Coin discriminating apparatus and money handling apparatus

Abstract

To suppress the wear of a guide surface while maintaining the detection accuracy of the features of coins.SOLUTION: The coin depositing and dispensing section 12 includes the transport guide section 31 having the guide surface 41S that forms the transport path along which the coin CN is transported in the transport direction and guides the coin CN, and the reference surface 41S that restricts the movement range of the coin CN in the widthwise direction on the guide surface 42S, the optical information acquiring section 54 and the magnetic information acquiring section 55 that detect the information of the coin CN, and the blade biasing section 57 that biases the coin CN toward the reference surface 42S in the widthwise direction. In the conveyance guide part 31, at least a part of a part abutting on the coin CN energized by the blade energizing part 57 in the guide surface 41S is formed of a member having abrasion resistance higher than that of the other part in the guide surface 41S.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a coin identification device and a currency handling device, and is suitable for application to a cash register change system used at checkout counters in retail stores such as supermarkets and convenience stores. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, cash register change systems that combine a change machine that processes the deposit and withdrawal of banknotes and coins with a POS (Point Of Sales) register connected to a POS system or the like have become popular. Among these change machines, coin processing devices that process coins include, for example, a coin deposit port that allows a cashier to deposit coins, a transport unit that transports coins along a transport path using a belt or the like, a recognition unit that distinguishes the type and authenticity of inserted coins, a storage cabinet that stores coins by denomination, and a withdrawal port that stores coins dispensed from the storage cabinet and allows the cashier to take them out.

[0003] In some coin depositing and dispensing units, the recognition unit detects various pieces of information from the coins using various sensors arranged along the conveyance path while the coins are conveyed by the conveyor belt of the conveyor unit. In this recognition unit, it is conceivable to improve the accuracy in detecting the size (diameter) of the coin, for example, by abutting the peripheral side of the coin against a reference surface formed along the conveyance path.

[0004] Therefore, it has been proposed that the recognition unit of a coin processing device be provided with a first force unit and a second force unit that force the coin toward a guide surface that guides the coin and a reference surface that regulates the coin's movement range, thereby improving the accuracy of detecting coin characteristics (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-189163 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In such coin processing devices, it is desirable to suppress wear on the guide surfaces while maintaining the accuracy of detecting the features of the coins.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and aims to propose a coin identifying device and a currency handling device that can suppress wear on the guide surface while maintaining the accuracy of detecting coin characteristics. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve this problem, the coin identification device of the present invention is provided with a conveying guide that forms a conveying path along which coins are conveyed in a conveying direction, and that has a guide surface that guides the coins and a reference surface that regulates the range of movement of the coins in a width direction on the guide surface that is perpendicular to the conveying direction, a sensor that detects coin information, and a first biasing section that biases the coin in the width direction toward the reference surface, and at least a portion of the portion of the conveying guide that comes into contact with the coin biased by the first biasing section on the guide surface is formed from a material that is more wear-resistant than other portions of the guide surface.

[0009] In addition, the currency handling device of the present invention is a currency handling device having a coin deposit port through which coins are deposited and a coin identification device that identifies coins, wherein the coin identification device forms a transport path along which coins are transported in a transport direction, and is provided with a transport guide having a guide surface that guides the coins and a reference surface that regulates the range of movement of the coin in a width direction on the guide surface perpendicular to the transport direction, a sensor that detects coin information, and a first biasing section that biases the coin in the width direction toward the reference surface, and at least a portion of the portion of the transport guide that comes into contact with the coin biased by the first biasing section on the guide surface is formed from a material that is more wear-resistant than other portions of the guide surface.

[0010] The present invention stably transports coins while forcing them toward a reference surface, and even when the coins are transported while in contact with the guide surface, wear on the guide surface due to the coins rubbing against it can be reduced by using highly wear-resistant materials on the guide surface. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, coins are stably transported while being biased toward a reference surface, and even if the coins are transported while abutting against the guide surface, wear on the guide surface due to the coin rubbing against it can be suppressed by using a highly wear-resistant material on the guide surface. Thus, the present invention can realize a coin identification device and a currency handling device that can suppress wear on the guide surface while maintaining the accuracy of coin feature detection. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of a cash register change system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of the coin depositing and dispensing unit. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the state of coins in the coin depositing and dispensing section. [Figure 4] 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2, showing the configuration of a transport unit. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the configuration (1) of the coin verification unit. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 5, showing the configuration (2) of the coin verification unit. [Figure 7] Shows the configuration (3) of the coin recognition unit, (A) is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow BB in Figure 5 showing the configuration of the magnetic information acquisition unit and the sheet metal unit, (B) is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow CC in Figure 5 showing the configuration of the overall material sensor, and (C) is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow DD in Figure 5 showing the configuration of the outer diameter sensor, the sheet metal unit and the downstream brush energizing unit. [Figure 8] 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line EE in FIG. 5, illustrating the configuration of the coin verification unit (4) and the configuration of the sheet metal unit and the upstream brush biasing unit. [Figure 9]1A and 1B show how coins are transported through the coin verification unit (1), where (A) is a plan view and (B) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in (A). [Figure 10] 10A and 10B show how coins are transported through the coin verification unit (2), where (A) is a plan view and (B) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in (A). [Figure 11] 10A and 10B show how coins are transported through the coin verification unit (3), where (A) is a plan view and (B) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in (A). [Figure 12] 10A and 10B show how coins are transported through the coin verification unit (4), where (A) is a plan view and (B) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in (A). [Figure 13] 10A and 10B show how coins are transported through the coin verification unit (5), where (A) is a plan view and (B) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in (A). [Figure 14] 10A and 10B show how coins are transported through the coin verification unit (6), where (A) is a plan view and (B) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in (A). [Figure 15] 10A and 10B show how coins are transported through the coin verification unit (7), where (A) is a plan view, (B) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in (A), and (C) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in (A). [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the configuration of a coin verification unit according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] [1. Configuration of cash register change system] As shown externally in Figure 1, cash register change system 1 is composed 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 a checkout (a so-called cash register) in a retail store such as a supermarket or convenience store when a customer pays for the items they wish to purchase. In the following explanation, the front and opposite sides facing the cashier are referred to as the front and rear, respectively, and left, right, and top and bottom are further defined from the cashier's perspective.

[0015] The POS register 2 has a register control unit 5, a display operation unit 6, and a receipt processing unit 7. The register control unit 5 performs overall control. A barcode reader (not shown) is also connected to the POS register 2, and the barcode attached to a product is read by this barcode reader to identify the product.

[0016] The display and operation unit 6 is composed of a display unit such as an LCD display and an operation unit such as a touch panel placed on top of the LCD display. The display and operation unit 6 displays the recognized product name, price, etc. on the LCD display. The display and operation unit 6 also displays input keys for numbers, etc. on part of the display screen, and when a location on the touch panel corresponding to an input key is pressed, the input corresponding to the input key is accepted and sent to the cash register control unit 5. In response, the cash register control unit 5 performs various processes such as increasing or decreasing the product quantity or correcting the price. The receipt processing unit 7 prints the recognized product name, price, etc. on a receipt and discharges it from the receipt discharge port 7A.

[0017] Meanwhile, the change machine 3 is broadly composed of a change control unit 10, a banknote deposit / withdrawal unit 11 on the left side, a coin deposit / withdrawal unit 12 on the right side, and a display / operation unit 13 on the upper front side. The change control unit 10 is mainly composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) not shown, and performs overall control of the change machine 3 by reading and executing various programs such as a change dispensing program from a memory such as a flash memory.

[0018] The banknote deposit / withdrawal unit 11 takes in banknotes deposited by a cashier through the banknote deposit / withdrawal port 14 and stores them in the banknote storage vault 15. The banknote deposit / withdrawal unit 11 also feeds out banknotes instructed by the cash register control unit 5 from the banknote storage vault 15 and dispenses them from the banknote deposit / withdrawal port 14 as change.

[0019] A coin deposit port 16 is provided on the upper stage on the front surface of the coin deposit / withdrawal unit 12, and a reject port 17 and a coin withdrawal port 18 are provided below it. The coin deposit / withdrawal unit 12 takes in coins inserted into the coin deposit port 16 by a cashier and stores them in an internal storage cabinet 27 (Fig. 2). The coin deposit / withdrawal unit 12 also dispenses coins of a denomination and number according to the amount instructed by the cash register control unit 5 from the coin withdrawal port 18 as change.

[0020] The coins handled by the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 are made of metals such as nickel, copper, aluminum, etc. or alloys of these metals, and are formed into thin plates with circular or polygonal surfaces. The coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 also handles so-called bicolor clad coins, whose center and outer periphery are made of different types of metal.

[0021] The display operation unit 13 is composed of a combination of a predetermined display panel and predetermined operation buttons. The display panel of the display operation unit 13 displays the operating status of the banknote deposit and withdrawal unit 11 and the coin deposit and withdrawal unit 12, and displays, for example, that there is a shortage of coins for change in the coin deposit and withdrawal unit 12, that a predetermined sensor has detected an abnormality, and the location of the abnormality. The operation buttons of the display operation unit 13 are pressed by a cashier or the like to receive instructions regarding, for example, the transport of coins.

[0022] [2. Coin deposit / withdrawal section configuration] 2, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 has, in addition to the coin depositing port 16, the rejecting port 17, and the coin dispensing port 18 described above, a coin control unit 20, a deposit separation unit 21, a transport unit 22, a coin verification unit 23, a reject branching unit 24, and a reject transport path 25. The coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 also has six storage cabinet branching units 26 (storage cabinet branching units 26A to 26F), six storage cabinets 27 (storage cabinets 27A to 27F), six dispensing adjustment units 28 (dispensing adjustment units 28A to 28F), etc.

