Coin processing device and currency handling device

Abstract

To smoothly process a large number of coins.SOLUTION: A coin processing apparatus 1 comprises: a coin input part 31 in which a coin CN is input; an input conveyance part 36 that conveys the coin CN input into the coin input part 31; a recognition part 40 that discriminates the coin CN conveyed by the input conveyance part 36; a rejection switching part 41 for returning the coin CN whose denomination is not discriminated by the recognition part 40, and which coin is determined to be rejected; a selection conveyance path Ws that has a plurality of selection switching parts 46 which select the coin CN for each denomination according to a discrimination result of the recognition part 40 to branch a conveyance path; and a coin discharge part 12 that is provided in a downstream side of the plurality of selection switching parts 46 in a coin conveyance direction of the selection conveyance path Ws and that exhausts the coin CN outside.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a coin processing device and a currency handling device, and is suitably applied to, for example, a currency handling device which handles currency (i.e., coins and banknotes) and performs various processes. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, in relatively large retail stores (such as supermarkets), cash registers are installed at each of the multiple checkout stations where customers process their payments, and currency handling equipment for handling banknotes and coins may be installed in the back yard, an area where only employees enter and exit.

[0003] Such currency handling devices include, for example, a banknote processing device that processes banknotes, a coin processing device that processes coins, and an overall management device that accepts operational instructions from employees and the like (hereinafter referred to as users) and overall manages the entire device.

[0004] Among these, the coin processing device has a coin insertion section that pays out inserted coins one by one, a transport section that transports the coins, a recognition section that identifies the coin's denomination and authenticity, etc., a temporary storage section that temporarily stores coins, a storage box that stores coins by denomination, and a return box that returns coins to users, etc. This coin processing device temporarily stores coins sorted by denomination in the temporary storage section, and stores them in the storage box if they are to be stored inside the coin processing device, and stores them in the return box if they are to be returned to the user.

[0005] Some of these coin processing devices count a large number of coins inserted into a coin insertion section while transporting them to a temporary storage section when performing a counting process (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-5493 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, because such coin processing devices store coins in a temporary storage unit, when the capacity of the temporary storage unit becomes full, it is necessary to temporarily suspend the coin counting, transport the coins in the temporary storage unit to a return box, and have the user remove the coins from the return box. Therefore, when it is desired to count a large number of coins only, the coin processing device must temporarily suspend the counting process every time it counts the number of coins equal to the capacity of the temporary storage unit, which takes a significant amount of time.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and aims to propose a coin processing device capable of smoothly processing a large number of coins. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, the coin processing device of the present invention comprises an insertion slot into which coins are inserted, a transport unit which transports the coins inserted into the insertion slot in a first direction away from the insertion slot, a discrimination unit which discriminates the coins transported by the transport unit, a sorting transport path having a plurality of sorting gates which transports the coins in a second direction opposite to the first direction according to the discrimination result of the discrimination unit while sorting them by denomination and branching the transport path, and a discharge unit which is provided downstream of the plurality of sorting gates in the coin transport direction of the sorting transport path and discharges the coins from the front side of the device to the outside. a control unit that performs a counting process of sequentially transporting the coins inserted into the coin slot through a discrimination unit and a sorting transport path, counting the number of coins of a predetermined denomination among the coins, and discharging the coins of the predetermined denomination from a discharging unit to the outside; We have decided to set up the following.

[0010] The currency handling device of the present invention further comprises an operation unit which accepts operations related to coin processing, an insertion slot into which coins are inserted, a transport unit which transports coins inserted into the insertion slot in a first direction away from the insertion slot, a discrimination unit which discriminates the coins transported by the transport unit, a sorting transport path having a plurality of sorting gates which sorts the coins by denomination while transporting the coins in a second direction opposite to the first direction according to the discrimination result of the discrimination unit and branches the transport path, and a discharge unit which is provided downstream of the plurality of sorting gates in the coin transport direction of the sorting transport path and discharges the coins to the outside from the front side of the device. a control unit that performs a counting process of sequentially transporting the coins inserted into the coin slot through the discrimination unit and the sorting transport path, counting the number of coins of a predetermined denomination designated by the operation unit, and discharging the coins of the predetermined denomination from the discharge unit to the outside; We have decided to set up the following.

[0011] This allows the coins inserted into the coin slot to be counted while being discharged one by one from the discharge section to the outside of the coin processing device, making it possible to count a large number of coins quickly without interrupting the counting process. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a coin processing device that can smoothly process a large number of coins. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of a currency handling device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a right side view showing the configuration (1) of the coin processing device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the configuration (2) of the coin processing device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration (3) of the coin processing device. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a right side view showing the storage and return route. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 4, showing the coin discharging portion according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 9]FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a coin discharging section according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a coin discharging section according to a third embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a coin discharging section according to a fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0015] 1. First embodiment [1-1. Overall configuration of currency handling equipment] As shown in Fig. 1, the currency handling device 3 according to the first embodiment is generally formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape overall, and is broadly composed of a general management device 5, a coin handling device 1, and a banknote handling device 4. This currency handling device 3 is installed in places where general customers cannot enter, such as areas where staff members of a financial institution's branch perform their duties or in the offices of large stores, and is intended to be used by staff members of the financial institution, employees of stores, or security personnel of a security company (hereinafter, these will be referred to as users).

[0016] In the following, the side of the currency handling device 3 that a user faces will be referred to as the front side, and the opposite side will be referred to as the rear side, and the left and right sides as seen from a user facing the front side will be referred to as the left side and right side, respectively, and upper and lower will be further defined and explained.

[0017] The currency handling device 3 has a rectangular parallelepiped coin processing device 1 on the left side, and a rectangular parallelepiped banknote processing device 4 on the right side which is the same length as the coin processing device 1 in the up-down and front-to-back directions, and a central management device 5 is provided above the banknote processing device 4.

[0018] The overall management device 5 has a receipt printing unit 6, a display operation panel 7, a numeric keypad 8, and a card reading unit 9. The overall management device 5 is controlled by an overall control unit 20. The overall control unit 20 is composed mainly of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) (not shown), and has a ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory), (not shown), etc.

[0019] This general control unit 20 controls various processes related to coins and banknotes by reading and executing predetermined programs from a ROM or a memory unit (not shown) using a CPU. The general control unit 20 is also connected to the coin control unit 10 (FIG. 2) of the coin processing device 1 and the banknote control unit (not shown) of the banknote processing device 4 by a connection cable (not shown), and transmits and receives various information. The memory unit has a non-volatile storage medium such as a hard disk drive or flash memory, and stores various information such as various programs and various setting values.

[0020] The receipt printing unit 6 has a configuration similar to that of a typical thermal printer, for example, and includes a holder that holds a roll of thermal paper, a transport mechanism that transports the thermal paper pulled out from the roll, and a thermal head that uses heat to print letters, figures, etc. on the thermal paper.

[0021] The display operation panel 7 is configured as a so-called touch panel in which a touch sensor is combined with the surface of a display panel having a display function, such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) panel. This display operation panel 7 displays various display screens under the control of the central control unit 20, and also accepts touch operations by the user and notifies the central control unit 20. The numeric keypad 8 is configured as a combination of multiple physical keys, and includes keys for inputting the numbers "0" to "9" and predetermined symbols, as well as a "confirm" key and a "cancel" key. This numeric keypad 8 accepts pressing operations by the user and notifies the central control unit 20.

[0022] The card reader 9 is a part that reads magnetic information from a predetermined user card (not shown). This user card is distributed in advance to each user who will use the currency handling device 3, such as general employees of a retail store, managers, and security personnel of a security company, and the range of operation that each user can use is preset.

