Coin dispensing apparatus and checkout machine with the same
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional coin dispensing apparatuses in self-service checkout machines take time to complete dispensing coins, leading to potential misunderstandings about the full change being dispensed, as intervals in dispensing can occur due to control program bugs, resulting in customers leaving some change behind.
Innovation Solution
A coin dispensing apparatus with a sensor to detect coins in the receiving tray and a processor that controls an output device to issue a warning when no coins are detected after initiating a coin dispensing group, ensuring all coins are removed before completing the dispensing process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If coins are dispensed sequentially to a receiving tray, then the coin dispensing apparatus can complete the dispensing of change, but it takes a certain amount of time and may cause customers to misunderstand that full change has been dispensed due to intervals in dispensing
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses sensors to detect the presence of coins in the receiving tray and provides real-time feedback to the control unit. The control unit monitors the dispensing process and can detect when coins are present or absent from the tray, enabling it to distinguish between temporary intervals during dispensing and actual completion of dispensing, thus providing reliable feedback on dispensing status to prevent customer misunderstanding
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection of coin presence in the receiving tray before and during the dispensing process. By having the sensor ready and monitoring from the start, the system can track the dispensing progress and determine when all coins have been successfully delivered, ensuring completeness without requiring extended waiting time
2Ease of operation
If intervals are introduced between dispensing of coins due to control program bugs, then the dispensing process may appear incomplete, but this causes customers to leave some change behind
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor provides continuous feedback on coin presence in the receiving tray, and the control unit uses this feedback to monitor dispensing completion. When the sensor detects that coins are absent from the tray during or after dispensing, the control unit can identify this as an incomplete dispensing event and trigger appropriate warnings or re-dispensing actions, ensuring customers receive complete change and understand when dispensing is truly finished
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor acts as an intermediary between the coin dispensing mechanism and the control unit. It provides objective detection data about coin presence in the receiving tray, serving as a mediator that translates physical coin presence into detectable signals that the control unit can process to make accurate determinations about dispensing completion, eliminating ambiguity for customers
Data Source
AI summary
A coin dispensing apparatus includes a coin dispenser configured to dispense coins to a receiving tray, a sensor configured to detect one or more coins in the receiving tray, an output device, and a processor configured to control the output device to output a warning when the sensor detects no coins in the receiving tray after the processor instructs the coin dispenser to dispense a group of coins as change and the coin dispenser has dispensed at least one of the coins in the group but before the coin dispenser has dispensed all of the coins in the group.