unit 5.

[0014] The transport unit 5 includes a transport section 51 and a temporary storage 52. The transport section 51 transports the coins guided through the duct 4 to the temporary storage 52.

[0015] The temporary storage 52 temporarily stores the coins transported by the transport unit 51. The coins stored in the temporary storage 52 are transferred to the storage 6 at a specified timing. The specified timing is, for example, when a certain amount of coins has been stored.

[0016] The storage 6 stores the coins transferred from the temporary storage 52. The storage 6 can be removed from inside the housing 2. By removing the storage 6, it is possible to collect the coins stored in the deposit machine 1.

[0017] Fig. 3 is a plan view of the door body in the embodiment. Fig. 4 is a side view of the door body in the embodiment. The door body 7 includes a first door 71 and a second door 72. The first door 71 and the second door 72 are integrally formed and connected to each other. The door body 7 is provided so as to be rotatable around the boundary between the first door 71 and the second door 72. The door body 7 is provided so that the rotation axis of the door body 7 is along the upper edge of the discharge port 32.

[0018] As the door body 7 rotates, the first door 71 moves to an open position where it opens the input port 31 of the input box 3, and a closed position where it blocks the input port 31. As the door body 7 rotates, the second door 72 moves to an open position where it opens the discharge port 32, and a closed position where it blocks the discharge port 32.

[0019] Fig. 5 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the input box portion when the first door is in an open state in the embodiment. Fig. 6 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the input box portion when the first door is in a closed state in the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 5, the inside of input box 3 is divided into three areas. An input opening 31 and an output opening 32 are formed for each of the three sections. The number of sections is not limited to three.

[0020] The first door 71 and the second door 72 are integrally formed and connected to each other, so that when the first door 71 is closed, the second door 72 is open. Also, when the first door 71 is open, the second door 72 is closed. The first door 71 is formed with an engaged portion 71a that can engage with an engaging portion, which will be described later. The engaged portion 71a is formed as an opening in the first door 71.

[0021] Three door bodies 7 are provided so that the input openings 31 and output openings 32 formed on the inside of the input storage 3, each divided into three sections, can be opened and closed.

[0022] Returning to Figure 2, the first biasing part 8 is provided on the back side of the front surface 21 of the housing 2. The first biasing part 8 biases the second door 72 in a direction that pulls the second door 72 upward, i.e., in a direction that opens the second door 72. The first biasing part 8 is, for example, a tension spring.

[0023] 7 is a perspective view of the opening / closing mechanism in the embodiment. The opening / closing mechanism 9 is provided on the back side of the front surface 21 of the housing 2. The opening / closing mechanism 9 includes an engagement portion 91, a second biasing portion 92, and an operation portion 93.

[0024] The engaging portion 91 has a protrusion 91a formed at its tip that protrudes upward. FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the first door in the open state. The tip of the engaging portion 91, on which the protrusion 91a is formed, protrudes forward from the front surface 21 of the housing 2. The engaging portion 91 penetrates the engaged portion 71a of the first door 71 in the open state. The engaging portion 91 is movable between a restricted position and an allowed position. In the restricted position, with the tip penetrating the engaged portion 71a, the protrusion 91a engages with the edge of the engaged portion 71a, which is an opening formed in the first door 71, thereby restricting movement of the first door 71 toward the closed state. In the allowed position, even with the tip penetrating the engaged portion 71a, the protrusion 91a does not engage with the edge of the engaged portion 71a, allowing movement of the second door toward the closed state. In this embodiment, the allowed position is a position moved downward from the restricted position.

[0025] The second biasing portion 92 biases the engaging portion 91 in a direction from the allowing position toward the restricting position. The second biasing portion 92 is, for example, a compression spring.

[0026] The operating portion 93 is connected to the engaging portion 91. A portion of the operating portion 93 is exposed from the top surface 22 of the housing 2. The operating portion 93 is movable between a first position and a second position. By moving from the first position to the second position, the operating portion 93 moves the engaging portion 91 to the allowed position against the biasing force of the second biasing portion 92.

[0027] The operation unit 93 can be moved from the first position to the second position by pushing in the portion exposed from the top surface 22 of the housing 2. Therefore, when the engagement unit 91 prevents the first door 71 from being closed, the user of the deposit machine 1 can push in the operation unit 93, thereby releasing the engagement and allowing the first door 71 to be closed.

[0028] <About the volume of the input warehouse and the transport capacity of the transport unit> The transport section 51 of the transport unit 5 transports coins inserted into the coin slot 31 and guided by the coin storage 3 and duct 4 to the temporary storage 52, but there is an upper limit to the amount of coins that can be transported at one time. In the following explanation, the upper limit to the amount of coins that the transport section 51 can transport at one time is also simply referred to as the transport capacity. If the amount of coins being transported exceeds the transport capacity, coin jams may occur. The transport capacity is determined based on the weight and number of coins.