[0023] The coin processing device 1 has a coin control unit 10 (FIG. 2), a coin insertion unit 31, a coin dispensing safe 63, a coin collection safe 70, and a coin return safe 58 inside a housing 2. The housing 2 is configured in a hollow rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the front part thereof is an openable and closable front door 2F.

[0024] [1-2. Configuration of coin processing device] As shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4, the coin processing device 1 is mainly composed of a box-shaped housing 2, and performs cash-related transactions such as deposit and withdrawal processes with users. Note that Figure 3 is a schematic diagram that omits the internal configuration of the housing 2 as appropriate, and also shows the coin transport path.

[0025] A coin control unit 10 that performs overall control of the coin processing device 1 is provided inside the housing 2. Like the overall control unit 20, the coin control unit 10 is configured mainly with a CPU (not shown), and performs various processes such as deposit processing and withdrawal processing by reading and executing predetermined programs from a ROM, flash memory, etc. (not shown). Incidentally, like general coins, coins are made of metals such as nickel, copper, aluminum, etc., or alloys or combinations of these, and are formed into thin plates.

[0026] The coin processing device 1 is provided with a coin insertion section 31 near the front end of the top surface of the housing 2, and a housing coin discharge hole section 2A (FIGS. 4 and 8) is formed near the upper end of the front surface of the housing 2. The housing coin discharge hole section 2A is a hole section with a rectangular shape in a front view that penetrates from the front side to the rear side of the front plate of the housing 2. This housing coin discharge hole section 2A is provided with a coin discharge section 12. Based on the control of the coin control section 10, the coin processing device 1 takes in coins inserted by a user into the coin insertion section 31 and stores them in the internal storage 33 (33A, 33B, 33C, 33D, 33E, 33F and 33G), and also dispenses from the coin dispensing safe 63 the denomination and number of coins according to the amount instructed by the coin control section 10.

[0027] The coin insertion unit 31 has an insertion space 31S that is open at the top and receives coins CN in an unaligned state, and a rotatable disk 31C is incorporated at the bottom. A sensor (not shown) that detects the presence or absence of a coin CN in the insertion space 31S is also incorporated in the coin insertion unit 31. When the sensor detects that a coin CN has been inserted into the insertion space 31S, the coin insertion unit 31 rotates the disk 31C in a predetermined pay-out direction, and applies centrifugal force to the coin CN to transport it to the outer periphery of the disk 31C, and delivers it to the pay-out unit 35 located behind the disk 31C via a gate that separates the coins CN one by one.

[0028] The input conveying section 36 is disposed behind the pay-out section 35 so as to connect the upper side of the storage 33 to a hollow rectangular shape. The input conveying section 36 is configured with an input conveying guide 37 having a flat upper surface formed on the upper side of the storage 33, a pin belt (not shown) that moves on the upper side of the input conveying guide 37, and pulleys (not shown) that are disposed at the inflection points of the moving direction of the pin belt and around which the pin belt is stretched. The pulleys are formed in a cylindrical shape with a central axis aligned along a direction perpendicular to the upper surface of the input conveying guide 37, and can rotate around the central axis. The pin belt is configured of a flexible material, and is configured to be an endless belt having a predetermined length (i.e. width) in the vertical direction, with pins provided at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction of the endless belt aligned along a direction perpendicular to the upper surface of the input conveying guide 37.

[0029] The insertion and conveying unit 36 ​​rotates a motor (not shown) to supply driving force from the motor to a pulley to rotate it, thereby running the pin belt at a predetermined running speed. On the other hand, the payout unit 35 has a roller, and when it receives a coin CN from the coin insertion unit 31, it rotates the roller in accordance with the timing of each pin of the running pin belt, and delivers the coin CN to the insertion and conveying unit 36. At this time, the payout unit 35 delivers the coin CN one by one between two adjacent pins along the moving direction of the pin belt. Incidentally, a sensor that detects the passage of the coin CN is disposed near the payout unit 35.

[0030] In response to this, the insertion and conveying unit 36 ​​abuts the coin CN received from the pay-out unit 35 against the pins of the pin belt, and conveys the coin CN as the pin belt moves. As the pin belt moves, the insertion and conveying unit 36 ​​conveys the coin CN backward along the insertion and conveying guide 37, changes the traveling direction to the left, and then changes the traveling direction backward, until the coin reaches the recognition unit 40. For convenience of explanation, hereinafter, the path along which the coin CN is conveyed along the insertion and conveying guide 37 by the movement of the pin belt is also referred to as the insertion and conveying path W.

[0031] The recognition unit 40 is disposed on the left rear side of the coin insertion unit 31, downstream of the pay-out unit 35 along the insertion and transport path W. The recognition unit 40 has various sensors, such as optical sensors and magnetic sensors, and determines whether or not a coin CN is valid and its denomination based on the results obtained from each sensor, and notifies the coin control unit 10. In response, the coin control unit 10 determines the transport destination of the coin CN.

[0032] Here, the recognition unit 40 determines whether the coin CN is one of the six denominations: 1 yen, 5 yen, 10 yen, 50 yen, 100 yen, or 500 yen (i.e., whether it is a genuine coin CN), or whether it is a coin CN that cannot be identified as any of the denominations and may not be genuine (hereinafter referred to as a rejected coin).

[0033] A reject switching unit 41 is provided behind the recognition unit 40, i.e., downstream of the recognition unit 40 along the input conveying path W and upstream of the sorting conveying path Ws (described later). The reject switching unit 41 as a reject gate is composed of a plate-shaped reject blade 42, an actuator (not shown) that drives the reject blade 42, and a reject hole 43 that penetrates the input conveying guide 37 in the vertical direction. The reject blade 42 is formed in a thin plate shape from top to bottom, and is configured to be rotatable relative to the input conveying guide 37 around a rotation axis that is provided near the rear side and extends in the left-right direction.

[0034] The reject switching unit 41 transmits a driving force from the actuator to the reject blade 42 to rotate it, based on the control of the coin control unit 10. As a result, the reject switching unit 41 switches between a state in which the upper surface of the reject blade 42 is substantially aligned with the upper surface of the insertion and conveyance guide 37 as shown in Figures 6 and 7 (hereinafter referred to as a closed state or stored state), and a state in which the front side of the reject blade 42 is lifted and the upper surface is inclined with respect to the insertion and conveyance guide 37 as shown in Figure 5 (hereinafter referred to as an open state or reject state).

[0035] In the closed state (FIGS. 6 and 7), the reject switching unit 41 allows the coin CN transported from the upstream side by the insertion and transport unit 36 ​​to proceed downstream, i.e., backward. In the open state (FIG. 5), the reject switching unit 41 allows the coin CN transported from the upstream side by the insertion and transport unit 36 ​​to drop downward from the reject hole 43. A cylindrical reject chute 49 for dropping the coin CN therein is provided below the reject blade 42.

[0036] A reject conveying section 44 (FIG. 5) is provided below the reject chute 49. The reject conveying section 44 is disposed in a range extending from below the reject chute 49 to above the reject tray 50. A reject tray 50 is provided in front of the reject conveying section 44. The reject tray 50 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape with an open top, is disposed so that the user can access it from the front of the housing 2, and stores rejected coins. The reject tray 50 incorporates a sensor (not shown) that detects the presence or absence of coins CN in the storage space that stores the coins CN, and whether the storage space is full (full state).

[0037] As shown in Fig. 5, the reject conveying section 44 is composed of pulleys 44P disposed at the front and rear ends, and an endless belt 44B stretched around the pulley 44P so as to extend in the front-rear direction along a substantially horizontal direction. Based on the control of the coin control section 10, the reject conveying section 44 rotates the pulley 44P counterclockwise in Fig. 5. As a result, the reject conveying section 44 moves the upper surface of the endless belt 44B forward from below the reject chute 49 toward the reject tray 50. As a result, the reject conveying section 44 conveys the coin CN that has fallen from the reject hole section 43 forward toward the reject tray 50, where it is dropped and stored.