[0023] The coin control unit 20 is mainly composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) not shown, and controls the coin deposit / withdrawal unit 12 in an integrated manner by reading and executing various programs such as a coin deposit / withdrawal program from a memory such as a flash memory.

[0024] The coin deposit slot 16 is formed in a cone-shaped hollow and is provided with a separation disk 16D, a separation gate 16G, an actuator (not shown), a sensor (not shown), etc. The separation disk 16D is formed in a disk shape and is incorporated into the bottom of the coin deposit slot 16, and is configured to be rotatable around a rotation axis 16DX that extends in the up-down direction. The actuator supplies driving force to the separation disk 16D under the control of the coin control unit 20. The sensor detects the presence or absence of coins in the coin deposit slot 16 and notifies the coin control unit 20 of the detection result.

[0025] The separation gate 16G is located near the outer periphery on the left rear side of the coin depositing port 16. The lower end portion of this separation gate 16G is formed roughly horizontally, and a gap is formed between the upper side of the separation disk 16D and the upper surface of the separation disk 16D. The distance of this gap is larger than the thickness of one of the thickest coins handled by the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 (hereinafter referred to as the thickest coin) and smaller than the thickness of two thickest coins stacked on top of each other.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 3(A), when a coin CN is inserted, the coin deposit port 16 detects this with a sensor, rotates the separation disk 16D under the control of the coin control unit 20, and moves the coin toward the outer periphery of the separation disk 16D by the action of centrifugal force. As a result, the coin deposit port 16 separates the coins CN one by one through the gap between the separation disk 16D and the separation gate 16G and feeds them out to the left rear side, as shown in Fig. 3(B).

[0027] The coin deposit separation unit 21 (FIG. 2) is disposed behind the separation gate 16G and is composed of a rotary shaft 21X extending in the left-right direction, a cylindrical coin deposit separation roller 21R inserted into the rotary shaft 21X, a sensor (not shown), an actuator (not shown), and the like. The rotary shaft 21X is rotatably supported and rotates integrally with the coin deposit separation roller 21R. The sensor detects the presence or absence of coins dispensed from the coin deposit opening 16. Under the control of the coin control unit 20, the actuator supplies a driving force to the rotary shaft 21X to intermittently rotate the coin deposit separation roller 21R.

[0028] When this deposit separation unit 21 detects a coin using a sensor, it intermittently rotates the deposit separation roller 21R based on the control of the coin control unit 20, thereby sending each coin CN backward at regular intervals, as shown in Figure 3(C).

[0029] The conveying section 22 (Fig. 2) is composed of a conveying guide section 31 that forms a coin conveying path, and a conveying belt section 32 that moves the coins along the conveying path on the conveying guide section 31. The conveying guide section 31 is also composed of a recognition conveying guide section 31A that extends in the front-rear direction, and a sorting conveying guide section 31B that extends in the left-right direction. In this conveying guide section 31, the rear end of the recognition conveying guide section 31A is connected to the left end of the sorting conveying guide section 31B.

[0030] The recognition and conveyance guide unit 31A is disposed behind the deposit separation unit 21, and as shown in Fig. 4, has a guide unit 41, a left regulation unit 42L, and a right regulation unit 42R. The distance between the left regulation unit 42L and the right regulation unit 42R in the left-right direction is greater than the diameter of the coin with the largest diameter (hereinafter referred to as the maximum diameter coin) among the coins handled by the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12. The guide unit 41 has an upper surface (hereinafter referred to as the guide surface 41S) formed in a generally horizontal plane, and is designed to slide the coin backward with the coin's plate surface in contact with the guide surface 41S.

[0031] The left regulating portion 42L is disposed on the upper left side of the guide portion 41 and regulates the leftward movement range of the coin on the guide surface 41S. Hereinafter, the right side surface of the left regulating portion 42L will be referred to as the reference surface 42S. The right regulating portion 42R is disposed on the upper right side of the guide portion 41 and regulates the rightward movement range of the coin on the guide surface 41S.

[0032] From another perspective, in the recognition and conveyance guide unit 31A, a space is formed above the guide unit 41, surrounded by the guide surface 41S of the guide unit 41, the reference surface 42S of the left regulating unit 42L, and the left side surface of the right regulating unit 42R, and coins are conveyed backward within this space. Hereinafter, this space will also be referred to as the conveyance space 31S, and the path along which the coins travel will also be referred to as the conveyance path.

[0033] The sorting transport guide section 31B (Figure 2) is configured as if the recognition transport guide section 31A were rotated approximately 90 degrees clockwise in a plan view on a horizontal plane, with the guide section 41 and guide surface 41S extending in the left-right direction, and a transport space 31S extending in the left-right direction being formed above them.

[0034] The conveyor belt unit 32 is disposed above the conveyor guide unit 31 and is composed of four conveyor pulleys 43A, 43B, 43C, and 43D and a pin belt 44. Each of the conveyor pulleys 43A, 43B, 43C, and 43D is formed in a cylindrical shape with an axis extending in the vertical direction as its center, and is supported so as to be rotatable about this axis. The conveyor pulley 43A is connected to an actuator (not shown), and its rotation is controlled based on the control of the coin control unit 20.

[0035] Incidentally, conveying pulley 43A is disposed near the front end of recognition conveying guide section 31A. Conveying pulley 43B is disposed near the rear end of recognition conveying guide section 31A and near the left end of sorting conveying guide section 31B. Conveying pulley 43C is disposed near the right end of sorting conveying guide section 31B. Conveying pulley 43D is disposed on the right front side of conveying pulley 43B.

[0036] The pin belt 44 is composed of a flexible endless belt 45 and a plurality of pins 46 provided at predetermined intervals on the belt 45. The belt 45 is stretched along a path that encircles the periphery of the conveying pulleys 43A, 43B, and 43C and abuts against the conveying pulley 43D. In addition, the belt 45 runs approximately midway between the reference surface 42S of the left regulating portion 42L and the left side surface of the right regulating portion 42R in the recognition conveying guide portion 31A, i.e., on the upper side near the center in the left-right direction of the conveying space 31S. Incidentally, the lower end of the belt 45 forms a gap between the guide surface 41S that is sufficiently larger than the thickness of one coin.

[0037] The pin 46 is configured in a cylindrical shape with its central axis aligned in the vertical direction, and its upper end is located near the upper end of the belt 45, while its lower end protrudes below the lower end of the belt 45 and reaches the vicinity of the guide surface 41S. As shown in Figure 4, the gap formed between the lower end of the pin 46 and the guide surface 41S is a very small gap that is sufficiently smaller than the thickness of one of the thinnest coins (hereinafter referred to as the thinnest coin) handled by the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12. In addition, the above-mentioned conveying pulley 43A is provided with a sensor that detects the position of the pin 46 and notifies the coin control unit 20.

[0038] With this configuration, the conveying unit 22 drives the actuator under the control of the coin control unit 20, thereby rotating the conveying pulley 43A of the conveying belt unit 32 clockwise in the plan view of Fig. 2 and running the pin belt 44. The coin control unit 20 operates the deposit separation unit 21 in accordance with the timing of the pins 46, thereby sending out each coin CN between the pins 46, as shown in Fig. 3(D).

[0039] As a result, in the recognition conveyance guide unit 31A (FIG. 4), the conveyance unit 22 places coins on the guide surface 41S, and while restricting the range of left-right movement by the left restriction unit 42L and the right restriction unit 42R, applies a rearward force to each coin with each pin 46, allowing the coins to be conveyed rearward along the conveyance path.Furthermore, in the sorting conveyance guide unit 31B, the conveyance unit 22 places coins on the guide surface 41S, and applies a rightward force to each coin with each pin 46, allowing the coins to be conveyed rightward along the conveyance path.

[0040] The coin verification unit 23 (Fig. 2) is located near the center of the verification and transport guide unit 31A of the transport unit 22, and detects information about the coin using multiple sensors, and based on the obtained detection results, it recognizes the coin's denomination, authenticity, or degree of damage or defacement, and notifies the coin control unit 20 of the obtained verification results (details will be described later).In response, the coin control unit 20 determines the destination of the coin based on the notified verification results.

[0041] The reject branching section 24 is located behind the coin verification section 23 and is composed of a hole 24H, a branching plate 24V, an actuator (not shown), etc. The hole 24H is a rectangular hole that passes through the guide section 41 in the verification and conveyance guide section 31A in the vertical direction, and the length of each side is slightly larger than the diameter of the coin. The branching plate 24V is a rectangular plate-like member that can close the hole 24H, and is supported near its rear end so that it can rotate relative to the guide section 41 around an axis that runs in the left-right direction.

[0042] The actuator rotates the branch plate 24V by supplying a driving force to the branch plate 24V, and can transition the branch plate 24V between a closed state in which the branch plate 24V closes the hole 24H and an open state in which the front end of the branch plate 24V is raised above the guide portion 41 (guide surface 41S) to open the hole 24H. Incidentally, as shown in Fig. 2, the branch plate 24V has a large cutout formed near the center in the left-right direction, extending from the front end to the rear end, which can avoid interference with the pin belt 44 in the open state.

[0043] The reject conveying path 25 is a slope-shaped conveying path formed so as to gradually descend from the reject branching part 24 toward the reject opening 17, and when a coin falls from the reject branching part 24, the coin is made to slide down by utilizing gravity and reach the reject opening 17.

[0044] For example, if the recognition result obtained from the coin recognition unit 23 indicates that a coin that has passed through the coin recognition unit 23 is a coin that cannot be handled by the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 (hereinafter referred to as a rejected coin), the coin control unit 20 determines that the coin should be transported to the reject port 17 (FIGS. 1 and 2). At this time, the reject branching unit 24 causes the actuator to transition the branching plate 24V to an open state based on the control of the coin control unit 20. As a result, the coin abuts against the underside of the branching plate 24V and falls downward through the hole 24H, slides down along the reject transport path 25 and advances forward, eventually reaching the reject port 17 where it is removed by a cashier.

