Article supply device

Abstract

[Problem] To provide an article supply device that is protected against the use of counterfeit coins. [Solution] An article supply device 1 comprises a feed section 5 into which both legitimate and counterfeit coins can be fed; a passage section 20a along which coins fed from the feed section 5 can move; and an attraction section 23 within the passage section 20a that is incapable of attracting legitimate coins and capable of attracting counterfeit coins, wherein the attraction section 23 is provided as a component of the passage section 20a. The attraction section 23, which is capable of attracting only counterfeit coins within the passage section 20a along which inserted coins pass, is provided on a flat surface with no unevenness or the like in a sidewall section as a component of the passage section 20a and part of the sidewall section of the passage 20a. With this arrangement, a coin-feeding mechanism that functions consistently without interfering with legitimate coin currency can be provided.

Description

Goods supply device

[0001] The present invention relates to an article supply device.

[0002] Conventionally, there are various types of goods supplying devices (vending machines) for automatically selling goods. These goods supplying devices are equipped with various functions for determining the price required to purchase goods. For example, in Patent Document 1, a coin holding section is configured so that coins held in the coin holding section in a row are electrically connected in series. The coin holding section is also provided with a first electrode that contacts coins located at one end of the row, and a second electrode that contacts coins located at the other end of the row. The configuration disclosed determines whether the required number of coins has been inserted based on whether or not a current flows between the first electrode and the second electrode.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-196318

[0004] In Patent Document 1, it is determined whether the number of coins required to purchase a product has been completely inserted. However, in the past, it has been necessary for an article supplying device to deal with the problem of counterfeit coins.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an article supplying device that has measures in place to prevent the use of counterfeit coins.

[0006] An item supply device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises an insertion section into which a first type of coin and a second type of coin can be inserted, a passage section through which the coins inserted from the insertion section can move, and an adsorption section within the passage section that is unable to adsorb the first type of coin but is able to adsorb the second type of coin, the adsorption section being provided as a component of the passage section.

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an article supplying device in which measures are taken to prevent the use of counterfeit coins.

[0008] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an article supply device according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the article supply device. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the coin insertion unit shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the suction part shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a portion taken along line A-A shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing another embodiment of the suction part.

[0009] An article supplying device according to one embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an article supplying device 1 according to this embodiment, and Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the article supplying device 1.

[0010] 1 and 2 is a device capable of dispensing items P in spherical capsule cases containing, for example, toys or parts. More specifically, the item dispenser 1 includes a storage unit 10 capable of randomly storing a plurality of items P, a supply unit 30 having a turntable 31 rotatably mounted on the bottom 10b of the storage unit 10 and capable of randomly selecting and dispensing items P one by one, a lock unit 41 that locks the supply unit 30 to an inoperable state, and a control unit 40 that drives the lock unit 41 to unlock it upon payment of a price through a coin C insertion port 5. In the unlocked state, an operating unit 4 provided on the front surface 2f is rotated. This causes a gear train 4b provided on the tip of a shaft 4a of the operating unit 4 to rotate, and the turntable 31 is rotated via its rack gear 31g. The article P held in the holding hole 31h of the turntable 31 falls at the passage hole 10bh provided in the bottom 10b, and is supplied to the supply port 9 via the article passage portion 9a.

[0011] In the article supply device 1, a coin insertion unit 20 is provided on the right side of the operation unit 4 (the right side as viewed from the front side of the device). This coin insertion unit 20 is connected to an insertion port 5 provided on the front surface 2f of the main body 2. A coin C inserted through the insertion port 5 passes through a passage 20a formed within the coin insertion unit 20 and falls into a holding portion 25 below the unit, where it is held. When a genuine coin is inserted, the coin C held in the holding portion 25 is stored in a coin storage portion 29 provided, for example, below the holding portion 25, if a predetermined amount is inserted and a predetermined operation is performed. However, the inserted coin C may not be a genuine coin of the first type, but a counterfeit coin of the second type. In this case, the suction portion 23 provided in the passage 20a is configured to capture the coin, as described below.

[0012] 3 is a perspective view of the main parts of the coin insertion unit 20 shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the coin insertion unit 20 is a thin unit in which a left half case 21 and a right half case 22 are combined from the left and right, with the left and right side walls, a first side wall portion 21w and a second side wall portion 22w, closely facing each other to form an internal space. Here, the left half case 21, including the first side wall portion 21w, is made of an opaque colored material, while the right half case 22, including the second side wall portion 22w, is made of a different color from the left half case 21, for example, a light-transmitting material. Therefore, the interior of the unit can be seen through the second side wall portion 22w, as shown in FIG. 3.