[0038] On the other hand, when the reject switching unit 41 is in the closed state (FIGS. 6 and 7), the inserting and conveying unit 36 ​​conveys the coin CN in the rear direction as is, then changes the traveling direction to the right, and then changes the traveling direction to the forward direction, so that the coin CN reaches the sorting unit 45. That is, the inserting and conveying unit 36 ​​turns the traveling direction of the coin CN back 180[°] from the rear to the forward direction after passing through the reject switching unit 41. A sorting unit 45 is provided in the upper part of the storage 33 in the inserting and conveying unit 36. The sorting unit 45 is composed of seven sorting switching units 46 (46A, 46B, 46C, 46D, 46E, 46F and 46G) each configured in the same manner as the reject switching unit 41.

[0039] Each sorting switcher 46 as a sorting gate is located directly above each storage 33, and based on the control of the coin control unit 10, rotates a sorting blade 47 (FIG. 6) configured similarly to the reject blade 42 to close or open a sorting hole 48 (FIG. 6) that penetrates the input conveying guide 37 in the vertical direction. Based on the control of the coin control unit 10, the sorting unit 45 opens one of the sorting switchers 46 and closes the other sorting switchers 46 to drop coins CN toward the storage 33 corresponding to the sorting switcher 46 that is in the open state. Seven denomination-specific chutes 52 (52A, 52B, 52C, 52D, 52E, 52F, and 52G) that are formed in a cylindrical shape and drop coins CN therein are provided below each sorting blade 47.

[0040] Seven denomination-specific temporary storage sections 54 (54A, 54B, 54C, 54D, 54E, 54F, and 54G) are disposed below each of the denomination-specific chutes 52 (52A, 52B, 52C, 52D, 52E, 52F, and 52G). Each denomination-specific temporary storage section 54 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape with an open top, and temporarily stores coins CN dropped from the denomination-specific chutes 52 by denomination. Each denomination-specific temporary storage section 54 is movable in the left-right direction by a temporary storage section movement motor (not shown) relative to a plate-shaped guide 56 (FIG. 3) that constitutes the bottom.

[0041] A coin return box 58 is disposed below the position where the denomination-specific temporary storage section 54 moves leftward relative to the guide 56. The coin return box 58 is disposed such that seven rectangular parallelepiped coin return boxes for each denomination, each open at the top, are aligned in a straight line along the front-rear direction so as to be located below the openings at the bottoms of the respective denomination-specific temporary storage sections 54 (54A, 54B, 54C, 54D, 54E, 54F, and 54G) when the denomination-specific temporary storage sections 54 move leftward, and stores coins CN that have dropped from the denomination-specific temporary storage sections 54. The coin return box 58 can be pulled out from the front of the housing 2 to the outside.

[0042] On the other hand, storage vaults 33 are disposed below the position where denomination-specific temporary storage sections 54 are moved to the right relative to guide 56. The storage vaults 33 are disposed such that seven storage vaults 33 (33A, 33B, 33C, 33D, 33E, 33F, and 33G) are aligned in a straight line along the front-rear direction so as to be located below the openings of the bottom surfaces of the respective denomination-specific temporary storage sections 54 (54A, 54B, 54C, 54D, 54E, 54F, and 54G) when the denomination-specific temporary storage sections 54 are moved to the right, and store coins CN dropped from the denomination-specific temporary storage sections 54 by denomination. A payout section that pays out coins CN one by one from a payout opening is provided near the lower end of each storage vault 33.

[0043] A withdrawal switching unit 60 for switching the withdrawal destination is provided to the right of the pay-out unit of the storage 33. The withdrawal switching unit 60 is composed of a plate-shaped withdrawal blade 62, an actuator (not shown) for driving the withdrawal blade 62, and a withdrawal hole (not shown) formed between the storage 33 and the coin withdrawal safe 63. The withdrawal blade 62 is formed in a thin plate shape on the top and bottom, and is configured to be rotatable around a rotation axis provided near the right side and extending in the front-to-back and right-hand directions.

[0044] The withdrawal switching unit 60 transmits a driving force from the actuator to the withdrawal blade 62 to rotate it, based on the control of the coin control unit 10. This allows the withdrawal switching unit 60 to switch between a state in which the upper surface of the withdrawal blade 62 is substantially aligned with the lower surface of the pay-out opening of the storage 33 (hereinafter referred to as a closed state), and a state in which the left side of the withdrawal blade 62 is lifted and the upper surface is inclined with respect to the pay-out opening of the storage 33 (hereinafter referred to as an open state).

[0045] In the closed state, the withdrawal switching unit 60 advances the coins CN conveyed from the upstream side by the pay-out unit of the storage 33 to the right. A cylindrical withdrawal chute (not shown) is provided to the right of the withdrawal blade 62. Below the withdrawal chute, a coin withdrawal safe 63 is disposed. The coin withdrawal safe 63 includes seven rectangular parallelepiped withdrawal boxes 64 (64A, 64B, 64C, 64D, 64E, 64F, and 64G) with an open top, aligned in a straight line along the front-rear direction so as to be positioned below the outlets of the withdrawal chutes of the respective storage 33 (33A, 33B, 33C, 33D, 33E, 33F, and 33G), and stores the coins CN to be withdrawn that have fallen from the storage 33.

[0046] In addition, when the dispensing switching unit 60 is in the open state, it drops downward from the dispensing hole portion the coins CN transported from the upstream side by the pay-out unit of the storage 33. A cylindrically formed collection temporary storage unit chute (not shown) is provided below the dispensing blade 62, and drops the coins CN inside.

[0047] A collection temporary storage section 66 is disposed below the collection temporary storage section chute. The collection temporary storage section 66 is a rectangular parallelepiped shape with an open top so as to be located below the outlet of the collection temporary storage section chute, and stores coins CN that have dropped from the storage vault 33. The collection temporary storage section 66 is movable in the left-right direction relative to a plate-shaped guide 68 (FIG. 3) that constitutes the bottom by a collection temporary storage section movement motor (not shown).

[0048] A coin collection vault 70 is disposed below the position where the collection escrow unit 66 moves leftward relative to the guide 68. The coin collection vault 70 is a rectangular parallelepiped with an open top so that it is located below the opening in the bottom of the collection escrow unit 66 when the collection escrow unit 66 moves leftward, and stores coins CN that have dropped from the collection escrow unit 66. The coin collection vault 70 can be pulled out to the outside of the housing 2 from the front of the housing 2.

[0049] On the other hand, the recovery / return box 72 is disposed below the position where the collection / temporary storage unit 66 moves to the right relative to the guide 68. The collection / return box 72 is a rectangular parallelepiped with an open top so as to be located below the opening in the bottom of the collection / temporary storage unit 66 when the collection / temporary storage unit 66 moves to the right, and stores coins CN that have dropped from the collection / temporary storage unit 66. The collection / return box 72 can be pulled out from the front of the housing 2 to the outside.

[0050] The coin recovery box 70 and the recovery / return box 72 also incorporate sensors (not shown) that detect the presence or absence of coins CN in the storage space that stores the coins CN and whether the storage space is full or not.

[0051] The collection escrow unit 66, the coin collection box 70, and the collection return box 72 may be structured to store coins CN by denomination, similar to the denomination-specific escrow unit 54 and the coin return box 58, etc.