[0045] On the other hand, if the recognition result obtained from the coin recognition unit 23 indicates that the coin that has passed the coin recognition unit 23 is of one of the denominations that can be handled by the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12, the coin control unit 20 determines the destination of the coin to be a storage box 27 for each denomination (described in detail below). At this time, the reject branching unit 24 transitions the branching plate 24V to a closed state using an actuator based on the control of the coin control unit 20. As a result, the coin passes above the branching plate 24V at the reject branching unit 24, is conveyed backward by the conveying unit 22 along the recognition conveying guide unit 31A, and is further conveyed rightward along the sorting conveying guide unit 31B.

[0046] The six storage cabinet branching sections 26 (storage cabinet branching sections 26A to 26F) shown in Figure 2 are arranged in a row along the left-right direction in the sorting conveying guide section 31B. Each storage cabinet branching section 26 has the same configuration as the reject branching section 24, and includes a hole 26H provided in the guide section 41 in the sorting conveying guide section 31B, a rotatable branching plate 26V, and an actuator (not shown). Each storage cabinet branching section 26 is assigned a different denomination (for example, 1 yen, 10 yen, 100 yen, 500 yen, 50 yen, and 5 yen).

[0047] The six storage cabinets 27 (storage cabinets 27A to 27F) are arranged adjacent to one another in the left-right direction. Each storage cabinet 27 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the front-to-back direction, short in the left-to-right direction, and has a certain depth in the up-to-down direction, and can store coins therein. Like each storage cabinet branch section 26, each storage cabinet 27 is assigned a different denomination.

[0048] The vicinity of the rear end of each storage box 27 is located below the sorting conveyance guide section 31B, i.e., below each storage box branch section 26. Therefore, when a coin falls from each storage box branch section 26, the coin is stored in the storage box 27 located below it. In addition, the front end of each storage box 27 is adjacent to the rear side of the coin withdrawal port 18.

[0049] The coin control unit 20 opens and closes each storage box branching unit 26 as appropriate based on the denomination recognized by the coin recognition unit 23. As a result, the coin control unit 20 causes the conveying unit 22 to convey the coin along the sorting conveying guide unit 31B, and drops it from the storage box branching unit 26 corresponding to the denomination, allowing it to be stored in the storage box 27.

[0050] The bottom of storage 27 is inclined so that it becomes higher from the rear to the front, and a conveyor belt is incorporated. This conveyor belt is stretched so as to go around a plurality of conveyor pulleys (not shown), and when a driving force is supplied from an actuator (not shown), the conveyor belt is driven to move the bottom portion of storage 27 in the front-to-rear direction.

[0051] The six dispensing adjustment units 28 (dispensing adjustment units 28A to 28F) are arranged near the front end of each storage cabinet 27 (storage cabinets 27A to 27F), and are composed of a rotating shaft 28X, a dispensing roller 28R, and an actuator and a sensor (not shown). The rotating shaft 28X is formed in a long, thin columnar shape along the left-right direction, and is arranged to penetrate the six storage cabinets 27 and is rotatably supported. Each dispensing roller 28R is formed in a cylindrical shape centered on an axis along the left-right direction, and is inserted into the rotating shaft 28X. The actuator supplies driving force to the rotating shaft 28X to rotate it based on the control of the coin control unit 20. The sensor detects coins in front of the dispensing roller 28R and notifies the coin control unit 20 of the obtained detection result.

[0052] When dispensing coins stored in storage 27 as change, the coin control unit 20 moves the conveyor belt to move the bottom portion forward, thereby conveying the stored coins forward. The coin control unit 20 also adjusts the number of coins dispensed from each storage 27 by appropriately rotating each dispensing roller 28R while monitoring the detection results obtained from each sensor in the dispensing adjustment unit 28. As a result, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 can feed coins of the desired denomination and number from each storage 27 and store them in the coin dispensing port 18, allowing the cashier to take out these coins.

[0053] [3. Coin Recognition Unit Configuration] Next, the configuration of the coin verification unit 23 will be described in detail. As shown in Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8, the coin verification unit 23 is disposed so as to be embedded midway in the verification and conveyance guide unit 31A (Figure 3). Specifically, the coin verification unit 23 includes a verification control unit 50, a lower sensor frame 51, an upper left sensor frame 52, an upper right sensor frame 53, an optical information acquisition unit 54, a magnetic information acquisition unit 55, a blade biasing unit 57, a downstream brush biasing unit 58, an upstream brush biasing unit 70, and a sheet metal unit 60 (sheet metal units 60a, 60b and 60c).

[0054] Incidentally, in the coin verification unit 23, coins are transported from the front to the rear by the pin belt 44, similar to the verification and transport guide unit 31A of the transport unit 22. For this reason, in the following, focusing on the progress of the coin, the front side will also be referred to as the upstream side, and the rear side will also be referred to as the downstream side. Also, in the following, the rear direction, which is the direction in which coins are transported by the transport unit 22, will also be referred to as the transport direction, and the left-right direction on the guide surface 41S that is perpendicular to this transport direction will also be referred to as the width direction.

[0055] The recognition control unit 50 is mainly composed of a CPU (not shown), and reads and executes various programs such as recognition programs from a memory unit consisting of a flash memory or the like, and performs various processes related to coin recognition based on various information obtained from the optical information acquisition unit 54 and the magnetic information acquisition unit 55.

[0056] [3-1. Configuration of the lower sensor frame] The lower sensor frame 51 is formed into a relatively large rectangular parallelepiped shape by resin molding made of a non-magnetic material, and is disposed so as to be embedded midway in the guide portion 41. The guide surface 51S, which is the upper surface of the lower sensor frame 51, is formed flat and forms a plane continuous with the guide surface 41S of the guide portion 41. Parts of the left restriction portion 42L and the right restriction portion 42R are disposed above the lower sensor frame 51.

[0057] The right side surface of the left restricting portion 42L is not perpendicular to the guide surface 51S, but is an inclined surface that connects the lower left side and the upper right side, i.e., the upper end portion is tilted toward the transfer space 31S. In addition, a thin reference abutment plate 42B is provided on the right side surface of the left restricting portion 42L, and a reference surface 42S, which is the right side surface of the reference abutment plate 42B, is inclined in the same manner as the right side surface of the left restricting portion 42L.

[0058] [3-2. Configuration of the upper left sensor frame] The upper left sensor frame 52 is formed into a relatively small rectangular parallelepiped shape by resin molding made of a non-magnetic material, and is fixed to the upper left rear portion of the lower sensor frame 51 at a distance equal to the thickness (i.e., the vertical length) of the left restriction portion 42L from the guide surface 51S. In other words, the upper left sensor frame 52 is disposed at a location opposite the guide surface 51S with the transfer space 31S in between.

[0059] [3-3. Configuration of the upper right sensor frame] The upper right sensor frame 53 is molded from a non-magnetic resin and is formed into a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is shorter in the front-to-rear direction than the upper left sensor frame 52. It is fixed to the upper right rear portion of the lower sensor frame 51 at a distance from the guide surface 51S that is equal to the thickness of the right restriction portion 42R. As shown in Figure 6, the upper right sensor frame 53 has a shape in which the vicinity of its lower left end (vertex) is diagonally cut off. A gap is formed between the upper left sensor frame 52 and the upper right sensor frame 53 to allow the pin belt 44 to pass through.

[0060] [3-4. Configuration of optical information acquisition unit] The optical information acquisition unit 54, which serves as an optical sensor, is embedded in the guide section 41 at the front side of the lower sensor frame 51 and is composed of a light-transmitting member 54T, a light-emitting element, a lens, an image sensor, and other components (not shown). The light-transmitting member 54T is a plate-like member made of, for example, single-crystal sapphire, which is light-transmitting and has high strength. The guide surface 54TS, which serves as the sensor surface and is formed flat, forms a plane continuous with the front guide surface 41S and the rear guide surface 51S and is flush with the guide surfaces 41S and 51S. For convenience, the guide surface 54TS, the guide surface 51S, and the sheet metal surfaces 60aS, 60bS, and 60cS (described below) will hereinafter be referred to as the guide surface 41S.

[0061] The light-emitting element is disposed below the light-transmitting member 54T, and emits light such as visible light or infrared light, which travels upward. This light passes through the light-transmitting member 54T and reaches the transport space 31S above it. Furthermore, if there is a coin in the transport space 31S, this light is reflected by the underside of the coin, becoming reflected light, which then passes through the light-transmitting member 54T and travels downward.

[0062] The lens is located below the light-transmitting member 54T at a different location from the light-emitting element, and focuses the reflected light. The imaging element is located at or near the focal point below the lens, and captures an image of the reflected light focused by the lens, converts it into an electrical signal, and supplies it to the recognition control unit 50. The recognition control unit 50 forms image data based on the obtained electrical signal, and uses this image data for coin recognition processing.

[0063] [3-5. Configuration of magnetic information acquisition unit] The magnetic information acquisition unit 55 is composed of three sets of sensors: a lower material sensor 55A, an overall material sensor 55B, and an outer diameter sensor 55C. As shown in Fig. 7(A), the lower material sensor 55A is located slightly to the right of the upper left sensor frame 52. The lower material sensor 55A is embedded in the lower sensor frame 51, which is located below the transfer space 31S.

