Coin handling device and deposit / withdrawal device

Abstract

A coin unit (3) that is an example of this coin handling device comprises: a coin receiving unit (31) that has a coin receiving opening (31a) that is able to receive a plurality of coins in batches; a rotary plate (32) that is disposed in the coin receiving unit (31) and rotates so as to scoop up the coins inside the coin receiving unit (31); a sorting plate (33) that is an example of a sorting member provided with a coin hole (33a) of a size (diameter d1) through which coins of a maximum size to be scooped up by the rotary plate (32) can pass, and a large foreign matter hole (33b: diameter d2) that is located on the downstream side of the coin hole (33a) in the rotating direction of the rotary plate (32) and is larger than the maximum size coin; a receiving passage (34) that is connected to the coin hole (33a) of the sorting plate (33); and a discharge passage (35) that is connected to the large foreign matter hole (33b) of the sorting plate (33).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a coin handling device and a deposit / dispense device equipped with the coin handling device. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, when a customer purchases a product at a store such as a supermarket, or when a store clerk performs a payment process for the product, there is a deposit / withdrawal device for depositing the price of the product. Such a deposit / withdrawal device includes a coin deposit / withdrawal section (coin deposit / withdrawal device) and a paper money deposit / withdrawal section (paper money deposit / withdrawal device).

[0003] Also, a coin receiving device (coin depositing device) that only accepts coins may be used. Coins are usually inserted one by one into a coin handling device such as the coin depositing and dispensing device and coin receiving device described above.

[0004] On the other hand, devices that allow multiple coins to be inserted at once have also been proposed (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-180240 [Patent Document 2] JP 2003-144615 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In a coin receiving section having a coin receiving port into which coins can be inserted all at once, in a device that scoops up coins by rotating a rotating plate and flows them into an acceptance passage, if a foreign object larger than the maximum size coin planned to be inserted (such as a foreign coin that is not planned to be inserted) is inserted, the foreign object will not flow into the acceptance passage and will remain in the coin receiving section. In addition, the presence of a large foreign object can hinder the transport of coins.

[0007] One possible solution to this problem would be to provide a mechanism for removing large foreign objects. However, if such a mechanism is provided with a drive separate from that for the rotating plate, the structure of the coin handling device would become complicated.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a coin handling device and a depositing / dispensing device that are capable of discharging foreign objects larger than coins with a simple configuration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In one embodiment, a coin handling device comprises a coin accepting section having a coin accepting port capable of accepting multiple coins at once, a rotating plate arranged in the coin accepting section and rotating to scoop up coins in the coin accepting section, a sorting member having a coin hole large enough to pass a maximum size coin that can be scooped up by the rotating plate and a large foreign object hole located downstream of the coin hole in the rotation direction of the rotating plate and larger than the maximum size coin, an accepting passage connected to the coin hole of the sorting member, and a discharge passage connected to the large foreign object hole of the sorting member.

[0010] In another aspect, a deposit / withdrawal device includes the coin handling device and a paper money deposit / withdrawal unit, and the coin handling device is the coin deposit / withdrawal unit. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the above aspect, foreign objects larger than coins can be discharged with a simple configuration. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an internal structure of a depositing and dispensing device according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic front view showing an internal structure of a depositing and dispensing device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] 1 is a schematic right side view showing an internal structure of a depositing and dispensing device according to an embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the internal structure of a coin receiving section in one embodiment. [Diagram 5] 5 is a diagram showing a rotating plate and a sorting plate in one embodiment as viewed from a direction V in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 5 is a diagram showing the sorting plate in one embodiment, viewed from the V direction in FIG. 4, with the rotating plate omitted. [Figure 7A] FIG. 11 is a right side view (part 1) for explaining the withdrawal operation of the coin receiving portion in one embodiment. [Figure 7B] FIG. 11 is a right side view (part 2) for explaining the withdrawal operation of the coin receiving portion in the embodiment. [Figure 8A] FIG. 11 is a front view (part 1) for explaining the tilting operation of the coin receiving portion in one embodiment. [Figure 8B] FIG. 11 is a front view (part 2) for explaining the tilting operation of the coin receiving portion in the embodiment. [Figure 9] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a controller unit according to an embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, a coin handling device and a depositing / dispensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] 1 to 3 are a schematic perspective view, a schematic front view, and a schematic right side view showing the internal structure of a depositing and dispensing device 1 according to one embodiment.