[0052] Hereinafter, the feed conveying path W in the range where the sorting unit 45 is arranged along the front-rear direction is also referred to as the sorting conveying path Ws, and the conveying path from the coin insertion unit 31 to the sorting conveying path Ws is also referred to as the deposit conveying path Wi. The feed conveying guide 37 has its upper surface aligned substantially horizontally within the range of the deposit conveying path Wi, and has its upper surface inclined downward toward the front within the range of the sorting conveying path Ws.

[0053] A coin discharge outlet 14 is provided at the front end of the insertion and conveyance section 36 downstream of the sorting section 45, i.e., at the front end of the sorting and conveyance path Ws. The coin discharge outlet 14 has a guide surface formed flush with the upper surface of the insertion and conveyance section 36, and causes the coin CN to slide downward and forward along this guide surface toward the coin discharge section 12.

[0054] [1-3. Configuration of the coin ejection section] As shown in Fig. 8, the coin discharge section 12 has a discharge chute 16 that guides coins CN from the sorting conveying path Ws to the storage bag 80. The discharge chute 16 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape with an outer shape slightly smaller than the housing coin discharge hole section 2A in a front view, and is capable of reciprocating in the front-rear direction inside the housing coin discharge hole section 2A between a non-discharge state shown in Fig. 8(A) and a discharge state shown in Fig. 8(B).

[0055] The discharge chute 16 is formed with an intake section 16i that opens at the rear surface and a throwing section 16o that opens at the bottom surface, and also with a coin passing space 16s that communicates with the intake section 16i and the throwing section 16o. A front guide 16f and a lower guide 16d are formed on the front upper side and rear lower side of the coin passing space 16s, respectively.

[0056] The front guide 16f has a shape like an English capital letter "L" rotated 90[°] clockwise in a cross section seen from the right side at the center of the left and right of the discharge chute 16. In the discharge state (FIG. 8(B)), this front guide 16f restricts the upward and forward movement of the coin CN taken into the coin passing space 16s from the coin discharge port 14 via the take-in part 16i by means of an inner wall surface on the upper side that is slightly downward toward the front and an inner wall surface on the rear side that is aligned in the vertical direction.

[0057] The lower guide 16d has a triangular shape in cross section when viewed from the right side at the center of the left and right of the discharge chute 16. In the discharge state (FIG. 8(B)), this lower guide 16d allows the coin CN taken into the coin passing space 16s from the coin discharge port 14 via the take-in part 16i to slide down along the inclined surface toward the throw-in part 16o by using an inclined surface that is an inner wall surface of a planar shape with a front downward slope at the front upper side.

[0058] This coin discharge unit 12 is in a non-discharge state (FIG. 8(A)) when a deposit process and a recovery process, which will be described later, are performed. In the non-discharge state (FIG. 8(A)), the discharge chute 16 has a front side surface 16fS that is substantially flush with the front surface of the housing 2, and a rear inner wall surface of the front guide 16f closes the opening at the front end of the coin discharge outlet 14, so that coins CN are not discharged from the coin discharge outlet 14.

[0059] On the other hand, in the coin discharge section 12, when a counting process described later is performed, the discharge chute 16 moves forward along the horizontal direction from the non-discharge state (FIG. 8(A)) to the discharge state (FIG. 8(B)). In the discharge state (FIG. 8(B)), the front side surface 16fS of the discharge chute 16 protrudes forward from the front surface of the housing 2, and the rear inner wall surface of the front guide 16f moves forward from the front end of the coin discharge outlet 14 to the rear of the front inner surface of the storage bag 80, enabling the coin CN to be discharged from the coin discharge outlet 14. The storage bag 80 is, for example, a burlap bag that can store a larger amount of coin CN (i.e., has a large capacity) than the members that store coin CN inside the coin processing device 1, such as the denomination-specific temporary storage section 54, and is provided detachably with respect to the discharge chute 16 as the chute section. In the discharge state (FIG. 8(B)), the storage bag 80 or the like can be attached to the discharge chute 16. The storage bag 80 serving as a storage section stores the coins CN dropped from the discharge chute 16 in its internal space.

[0060] [1-4. Processing of coin processing device] Next, the deposit process, counting process, and collection process in the coin processing device 1 will be described.

[0061] [1-4-1. Deposit processing] The deposit process is a process of recognizing coins CN inserted into the coin insertion section 31, separating legitimate coins CN by denomination and storing them in each storage unit 33, and discharging counterfeit coins CN and coins other than coins CN from the reject tray 50.

[0062] The coin control unit 10 starts the deposit process when the user performs a predetermined operation on the display operation panel 7 to select the deposit process and inserts a coin CN to be deposited into the coin insertion unit 31, for example when a sensor of the coin insertion unit 31 detects that the coin CN has been inserted into the insertion space 31S. At this time, as advance preparation, the coin control unit 10 switches the reject switching unit 41 to the closed state and switches each sorting switching unit 46 to the closed state.

[0063] The coin insertion unit 31 delivers inserted coins CN one by one to the payout unit 35, and the payout unit 35 delivers them sequentially to the insertion and transport unit 36. The insertion and transport unit 36 ​​transports the coin CN along the deposit transport path Wi, has the recognition unit 40 recognize the coin, and notifies the coin control unit 10 of the recognition result (i.e., whether it is genuine or counterfeit and the denomination).

[0064] In response to this, if the coin control unit 10 recognizes that the coin CN is not legitimate, it determines the destination of the coin CN to be the reject tray 50, whereas if the coin CN is recognized as legitimate, it determines the destination of the coin CN to be the storage vault 33 corresponding to its denomination.

[0065] When the destination of the coin CN is the reject tray 50, the coin control unit 10 switches the reject switching unit 41 to an open state as shown in Fig. 5, and causes the coin CN to drop from the reject hole 43. Next, the coin control unit 10 rotates the pulley 44P and the endless belt 44B counterclockwise in Fig. 5, thereby transporting the coin CN that has dropped from the reject hole 43 onto the upper surface of the endless belt 44B via the reject chute 49 along the reject route RTj shown in Figs. 3 and 5 to the reject tray 50 and discharging it. Note that Fig. 5 omits the portion related to the storage / return route RTsr (described later).

[0066] On the other hand, when the destination of the coin CN is the storage 33, the coin control unit 10 keeps the reject switching unit 41 in the closed state as shown in Fig. 6, and causes the coin CN to be transported by the input transport unit 36 ​​along the input transport path W to the sorting unit 45. Next, the coin control unit 10 switches the sorting switching unit 46 corresponding to the denomination of the coin CN to the open state in the sorting unit 45, and causes the coin CN to drop from the sorting hole unit 48 as shown in the storage / return route RTsr shown in Figs. 3 and 6, and causes the coin CN to be stored in the denomination-specific temporary storage unit 54 via the denomination-specific chute 52.

[0067] When the accumulated amount (number of accumulated coins) in any of the denomination-specific temporary holding sections 54 reaches a predetermined set amount, or when the coins CN in the dispensing section 35 run out, the coin control section 10 stops the dispensing operation of the dispensing section 35, and then temporarily suspends the deposit process after the conveying operation in the sorting conveying path Ws and the recognition process in the recognition section 40 are completed.

[0068] Here, the coin control unit 10 displays the amounts by denomination and the total amount based on the counting result on the display operation panel 7 for the user to confirm, and also has the user select and input via the display operation panel 7 whether or not to store the coins.

[0069] Here, when storage is possible, i.e., when the user selects storage execution, the coin control unit 10 rotates the temporary storage unit movement motor (not shown) in the forward direction to move the denomination-specific temporary storage unit 54 to the right relative to the guide 56, thereby causing the coins CN accumulated on the guide 56 to drop and be stored in the storage vault 33. Thereafter, the coin control unit 10 rotates the temporary storage unit movement motor in the reverse direction to return the denomination-specific temporary storage unit 54 to the upper side of the guide 56.