[0064] This lower material sensor 55A has a magnetic flux transmitting unit that transmits magnetic flux toward the upper side, and a magnetic flux receiving unit that receives magnetic flux arriving from the upper side, and generates a lower material reception signal as information representing the reception result by the magnetic flux receiving unit and notifies the recognition control unit 50. The recognition control unit 50 determines the surface material of the lower side of the coin based on the obtained lower material reception signal.

[0065] As shown in Fig. 5, the overall material sensor 55B is disposed on the left side and behind the lower material sensor 55A, i.e., at a location relatively close to the reference plane 42S. As shown in Fig. 7(B), the overall material sensor 55B is composed of an overall material sensor transmitter 55BL embedded in the lower sensor frame 51 below the transfer space 31S, and an overall material sensor receiver 55BU embedded in the upper left sensor frame 52 above the transfer space 31S.

[0066] The overall material sensor transmitter 55BL has a magnetic flux transmitter that transmits magnetic flux upward. When a coin is present in the transport space 31S, part of this magnetic flux is blocked by the coin, and the rest passes through the coin. The overall material sensor receiver 55BU receives the magnetic flux transmitted from the overall material sensor transmitter 55BL and that has passed through the coin, generates an overall material reception signal, and notifies the recognition control unit 50. The recognition control unit 50 determines the overall material of the coin based on the obtained overall material reception signal.

[0067] As shown in Fig. 5, the outer diameter sensor 55C is located behind the entire material sensor 55B and to the right of the lower material sensor 55A and the entire material sensor 55B, i.e., to the right of the portion through which the pin belt 44 passes, at a position relatively far from the reference surface 42S. As shown in Fig. 7(C), this outer diameter sensor 55C is composed of an outer diameter sensor transmitter 55CL embedded in the lower sensor frame 51 below the transfer space 31S, and an outer diameter sensor receiver 55CU embedded in the upper right sensor frame 53 above the transfer space 31S.

[0068] The outer diameter sensor transmitter 55CL, like the entire material sensor transmitter 55BL, has a magnetic flux transmitter that transmits magnetic flux upward. When a coin is present in the transport space 31S, part of this magnetic flux is blocked by the coin, and the rest passes through the coin. The outer diameter sensor receiver 55CU, like the entire material sensor receiver 55BU, receives the magnetic flux transmitted from the outer diameter sensor transmitter 55CL and that has passed through the coin, generates an outer diameter reception signal, and notifies the recognition control unit 50. The recognition control unit 50 determines the outer diameter of the coin based on the obtained outer diameter reception signal.

[0069] Incidentally, the mounting positions of the sensors of the magnetic information acquisition unit 55 are adjusted in the left-right direction on the assumption that the coins are transported in the transport space 31S with their left ends in contact with the reference surface 42S. Therefore, in the coin verification unit 23 (FIG. 5), the blade urging unit 57 and the downstream brush urging unit 58 urge the coins toward the reference surface 42S in the transport space 31S.

[0070] The coin verification unit 23 is provided with three types of sensors, namely, a lower material sensor 55A, an overall material sensor 55B, and an outer diameter sensor 55C, as the magnetic information acquisition unit 55. Of these, the lower material sensor 55A, the overall material sensor transmitting unit 55BL of the overall material sensor 55B, and the outer diameter sensor transmitting unit 55CL of the outer diameter sensor 55C are disposed below the transport space 31S, and are therefore provided within the lower sensor frame 51.

[0071] On the other hand, the overall material sensor receiving unit 55BU of the overall material sensor 55B and the outer diameter sensor receiving unit 55CU of the outer diameter sensor 55C, which are part of the magnetic information acquisition unit 55, must be placed above the transfer space 31S. In other words, in order to receive magnetic flux, the overall material sensor receiving unit 55BU and the outer diameter sensor receiving unit 55CU must be positioned opposite the overall material sensor transmitting unit 55BL and the outer diameter sensor transmitting unit 55CL, respectively, and must be placed within a predetermined distance.

[0072] For this reason, in the coin verification unit 23, an upper left sensor frame 52 and an upper right sensor frame 53 are provided only on the rear side above the conveying space 31S, and an overall material sensor receiving unit 55BU and an outer diameter sensor receiving unit 55CU are arranged inside them, respectively.

[0073] [3-6. Configuration of the blade biasing unit] The blade biasing unit 57 (FIG. 5) is composed of a shaft 57X, a blade 57A, a contact portion 57B, a locking body 57C, and a spring 57D. The shaft 57X is an elongated cylinder with its central axis aligned in the vertical direction, and stands upright from a portion of the upper surface of the guide unit 41 to the right of the optical information acquisition unit 54.

[0074] The blade 57A is made of a predetermined resin material and has a polyhedral shape that is long in the front-to-rear direction, short in the left-to-right direction, and short in the up-to-down direction. The vertical length of the blade 57A is shorter (shorter) than the vertical lengths of the left regulating portion 42L and the right regulating portion 42R, i.e., the vertical length of the conveying space 31S, and is longer (longer) than the thickness of one coin.

[0075] Furthermore, blade 57A has a shape in which approximately half of its front side is bent toward the left, compared to approximately half of its rear side. In a plan view, the left side of blade 57A has a shape like a straight line bent at two points in a crank shape, with the front and rear sides extending roughly along the front-to-rear direction, while the central portion extends along a diagonal direction connecting the front right side and the rear left side. Blade 57A has upper and lower sides that are planar and substantially parallel to guide surface 41S, while the front, rear, and right side surfaces are planar and substantially perpendicular to guide surface 41S. Blade 57A also has an inclined left side that connects the upper left side and the lower right side, i.e., the upper end is tilted toward the conveying space 31S.

[0076] The rear end of blade 57A (FIG. 5) is located rearward of lower material sensor 55A, forward of overall material sensor 55B and outer diameter sensor 55C, and forward of the front end of upper right sensor frame 53. Blade 57A also has a circular shaft hole 57AH drilled in the vicinity of its front end, which extends vertically. A shaft 57X is inserted through shaft hole 57AH, allowing blade 57A to rotate on guide surface 41S around shaft 57X.

[0077] The contact portion 57B is made of a non-magnetic, highly rigid material, such as stainless steel or ceramic, and is electrically insulated from other portions. The contact portion 57B is composed of a central contact portion 57BC and a rear contact portion 57BE, each formed in a thin plate shape. The central contact portion 57BC and the rear contact portion 57BE are each inclined in the same manner as the left side surface of the blade 57A. The central contact portion 57BC covers the central portion of the left side surface of the blade 57A in the front-to-rear direction. The rear contact portion 57BE covers the rear portion of the left side surface of the blade 57A.

[0078] Locking body 57C is a rectangular parallelepiped that is sufficiently small compared to blade 57A, and is disposed on guide surface 41S to the rear and left of shaft 57X. When blade 57A attempts to rotate counterclockwise around shaft 57X in a plan view, locking body 57C abuts against a front portion of the left side surface of blade 57A, thereby limiting the range of rotation. Spring 57D is, for example, a coil spring extending in the left-right direction, and when compressed from its natural state, its right end is fixed to guide portion 41 and its left end is attached near the rear end of blade 57A.

[0079] With this configuration, the blade biasing unit 57 rotates the blade 57A around the shaft 57X, thereby increasing or decreasing (i.e., changing) the distance between the contact portion 57B and the reference surface 42S; in other words, the blade biasing unit 57 can move the contact portion 57B closer to or further away from the reference surface 42S. Furthermore, the restoring force of the spring 57D acts on the blade biasing unit 57, causing the blade 57A to rotate counterclockwise in a plan view around the shaft 57X, stopping it when it contacts the locking member 57C. At this time, the rear contact portion 57BE is located to the right of the lower material sensor 55A, and forms a relatively small (short) gap between it and the reference surface 42S in the left-right direction. This gap is shorter than the diameter of the smallest diameter coin (hereinafter referred to as the "minimum diameter coin") among the coins handled by the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12.

[0080] [3-7. Configuration of downstream brush biasing section] The downstream brush biasing portion 58 as a second biasing portion has an elongated shape in the front-rear direction as a whole, i.e., a substantially linear shape extending along the front-rear direction in a plan view, and is attached to the left side surface of the upper right sensor frame 53. In other words, the downstream brush biasing portion 58 is provided on the opposite side of the pin belt 44 from the reference plane 42S in the left-right direction. The front end of the downstream brush biasing portion 58 is located rearward (downstream) of the front end of the upper right sensor frame 53 and forward (upstream) of the outer diameter sensor 55C. Furthermore, the rear end of the downstream brush biasing portion 58 is located rearward (downstream) of the outer diameter sensor 55C.

[0081] In the front-rear direction, the distance from the rear end of the blade urging unit 57 to the front end of the downstream brush urging unit 58 is approximately 0.5 to 1.0 times the diameter of the smallest coin. The distance from the center of the entire material sensor 55B to the front end of the downstream brush urging unit 58 is approximately 0.3 to 0.5 times the diameter of the smallest coin. The distance from the front end of the holder 58A to the center of the outer diameter sensor 55C is approximately 0.2 to 0.4 times the diameter of the smallest coin. The distance from the center of the outer diameter sensor 55C to the rear end of the downstream brush urging unit 58 is at least 0.5 times the diameter of the smallest coin.

[0082] Furthermore, the distance from the reference plane 42S in the left-right direction to the front end of the downstream brush urging portion 58 is greater than the radius of the maximum diameter coin and slightly shorter than the diameter of the minimum diameter coin. The length of the downstream brush urging portion 58 in the front-rear direction is approximately equal to the diameter of the minimum diameter coin.

[0083] The downstream brush biasing portion 58 is composed of a holder 58A, a bristle portion 58B, and a restricting portion 58C. The holder 58A is attached to the left side surface of the upper right sensor frame 53 and is formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped that is long in the front-to-rear direction, short in the up-down direction, and extremely short in the left-to-right direction. The upper and lower ends of the holder 58A are located at approximately the same height as the upper and lower ends of the left side surface of the upper right sensor frame 53.