[0015] Note that the up-down, front-back, left-right directions shown in Figures 1 to 3 and Figures 4 to 8B described later are merely examples when the customer (user) side of the deposit / withdrawal device 1 is considered to be the front direction, but for example, the up-down direction is the vertical direction, and the front-back and left-right directions are horizontal directions.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 1, the deposit / withdrawal device 1 includes a banknote recycling unit 2, a coin unit 3, and a controller unit 4. The deposit / withdrawal device 1 is used, for example, in a store such as a supermarket, by customers or store clerks to deposit and withdraw money for products, or by store clerks to deposit and withdraw money in the back yard of the store. Of course, the deposit / withdrawal device 1 can be placed anywhere, not just in a store.

[0017] The banknote recycling unit 2 is a banknote deposit / withdrawal section (banknote deposit / withdrawal device) that deposits and withdraws banknotes.

[0018] The coin unit 3 is an example of a coin handling device that handles coins, and is a coin deposit / withdrawal section (coin deposit / withdrawal device) that deposits and withdraws coins. The coin handling device may be one that at least accepts coins, and is not limited to a device (coin unit 3) used in the deposit / withdrawal device 1. The coin unit 3 (coin deposit / withdrawal device) may be used as a deposit / withdrawal device by itself without the banknote recycling unit 2 (banknote deposit / withdrawal section).

[0019] 1 to 3, the coin unit 3 includes a coin receiving section 31, a coin recycle unit 11, a coin overflow cassette 12, a coin collection cassette 13, a coin acceptor 14, a coin dispensing section 15, a coin sorter section 16, a coin lifter section 17, a coin collection stopper section 18, and a control section 19. The coin unit 3 further includes a rotating plate 32, a sorting plate 33, a receiving passage 34, a discharging passage 35, a slide rail 36, a slider 37, a hinge 38, and a coin detection sensor 39, which will be described later.

[0020] The controller unit 4 is a unit that issues commands to the depositing / dispensing device 1 and displays information such as the state of the depositing / dispensing device 1 and the purchase amount of merchandise. The controller unit 4 will also be described later.

[0021] The coin receiving unit 31 has a coin receiving opening 31a capable of receiving a plurality of coins, such as the amount of a product invoice, all at once.

[0022] The coin recycling unit 11 is a unit that stores coins that are inserted into a coin receiving section 31 and deposited through a coin acceptor (deposit port) 14, and also stores coins that can be dispensed through a coin dispensing section (dispensing port) 15.

[0023] The coin overflow cassette 12 is a unit that stores coins that cannot be dispensed from the coin dispensing unit 15. Note that the coins stored in the coin overflow cassette 12 are coins that have been moved to avoid the coin recycling unit 11 becoming full, and therefore can be said to be coins that can be reused, for example, in a store.

[0024] The coin collection cassette 13 is a cassette that stores collected coins in the coin unit 3, particularly the coin recycling unit 11. Note that the coins stored in the coin collection cassette 13 are, for example, coins to be deposited in a bank as sales proceeds.

[0025] The coin acceptor 14 has a function of identifying coins inserted into the coin receiving unit 31. The identification function is a function of identifying whether the coin is a genuine coin, a counterfeit coin, a commemorative coin, etc. The identification function also includes a function of identifying the denomination of the coin.

[0026] The coin dispensing section 15 is an example of a coin dispensing section that dispenses coins from the coin unit 3 (coin handling device), and dispenses coins as change or the like.

[0027] The coin sorter unit 16 sorts coins inserted from the coin acceptor 14 to the coin recycle unit 11, the coin overflow cassette 12, or the coin dispensing unit 15. Furthermore, based on the result of the validation function of the coin acceptor 14, if the coin is a genuine coin, the coin sorter unit 16 sorts the genuine coin to the coin recycle unit 11 or the coin overflow cassette 12. If the coin is a counterfeit coin, the coin sorter unit 16 sorts the counterfeit coin to the coin dispensing unit 15.

[0028] The coin collection stopper portion 18 is a stopper for opening and closing a coin discharge port that discharges coins for each denomination hopper in the coin recycling unit 11.

[0029] The coin lifter unit 17 is a lift (transport unit) that transports coins discharged from the coin discharge port to the coin acceptor 14 in response to the opening operation of the coin collection stopper unit 18 and the forward rotation operation of the coin lifter unit 17. In addition, the coin lifter unit 17 is a lift (transport unit) that transports coins discharged from the coin discharge port to the coin collection cassette 13 in response to the opening operation of the coin collection stopper unit 18 and the reverse rotation operation of the coin lifter unit 17.