[0070] On the other hand, if the user selects not to store, i.e., cancels storage, or if a jam or the like occurs during the deposit process, the coin control unit 10 rotates the temporary storage unit movement motor (not shown) in the reverse direction to move the denomination-specific temporary storage unit 54 leftward relative to the guide 56, thereby causing the coins CN accumulated on the guide 56 to drop and be stored in the coin return vault 58. Thereafter, the coin control unit 10 rotates the temporary storage unit movement motor in the forward direction to return the denomination-specific temporary storage unit 54 to the upper side of the guide 56.

[0071] The coin control unit 10 repeats the above-mentioned process if a coin CN remains in the coin insertion unit 31. When the coin CN is returned to the coin return box 58, the coin return box 58 is pulled out from the front of the housing 2 to the outside of the housing 2 by the user, and the stored coin CN is taken out.

[0072] [1-4-2. Counting process] The counting process is a process in which the coins CN inserted into the coin insertion section 31 are recognized, legitimate coins CN are distinguished by denomination, and only the coins CN of the denomination to be counted (hereinafter also referred to as counted denomination coins) specified by the user when a predetermined operation is performed on the display operation panel 7 are counted (i.e., counted), and only the counted denomination coins are discharged from the coin discharge section 12, and are collected in a storage bag 80 or the like attached to the end of the coin discharge section 12, while coins CN other than the counted denomination coins (hereinafter also referred to as non-counted denomination coins), including rejected coins, counterfeit coins CN, and coins other than coin CN are discharged from the reject tray 50.

[0073] When counting a large number of coins CN, as a preliminary preparation, the user first pulls out the discharge chute 16 toward the front from the non-discharge state shown in FIG. 8(A) to the discharge state shown in FIG. 8(B), and attaches a storage bag 80 for receiving the coins CN to the end of the discharge chute 16, specifically below the drop portion 16o.

[0074] The coin control unit 10 starts the counting process when the user selects the counting process and inserts a coin CN for counting into the coin insertion unit 31, and, for example, a sensor of the coin insertion unit 31 detects that the coin CN has been inserted into the insertion space 31S. At this time, the coin control unit 10 switches the reject switching unit 41 to the closed state, and switches each sorting switching unit 46 to the closed state.

[0075] The coin insertion unit 31 delivers inserted coins CN one by one to the payout unit 35, and the payout unit 35 delivers them sequentially to the insertion and transport unit 36. The insertion and transport unit 36 ​​transports the coin CN along the deposit transport path Wi, causes the recognition unit 40 to recognize the coin CN, and notifies the coin control unit 10 of the recognition result (i.e., authenticity and denomination).

[0076] In response to this, if the coin CN is recognized as invalid or if the coin CN is recognized as a non-countable denomination coin, the coin control unit 10 determines the destination of the coin CN to be the reject tray 50, whereas if the coin CN is recognized as valid and as a countable denomination coin, it determines the destination of the coin CN to be the coin discharge unit 12.

[0077] When the destination of the coin CN is the reject tray 50, the coin control unit 10 switches the reject switching unit 41 to the open state, as in the case shown in Fig. 5, and causes the coin CN to fall from the reject hole 43. Next, the coin control unit 10 rotates the pulley 44P and the endless belt 44B counterclockwise in Fig. 5, thereby transporting the coin CN that has fallen from the reject hole 43 onto the upper surface of the endless belt 44B via the reject chute 49 along the reject route RTj shown in Figs. 3 and 5 to the reject tray 50 and discharging it.

[0078] When the sensor of the reject tray 50 detects that the reject tray 50 is full, the coin control unit 10 stops the feeding operation of the feeding unit 35, and then once the conveying operation in the sorting conveying path Ws and the recognition process in the recognition unit 40 are completed, the coin control unit 10 temporarily stops the counting process. Next, the coin control unit 10 prompts the user to remove the coins CN from the reject tray 50 by displaying on the display operation panel 7 that the coins CN should be removed from the reject tray 50. When the sensor of the reject tray 50 detects that the reject tray 50 is no longer full, the coin control unit 10 resumes the counting process.

[0079] On the other hand, when the destination of the coin CN is the coin discharge unit 12, the coin control unit 10 keeps the reject switching unit 41 and all sorting switching units 46 in the closed state, as shown in Fig. 7, and causes the coin CN to be conveyed by the input conveying unit 36 ​​along the deposit conveying path Wi and sorting conveying path Ws in the input conveying path W along the counting route RTc to the coin discharge unit 12. Next, the coin control unit 10 drops the coin CN into a storage bag 80 attached to the discharge chute 16, and causes the storage bag 80 to store the coin CN.

[0080] The coin control unit 10 repeats the above-mentioned process if any coins CN remain in the coin insertion unit 31. Note that the coin insertion unit 31 allows the user to insert additional coins CN during counting processing, and by inserting additional coins CN, it is possible to continue counting the number of coins CN equal to or greater than the capacity of the insertion space 31S.

[0081] [1-4-3. Collection and Processing] The collection process is a process of collecting sales proceeds from the storage 33 into the coin collection box 70, and collecting coins CN that are likely to overflow during a deposit process into the coin collection box 70.

[0082] When a user performs a specified operation on the display operation panel 7 to select, for example, a collection process, the coin control unit 10 opens the withdrawal switching unit 60, dispenses a coin CN from the dispensing unit of the storage unit 33, drops it through the withdrawal hole, and accumulates it on the guide 68 of the collection temporary holding unit 66 via the withdrawal chute.

[0083] Next, the coin control unit 10 rotates the collection escrow unit movement motor (not shown) in the forward direction to move the collection escrow unit 66 leftward relative to the guide 68, thereby causing the coins CN accumulated on the guide 68 to drop and be stored in the coin collection vault 70. Thereafter, the coin control unit 10 rotates the collection escrow unit movement motor in the reverse direction to return the collection escrow unit 66 to the upper side of the guide 68.

[0084] On the other hand, if a payout jam occurs while a coin CN is being paid out from the storage 33 during the collection process, the number of coins CN paid out becomes uncertain. That is, the coins CN paid out from the storage 33 are checked one by one by a sensor (not shown), but if a jam occurs, coins CN before checking may fall out when the jam is cleared, making the number of coins CN paid out uncertain. For this reason, when a payout jam occurs, the coin control unit 10 moves the coin CN in the collection temporary holding unit 66 to the collection return storage 72 for storage.

[0085] In this case, the collection temporary storage section moving motor (not shown) is rotated in the reverse direction to move the collection temporary storage section 66 to the right relative to the guide 68, thereby causing the coins CN accumulated on the guide 68 to drop and be stored in the collection return box 72. Thereafter, the coin control section 10 rotates the collection temporary storage section moving motor in the forward direction to return the collection temporary storage section 66 to the upper side of the guide 68.

[0086] When the coin collection box 70 and the collection / return box 72 reach full capacity, or whenever a collection process is performed, the user pulls them out from the front of the housing 2 to the outside of the housing 2, thereby removing the stored coins CN.

[0087] [1-5. Effects, etc.] In the above configuration, the coin processing device 1 is arranged in the following order from upstream to downstream in the coin transport direction: coin insertion section 31, recognition section 40, reject switching section 41, sorting switching section 46 and coin discharge section 12. In the counting process, the coins CN are transported from the coin insertion section 31 to the coin discharge section 12 located downstream of the sorting switching section 46, while the coins CN inserted into the coin insertion section 31 are counted.

[0088] Therefore, the coin processing device 1 can perform counting processing while discharging coins CN inserted into the coin insertion section 31 one by one from the coin discharge section 12 into a storage bag 80 provided outside the coin processing device 1, so that a large number of coins CN can be counted quickly without interrupting the counting processing midway.