[0084] The bristle portion 58B is a bundle of numerous bristles, i.e., numerous elongated fibrous objects, and the vicinity of their upper ends is embedded and held inside the holder 58A. That is, the bristle portion 58B grows downward from almost the entire area of ​​the lower surface of the holder 58A. In other words, the downstream brush biasing portion 58 is configured in a shape similar to a brush. Each bristle constituting the bristle portion 58B has a linear, elongated shape extending in the vertical direction and is a flexible member. For convenience of explanation, hereinafter, the lower end of the bristle portion 58B and each bristle will be referred to as "one end" and the upper end as "the other end."

[0085] The vertical length of the hair portion 58B is slightly longer than the vertical length of the right regulating portion 42R, i.e., the vertical length of the conveying space 31S, and is, for example, about 5 to 6 times the thickness of the thickest coin. The lower end of the hair portion 58B is located above the guide surface 41S with a small gap. This gap is less than 1 / 3 the thickness of the thinnest coin.

[0086] If a horizontal external force is applied near the lower end of hair portion 58B, the flexibility of each hair causes it to deform into a shape that is bent in the direction of the external force, and a restoring force acts to return it to its original shape (a straight line along the vertical direction).

[0087] The restricting portion 58C is configured as a plate-like member that is long in the front-to-rear direction, short in the up-down direction, and thin in the left-to-right direction. The length of the restricting portion 58C in the front-to-rear direction is equal to the length of the holding portion 58A in the front-to-rear direction. The length of the restricting portion 58C in the up-to-down direction is longer than the length of the holding portion 58A in the up-to-down direction, and is approximately the length of the holding portion 58A in the up-to-down direction plus about half the length of the hair portion 58B in the up-to-down direction.

[0088] The restricting portion 58C is attached to the left side of the holding portion 58A so that the positions of its upper end, front end, and rear end are substantially aligned with those of the holding portion 58A. That is, the lower portion of the restricting portion 58C is adjacent to the left side of the upper half of the hair portion 58B. As a result, the restricting portion 58C allows the vicinity of the lower end of the hair portion 58B to bend forward, backward, and rightward, while restricting it from bending too far leftward.

[0089] [3-8. Configuration of the upstream brush biasing section] The upstream brush biasing portion 70 has an elongated shape in the left-right direction as a whole, i.e., a substantially linear shape extending in the left-right direction in a plan view, and is attached to a mechanism (not shown) arranged upstream of the optical information acquisition portion 54 and above the guide surface 41S. The upstream brush biasing portions 70 are arranged in pair, one on each side of the pin belt 44, to avoid the travel path of the pin belt 44. Specifically, the left upstream brush biasing portion 70 is arranged continuously from the right side of the reference surface 42S to the left side of the pin belt 44 in the left-right direction, upstream of the optical information acquisition portion 54. The right upstream brush biasing portion 70 is arranged continuously from the left side of the right restriction portion 42R to the left side of the right restriction portion 42R in the left-right direction, upstream of the optical information acquisition portion 54.

[0090] As shown in Figure 8, the upstream brush urging unit 70 is composed of a holding unit 70A, a bristle unit 70B, and a regulating unit 70C, which correspond to the holding unit 58A, the bristle unit 58B, and the regulating unit 58C, respectively, of the downstream brush urging unit 58. The holding unit 70A is attached to a mechanism (not shown) located above the guide surface 41S, and is formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped that is long in the left-right direction, short in the up-down direction, and extremely short in the front-to-back direction. The lower end of the bristle unit 70B is located above the guide surface 41S, with a small gap between them. This gap is less than one-third the thickness of the thinnest coin.

[0091] The restricting portion 70C is configured as a plate-like member that is long in the left-right direction, short in the up-down direction, and thin in the front-rear direction. The left-right length of the restricting portion 70C is equal to the left-right length of the holding portion 70A. The up-down length of the restricting portion 70C is longer than the up-down length of the holding portion 70A, and is approximately the up-down length of the holding portion 70A plus about half the up-down length of the hair portion 70B.

[0092] The restricting portion 70C is attached to the rear side of the holding portion 70A so that its upper, right, and left ends are substantially aligned with those of the holding portion 70A. That is, the lower portion of the restricting portion 70C is adjacent to the rear side of the upper half of the hair portion 70B. This allows the lower end of the hair portion 70B to bend forward, right, and left, while restricting it from bending too far rearward.

[0093] [3-9. Structure of sheet metal parts] The lower sensor frame 51 is provided with a sheet metal portion 60. The sheet metal portion 60 is composed of sheet metal portions 60a, 60b, and 60c, and is molded integrally with the lower sensor frame 51 so as to be embedded in the lower sensor frame 51. Hereinafter, the sheet metal portions 60a, 60b, and 60c will also be collectively referred to as the sheet metal portion 60. The sheet metal portion 60 is a thin plate made of a non-magnetic metal material, such as stainless steel, that has high wear resistance and high hardness. Therefore, the sheet metal portion 60 has higher wear resistance and hardness than the resin portion of the lower sensor frame 51 other than the sheet metal portion 60. The sheet metal portion 60 also has higher wear resistance and hardness than the coins handled by the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12.

[0094] The upper surfaces of these sheet metal portions 60a, 60b and 60c, namely sheet metal surfaces 60aS, 60bS and 60cS, respectively, are formed flat and form a continuous plane with the parts of the guide surface 41S of the lower sensor frame 51 other than the sheet metal surfaces 60aS, 60bS and 60cS, and are flush with the guide surface 41S.

[0095] This sheet metal part 60 is arranged at a position that avoids the optical information acquisition part 54 and the magnetic information acquisition part 55 (i.e., does not overlap with the optical information acquisition part 54 and the magnetic information acquisition part 55) in a plan view seen from a direction perpendicular to the guide surface 41S. Therefore, the coin verification part 23 does not allow the sheet metal part 60 to block the light emitted from the light-emitting element of the optical information acquisition part 54, thereby suppressing the influence of the sheet metal part 60 on the optical information acquisition part 54. Furthermore, the coin verification part 23 does not allow the sheet metal part 60 to block the magnetic flux transmitted from the lower material sensor 55A, the entire material sensor 55B, and the outer diameter sensor 55C, thereby suppressing the influence of the sheet metal part 60 on the magnetic information acquisition part 55.

[0096] [3-9-1. Configuration of the sheet metal part 60a] 5, the sheet metal part 60a is disposed on the left side of the portion through which the pin belt 44 passes, extending from the rear side of the optical information acquisition part 54 to the front side of the overall material sensor 55B in the front-rear direction, and from the right side of the reference surface 42S to the left side of the lower material sensor 55A in the left-right direction. In other words, the sheet metal part 60a is disposed in an area surrounded by the optical information acquisition part 54, the overall material sensor 55B, the reference surface 42S, and the lower material sensor 55A in a plan view.

[0097] In this way, the sheet metal portion 60a is positioned on the guide surface 41S, in the conveying direction, at the portion where the coin is pressed against the reference surface 42S by the blade biasing portion 57, to the left (i.e., at a position closer to the reference surface 42S) of the portion through which the pin belt 44 passes (i.e., the travel path of the pin belt 44).

[0098] [3-9-2. Configuration of sheet metal portion 60b] The sheet metal part 60b is disposed in the front-rear direction from the rear side of the sheet metal part 60a to the front side of the rear ends of the upper-left sensor frame 52 and the upper-right sensor frame 53, and in the left-right direction from the right side of the overall material sensor 55B to the left side of the outer diameter sensor 55C. In other words, the sheet metal part 60b is disposed in an area surrounded by the sheet metal part 60a, the overall material sensor 55B, and the outer diameter sensor 55C.

[0099] In this way, the sheet metal part 60b is arranged in a portion of the guide surface 41S in the conveying direction where the underside of the coin is pressed against the guide surface 41S by the downstream brush biasing part 58. Therefore, the sheet metal part 60b is arranged below the downstream brush biasing part 58 in an area that does not overlap with the outer diameter sensor 55C in a plan view.

[0100] [3-9-3. Configuration of sheet metal portion 60c] The sheet metal portion 60c is disposed upstream of the guide surface 54TS of the optical information acquisition unit 54, extending in the front-to-rear direction from the front side of the guide surface 54TS of the optical information acquisition unit 54 to the rear side of the front end portion of the lower sensor frame 51, and extending in the left-right direction from the right side of the reference surface 42S to the left side of the left side surface of the right restriction portion 42R. That is, the sheet metal portion 60c is disposed in an area surrounded by the guide surface 54TS of the optical information acquisition unit 54, the reference surface 42S, and the right restriction portion 42R in a plan view.

[0101] In this way, the sheet metal part 60c is arranged at a portion of the guide surface 41S where the underside of the coin is pressed against the guide surface 41S by the upstream brush urging part 70 in the conveying direction. For this reason, the sheet metal part 60c is arranged below the upstream brush urging part 70.

[0102] [4. Coin Recognition Processing in the Coin Recognition Unit] Next, we will explain the coin recognition process in the coin recognition unit 23, i.e., the process of conveying the coin by the pin belt 44 of the conveyor belt unit 32 and acquiring various information from the coin by the optical information acquisition unit 54 and magnetic information acquisition unit 55.

[0103] In the coin depositing / withdrawing unit 12, as shown in Figures 3(A) to 3(D), when a coin CN is inserted into the coin depositing port 16, the separation disk 16D is rotated to separate and dispense the coin CN one by one through the gap with the separation gate 16G, and the coins CN are sent rearward at regular intervals by the depositing / separating unit 21. As a result, each coin CN is transported rearward along the recognition / transport guide unit 31A by each pin 46 of the pin belt 44, and reaches the coin recognition unit 23. At this time, the coin CN is transported without necessarily abutting against the reference surface 42S, as shown in Figure 3(D).

