Coin Hopper Maintenance via Inverted Top Plate Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Coin hoppers in various industries often experience jams and service issues due to bent coins, wrong denominations, and foreign objects, requiring cumbersome maintenance procedures, especially in high-capacity models where removing coins is arduous and time-consuming.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a coin hopper system that includes a bucket assembly with a top plate that seals the opening, allowing the hopper to be positioned in an inverted orientation for maintenance without removing the coins, facilitating access to the hopper dispenser by disengaging the release pin and removing the dispenser for service.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of repair
If coins are removed from the coin hopper for maintenance, then service issues can be addressed, but the maintenance process becomes time-consuming and laborious
Solution Approach 1:
The coin hopper is divided into separable components including a removable top plate, bucket assembly, and dispenser section. This segmentation allows maintenance personnel to access and service the dispenser without removing coins from the bucket, significantly reducing maintenance time and effort.
Solution Approach 2:
The top plate is extracted as a separate removable component that can be taken out to access the bucket interior for jam clearance, while the coins remain in place. This extraction principle allows maintenance operations without the time-consuming process of removing all coins.
2Ease of repair
If coins are removed from the coin hopper for maintenance, then service issues can be addressed, but the maintenance process becomes cumbersome and arduous
Solution Approach 1:
The coin hopper is divided into separable components including a removable top plate, bucket assembly, and dispenser section. This segmentation allows maintenance personnel to access and service the dispenser without removing coins from the bucket, significantly reducing maintenance time and effort.
Solution Approach 2:
The maintenance approach is inverted: instead of removing coins to access the dispenser, the dispenser and top plate are removed while coins remain in the bucket. This inversion makes maintenance operations much easier and less cumbersome.
3Quantity of substance
If the coin hopper is designed for high capacity, then more coins can be stored, but the weight and difficulty of coin removal increases
Solution Approach 1:
The coin hopper is divided into separable components including a removable top plate, bucket assembly, and dispenser section. This segmentation allows maintenance personnel to access and service the dispenser without removing coins from the bucket, significantly reducing maintenance time and effort.
Solution Approach 2:
The top plate is extracted as a separate removable component that can be taken out to access the bucket interior for jam clearance, while the coins remain in place. This extraction principle allows maintenance operations without the time-consuming process of removing all coins.
Data Source
AI summary
Implementations described and claimed herein involve systems and methods for facilitating coin hopper maintenance. In one implementation, a top plate is received in a bucket assembly of the coin hopper at a proximal end. The top plate seals one or more coins in an interior of the bucket assembly. The coin hopper is positioned in an inverted orientation by meeting a target surface with the top plate. The inverted orientation positions the bucket assembly at a distal end near the target surface and a base assembly at the proximal end. A hopper dispenser is disengaged from the base assembly of the coin hopper.