[0089] Here, it is also conceivable that a counting chute is attached instead of the reject tray 50, and a storage bag or the like is attached to the housing 2 in front of the chute, and the coins CN are counted while being transported along the reject route RTj and discharged into the storage bag or the like. In this case, the coin processing device transports non-count denomination coins to the denomination-specific temporary storage unit 54 for storage, and then transports them to the coin return box 58 for return. However, in the case of such a coin processing device, both the count denomination coins and the rejected coins are transported along the same reject route RTj from the coin insertion unit 31 to the storage bag. Therefore, in such a coin processing device, even if a rejected coin is present, the rejected coin is transported along the same reject route RTj as the count denomination coin, and is mixed with the count denomination coins in the storage bag.

[0090] In response to this, the coin processing device 1 is configured to discharge rejected coins from a reject switching unit 41 provided midway along the transport path for coin CN from the coin insertion unit 31 to the coin discharge unit 12. This allows the coin processing device 1 to discharge rejected coins to a reject tray 50 that is different from the coin discharge unit 12. As a result, even if a rejected coin occurs, the coin processing device 1 can continue counting coins of only the specified denomination, without transporting the rejected coin to the coin discharge unit 12.

[0091] Furthermore, even if a rejected coin occurs or if coins of a mixed denomination other than the designated denomination are inserted into the coin insertion unit 31, the coin processing device 1 discharges non-countable denomination coins from a reject switching unit 41 provided midway along the coin CN transport path from the coin insertion unit 31 to the coin discharge unit 12 to a reject tray 50. Therefore, every time a non-countable denomination coin occurs, the coin processing device 1 can continue counting without interrupting the counting process by transporting the non-countable denomination coin to a destination different from that for countable denomination coins.

[0092] Furthermore, during the counting process, the coin processing device 1 is configured to discharge the counted coins of a particular denomination from the coin discharge unit 12 to the storage bag 80. Therefore, the coin processing device 1 does not need to interrupt the counting process when the denomination-specific temporary storage unit 54 becomes full, as compared to a case in which the counted coins of a particular denomination are stored in, for example, a denomination-specific temporary storage unit 54 that is provided inside the housing 2 and has a smaller capacity than the storage bag 80. This allows the coin processing device 1 to continuously count a large number of coins CN inserted into the coin insertion unit 31 all at once, without interrupting the counting process. In this way, the coin processing device 1 can complete the counting process efficiently in a short period of time.

[0093] Furthermore, during the counting process, the coin processing device 1 discharges only the count denomination coins from the coin discharge unit 12 to the storage bag 80 one by one, while discharging non-count denomination coins one by one to the reject tray 50. Therefore, during the counting process, the coin processing device 1 can continuously count a number of coins CN equal to or greater than the capacity of the insertion space 31S, by allowing the user to continue to insert additional coins CN into the coin insertion unit 31 without the insertion space 31S becoming full. This allows the coin processing device 1 to complete the counting process efficiently in a short time.

[0094] According to the above configuration, the coin processing device 1 is provided with a coin insertion section 31 into which coins CN are inserted, an insertion and transport section 36 which transports the coin CN inserted into the coin insertion section 31, a recognition section 40 which discriminates the coin CN transported by the insertion and transport section 36, a reject switching section 41 for returning coins CN which the recognition section 40 determines to be rejected because the denomination cannot be determined, a sorting transport path Ws having a plurality of sorting switching sections 46 which sort the coin CN by denomination and branch the transport path depending on the discrimination result of the recognition section 40, and a coin discharge section 12 which is provided downstream of the plurality of sorting switching sections 46 in the coin transport direction of the sorting transport path Ws and discharges the coin CN to the outside.

[0095] This allows the coin processing device 1 to perform counting processing while discharging coins CN inserted into the coin insertion section 31 one by one from the coin discharge section 12 to the outside of the coin processing device 1, thereby enabling large numbers of coins CN to be counted quickly without interrupting the counting process midway.

[0096] 2. Second embodiment [2-1. Overall configuration of currency handling equipment] As shown in Figure 1, the currency handling device 103 of the second embodiment differs from the currency handling device 3 of the first embodiment in that it has a coin handling device 101 instead of the coin handling device 1, but is otherwise configured in the same way.

[0097] [2-2. Configuration of coin processing device] The coin processing device 101 (Figures 2, 3 and 4) of the second embodiment differs from the coin processing device 1 of the first embodiment in that it has a coin discharge section 112 instead of the coin discharge section 12, but is otherwise configured in the same way.

[0098] [2-3. Configuration of the coin ejection section] As shown in Figure 9, in which the same symbols are used for components corresponding to those in Figure 8, the coin discharge section 112 of the second embodiment differs from the coin discharge section 12 of the first embodiment in that it has a discharge chute 116 instead of the discharge chute 16, but is otherwise configured in the same way.

[0099] The discharge chute 116 has an approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape with an outer shape slightly smaller than the housing coin discharge hole 2A when viewed from the front, and is formed with a front guide 116f and a lower guide 116d.The discharge chute 116 can rotate between the non-discharge state shown in Figure 9(A) and the discharge state shown in Figure 9(B) around a discharge chute rotation axis 116p extending in the left-right direction at the lower end as a central axis.

[0100] The front guide 116f is composed of a plate-shaped front guide upper part 116fu and a front guide lower part 116fd. In the non-discharge state (FIG. 9(A)), the front guide 116f has a shape like an English capital letter "L" rotated 90[°] clockwise in a cross section seen from the right side at the center of the left and right of the discharge chute 116, and the front guide upper part 116fu is aligned in the horizontal direction at the upper end of the discharge chute 116, and the front guide lower part 116fd is aligned in the vertical direction at the front end of the discharge chute 116. The front guide lower part 116fd is configured to be rotatable about a front guide lower part rotation shaft 116fdp aligned in the left and right direction provided at the connection point with the front guide upper part 116fu. In the discharge state (Figure 9 (B)), the rear side surface of this front guide 116f restricts the forward movement of the coin CN that has been taken in from the coin discharge outlet 14 through the coin passage space 116s formed above the inclined surface of the lower guide 116d via the intake portion 116i formed at the rear end of the inclined surface of the lower guide 116d.

[0101] In the non-discharge state (FIG. 9(A)), the lower guide 116d has a triangular shape in cross section when viewed from the right side at the center of the left and right of the discharge chute 116. In the discharge state (FIG. 9(B)), this lower guide 116d allows the coin CN taken into the coin passing space 116s from the coin discharge port 14 via the take-in part 116i to slide down along the inclined surface toward the throw-in part 116o by using an inclined surface that is an inner wall surface with a planar shape that slopes downward at the front upper side.

[0102] This coin discharge unit 112 is in a non-discharge state (FIG. 9(A)) when deposit processing and collection processing are performed. In the non-discharge state (FIG. 9(A)), the front side surface of the front guide lower part 116fd and the lower guide 116d of the discharge chute 116 is substantially flush with the front surface of the housing 2, and the rear side surface of the front guide lower part 116fd and the lower guide 116d closes the opening at the front end of the coin discharge outlet 14, so that the coin CN is not discharged from the coin discharge outlet 14.

