Coin Handling Conveyor Lug Capture Singulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing money item handling devices face challenges in efficiently singulating and conveying coins of different diameters and thicknesses, often resulting in multiple coins being transported together, which can lead to jamming and incorrect processing.
Innovation Solution
A conveyor system with alternating link members featuring first and second lugs with distinct capture regions, where the forward-facing capture regions are configured to dislodge smaller coins from abutment with larger ones, ensuring only one coin is held between the lugs during movement, allowing for effective singulation and processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional conveyors transport multiple coins together, then the conveyor can move money items efficiently, but multiple coins being transported together lead to jamming and incorrect processing
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor system segments the coin transport process into individual coin handling units. Each link member with lugs acts as an independent segment that can hold and transport only one coin at a time, preventing multiple coins from being transported together and eliminating jamming issues while maintaining efficient throughput
2Ease of manufacture
If the conveyor uses uniform capture regions for all coins, then the structure is simple, but coins of different diameters and thicknesses cannot be properly singulated
Solution Approach 1:
The capture regions are designed with local quality variations - the first lug has a capture region adapted for larger diameter coins while the second lug has a capture region for smaller diameter coins. This local differentiation allows the conveyor to properly singulate and transport coins of various sizes without compromising structural simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The lugs are positioned asymmetrically on each link member, with the first lug having a different capture region configuration than the second lug. This asymmetric design enables the conveyor to accommodate coins of different diameters and thicknesses effectively, allowing proper singulation while maintaining ease of manufacture
3Productivity
If multiple coins are allowed to abut the capture regions simultaneously, then the conveyor can handle high volume, but multiple coins in contact lead to jamming and processing errors
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor design incorporates preliminary anti-action by positioning the lugs and capture regions to prevent multiple coins from abutting simultaneously. The geometric configuration and spacing of the lugs create a mechanical constraint that actively prevents the harmful condition of multiple coin contact before it can occur, eliminating jamming and processing errors while maintaining high handling volume
Data Source
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AI summary
A handling device for money items such as coins and tokens has a receiving station (6) at which coins are fed onto a conveyor (4) that feeds them one by one to a processing station (9). The conveyor is made up of conveyor link members (17, 18) having a money item receiving surface (21), and first and second lugs (30, 31) upstanding from the surface (21), each having forward facing capture regions (33, 35) configured to be driven in a longitudinal conveying direction C through the receiving station (6) to receive a coin or token its major discoidal surface overlying the surface (21) and with its peripheral edge abutting the capture regions (33,35) of the lugs (30,31), one of the capture regions of the lugs being upstanding from the surface (21) at least in part by a height (h2) greater than the other capture region (h3), so as to capture and singulate the coins in a manner that prevents two coins from being held, such that one of them is ejected.