[0030] The control unit 19 has, for example, a processor and a memory. The processor is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that functions as an arithmetic processing device that controls the operation of each part of the coin unit 3. The memory is, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), which is a read-only semiconductor memory in which a predetermined control program is pre-recorded, or a RAM (Random Access Memory), which is a semiconductor memory that can be written and read at any time and is used as a working memory area as necessary when the processor executes various control programs.

[0031] FIG. 4 is a front view showing the internal structure of the coin receiving unit 31. As shown in FIG.

[0032] FIG. 5 is a view of the rotating plate 32 and the sorting plate 33 as viewed from the V direction in FIG.

[0033] FIG. 6 is a view of the sorting plate 33, with the rotating plate 32 omitted, as viewed from the V direction in FIG.

[0034] As shown in Fig. 4, the inner bottom surface of the coin receiving section 31, indicated by a dashed line, is inclined from the right side to the center toward the bottom of the rotating plate 32 so as to guide the received coins to the rotating plate 32. Also, as partially shown in Fig. 1, the inner bottom surface of the coin receiving section 31 is inclined from the front to the rear toward the bottom of the rotating plate 32.

[0035] The rotating plate 32 is disposed in the coin receiving section 31 at an inclination angle θ (for example, 10 degrees counterclockwise in FIG. 4) with respect to the imaginary vertical plane V. The rotating plate 32 rotates so as to scoop up the coins in the coin receiving section 31 (for example, clockwise in FIG. 5). As shown in FIG. 5, the rotating plate 32 is provided with, for example, eight holding holes 32a at equal intervals in the rotation direction, each having the same size (diameter d2) as a large foreign object hole 33b of a sorting plate 33 described later (illustrated by an imaginary two-dot chain line in FIG. 6 because the rotating plate 32 is omitted). The holding holes 32a hold coins and foreign objects between themselves and the sorting plate 33 disposed on the left side of the rotating plate 32 at the same inclination angle θ as the rotating plate 32.

[0036] As shown in Fig. 6, the sorting plate 33 is provided with a coin hole 33a having a size (diameter d1) through which the largest-sized coin scooped up by the rotating plate 32 can pass, a large foreign object hole 33b (diameter d2 (d2 > d1)) located on the downstream side of the coin hole 33a in the rotation direction of the rotating plate 32 and larger than the largest-sized coin, and a small foreign object hole 33c having a size (diameter d3 (d3 < d1)) located on the upstream side of the coin hole 33a in the rotation direction of the rotating plate 32 and through which the smallest-sized coin scooped up by the rotating plate 32 cannot pass. Note that the upstream side and the downstream side in the rotation direction of the rotating plate 32 are those when the starting point is the bottom of the rotating plate 32, the beginning of the rotation when the rotating plate 32 makes one rotation is the upstream end, and the end of the rotation is the downstream end. Also, the large foreign object hole 33b of the sorting plate 33 and the holding hole 32a of the rotating plate 32 are provided with the same size (diameter d2), but it is only necessary that both have a size larger than the coin hole 33a (diameter d1). Note that the sorting plate 33 is an example of a sorting member provided with at least the coin hole 33a and the large foreign object hole 33b, and is not limited to a plate shape. Also, the small foreign object hole 33c of the sorting plate 33 may be omitted. When the small foreign object hole 33c is omitted, foreign objects smaller than the smallest-sized coin are sent together with the coin to the coin acceptor 14 and separated from the coin.

[0037] The receiving passage 34, which is shown by a dashed line as a hidden line in Fig. 4 and by a two-dot chain line as an imaginary line in Fig. 5, is connected to the left end of the coin hole 33a of the sorting plate 33 and penetrates the left wall portion of the coin receiving portion 31 as shown in Fig. 1, for example. The receiving passage 34 sends the coin that has passed through the coin hole 33a to the above-described coin acceptor 14. Note that when the coin receiving portion 31 can be pulled out or tilted as described later, the receiving passage 34 is preferably made of a flexible material so as to allow the pulling-out operation or the tilting operation of the coin receiving portion 31.

[0038] Discharge passage 35, shown by a hidden dashed line in Fig. 4 and by an imaginary two-dot chain line in Fig. 5, is connected to large foreign object hole 33b and small foreign object hole 33c of sorting plate 33, and, for example, penetrates a rear wall portion of coin receiving section 31, although not shown. Discharge passage 35 sends foreign objects larger than the maximum size coin that have passed through large foreign object hole 33b, and foreign objects smaller than the minimum size coin that have passed through small foreign object hole 33c, to coin dispensing section 15. Note that in the example shown by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 5, discharge passage 35 is bifurcated and connected to large foreign object hole 33b and small foreign object hole 33c, but two independent discharge passages may be provided, one connected to large foreign object hole 33b and the other connected to small foreign object hole 33c. Furthermore, if the coin receiving portion 31 is removable or tiltable, the discharge passage 35, like the receiving passage 34, may be made of a flexible material to allow the coin receiving portion 31 to be removed or tilted.