[0103] On the other hand, when counting processing is performed, the coin discharge unit 112 rotates the discharge chute 116 from the non-discharge state (FIG. 9(A)) counterclockwise by 90[°] in a right side view around the discharge chute rotation shaft 116p as the central axis to the discharge state (FIG. 9(B)). At this time, the front guide lower part 116fd rotates clockwise by 90[°] in a right side view relative to the front guide upper part 116fu around the front guide lower rotation shaft 116fdp as the central axis. As a result, the front guide 116f becomes shaped like the English capital letter "I" in the discharge state (FIG. 9(B)). In the discharge state (FIG. 9(B)), the front side surface of the front guide 116f of the discharge chute 116 protrudes forward from the front surface of the housing 2, and the rear side surface of the front guide 116f moves forward from the front end of the coin discharge outlet 14 to the rear of the front inner side surface of the storage bag 80, enabling the coin CN to be discharged from the coin discharge outlet 14. In the discharge state (FIG. 9(B)), the discharge chute 116 can also be fitted with the storage bag 80 and the like similar to those in the first embodiment. The storage bag 80 stores the coin CN that has dropped from the discharge chute 116 in its internal space.

[0104] 3. Third embodiment [3-1. Overall configuration of currency handling equipment] As shown in Figure 1, a currency handling device 203 according to the third embodiment differs from a currency handling device 3 according to the first embodiment in that it has a coin handling device 201 instead of the coin handling device 1, but is otherwise configured in the same manner.

[0105] [3-2. Configuration of coin processing device] The coin processing device 201 (Figures 2, 3 and 4) of the third embodiment differs from the coin processing device 1 of the first embodiment in that it has a coin discharge section 212 instead of the coin discharge section 12, but is otherwise configured in the same way.

[0106] [3-3. Configuration of the coin ejection section] As shown in Figure 10, in which the same symbols are used for components corresponding to those in Figure 8, the coin discharge section 212 of the third embodiment differs from the coin discharge section 12 of the first embodiment in that it has a discharge chute 216 instead of the discharge chute 16, but is otherwise configured in the same way.

[0107] The discharge chute 216 has an approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape with an outer shape slightly smaller than the housing coin discharge hole 2A when viewed from the front, and is capable of rotating between the non-discharge state shown in Figure 10(A) and the discharge state shown in Figure 10(B) around a discharge chute rotation axis 216p extending in the left-right direction at the upper end as a central axis.

[0108] The discharge chute 216 is formed with an intake section 216i that opens on the top surface and a throwing section 216o that opens on the bottom surface, and also with a coin passing space 216s that communicates with the intake section 216i and the throwing section 216o. A front guide 216f and a lower guide 216d are formed in front of and behind the coin passing space 216s, respectively.

[0109] The front guide 216f is shaped like an English capital letter "I" in a cross section seen from the right side at the center of the left and right of the discharge chute 216, and is aligned vertically in the non-discharge state (FIG. 10(A)). In the discharge state (FIG. 10(B)), this front guide 216f restricts the upward and forward movement of the coin CN taken into the coin passing space 216s from the coin discharge port 14 via the take-in portion 216i, by means of an inner wall surface on the lower rear side that slopes downward from the front.

[0110] The lower guide 216d is shaped like an English capital letter "I" in a cross section seen from the right side at the center of the left and right of the discharge chute 216, and is aligned vertically in the non-discharge state (FIG. 10(A)). In the discharge state (FIG. 10(B)), this lower guide 216d allows the coin CN taken into the coin passing space 216s from the coin discharge port 14 via the take-in part 216i to slide down along the inclined surface toward the throw-in part 216o by using an inclined surface that is an inner wall surface of a planar shape with a downward sloping front at the front upper side.

[0111] This coin discharge section 212 is in a non-discharge state (FIG. 10(A)) when deposit processing and collection processing are performed. In the non-discharge state (FIG. 10(A)), the discharge chute 216 has a front side surface 216fS that is substantially flush with the front surface of the housing 2, and a rear inner wall surface of the front guide 216f closes the opening at the front end of the coin discharge outlet 14, so that coins CN are not discharged from the coin discharge outlet 14.

[0112] On the other hand, in the coin discharge section 212, when counting processing is performed, the discharge chute 216 rotates clockwise from the non-discharge state (FIG. 10(A)) by about 45[°] in a right side view around the discharge chute rotation shaft 216p as a central axis to become the discharge state (FIG. 10(B)). In the discharge state (FIG. 10(B)), the front side surface of the front guide 216f of the discharge chute 216 protrudes forward from the front surface of the housing 2, and the lower end of the rear inner wall surface of the front guide 216f moves forward from the front end of the coin discharge outlet 14 to the rear of the front inner surface of the storage bag 80, so that the coin CN can be discharged from the coin discharge outlet 14. In the discharge state (FIG. 10(B)), the discharge chute 216 can be fitted with the storage bag 80 and the like similar to those of the first embodiment. The storage bag 80 stores the coin CN dropped from the discharge chute 216 in an internal space.

[0113] 4. Fourth Embodiment [4-1. Overall configuration of currency handling equipment] As shown in Figure 1, the currency handling device 303 of the fourth embodiment differs from the currency handling device 3 of the first embodiment in that it has a coin handling device 301 instead of the coin handling device 1, but is otherwise configured in the same way.

[0114] [4-2. Configuration of coin processing device] The coin processing device 301 (Figures 2, 3 and 4) of the fourth embodiment differs from the coin processing device 1 of the first embodiment in that it has a coin discharge section 312 instead of the coin discharge section 12, but is otherwise configured in the same way.

[0115] [4-3. Configuration of the coin ejection section] As shown in FIG. 11, in which the same symbols are used for components corresponding to those in FIG. 8, the coin discharge unit 312 according to the fourth embodiment differs from the coin discharge unit 12 according to the first embodiment in that it has a discharge chute 316 instead of the discharge chute 16, but is otherwise configured in the same manner.

[0116] The discharge chute 316 has a shape like the capital letter "L" rotated 90° counterclockwise when viewed from the right side, and in the discharge state shown in Figure 11 (B), its rear end can penetrate through the inside of the housing coin discharge hole 2A and reach behind the front panel of the housing 2.

[0117] The discharge chute 316 is formed with an intake section 316i that opens at the rear surface and a throwing section 316o that opens at the bottom surface, and also with a coin passing space 316s that communicates with the intake section 316i and the throwing section 316o. A front guide 316f and a lower guide 316d are formed on the front upper side and rear lower side of the coin passing space 316s, respectively.

[0118] The front guide 316f has a shape like a capital letter "L" rotated 90[°] clockwise in a cross section seen from the right side at the center of the left and right of the discharge chute 316. In the discharge state (FIG. 11(B)), this front guide 316f restricts the upward and forward movement of the coin CN taken into the coin passing space 316s from the coin discharge port 14 via the take-in part 316i, by means of an inner wall surface on the upper side that is slightly horizontal and an inner wall surface on the rear side that is vertical.

[0119] The lower guide 316d has a shape like an English capital letter "L" rotated 90[°] clockwise in a cross section seen from the right side at the center of the left and right of the discharge chute 316. In the discharge state (FIG. 11(B)), this lower guide 316d has an inclined surface that is an inner wall surface with a planar shape that slopes downward at the top, allowing the coin CN taken into the coin passing space 316s from the coin discharge port 14 via the take-in part 316i to slide down along the inclined surface toward the throw-in part 316o.

[0120] This coin discharge unit 312 is in a non-discharge state (FIG. 11(A)) when deposit processing and collection processing are performed. In the non-discharge state (FIG. 11(A)), the plate-shaped discharge port cover 82 of the coin discharge unit 312 fits into the housing coin discharge hole 2A, the front side surface of the housing coin discharge hole 2A is substantially flush with the front surface of the housing 2, and the rear inner wall surface of the discharge port cover 82 closes the opening at the front end of the coin discharge port 14, preventing coins CN from being discharged from the coin discharge port 14.