[0104] In the coin verification unit 23, as shown in FIG. 9, the rear portion of the coin CN first reaches directly below the upstream brush urging unit 70, causing the vicinity of the lower end of the bristle portion 70B to be urged upward and rearward, resulting in a bent state. As a result, the upstream brush urging unit 70 exerts a force in a downward and forward direction on the coin CN due to the restoring force of the bristle portion 70B. This force can be considered the resultant of the forward and downward forces. Meanwhile, the coin CN is subjected to a relatively large rearward force from the pins 46 of the pin belt 44. Therefore, the forward component of the force received from the upstream brush urging unit 70 is canceled out, causing the coin CN to move rearward, while the downward component maintains the state in which the lower surface of the coin CN is in contact with the guide surface 41S, including the sheet metal surface 60cS. Next, in the coin verification unit 23, the coin CN is transported further rearward by the movement of the pin belt 44.

[0105] At this time, the coin CN approaches the upper side of the optical information acquisition unit 54, and the coin verification unit 23 thereby detects information from the coin CN. That is, the coin verification unit 23 detects information from the coin CN while the underside of the coin CN remains in contact with the guide surface 41S including the sheet metal surface 60cS. At this time, the coin CN is pressed against the guide surface 41S by the upstream brush biasing unit 70. Therefore, the coin verification unit 23 can transport the coin CN onto the guide surface 54TS of the optical information acquisition unit 54 in a state where the slight floating or bouncing that tends to occur in coins CN ejected from the deposit separation unit 21 is reduced.

[0106] Next, in the coin verification unit 23, the coin CN is transported further rearward by the movement of the pin belt 44. The coin CN separates from the bristle portion 70B of the upstream brush urging unit 70, and is no longer subjected to force from the upstream brush urging unit 70. As shown in FIG. 10(A), the coin CN contacts the central contact portion 57BC of the blade urging unit 57. Here, the central contact portion 57BC is an inclined surface connecting the right front side and the left rear side in a plan view, and is inclined with respect to the transport direction (i.e., the rearward direction). Therefore, the coin CN is subjected to a force acting from the central contact portion 57BC toward the left front. This force can be considered as the resultant force of a force acting forward and a force acting leftward. At this time, the coin verification unit 23 contacts the contact portion 57B at the upper right end of the coin CN, as shown in FIG. 10(B), and applies a force F1 from the contact portion 57B toward the lower left to the coin CN. That is, the coin CN is biased leftward and pressed downward. Meanwhile, the coin CN receives a relatively large force from the pins 46 of the pin belt 44 in the rearward direction.

[0107] As a result, the forward component of the force received from the blade biasing portion 57 is canceled out and the coin CN moves backward, and the left end of the coin CN abuts against the reference surface 42S as shown in Fig. 11(A) due to the leftward component of the force received from the blade biasing portion 57. In addition, the downward component of the force received from the blade biasing portion 57 presses the lower surface of the coin CN against the guide surface 41S including the sheet metal surface 60aS.

[0108] 11(B), the upper left end portion of the coin CN abuts against the reference surface 42S, and applies a force F2 from the reference surface 42S to the coin CN in a lower right direction. The upper right end portion of the coin CN of the coin verification unit 23 continues to abut against the abutment portion 57B, and applies a force F1 from the abutment portion 57B to the coin CN in a lower left direction.

[0109] Next, in the coin verification unit 23, as shown in FIG. 12, when the coin CN receives a rearward force from the pin 46 of the pin belt 44, the underside of the coin CN is pressed against the guide surface 41S, including the sheet metal surface 60aS, and the coin CN moves backward while its left end remains in contact with the reference surface 42S. At this time, the coin verification unit 23 transmits part of the force applied to the coin CN from the pin 46 to the blade biasing unit 57 from near the right end of the coin CN. As a result, the blade biasing unit 57 rotates the blade 57A clockwise in a plan view while compressing the spring 57D, widening the gap between the rear contact portion 57BE and the reference surface 42S. At this time, part of the coin CN comes directly above the lower material sensor 55A in the coin verification unit 23, and the lower material sensor 55A detects information from the coin CN.

[0110] In the coin verification unit 23, when the distance between the rear contact portion 57BE and the reference surface 42S widens to the same diameter as the coin CN, as shown in Fig. 13, the underside of the coin CN is pressed against the guide surface 41S including the metal plate surfaces 60aS and 60bS, and the coin CN is advanced backward while the vicinity of its right end is brought into contact with the rear contact portion 57BE, with the left end of the coin CN still in contact with the reference surface 42S. At this time, the blade biasing unit 57 applies a force from the rear contact portion 57BE to the coin CN in a substantially leftward direction. As a result, the coin CN can continue to advance backward while its left end is still in contact with the reference surface 42S.

[0111] Then, as shown in Figure 14, a part of the coin CN reaches the position of the overall material sensor 55B, i.e., between the overall material sensor receiving unit 55BU and the overall material sensor transmitting unit 55BL, and the coin recognition unit 23 detects information from the coin CN using these.

[0112] At this time, in the coin verification unit 23, the rear right portion of the coin CN reaches directly below the downstream brush biasing unit 58, and the vicinity of the lower end of the bristle portion 58B is biased in the right rear upward direction, causing it to bend. As a result, the downstream brush biasing unit 58 applies a force to the coin CN in the left front downward direction due to the restoring force of the bristle portion 58B. This force can be considered to be the resultant force of a force in the forward direction, a force in the left direction, and a force in the downward direction. Meanwhile, the coin CN is subjected to a relatively large force in the rear direction from the pin 46 of the pin belt 44.

[0113] As a result, the forward component of the force received from the downstream brush urging section 58 is canceled out and the coin CN moves backward, while the leftward component causes the left end to abut against the reference surface 42S, and the downward component causes the lower surface to maintain abutment against the guide surface 41S including the sheet metal surfaces 60aS and 60bS.

[0114] Next, in the coin verification unit 23, the coin CN is transported further rearward by the movement of the pin belt 44, and as shown in Figure 15 (A), the coin CN moves away from the rear abutment portion 57BE of the blade biasing unit 57, and is no longer subjected to force from the blade biasing unit 57.

[0115] 15(B), the vicinity of the lower end of the bristle portion 58B rides up on the coin CN near the front end or near the center of the downstream brush biasing portion 58. At this time, a rearward force acts on the bristle portion 58B as the coin CN moves rearward, and bending to the left is restricted by the restricting portion 58C, so the vicinity of the lower end is bent to the upper-rear-right side. Therefore, the restoring force of the bristle portion 58B acts on the coin CN in a left-front-downward direction.

[0116] 15(C), in the vicinity of the rear end of the downstream brush biasing part 58, the rear right part of the coin CN biases the vicinity of the lower end of the hair part 58B in the upper right rear direction, causing it to bend, as in the case shown in Fig. 14(B). As a result, the downstream brush biasing part 58 applies a force to the coin CN in the lower left front direction due to the restoring force of the hair part 58B.

[0117] Here, the force acting on the coin CN in the left-front downward direction from each portion of the downstream brush biasing unit 58 can be considered to be the resultant force of a forward force, a leftward force, and a downward force, as in the case described above. Meanwhile, the coin CN is subjected to a relatively large rearward force from the pin 46 of the pin belt 44. As a result, of the force received from the downstream brush biasing unit 58, the forward component is canceled out and the coin CN moves rearward, while the leftward component causes the left end to abut against the reference surface 42S, and the downward component causes the lower surface to maintain abutment against the guide surface 41S including the sheet metal surface 60bS.

[0118] Furthermore, at this time, part of the coin CN comes between the outer diameter sensor transmitting unit 55CL and the outer diameter sensor receiving unit 55CU of the outer diameter sensor 55C, and this allows the coin verification unit 23 to detect information from the coin CN. That is, the coin verification unit 23 can detect information relating to the outer diameter of the coin CN while the left end of the coin CN is in contact with the reference surface 42S and the lower surface is in contact with the guide surface 41S including the sheet metal surface 60bS.

[0119] In this way, the coin verification unit 23 can apply downward forces to the coin CN from both the left and right sides, in addition to bringing the coin CN into contact with the reference surface 42S. As a result, the coin verification unit 23 can effectively detect information about the coin CN using the sensors of the optical information acquisition unit 54 and the magnetic information acquisition unit 55, while pressing the coin CN against the guide surface 41S including the sheet metal surfaces 60aS, 60bS, and 60cS and stabilizing its posture, and based on this, the verification control unit 50 can accurately verify the denomination, authenticity, etc. of the coin CN.

[0120] [5. Effects, etc.] In the above configuration, the coin recognition unit 23 is provided with an optical information acquisition unit 54 and a magnetic information acquisition unit 55 that detect information about the coin CN, as well as an upstream brush urging unit 70 that urges the coin CN toward the guide surface 41S, and a blade urging unit 57 and a downstream brush urging unit 58 that urge the coin CN toward the reference surface 42S and the guide surface 41S.

[0121] Furthermore, when a coin CN is transported from the front side by the pin belt 44 of the transport unit 22, the coin verification unit 23 flexes the bristle portion 70B of the upstream brush biasing unit 70, thereby moving the coin CN backward while maintaining contact with the guide surface 41S, and detects information using the optical information acquisition unit 54. As a result, the coin verification unit 23 reduces floating or bouncing of the coin CN on the guide surface 54TS of the optical information acquisition unit 54, stabilizes the posture of the coin CN, stabilizes the focal position when imaging by the optical information acquisition unit 54, and can maintain the detection accuracy of the optical information acquisition unit 54. As a result, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 can accurately determine image information on the surface of the coin CN based on the information obtained from the optical information acquisition unit 54, and based on this, can recognize the denomination, authenticity, etc. of the coin CN with high accuracy.