[0039] 7A and 7B are right side views for explaining the withdrawal operation of the coin receiving unit 31. FIG.

[0040] 7A and 7B, the slide rail 36 is arranged to pull out the coin receiving unit 31 forward (toward the customer). The slide rail 36 holds a slider 37 connected to the lower part of the coin receiving unit 31 so that the slider 37 can slide in the front-rear direction, thereby making the coin receiving unit 31 slidable in the front-rear direction.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 7B, an attendant or the like can pull the coin receiving section 31 (slider 37) forward, for example, until the entire coin receiving section 31 protrudes from the front surface of the deposit / withdrawal device 1, making it easier to remove coins or foreign objects stuck inside the coin receiving section 31.

[0042] 8A and 8B are front views for explaining the tilting operation of the coin receiving unit 31. FIG.

[0043] 7A, 7B, 8A, and 8B, the hinge 38 is disposed at the boundary portion at the right end between the coin receiving portion 31 and the slide rail 36. The hinge 38 is an example of a support member that supports the coin receiving portion 31 so that it can tilt.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 8B, the hinge 38 supports the coin receiving unit 31 so that it can rotate 90 degrees clockwise until the coin receiving port 31a faces rightward, for example. This makes it easier to remove stuck coins and foreign objects inside the coin receiving unit 31. The coin receiving unit 31 may be tilted when the coin receiving unit 31 is pulled out forward as described above. The tilt direction of the coin receiving unit 31 is not limited to the rightward direction, but may be the leftward direction, forward direction, etc. The tilt angle of the coin receiving unit 31 supported by the hinge 38 (support member) is not limited to 90 degrees and may be any angle.

[0045] The coin detection sensor 39 shown by dashed lines (hidden lines) in Figures 7A and 7B detects a coin in the coin receiving unit 31, for example, based on the fact that detection light irradiated within the coin receiving unit 31 is blocked by the coin. The above-mentioned rotating plate 32 may rotate based on the fact that the coin detection sensor 39 detects a coin. The rotating operation of this rotating plate 32 may be performed, for example, by the above-mentioned control unit 19 controlling the drive of a rotation drive unit which is an actuator such as a motor (not shown). Note that the coin detection sensor 39 may be omitted, and the rotating plate 32 may rotate constantly, for example, when the power of the depositing / dispensing device 1 is ON, when a coin is received in the coin receiving unit 31 (when insertion of a coin is requested), etc.

[0046] FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the controller unit 4 shown in FIG.

[0047] The controller unit 4 shown in FIG. 9 includes a display unit 41, a keyboard / mouse , a scanner 43, a printer , a communication unit 45, and a control unit .

[0048] The display unit 41 is an output interface that displays various information such as the billed price of a product.

[0049] The keyboard / mouse 42 is an input interface for inputting various information such as commands.

[0050] The scanner 43 is an input interface that reads, for example, a barcode attached to a product.

[0051] The printer 44 is an output interface that prints out various information such as purchase receipts for products, for example.

[0052] The communication unit 45 is a communication interface that connects with the banknote recycling unit 2 and the coin unit 3 via wireless communication.

[0053] The control unit 46 controls the entire controller unit 4. Similarly to the control unit 19 of the coin unit 3, the control unit 46 of the controller unit 4 may have a processor, a memory, and the like.

[0054] In the present embodiment described above, the coin unit 3, which is an example of a coin handling device, comprises a coin receiving section 31 having a coin receiving opening 31a capable of receiving multiple coins at once, a rotating plate 32 arranged in this coin receiving section 31 and rotating to scoop up the coins in the coin receiving section 31, a sorting plate 33, which is an example of a sorting member, having a coin hole 33a of a size (diameter d1) through which the maximum size coin that can be scooped up by this rotating plate 32 can pass, and a large foreign object hole 33b (diameter d2) located downstream of the coin hole 33a in the rotation direction of the rotating plate 32 and larger than the maximum size coin, an accepting passage 34 connected to the coin hole 33a of the sorting plate 33, and a discharge passage 35 connected to the large foreign object hole 33b of the sorting plate 33.

[0055] In this embodiment, the depositing / dispensing device 1 includes a coin handling device and a banknote recycling unit 2 which is an example of a banknote depositing / dispensing section, and the coin handling device is a coin depositing / dispensing section (for example, coin unit 3).