[0121] On the other hand, when counting processing is performed, the user removes the discharge port cover 82 from the housing coin discharge hole 2A and fits the discharge chute 316 into the housing coin discharge hole 2A, so that the coin discharge section 312 is in the discharge state (FIG. 11(B)). In the discharge state (FIG. 11(B)), the rear inner wall surface of the front guide 316f is located behind the front inner surface of the storage bag 80, so that the coin CN can be discharged from the coin discharge port 14. In the discharge state (FIG. 11(B)), the discharge chute 316 can be fitted with the storage bag 80 and the like similar to those in the first embodiment. The storage bag 80 stores the coin CN that has fallen from the discharge chute 316 in its internal space.

[0122] 5. Other embodiments In the above-mentioned first embodiment, the storage bag 80 is described as being detachably attached to the discharge chute 16 as the attachment part. The present invention is not limited to this, and the attachment part of the storage bag 80 may be provided on the housing 2, and the storage bag 80 may be detachably attached to the housing 2, for example. In short, it is sufficient that the storage bag 80 is stably disposed in a position where it can store therein the coins CN discharged from the coin discharge port 14. The same applies to the second to fourth embodiments.

[0123] In the above-mentioned first embodiment, the case where the reject switching unit 41 is disposed between the recognition unit 40 and the sorting unit 45 on the transport path of the coin CN has been described. The present invention is not limited to this, and the reject switching unit 41 may be disposed between the sorting unit 45 and the coin discharge unit 12 on the transport path of the coin CN. In short, it is sufficient that the reject switching unit 41 is disposed between the recognition unit 40 and the coin discharge unit 12, that is, downstream of the recognition unit 40. The same applies to the second to fourth embodiments.

[0124] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned first embodiment, when a coin CN is recognized as a non-countable denomination coin, the case has been described where the coin CN is transported to the reject tray 50. The present invention is not limited to this, and when a coin CN is recognized as a non-countable denomination coin, the coin CN may be transported to and stored in the denomination-specific temporary storage section 54, and then transported to the coin return vault 58 for return, in the same manner as for legitimate coins CN that are not stored in the storage vault 33 during the deposit process. The same applies to the second to fourth embodiments.

[0125] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned first embodiment, the present invention is applied to the coin processing device 1 that performs various transactions with users. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention may be applied to various devices that handle coins. The same applies to the second to fourth embodiments.

[0126] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and other embodiments. That is, the scope of application of the present invention extends to embodiments in which the above-described embodiments and the other embodiments are combined in part or in whole in any manner, or to embodiments in which parts are extracted.

[0127] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned first embodiment, a case has been described in which the currency handling device 3 as a currency handling device is configured by the display operation panel 7 and numeric keypad 8 as the operation unit, the coin insertion unit 31 as an insertion port, the insertion and conveying unit 36 ​​as a conveying unit, the recognition unit 40 as a discrimination unit, the sorting and conveying path Ws as a sorting and conveying path, and the coin discharge unit 12 as a discharge unit. The present invention is not limited to this, and the currency handling device may be configured by an operation unit, an insertion port, a conveying unit, a discrimination unit, a sorting and conveying path, and a discharge unit having various other configurations. [Industrial Applicability]

[0128] The present invention can be used in, for example, a coin processing device that processes transactions related to coins with users. [Explanation of symbols]

[0129] 1, 101, 201, 301... coin processing device, 2... housing, 2A... housing coin discharge hole section, 2F... front door, 3, 103, 203, 303... currency handling device, 4... banknote processing device, 5... overall management device, 6... receipt printing section, 7... display operation panel, 8... numeric keypad, 9... card reading section, 10... coin control section, 12, 112, 212, 312... coin discharge section, 14... coin discharge port, 16, 116, 216, 316... discharge chute, 16i, 116i, 216 i, 316i...intake section, 16o, 116o, 216o, 316o...throwing section, 16f, 116f, 216f, 316f...front guide, 16d, 116d, 216d, 316d...lower guide, 16s, 116s, 216s, 316s...coin passage space, 16fS, 216fS...front side, 116fu...upper front guide, 116fd...lower front guide, 116fdp...lower front guide pivot shaft, 116p, 216p...discharge chute pivot shaft, 20...controller control section, 31... coin insertion section, 31S... insertion space, 33... storage, 35... payout section, 36... insertion transport section, 37... insertion transport guide, W... insertion transport path, Wi... deposit transport path, Ws... sorting transport path, 40... recognition section, 41... reject switching section, 42... reject blade, 43... reject hole section, 44... reject transport section, 44P... pulley, 44B... endless belt, 45... sorting section, 46... sorting switching section, 47... sorting blade, 48... sorting hole section, 49...reject chute, 50...reject tray, 52...denomination-specific chute, 54...temporary holding section for each denomination, 56...guide, 58...coin return vault, 60...withdrawal switch section, 62...withdrawal blade, 63...coin withdrawal vault, 64...dispensing box for each denomination, 66...temporary collection holding section, 68...guide, 70...coin collection vault, 72...collection return vault, 80...storage bag, 82...discharge outlet cover, RTj...reject route, RTsr...storage and return route, RTc...counting route.

Claims

1. A coin slot into which coins are inserted; a conveying unit that conveys the coin inserted into the insertion slot in a first direction that is a direction away from the insertion slot; a discriminating unit that discriminates the coins transported by the transport unit; a sorting conveying path having a plurality of sorting gates that sorts the coins by denomination while conveying the coins in a second direction opposite to the first direction according to the discrimination result of the discriminating unit, and branches the conveying path; a discharge unit that is provided downstream of the sorting gates in the coin conveying direction of the sorting conveying path and discharges the coins from a front side of the device to the outside; a control unit that performs a counting process of sequentially transporting the coins inserted into the insertion port through the discrimination unit and the sorting transport path, counting the number of coins of a predetermined denomination among the coins, and discharging the coins of the predetermined denomination from the discharge unit to the outside; A coin processing device comprising:

2. a reject gate for returning the coins that have been rejected by the discriminating unit because the denomination cannot be discriminated; The coin processing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

3. The control unit, in the counting process, ejects the coins determined to be of a denomination different from the predetermined denomination from the reject gate to the outside in accordance with the discrimination result of the discrimination unit.

3. The coin processing device according to claim 2 .

4. The reject gate is disposed between the discrimination unit and the sorting conveying path in the coin conveying path.

4. The coin processing device according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The coin dispenser further includes an attachment portion to which a storage portion for storing the coins dispensed from the dispensing portion is detachably attached, The discharge unit has a chute unit that guides the coins from the sorting and conveying path to the storage unit.

5. The coin processing device according to claim 1, wherein the coin processing device is a coin processing device.

6. a temporary storage unit that stores the coins sorted by denomination by the plurality of sorting gates by denomination; a return box for storing the coins to be returned to the outside of the coin processing device, the coins being transported from the temporary storage unit; and The control unit is In the counting process, the coins determined to be of a denomination different from the predetermined denomination according to the discrimination result of the discrimination unit are transported to the return vault via the temporary storage unit.

2. The coin processing device according to claim 1 .

7. an operation unit that receives operations related to coin processing; An insertion port into which the coins are inserted; a conveying unit that conveys the coin inserted into the insertion slot in a first direction that is a direction away from the insertion slot; a discriminating unit that discriminates the coins transported by the transport unit; a sorting conveying path having a plurality of sorting gates that sorts the coins by denomination while conveying the coins in a second direction opposite to the first direction according to the discrimination result of the discriminating unit, and branches the conveying path; a discharge unit that is provided downstream of the sorting gates in the coin conveying direction of the sorting conveying path and discharges the coins from a front side of the device to the outside; a control unit that performs a counting process of sequentially transporting the coins inserted into the insertion port through the discrimination unit and the sorting transport path, counting the number of coins of a predetermined denomination designated by the operation unit among the coins, and discharging the coins of the predetermined denomination from the discharge unit to the outside; A currency handling device comprising:

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