[0122] Next, the coin verification unit 23 uses the blade biasing unit 57 to bias the coin CN in a downward and left direction, causing it to abut against the reference surface 42S and biasing it downward, causing the coin CN to abut against the reference surface 42S and biasing it downward from both the left and right sides.

[0123] Furthermore, the coin verification unit 23 deflects the bristle portion 58B of the downstream brush biasing unit 58, thereby moving the coin CN backward while maintaining it in contact with the guide surface 41S and the reference surface 42S, and detects information about the coin CN using the lower material sensor 55A, overall material sensor 55B, and outer diameter sensor 55C of the magnetic information acquisition unit 55. This allows the coin deposit and withdrawal unit 12 to accurately determine the surface material, overall material, and outer diameter of the coin CN based on the information obtained from the magnetic information acquisition unit 55, and based on this, can recognize the denomination and authenticity of the coin CN with high accuracy.

[0124] Furthermore, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 maintains the detection accuracy of the magnetic information acquiring unit 55 by conveying the coin CN downstream while the coin CN is pressed against the reference surface 42S by the blade biasing unit 57 in the coin verification unit 23. Therefore, when the coin CN is pressed against the reference surface 42S by the blade biasing unit 57, all coin CN will always pass through at least the part of the guide surface 41S that is closer to the reference surface 42S, specifically, the part of the guide surface 41S that is closer to the reference surface 42S than the pin belt 44, regardless of the diameter of the coin CN, which differs depending on the denomination. Therefore, at the location where the coin CN is pressed against the reference surface 42S by the blade biasing unit 57, the left side of the guide surface 41S that is closer to the reference surface 42S is more frequently rubbed by the coin CN than the right side that is farther from the reference surface 42S.

[0125] In contrast, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 is arranged such that the sheet metal part 60a is located on the left side of the pin belt 44 (i.e., closer to the reference surface 42S) in the portion of the guide surface 41S where the coin CN is pressed against the reference surface 42S by the blade biasing part 57 in the conveying direction. Therefore, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 can protect, with the sheet metal part 60a, the area of ​​the guide surface 41S where the coin CN is pressed against the reference surface 42S by the blade biasing part 57, where all coins CN always pass and which is likely to be rubbed by the coin CN, near the reference surface 42S.

[0126] Furthermore, in the coin verification section 23, the coin depositing and dispensing section 12 conveys the coin CN downstream while pressing the coin CN against the guide surface 41S by the central contact portion 57BC and the rear contact portion 57BE of the blade biasing section 57 and the reference surface 42S, thereby maintaining the detection accuracy of the magnetic information acquisition section 55. For this reason, the guide surface 41S is rubbed more strongly by the coin CN at a portion where the coin CN is pressed against the guide surface 41S by the blade biasing section 57 and the reference surface 42S than at a portion where the coin CN is not pressed against the guide surface 41S.

[0127] In response to this, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 is arranged with the sheet metal part 60a at a portion of the guide surface 41S where the coin CN is pressed against the guide surface 41S by the blade biasing part 57 and the reference surface 42S in the conveying direction. Therefore, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 can protect, with the sheet metal part 60a, the area of ​​the guide surface 41S where the coin CN is pressed against the guide surface 41S by the blade biasing part 57 and the reference surface 42S, which is likely to be strongly rubbed by the coin CN.

[0128] Furthermore, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 maintains the detection accuracy of the magnetic information acquiring unit 55 by transporting the coin CN downstream in the transport direction while the coin CN is pressed against the guide surface 41S by the downstream brush biasing unit 58 in the coin verification unit 23. As a result, the coin CN rubs the guide surface 41S more strongly at the locations where the coin CN is pressed against the guide surface 41S by the downstream brush biasing unit 58 than at the locations where the coin CN is not pressed against the guide surface 41S.

[0129] In response to this, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 is arranged with the metal plate portion 60b at a portion of the guide surface 41S where the coin CN is pressed against the guide surface 41S by the downstream brush biasing portion 58 in the conveying direction. Therefore, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 can protect, with the metal plate portion 60b, the area of ​​the guide surface 41S where the coin CN is pressed against the guide surface 41S by the downstream brush biasing portion 58, which is likely to be strongly rubbed by the coin CN.

[0130] Furthermore, in the coin verification section 23, the coin depositing and dispensing section 12 conveys the coin CN downstream while the upstream brush urging section 70 presses the coin CN against the guide surface 41S, thereby maintaining the detection accuracy of the optical information acquiring section 54. As a result, the guide surface 41S is rubbed more strongly by the coin CN at a portion where the coin CN is pressed against the guide surface 41S by the upstream brush urging section 70 than at a portion where the coin CN is not pressed against the guide surface 41S.

[0131] In response to this, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 is arranged with the metal plate portion 60c at a portion of the guide surface 41S where the coin CN is pressed against the guide surface 41S by the upstream brush biasing portion 70 in the conveying direction. Therefore, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 can protect, with the metal plate portion 60c, the area of ​​the guide surface 41S where the coin CN is pressed against the guide surface 41S by the upstream brush biasing portion 70, which is likely to be strongly rubbed by the coin CN.

[0132] In particular, guide surface 54TS is made of sapphire glass, which is harder and more wear-resistant than lower sensor frame 51, which is a resin-molded product. Therefore, when a coin CN is pressed against guide surface 41S upstream of optical information acquisition unit 54, guide surface 41S wears down faster than guide surface 54TS over time at the boundary between guide surface 54TS of optical information acquisition unit 54 and guide surface 41S of lower sensor frame 51, and guide surface 41S becomes lower than guide surface 54TS. In such a case, light-transmitting member 54T protrudes from guide surface 41S, creating a step at the boundary between guide surface 54TS and guide surface 41S, which makes it easy for coin CN to get caught and become jammed.

[0133] In response to this, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 is configured to place the sheet metal part 60c on the guide surface 41S upstream of the guide surface 54TS of the optical information acquisition unit 54. As a result, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 uses the sheet metal part 60c to prevent the guide surface 41S from being scraped by the coin CN on the upstream side of the guide surface 54TS and becoming lower than the guide surface 54TS, thereby stabilizing the behavior of the coin CN when it is transported.

[0134] In this way, in the coin verification unit 23, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 is provided with the sheet metal parts 60 at the locations on the guide surface 41S where the coin CN is urged against the guide surface 41S and the reference surface 42S by the upstream brush urging unit 70, the blade urging unit 57, and the downstream brush urging unit 58. As a result, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 stabilizes the transport of the coin CN and enables the sensors of the optical information acquisition unit 54 and the magnetic information acquisition unit 55 to detect information about the coin CN satisfactorily, while suppressing wear on the guide surface 41S due to repeated transport of the coin CN, allowing the coin CN to be transported stably and maintaining the accuracy of detection of information about the coin CN by each sensor.

[0135] According to the above configuration, the coin deposit / withdrawal unit 12 forms a transport path along which coins CN are transported in the transport direction, and is provided with a transport guide unit 31 having a guide surface 41S that guides the coin CN and a reference surface 42S that regulates the movement range of the coin CN in the width direction on the guide surface 41S perpendicular to the transport direction, an optical information acquisition unit 54 and a magnetic information acquisition unit 55 that detect information about the coin CN, and a blade biasing unit 57 that biases the coin CN in the width direction toward the reference surface 42S, and at least a portion of the portion of the transport guide unit 31 that abuts against the coin CN biased by the blade biasing unit 57 on the guide surface 41S is formed from a material that is more wear-resistant than other portions of the guide surface 41S.

[0136] As a result, the coin deposit / withdrawal unit 12 can stably transport the coin CN while forcing it toward the reference surface 42S, and even if the coin CN is transported while abutting against the guide surface 41S, wear on the guide surface 41S due to the coin CN rubbing against it can be suppressed by the sheet metal part 60, which is a highly wear-resistant member on the guide surface 41S.

[0137] 6. Other Embodiments In the above-described embodiment, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 has been described as having the metal sheet portion 60 formed from stainless steel. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The metal sheet portion 60 of the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 may be formed from various metal materials other than stainless steel, or non-metallic materials such as ceramic or glass, or various other materials that are more wear-resistant and harder than the resin portions of the lower sensor frame 51 other than the metal sheet portion 60 and the coins handled by the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12. The metal sheet portion 60 of the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 may also be formed from various materials other than a non-magnetic material. If the metal sheet portion 60 is formed from a material other than a non-magnetic material, it is desirable to form the metal sheet portion 60 of the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 from a material that is not magnetized by the magnetic field generated by the magnetic information acquisition unit 55 and that minimizes the impact on the magnetic information acquisition unit 55.

[0138] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 may have the sheet metal part 60 disposed in various other parts in plan view so as to be flush with the guide surface 41S, avoiding the optical information acquisition part 54 and the magnetic information acquisition part 55. In this case, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 will be significantly more effective if the sheet metal part 60 is provided in a part of the guide surface 41S where the coin is urged against the guide surface 41S by the upstream brush urging part 70, the blade urging part 57, and the downstream brush urging part 58.

[0139] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the coin deposit / withdrawal unit 12 may omit the upstream brush energizing unit 70 and the sheet metal unit 60c compared to the coin verification unit 23, as in the coin verification unit 123 shown in Figure 16, in which the same symbols are used for components corresponding to those in Figure 5.

[0140] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 is described as being provided with the metal plate parts 60a, 60b, and 60c. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 may omit one or more of the metal plate parts 60a, 60b, and 60c. In this case, it is preferable that the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 is provided with at least the metal plate part 60a.