[0013] The coin insertion unit 20 has a passage 20a formed therein, extending from a start end 20as (upper right in the figure) where coins C are inserted to a terminal end 20ae at the entrance of a holder 25 that holds coins C. The passage 20a is configured so that coins C move by gravity. For example, the first coin insertion portion, including the start end 20as, is provided with an inclined portion 20ab that forms an inclined surface along which coins C roll. A drop portion 20ac is provided behind the inclined portion 20ab, and coins C drop from the inclined portion 20ab. The dropped coin C is guided by a passage wall 20w and falls again, passing through an opening that is the terminal end 20ae of the passage 20a and dropping to the holder 25.

[0014] In the falling section 23ac, a first swinging plate 20ag is provided on the upper side and a second swinging plate 20ah is provided on the lower side. When a coin C is placed on these swinging plates 20ag, 20ah, they rotate due to the weight of the coin, guiding the coin C in the inclined direction of the plate portion. This makes it possible to change the moving direction of the coin C and slow down the falling speed of the coin C, for example.

[0015] The coin C that has fallen into the holding section 25 is held in the holding section 25, which is capable of holding genuine coins. This holding section 25 has an inclination that allows genuine coins that have fallen into the holding section 25 to move toward the front surface 2f (see Figure 2) under their own weight. The movement position of the coin C at this time is regulated by a position regulation pin 25a, so that a specified number of coins C can be held.

[0016] The opening of the terminal end portion 20ae is provided with a coin sorting member 20b that sorts the coins C to both the left and right sides. Although not shown in Fig. 3, a holding portion having the same configuration as the holding portion 25 is also provided on the first side wall portion 21w side, and the coin sorting member 20b is configured to sort the coins C to the left and right sides.

[0017] A return button 7 is provided below the insertion portion 5. For example, when a user wants to return a coin C that has already been inserted, the return button 7 can be pressed to eject the coin C held in the holding portion 25 to the return port 6.

[0018] Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the suction portion 23 shown in Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the portion taken along line A-A in Fig. 4. As shown in the figure, the suction portion 23 that captures counterfeit coins is provided in the area where the inclined portion 20ab is located, i.e., in a position close to the starting end 20as. In this inclined portion 20ab, the movement speed of the inserted coin C is not so fast, so the counterfeit coin is attracted to the suction portion 23 just before the drop portion 20ac (where its movement speed becomes fast), and is not dropped into the drop portion 20ac.

[0019] The attraction portion 23 is disposed as part of the sidewall, which is a component of the passage portion 20a. The attraction portion 23 is composed of, for example, a pair of magnets, a first attraction portion 231, and a second attraction portion 232. The first attraction portion 231 and the second attraction portion 232 are spaced apart at an appropriate interval to match the size (d1) of the coin C. By arranging them vertically at a predetermined distance, the magnetic force of the attraction portion 23 is strengthened. That is, the first attraction portion 231 and the second attraction portion 232 are spaced apart at a distance that allows them to affect each other's magnetic field. Furthermore, the vertical arrangement of the first attraction portion 231 and the second attraction portion 232 is capable of handling counterfeit coins of various sizes.

[0020] The suction portion 23 is provided on the first side wall portion 21w via an attachment portion 24. The attachment portion 24 holds the first suction portion 231 and the second suction portion 232, for example, in a recess 24c of a cylindrical portion 24a on one end side of the attachment portion 24. The attachment portion 24 is fixed to the outside of the first side wall portion 21w with, for example, screws 24b. A pair of circular openings are formed in the first side wall portion 21w, and the attachment portion 24 is attached by fitting the cylindrical portion 24a into the openings.

[0021] The attraction surface 23a of the attraction portion 23 and the tip surface 24at of the cylindrical portion 24a are flush with the first side wall portion 21w. In other words, since the attraction surface 23a forms the same surface as the first side wall portion 21w that forms the plane of the passage portion 20a, it is possible to apply an effective magnetic force to counterfeit coins and attract (suck) them. Note that the tip surface 24at of the cylindrical portion 24a may be slightly recessed from the first side wall portion 21w.