[0056] According to the coin unit 3 and the deposit / withdrawal device 1 described above, firstly, the coin receiving port 31a of the coin receiving section 31 can receive a plurality of coins at once, thereby improving the convenience for customers. Also, the sorting plate 33 is provided with the large foreign object hole 33b (diameter d2) larger than the maximum size coin, so that it is possible to prevent foreign objects larger than the maximum size coin (e.g., foreign coins not scheduled to be inserted) from remaining in the coin receiving section 31 or impeding the transport of coins without requiring a drive mechanism separate from that for driving the rotating plate 32. Therefore, according to this embodiment, foreign objects larger than coins can be discharged with a simple configuration.

[0057] In this embodiment, the sorting plate 33 is further provided with a small foreign object hole 33c located upstream of the coin hole 33a in the rotation direction of the rotating plate 32 and large enough to prevent the passage of the smallest size coin that can be scooped up by the rotating plate 32. The discharge passage 35 is connected to the large foreign object hole 33b and the small foreign object hole 33c.

[0058] This makes it possible to discharge not only foreign objects larger than the maximum size coin, but also foreign objects smaller than the minimum size coin, without requiring a drive mechanism separate from that for driving the rotary plate 32.

[0059] In this embodiment, the coin unit 3 further includes a slide rail 36 for pulling out the coin receiving portion 31.

[0060] This makes it easier to remove coins and foreign objects stuck inside the coin receiving unit 31 while the coin receiving unit 31 is pulled out.

[0061] In the present embodiment, the coin unit 3 further includes a hinge 38 which is an example of a support member that supports the coin receiving portion 31 so that it can tilt.

[0062] This makes it easier to remove coins and foreign objects stuck inside the coin receiving unit 31 while the coin receiving unit 31 is tilted.

[0063] In this embodiment, the coin unit 3 further includes a coin detection sensor 39 that detects a coin in the coin receiving section 31. The rotating plate 32 rotates based on the coin detection sensor 39 detecting a coin.

[0064] This allows the rotating plate 32 to rotate only when a coin is inserted into the coin receiving portion 31, making it possible to discharge foreign matter with reduced power consumption.

[0065] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the components can be modified to be more specific. For example, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining the components disclosed in the present embodiment. In this way, various modifications and applications of the invention are possible within the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 1. Cash deposit and withdrawal device 2. Banknote recycling unit 3 Coin unit (coin handling device) 4 Controller unit 11 Coin Recycling Unit 12 Coin overflow cassette 13 Coin collection cassette 14 Coin Acceptors 15 Coin Dispensing Section 16 Coin sorter section 17 Coin lifter section 18 Coin collection stopper 19 Control section 31 Coin acceptance section 31a Coin acceptance slot 32 Rotating Plate 32a Retaining hole 33 Distribution plate (distribution member) 33a Coin hole 33b Large foreign body hole 33c Small foreign body hole 34 Reception Passage 35 Discharge passage 36 Slide rail 37 Slider 38 Hinge 39 Coin detection sensor V Virtual vertical plane

Claims

1. a coin receiving section having a coin receiving port capable of receiving a plurality of coins at once; A rotating plate disposed in the coin receiving section and rotating so as to scoop up the coins in the coin receiving section; a sorting member provided with a coin hole large enough to pass a maximum-sized coin that can be picked up by the rotating plate, and a large foreign object hole located downstream of the coin hole in the rotation direction of the rotating plate and larger than the maximum-sized coin; a receiving passage connected to the coin hole of the sorting member; a discharge passage connected to the large foreign object hole of the sorting member; A coin handling device comprising:

2. The sorting member is further provided with a small foreign object hole located upstream of the coin hole in the rotation direction of the rotary plate and having a size that prevents a coin of a minimum size that can be scooped up by the rotary plate from passing through, The discharge passage is connected to the large foreign object hole and the small foreign object hole.

2. The coin handling device according to claim 1.

3. Further, a slide rail is provided for pulling out the coin receiving portion.

3. The coin handling device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The coin receiving unit further includes a support member for supporting the coin receiving unit in a tiltable manner.

3. The coin handling device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The coin receiving unit further includes a coin detection sensor that detects coins in the coin receiving unit, The rotating plate rotates based on the detection of a coin by the coin detection sensor.

3. The coin handling device according to claim 1 or 2.

6. The coin handling device according to claim 1 ; A bill deposit and withdrawal unit is provided. The coin handling device is a coin deposit / withdrawal unit. A depositing and dispensing device characterized by the above.

Images