[0141] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 has been described as having the sheet metal part 60 integrally molded with the lower sensor frame 51. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 may have the sheet metal part 60 integrated with the lower sensor frame 51 by gluing or pasting the sheet metal part 60 to the lower sensor frame 51.

[0142] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 has been described as having the reference surface 42S of the reference abutment plate 42B as an inclined surface whose upper end is inclined toward the conveying space 31S with respect to a direction perpendicular to the guide surface 41S, and the left side surface of the blade 57A as an inclined surface whose upper end is inclined toward the conveying space 31S with respect to a direction perpendicular to the guide surface 41S. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 may have at least one of the reference surface 42S or the left side surface of the blade 57A as a flat surface that is approximately perpendicular to the guide surface 41S.

[0143] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 has been described as having the blade biasing unit 57 disposed on the front side (upstream side) of the coin verification unit 23 and the downstream brush biasing unit 58 disposed on the rear side (downstream side). The present invention is not limited to this, and the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 may have the downstream brush biasing unit 58 disposed on the upstream side and the blade biasing unit 57 disposed on the downstream side, for example, when a sensor capable of detecting necessary information without having to bring the coin into contact with the reference surface 42S is disposed on the upstream side of the magnetic information acquisition unit 55.

[0144] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 has been described as increasing or decreasing the gap between the contact portion 57B and the reference surface 42S by rotating the blade 57A of the blade biasing unit 57 about the shaft 57X. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 may be configured so that the blade 57A can move in parallel in the left-right direction relative to the guide unit 41 or the right restricting unit 42R, and the gap between the contact portion 57B and the reference surface 42S may be increased or decreased by the left-right movement of the blade 57A. Alternatively, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 may be configured so that the blade 57A is formed of a flexible material and the vicinity of its front end is fixed to the guide unit 41 or the right restricting unit 42R, and the gap between the contact portion 57B and the reference surface 42S may be increased or decreased by bending (flexing) the blade 57A.

[0145] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 has been described as having three sets of sensors in the magnetic information acquisition unit 55: the lower material sensor 55A, the overall material sensor 55B, and the outer diameter sensor 55C. The present invention is not limited to this, and the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 may be provided with various sensors that use magnetism to detect information from coins, and the number of sensors may be two or less, or four or more. In these cases, it is desirable to position the upper right sensor frame 53 outside the movable range of the blade 57A in the blade biasing unit 57. Furthermore, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 is not limited to sensors that use magnetism, and may be provided with various sensors that detect information representing various physical quantities, such as light and electromagnetic waves, from coins.

[0146] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 is described as being provided with the optical information acquisition unit 54 in the coin verification unit 23, and as generating image data by capturing an image of the underside of the coin. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 may, for example, omit the optical information acquisition unit 54.

[0147] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 may not be provided with the downstream brush biasing unit 58 and may be omitted.

[0148] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 has been described as having a pin belt 44, which has a belt 45 with multiple pins 46, arranged above the conveying space 31S (FIGS. 2 and 3). The present invention is not limited to this, and the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 may, for example, form a groove in the center in the left-right direction of the guide section 41 of the conveying guide unit 31, place the belt 45 of the pin belt 44 inside the groove, and have the upper ends of the pins 46 protrude above the guide surface 41S, and convey coins by running the pin belt 44 below the conveying space 31S. In this case, the coin depositing and dispensing unit 12 may simply have various sensors arranged in positions in the coin verification unit 23 that do not interfere with the pin belt 44.

[0149] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the change machine 3 is provided with the banknote deposit / withdrawal unit 11 and the coin deposit / withdrawal unit 12, and handles both banknotes and coins. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the banknote deposit / withdrawal unit 11 may be omitted from the change machine 3, and only coins may be handled.

[0150] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention has been described as being applied to the coin recognition unit 23 provided in the coin deposit / withdrawal unit 12 of the change dispenser 3. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to various electronic devices that perform coin deposit processing, such as automated teller machines (ATMs), vending machines, or settlement machines.

[0151] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and other embodiments. That is, the scope of application of the present invention extends to embodiments in which the above-described embodiment and the other embodiments are combined in part or in whole. The scope of application of the present invention also extends to embodiments in which part of the configuration described in any of the above-described embodiment and other embodiments is extracted and used as part of the configuration of any of the above-described embodiment and other embodiments, or in which part of the extracted configuration is added to any of the above-described embodiment.

[0152] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the coin recognition unit 23 as a coin recognition device is configured by the conveyance guide unit 31 as a conveyance guide, the optical information acquisition unit 54 and the magnetic information acquisition unit 55 as sensors, and the blade biasing unit 57 as a first biasing unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the coin recognition device may be configured by a conveyance guide, a sensor, and a first biasing unit having various other configurations. [Industrial Applicability]

[0153] The present invention can be used, for example, in a coin recognition unit of a coin depositing and dispensing unit incorporated into a change machine of a cash register change system. [Explanation of symbols]

[0154] 1...cash register change system, 3...change machine, 12...coin deposit / withdrawal unit, 16...coin deposit slot, 20...coin control unit, 22...conveyance unit, 23, 123...coin recognition unit, 31...conveyance guide unit, 31A...recognition conveyance guide unit, 31B...sorting conveyance guide unit, 31S...conveyance space, 32...conveyor belt unit, 41...guide unit, 41S, 51S...guide surface, 42B...reference abutment plate, 42L...left regulating unit, 42R...right regulating unit, 42S...reference surface, 44...pin belt, 45...belt, 46...pin, 50...recognition control unit, 51...lower sensor frame, 52...upper left sensor Frame, 53...upper right sensor frame, 54...optical information acquisition unit, 55...magnetic information acquisition unit, 55A...lower material sensor, 55B...overall material sensor, 55C...outer diameter sensor, 57...blade energizing unit, 57A...blade, 57B...contact unit, 57BC...central contact unit, 57BE...rear contact unit, 57D...spring, 58...downstream brush energizing unit, 58A...holding unit, 58B...bristle unit, 58C...regulating unit, 60a, 60b, 60c...sheet metal unit, 70...upstream brush energizing unit, 70A...holding unit, 70B...bristle unit, 70C...regulating unit, CN...coin.

Claims

1. a conveyance guide that forms a conveyance path along which coins are conveyed in a conveyance direction and has a guide surface that guides the coins and a reference surface that restricts the movement range of the coins on the guide surface in a width direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction; a sensor for detecting information about the coin; a first biasing unit that biases the coin in the width direction toward the reference surface; Equipped with The conveying guide is At least a part of the portion of the guide surface that comes into contact with the coin that is biased by the first biasing portion is formed of a material that is more wear-resistant than other portions of the guide surface. A coin identification device characterized by:

2. The conveying guide is At least a part of the portion of the guide surface that comes into contact with the coin biased by the first biasing portion is made of a member that has higher wear resistance than the other portions of the guide surface, and forms a surface that is continuous with the other portions of the guide surface.

2. The coin identification device according to claim 1.

3. The conveying guide is A portion of the guide surface that comes into contact with the coin biased by the first biasing portion and does not overlap with the sensor when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the guide surface is formed of a material that is more wear-resistant than other portions of the guide surface.

2. The coin identification device according to claim 1.

4. The conveying guide is A portion of the guide surface that is close to the reference surface and that comes into contact with the coin urged by the first urging portion is formed of a material that is more wear-resistant than other portions of the guide surface.

2. The coin identification device according to claim 1.

5. a second urging section provided downstream or upstream of the first urging section in the conveying direction, urging the coin at least toward the reference surface; 2. The coin validator of claim 1, further comprising:

6. The sensor has a magnetic sensor that uses magnetism to detect information about the coin, The conveying guide is The portion of the guide surface, which is near the magnetic sensor and against which the coin is pressed by the second biasing portion, is formed of a material that is more wear-resistant than other portions of the guide surface.

6. The coin identifying device according to claim 5.

7. The sensor has an optical sensor that optically detects information about the coin and has a sensor surface that is continuous with the guide surface and has optical transparency, The conveying guide is A portion of the guide surface that is upstream of the optical sensor in the conveying direction is formed of a material that is more wear-resistant than other portions of the guide surface.

2. The coin identification device according to claim 1.

8. The conveying guide is At least a part of the portion of the guide surface that comes into contact with the coin that is biased by the first biasing portion is formed of a material that is harder than other portions of the guide surface.

2. The coin identification device according to claim 1.

9. The conveying guide is At least a part of the portion of the guide surface that comes into contact with the coin that is biased by the first biasing portion is formed of a material that is more wear-resistant than the coin.

2. The coin identification device according to claim 1.

10. The conveying guide is At least a part of the portion of the guide surface that comes into contact with the coin that is biased by the first biasing portion is formed of a non-magnetic material that has higher wear resistance than other portions of the guide surface.

2. The coin identification device according to claim 1.

11. The conveying guide is At least a part of the portion of the guide surface that comes into contact with the coin that is biased by the first biasing portion is formed of a metal member that has higher wear resistance than other portions of the guide surface.

2. The coin identification device according to claim 1.

12. A currency handling device having a coin deposit port for depositing coins and a coin identification device for identifying the coins, The coin identification device a conveyance guide that forms a conveyance path along which the coins are conveyed in a conveyance direction and has a guide surface that guides the coins and a reference surface that restricts the movement range of the coins on the guide surface in a width direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction; a sensor for detecting information about the coin; a first biasing unit that biases the coin in the width direction toward the reference surface; Equipped with The conveying guide is At least a part of the portion of the guide surface that comes into contact with the coin that is biased by the first biasing portion is formed of a material that is more wear-resistant than other portions of the guide surface. A currency handling device characterized by:

Images