[0022] The passage 20a is configured so that when a counterfeit coin is attracted to the suction portion 23, it will not allow a genuine coin to move past the suction portion 23. When a counterfeit coin is attracted to the suction portion 23, the width (d3) of the passage 20a is set so that the width (d4) obtained by subtracting the thickness (d2) of the attracted coin C is smaller than the width of the genuine coin. This can be achieved, for example, by setting the width (d3) of the passage 20a to be close to the coin width of the genuine coin C.

[0023] Furthermore, when removing a counterfeit coin that has been attracted to the suction portion 23 of the passage portion 20a, the coin insertion unit 20 can be removed from the main body portion 2. In this case, since the suction portion 23 is located close to the starting end portion 20as of the passage portion 20a, the counterfeit coin that has been attracted can be easily removed from the starting end portion 20as side.

[0024] Figure 6 is an enlarged perspective view showing another embodiment of the attraction unit 23. In the attraction unit 23 shown in Figure 6, the first attraction unit 231 and the second attraction unit 232 are positioned at positions offset from each other in the front-to-back and up-to-down directions in the coin movement direction. In particular, the distance between the attraction units 231 and 232 in the coin C movement direction is configured to be large. The distance (d5) between the attraction units 231 and 232 is set to be less than the maximum diameter of a genuine coin C or a counterfeit coin. This allows a magnetic force to be applied to a counterfeit coin over a long area in the coin movement direction, and also allows the magnetic field lines between the attraction units 231 and 232 to form a closed loop, ensuring more reliable capture.

[0025] As described above, in the article supply device 1 of this embodiment, genuine coins are not affected by the magnetic force in the passage 20a through which inserted coins pass, so they are not attracted, and in most cases only counterfeit coins that use magnetic materials can be attracted. Furthermore, the attraction portion 23 is provided as a component of the passage 20a, for example, as part of the side wall of the passage 20a, so as to form a flat surface on the side wall, thereby not interfering with the passage of genuine coins and making it possible to provide a coin insertion mechanism that performs stably.

[0026] Furthermore, in the present embodiment of the item supply device 1, if a counterfeit coin is adsorbed to the suction section 23, the device is configured to prevent genuine coins from being moved beyond the suction section 23, thereby making it possible to stop the sale of the product.

[0027] Furthermore, in this type of item supply device 1, the counterfeit coins are captured by the suction section 23 at a position close to the coin insertion port 5, making it easy to remove the counterfeit coins from the insertion port 5 side, and there is no need to provide a separate removal port.

[0028] Furthermore, in the article supply device 1 of this embodiment, the passage 20a has a structure in which two side walls face each other, and the suction part 23 is disposed on one side (first side wall 21w), so that the flat part of the coin C can face the surface of the suction part 23. This increases the capturing force (magnetic force) of the suction part 23 against counterfeit coins, enabling reliable countermeasures against counterfeit coins.

[0029] In the article supply device 1 of this embodiment, the first side wall 21w on which the suction portion 23 is provided on the side wall of the passage 20a is made of a different color from the second side wall 22w, so that the position of the suction portion 23 can be easily recognized when removing counterfeit coins or performing other maintenance work, and workability is improved. In addition, because the second side wall 22w is made of a light-transmitting material, the passage 20a can be seen from the outside, improving the maintainability of the coin insertion unit 20.

[0030] In the article supply device 1 of this embodiment, the passage 20a is provided with a drop section 20ac through which coins can fall, allowing coins to move quickly. Furthermore, a falling sound is generated when a coin is inserted, allowing the purchaser to recognize that the insertion operation was successful. Furthermore, when a counterfeit coin is inserted, it is caught by the inclined section 23ab in front of the drop section 20ac and does not fall, eliminating the generation of a falling sound. As a result, it is possible to inform the person inserting the counterfeit coin that the insertion has failed. Furthermore, since the suction section 23 is provided on the inclined section 23ab, the movement speed at which counterfeit coins can be easily caught can be set by adjusting the inclination angle.

[0031] Furthermore, in the article supply device 1 of this embodiment, by providing multiple attraction sections 23 made of magnets, it is possible to form a closed loop of the magnetic field between the magnets, increasing the magnetic flux density and more reliably capturing counterfeit coins. Furthermore, if multiple attraction sections 23 are arranged at a large distance in the coin movement direction, and a closed loop of the magnetic field is not formed, it is possible to apply a magnetic capturing force to counterfeit coins multiple times. This makes it easier to capture counterfeit coins with the next attraction section, for example, by slowing down the movement speed of the first attraction section. Furthermore, by arranging the multiple attraction sections 23 vertically and apart from each other in the coin movement direction, it is possible to easily handle counterfeit coins of different sizes, thereby providing a more reliable countermeasure against counterfeit coins.

