Coin Storage Segmentation for Faster Change Fund Preparation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional money handling apparatuses face inefficiencies in preparing change funds due to the need to sift through a large number of mixed denomination coins, leading to prolonged preparation times or incomplete change funds.
Innovation Solution
A money handling apparatus with separate storage units and a control unit that efficiently sorts and stores coins of predetermined denominations, including a mechanism to detect and prioritize shortage denominations, ensuring rapid preparation of change funds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If coins of multiple denominations are stored in a mixed state in a single storage unit, then the storage space is efficiently utilized, but the time required to prepare change fund increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The single storage unit is divided into multiple storage units, each dedicated to storing coins of specific denominations. This segmentation allows the system to maintain compact storage while enabling rapid retrieval of required denominations without sifting through mixed coins, directly resolving the contradiction between storage efficiency and preparation time.
2Ease of operation
If the coin handling apparatus randomly feeds coins from the storage unit, then the operation is simple, but the probability of obtaining required denominations decreases
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the storage into denomination-specific compartments, the system maintains simple random feeding operations within each compartment while ensuring reliable obtaining of required denominations. The segmentation ensures that any coin fed from a specific compartment is guaranteed to be of the required denomination.
3Manufacturing precision
If the apparatus repeatedly recognizes and sorts coins fed from storage, then the change fund can be prepared accurately, but the preparation time increases
Solution Approach 1:
Coins are pre-sorted by denomination and stored in separate compartments before change dispensing is needed. This preliminary organization eliminates the need for repeated recognition and sorting operations during change fund preparation, achieving both accurate composition and rapid preparation time.
Data Source
AI summary
A money handling apparatus includes: a first storage unit and a second storage unit; a transport unit; a recognition unit; and a control unit configured to transport the money in the first storage unit by the transport unit, recognize the money by the recognition unit, transport a part of the money from the first storage unit to the second storage unit based on a result of recognition to store money of predetermined denominations, for which a quantity of money of each denomination is set in advance, in the second storage unit. The control unit detects a shortage denomination of money in the first storage unit, and stores money of the shortage denomination larger in quantity than the quantity set in advance for the shortage denomination, into the second storage unit.