JP5176515B2 - Coin processing device and automatic transaction device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a coin processing apparatus provided in an automatic transaction apparatus used in a financial institution or the like, and also relates to an automatic transaction apparatus including the coin processing apparatus.

  Conventionally, an automatic transaction apparatus has been provided with a banknote handling apparatus that handles banknotes and a coin handling apparatus that handles coins. Of these, the coin processing device discriminates the authenticity and denomination of the received coins when depositing, and stores them in a safe according to the denomination. After confirming, payout. Coins are transported one by one in the transport state, and a transport belt is used as the transport means, for example.

  6 and 7 show a transport unit in a conventional coin processing device. FIG. 6 is a side view showing the transport unit, and FIG. 7 is a top view showing the transport unit. In both figures, a conveyor belt 3 is stretched between a pulley 2 a and a pulley 2 b that are rotatably disposed on the conveyor surface 1. The conveyor belt 3 is disposed at a smaller interval than the thickness of the coin 4 to be conveyed with respect to the conveyor surface 1. The conveyance surface 1 is provided with conveyance guides 5 and 6 for regulating the conveyance position of the coins 4. Further, a determination unit 7 for determining the authenticity and denomination of the coin 4 is provided below the conveyance surface 1.

In both figures, when the coin 4 is transported, the transport belt 3 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 6, and the coin 4 is transported from the left side to the right direction, that is, the arrow A direction. The coin 4 is guided by the transport guides 5 and 6 and is transported by the moving force of the transport belt 3 while being pressed against the transport surface 1 side by the transport belt 3. When the coin 4 is conveyed over the determination unit 7, the determination unit 7 determines the authenticity and denomination of the coin 4. As what disclosed such a coin processing apparatus, patent document 1 (Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2000-0667295) is mentioned, for example.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-067295

  However, in the conventional coin processing apparatus, since the transport belt 3 is disposed at a fixed position, the coin 4 is transported at a fixed position on the transport surface 1. For this reason, coin powder, dust, or the like accumulates in a band shape on the transport surface 1 or the discriminating unit 7 where the coin 4 does not pass. When the discriminating unit 7 detects the outer shape of the coin 4, the deposit may be determined to be a part of the coin 4, and there is a problem that the discrimination capability of the discriminating unit 7 is reduced. Most of the coin powder is generated by rubbing and scraping on the conveying surface 1 by the conveying belt 3 when aluminum which is the main component of one-yen coin is conveyed.

  As means for avoiding this, the discrimination unit is divided into a denomination discrimination unit that discriminates the size of a coin and discriminates the denomination, and a material discrimination unit that discriminates the material of the coin and determines authenticity. First of all, after denomination of the coin type in the denomination discriminating part, it is possible to sort the transport path according to the denomination, or to separate the transport path for only one yen coin, and then determine the authenticity in the material discrimination part. The transport mechanism becomes complicated.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides an excellent coin processing device that prevents the accumulation of coin powder and dust in the vicinity of the discrimination unit without complicating the transport mechanism, and thus prevents the discrimination capability of the discrimination unit from being lowered. With the goal.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention provides a coin processing apparatus having a determining means for determining a coin to be conveyed by pressing the coin against the conveying surface by the conveying means, and upstream of the determining means in the conveying direction. An avoidance conveyance path for conveying the specific coin by avoiding the determination means is provided , and the avoidance conveyance path drops the specific coin that has fallen into the drop hole and the drop hole where the specific coin falls. And a discriminating section for discriminating the specific coin that has fallen through the fall transport path .

According to the present invention, since the avoidance conveyance path for conveying the specific coin is provided on the upstream side of the determination unit, the coin powder or the like is not accumulated on the conveyance surface to the determination unit, and the determination unit of the coin powder or the like It is possible to prevent the discrimination ability from being lowered and to identify the specific coin and the foreign object by the determination unit, so that the specific coin and the foreign object can be accommodated separately.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Elements common to the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals. FIG. 1 is a top view showing a coin processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an automatic transaction apparatus in which the coin processing apparatus is incorporated. First, the configuration of the automatic transaction apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 2, the automatic transaction apparatus 11 includes a customer operation unit 12 for inputting information necessary for a transaction by a customer operation, a banknote deposit / withdrawal port 13 into which a deposited banknote is inserted and a dispensed banknote is ejected, A coin deposit / withdrawal port 14 through which coins are inserted and dispensed coins are discharged, a card insertion / discharge port 15 into which a customer's card is inserted and discharged, and a passbook insertion / discharge port 16 into which a customer's passbook is inserted and discharged Is provided. Inside the automatic transaction apparatus 11, a bill processing device 17 connected to the bill deposit / withdrawal port 13 and a coin processing device 18 connected to the coin deposit / withdrawal port 14 are provided.