[0032] Furthermore, by setting the distance between the multiple attraction parts 23 to be less than the maximum diameter of a genuine coin in the coin movement direction, it is possible to create a state in which magnetic field lines pass through the inside of the counterfeit coin between the front and rear attraction parts 23, and a strong capturing force can be applied over the longest possible area in the coin movement direction. This strengthens the capturing force for counterfeit coins, making it possible to take more reliable measures against counterfeit coins.

[0033] In this embodiment of the goods supply device 1, the holding section 25 has an inclination that allows genuine coins to move under their own weight, so that multiple genuine coins can be held in the holding section 25 in a line without any gaps between them, making it easy to hold and confirm (detect) the number of coins corresponding to the amount of payment for the goods.

[0034] In this embodiment of the goods supply device 1, the coin insertion unit 20 is formed to include at least a passage section 20a and a holding section 25, making it easy to remove and attach as a unit from the main body section 2 of the goods supply device 1 and easy to maintain.

[0035] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention can be modified as appropriate within the scope of its technical concept. For example, in the above embodiment, the coin insertion unit 20 is provided in the product supply device 1 that sells the product P in a capsule case, but the device in which the coin insertion unit 20 is provided is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to various types of product sales devices.

[0036] In the above embodiment, the attraction portion 23 is configured to have two magnets arranged side by side, but this is not limitative and one or three or more magnets may be arranged side by side.

[0037] As described above, the present specification discloses the following:

[0038] (1) An article supplying device comprising: an insertion section into which a first type of coin and a second type of coin can be inserted; a passage section through which the coins inserted from the insertion section can move; and an adsorption section within the passage section that is unable to adsorb the first type of coin but is able to adsorb the second type of coin, wherein the adsorption section is provided as a component of the passage section.

[0039] (2) The article supplying device according to (1), wherein the suction portion is configured as a part of a side wall portion of the passage portion.

[0040] (3) The article supplying device according to (2), wherein the suction surface of the suction portion is flush with the wall surface of the side wall portion.

[0041] (4) The article supplying device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the suction portion is provided so as not to protrude into the passage portion.

[0042] (5) An article supplying device according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the passage section is configured so as not to move the first type of coin beyond the suction section when the second type of coin is adsorbed to the suction section.

[0043] (6) An article supplying device according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the passage section is configured to be able to discharge the second type of coin adsorbed to the adsorption section from the insertion section.

[0044] (7) An article supply device according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein the suction portion is configured as part of a side wall portion of the passage portion, and further includes an attachment portion for attaching the suction portion to the side wall portion, and the attachment portion is configured as part of the side wall portion together with the suction portion.

[0045] (8) An article supply device according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein the suction portion is configured as part of a side wall portion of the passage portion, the side wall portion includes a first side wall portion and a second side wall portion, and the suction portion forms part of the first side wall portion.

[0046] (9) The article supply device according to (8), wherein the first side wall portion is colored, and the second side wall portion is colored differently from the first side wall portion.

[0047] (10) The article supply device according to (9), wherein the second side wall portion is made of a light-transmitting material.

[0048] (11) An article supplying device according to any one of (1) to (10), wherein the passage portion includes a starting end and a terminal end, and the suction portion is provided at a position closer to the starting end than the terminal end.

[0049] (12) An article supplying device according to any one of (1) to (11), wherein the passage section has a drop section through which coins can fall, and the passage section is configured to prevent the second type of coins adsorbed to the adsorption section from falling into the drop section.

[0050] (13) The article supplying device according to any one of (1) to (12), wherein the attraction unit is configured with a magnet that can attract the second type of coin by magnetic force.

[0051] (14) An item supply device according to any one of (1) to (13), wherein the suction portion includes at least a first suction portion and a second suction portion, and the first suction portion and the second suction portion are arranged at a predetermined distance from each other.

[0052] (15) The article supplying device according to (14), wherein the first suction portion and the second suction portion are provided at positions offset from each other in at least one of the front-rear and up-down directions in the coin movement direction.