[0029] The capacity of the storage cabinet 3 is set so that the amount of inserted coins does not exceed the transport capacity. In the embodiment, each of the partitioned areas is set so that it does not exceed the transport capacity. For example, if the transport capacity is 100 coins, when more than 100 coins are inserted, the coins will pile up above the insertion slot 31, and the insertion slot 31 will not be blocked by the first door 71, so the insertion cabinet 3 is formed with a capacity.

[0030] When coins can be inserted through the insertion slot 31, that is, when the first door 71 is open, the discharge slot 32 is blocked by the second door 72, which is closed. Coins inserted through the insertion slot 31 cannot flow into the duct 4 and remain inside the storage cabinet 3. Therefore, users of the deposit machine 1 can easily know the amount of coins they have inserted into the insertion cabinet 3. Furthermore, if more coins than the transport capacity are inserted, the first door 71 cannot block the insertion slot 31, so it is possible to reliably know that too many coins have been inserted. This makes it less likely that coin jams will occur due to coins being inserted at once that exceed the transport capacity.

[0031] Furthermore, when the first door 71 is closed, the second door 72 moves in conjunction with the first door 71 to the open state. When the second door 72 is opened, the discharge port 32 is opened, and the coins in the storage cabinet 3 flow into the duct 4 from the discharge port 32 and are guided to the conveying unit 51.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 8 , the first doors 71 may be provided with metal fittings 73 that abut against the surfaces of adjacent first doors 71 that face the inside of the storage cabinet 3 in the closed state. By providing the metal fittings 73, when the middle first door 71 is opened, the adjacent first doors 71 can also be opened. On the other hand, when the storage cabinet 3 is closed, the three first doors 71 can be closed separately. Furthermore, the metal fittings 73 may be provided slidably so that they can be moved to a position where they do not abut against the adjacent first doors 71. By moving the metal fittings 73 to a position where they do not abut against the adjacent first doors 71, the three first doors 71 can be moved separately even when the storage cabinet 3 is opened.

[0033] The deposit machine 1 may also be provided with a banknote insertion section into which banknotes are inserted, a banknote ejection section from which banknotes are ejected, and a coin ejection section from which coins are ejected, but detailed explanations of these will be omitted.

[0034] <Modification> FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an opening / closing mechanism according to a first modified example. The opening / closing mechanism 9 according to a first modified example includes an actuator 94. The actuator 94 electrically moves the engaging portion 91 between a restricted position and an allowable position. The actuator 94 is, for example, a solenoid having a plunger 94a. If the actuator 94 is a solenoid, the movement of the plunger 94a when energized moves the engaging portion 91 to the allowable position against the biasing force of the second biasing portion 92. In this way, if the actuator 94 is a solenoid, it is possible to switch the position of the engaging portion 91 between the restricted position and the allowable position when energized and when not energized. Note that the actuator 94 is not limited to a solenoid and may be, for example, a motor.

[0035] If an actuator 94 is provided, the operation unit 93 may not be provided. The actuator moves the engagement unit 91 to the allowable position based on a signal or the like transmitted based on a user's operation. The deposit machine 1 may also be provided with a sensor that detects the amount of inserted coins. If the sensor detects that coins exceeding the transport capacity have been inserted, the actuator 94 may be controlled not to move the engagement unit 91 to the allowable position. In this case, the control unit that controls the movement of the engagement unit 91 serves as the operation restriction unit. Alternatively, the actuator 94 may be configured so that when the sensor detects that a specified amount of coins that is less than the transport capacity have been inserted, the actuator 94 automatically moves the engagement unit 91 to the allowable position and the first door 71 is closed.

[0036] Alternatively, the first door 71 and the second door 72 may be formed as separate bodies, and each may be moved by an actuator to alternate between an open state and a closed state.

[0037] Fig. 10 is a partially enlarged perspective view of a storage cabinet according to a modified example. The interior of storage cabinet 3 does not have to be divided into multiple compartments as shown in Fig. 8. When the interior of storage cabinet 3 is not divided into compartments, it is sufficient that only one door body 7 is provided.

[0038] <Effects> The deposit machine 1 comprises an input box 3 having an input port 31 through which coins are inserted and an output port 32 through which coins inserted from the input port 31 are ejected, a transport unit 5 that transports coins ejected from the output port 32, a duct 4 connecting the output port 32 and the transport unit 5, a first door 71 that opens and closes the input port 31, and a second door 72 that opens and closes the output port 32, and when the first door 71 is open, the second door 72 is closed, and when the first door 71 is closed, the second door 72 is open.

[0039] When the first door 71 is in the open state and coins are being inserted through the insertion port 31, the discharge port 32 is blocked by the closed second door. Because the discharge port 32 is blocked, the coins inserted through the insertion port 31 do not flow into the duct 4 but remain inside the storage cabinet 3. Since the user can see the coins remaining in the storage cabinet 3 and ascertain the amount of coins inserted, it is less likely that coins exceeding the transport capacity will be inserted, and coin jams in the transport unit 5 are also less likely to occur.

[0040] If the capacity of the storage cabinet 3 is set to a capacity that prevents coins from being inserted that exceed the transport capacity, it becomes more unlikely that too many coins will be inserted, and coin jams will also be less likely to occur in the transport unit 5. An example of setting the capacity of the storage cabinet 3 to a capacity that prevents coins from being inserted that exceed the transport capacity is to set the capacity so that the first door 71 cannot close if too many coins are inserted.

[0041] Furthermore, the first door 71 and the second door 72 may be formed integrally, and the movement of the first door 71 may be linked to the movement of the second door 72. Because the movement of the first door 71 and the movement of the second door 72 are structurally linked, there is no need to provide a mechanism for moving the first door 71 and a mechanism for moving the second door 72, which allows for simplification of the device, weight reduction, and improvement in maintainability.

[0042] The device may further include an engaging portion 91 that is movable between a restricting position where it engages with the first door 71 in the open state to restrict the first door 71 from closing, and an allowing position where it does not engage with the first door 71 and allows the first door 71 to close, and a first biasing portion 8 that biases the second door 72 in the direction to open. When the engaging portion 91 is in the restricting position, the first door 71 is maintained in the open state, and when it is in the allowing position, the biasing force of the first biasing portion 8 moves the second door 71 in the direction to open, and in conjunction with this, the first door 71 closes.

[0043] The coin storage device may further include a second biasing unit 92 that biases the engaging unit 91 in a direction to move it to the restricted position, and an operating unit 93 that is connected to the engaging unit 91, is movable between a first position and a second position, and moves the engaging unit 91 to the permitted position against the biasing force of the second biasing unit 92 by moving from the first position to the second position. If a user operates the operating unit 93 after inserting coins into the storage cabinet 3, the first door 71 will be in a closed state and the second door 72 will be in an open state, allowing the coins to be sent to the transport unit 5 through the duct 4.

[0044] The device may further include an actuator 94 that moves the engaging portion 91 between the restricted position and the permitted position. Since the engaging portion 91 can be moved by the actuator 94, the engaging portion 91 can be moved based on an electrical signal without operating an operating unit, for example.

[0045] Also, a sensor that detects the amount of coins inserted into the insertion slot 31 and an operation restriction unit that restricts the first door from moving to a position where it is closed when the amount of coins detected by the sensor exceeds a specified amount may be provided. Since the amount of coins can be detected by the sensor and the opening and closing of the first door 71 can be restricted based on the detection result, there is no need to strictly set the capacity of the storage cabinet 3, improving design freedom. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 1. Deposit machine 2. Case 21 Front 3 Input warehouse 31 Inlet 32 Outlet 4 Duct 5 Transport unit 51 Conveyor 52 Temporary storage 6 Storage 7 Door body 71 First Door 71a Engaged part 72 Second Door 73 Metal fittings 8 First biasing portion 9 Opening and closing mechanism 91 Engagement part 91a Convex part 92 second biasing portion 93 Operation section 94 Actuator

Claims

1. an input box having an input port into which coins are input and an output port from which the coins input from the input port are output; a transport unit that transports coins discharged from the discharge port; a duct connecting the discharge port and the transport unit; a first door for opening and closing the insertion port; a second door that opens and closes the discharge port, When the first door is in an open state, the second door is in a closed state, and when the first door is in a closed state, the second door is in an open state.

2. 2. The deposit machine according to claim 1, wherein the first door and the second door are integrally formed, and the movement of the first door and the movement of the second door are linked.

3. an engaging portion that is movable between a restricting position where the engaging portion engages with the first door in an open state to restrict the first door from being closed, and an allowing position where the engaging portion does not engage with the first door and allows the first door to be closed; The deposit machine according to claim 2, further comprising a first biasing portion that biases the second door in a direction to open the second door.

4. a second biasing portion that biases the engaging portion in a direction to move the engaging portion to the regulating position; The engaging portion is connected to the engaging portion and is movable between a first position and a second position, The deposit machine according to claim 3, further comprising an operating unit that moves from the first position to the second position to move the engagement portion to the allowable position against the biasing force of the second biasing portion.

5. The deposit machine according to claim 3, further comprising an actuator that moves the engaging portion between the restricting position and the allowing position.

6. a sensor for detecting the amount of coins inserted into the insertion slot; The deposit machine according to claim 5, further comprising an operation control unit that controls the first door from moving to a position where it is in the closed state when the amount of coins detected by the sensor exceeds a specified amount.

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