[0053] (16) The item supplying device according to (14) or (15), wherein the predetermined distance is a distance less than the maximum diameter of the first type of coin or the second type of coin to be inserted.

[0054] (17) An article supplying device according to any one of (1) to (16), wherein the passage section is provided with a drop section through which coins can fall, the passage section includes an inclined section so that the first type of coin inserted into the insertion section can move by its own weight, and the drop section is configured to allow the first type of coin that has passed through the inclined section to fall freely.

[0055] (18) An article supplying device according to any one of (1) to (17), wherein the passage section has a drop section through which coins can fall, and further has a holding section capable of holding the first type of coin that has fallen through the drop section, and the holding section includes a slope along which the first type of coin that has fallen through the drop section can move under its own weight.

[0056] (19) The article supplying device according to any one of (1) to (18), wherein a coin insertion unit is formed by a configuration including at least the passage portion and the holding portion.

[0057] 1 Item supply device 5 Insertion section 6 Return slot 20 Coin insertion unit 20a Coin passage section 20ab Inclined section 20ac Drop section 20as Starting end 20ae End section 21w First side wall section 22w Second side wall section 23 Suction section 23a Suction surface 24 Mounting section 25 Holding section 231 First suction section 232 Second suction section C Coin

Claims

1. An item supplying device comprising: an insertion section into which a first type of coin and a second type of coin can be inserted; a passage section through which the coins inserted from the insertion section can move; and an adsorption section within the passage section that is incapable of adsorbing the first type of coin but is capable of adsorbing the second type of coin, the adsorption section being provided as a component of the passage section.

2. An article supplying device according to claim 1, wherein the suction portion is configured as a part of the side wall portion of the passage portion.

3. An article supplying device according to claim 2, wherein the suction surface of the suction portion is flush with the wall surface of the side wall portion.

4. An article supplying device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the suction portion is arranged so as not to protrude into the passage portion.

5. An article supplying device as described in claim 4, wherein the passage section is configured not to move the first type of coin beyond the suction section when the second type of coin is adsorbed to the suction section.

6. An article supplying device as described in claim 5, wherein the passage portion is configured to enable the second type of coin attracted to the attraction portion to be discharged from the insertion portion.

7. An article supplying device as described in claim 6, wherein the suction portion is configured as part of a side wall portion of the passage portion, and further comprising an attachment portion for attaching the suction portion to the side wall portion, and the attachment portion is configured as part of the side wall portion together with the suction portion.

8. An article supplying device as described in claim 7, wherein the suction portion is configured as part of a side wall portion of the passage portion, the side wall portion includes a first side wall portion and a second side wall portion, and the suction portion forms part of the first side wall portion.

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

10. An article supplying device according to claim 9, wherein the second side wall portion is made of a light-transmitting material.

11. An article supplying device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the passage portion includes a starting end and a terminal end, and the suction portion is provided at a position closer to the starting end than to the terminal end.

12. An article supplying device as described in claim 11, wherein the passage portion has a drop portion through which coins can fall, and the passage portion is configured so as not to allow the second type of coin adsorbed to the suction portion to fall into the drop portion.

13. An article supplying device as described in claim 12, wherein the attraction section is configured with a magnet capable of attracting the second type of coins by magnetic force.

14. An article supplying device as described in claim 13, wherein the suction portion includes at least a first suction portion and a second suction portion, and the first suction portion and the second suction portion are arranged at a predetermined distance apart.

15. An article supplying device as described in claim 14, wherein the first suction portion and the second suction portion are provided at positions offset in at least one of the forward / backward and upward / downward directions in the coin movement direction.

16. An article supplying device according to claim 15, wherein the predetermined distance is a distance less than the maximum diameter of the first type of coin or the second type of coin to be inserted.

17. An article supplying device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the passage section is provided with a drop section through which coins can fall, the passage section includes an inclined section so that the first type of coin inserted into the insertion section can move under its own weight, and the drop section is configured to allow the first type of coin that has passed through the inclined section to fall freely.

18. An article supplying device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the passage portion has a drop portion through which coins can fall, and further comprises a holding portion capable of holding the first type of coin that has fallen through the drop portion, and the holding portion includes a slope that allows the first type of coin that has fallen through the drop portion to move under its own weight.

19. An article supplying device according to claim 18, wherein a coin insertion unit is formed with a configuration including at least the passage portion and the holding portion.

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