  Next, the coin processing device will be described. FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a coin processing device. In FIG. 3, a deposit hopper 21 is provided at the upper part of the coin processing device 18, and a coin transport path 22 is provided continuously to the deposit hopper 21. A coin discriminating unit 23 is disposed in the middle of the coin transport path 22. The coin discriminating unit 23 discriminates the denomination and authenticity of the coins being conveyed. In addition, a one-yen coin conveyance path 24 is provided on the lower side of the coin conveyance path 22 on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the coin discriminating unit 23, and a reject conveyance path 25 and a denomination path 26 are provided on the downstream side in the conveyance direction.

  A one-yen container 27 is connected to the one-yen coin conveyance path 24, and the one-yen coin that has fallen on the one-yen coin conveyance path 24 is accommodated in the one-yen container 27. A reject container 28 is connected to the reject conveyance path 25, and a temporary holding unit 29 is connected to the denomination path 26. The one-yen storage 27 and the reject storage 28 are connected to the temporary storage unit 29.

  A shutter 30 that can be opened and closed is provided below the temporary storage unit 29, and a denomination storage 32 is provided below the shutter 30 via a shooter 31. The denomination storage 32 stores the coins for withdrawal into denominations. Moreover, the temporary storage part 29 can move a coin to the return box 33 for returning a coin. Below the denomination storage 32, a withdrawal box 34 for collecting coins when dispensing coins, and a collection for collecting coins when the coins in the denomination storage 32 are full. A cassette 35 is provided, and a duct 36 that connects these and the denomination storage 32 is provided.

  Next, the coin conveyance path 22 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4. FIG. 4 is a side view showing the coin processing apparatus in the first embodiment. 1 and 4, a conveyor belt 42 that conveys a coin 41 while pressing the coin 41 is rotatably supported by pulleys 43 and 44 in the coin conveyance path 22. The coin 41 is transported by the transport belt 42 while being pressed between the transport surface 45 of the coin transport path 22 and the transport belt 42. In addition, conveyance guides 46 and 47 are disposed in the coin conveyance path 22 to regulate the conveyance position of the coin 41. Among these, the side part 46a of one conveyance guide 46 serves as a reference surface against which the coin 41 is abutted during conveyance.

  A drop hole 48 is formed in the transfer surface 45 of the coin transfer path 22. The drop hole 48 is set to a size such that a one-yen coin falls and other denomination coins do not fall. Therefore, the drop hole 48 is provided in contact with the conveyance guide 46. The drop hole 48 is connected to the above-described one-yen coin conveyance path 24. A coin discriminating unit 23 for determining the authenticity and denomination of the coin 41 is disposed downstream of the drop hole 48 in the coin conveyance direction (right side in the figure). The coin discriminating unit 23 is provided with an image sensor 49, and the image sensor 49 reads the outer shape of the coin 41 and the like, thereby discriminating the authenticity and denomination of the coin 41.

  Next, the operation will be described. In FIG. 1, FIG. 3, and FIG. 4, in the case of deposit processing for depositing coins, when coins are inserted into the deposit hopper 21 in a state where the denominations are mixed, the coins are separated one by one by a feeding unit (not shown), The coins are fed one by one to the coin conveyance path 22. The coin 41 fed to the coin transport path 22 is transported toward the coin discriminating unit 23 by the transport belt 42.

  In the coin conveyance path 22, the coin 41 is conveyed while being in contact with the reference surface 46 a of the conveyance guide 46. Of the coins 41 being conveyed, one-yen coins fall into the one-yen coin conveyance path 24 from the drop hole 48 shown in FIG. The dropped one-yen coin is stored in the one-yen storage box 27. Since the transport distance of one-yen coin from the start of transport in the coin transport path 22 to the drop hole 48 is shortened as compared with the conventional one, the coin powder generated by rubbing the one-yen coin with the transport surface 45 of the coin transport path 22 is reduced. The amount decreases. Further, since the one-yen coin falls on the upstream side in the transport direction from the coin discriminating unit 23, even if coin powder is generated during the transport, the coin powder is hardly transported to the coin discriminating unit 23. Therefore, coin powder does not adhere to the coin discriminating unit 23, and a decrease in detection accuracy of the coin discriminating unit 23 can be prevented.

  The coins 41 of other denominations pass through the drop hole 48 and are conveyed to the coin discriminating unit 23. The coin discriminating unit 23 determines the authenticity and denomination of a denomination coin 41 other than a one-yen coin. When it is determined that the coin is an abnormal coin, the coin is sent from the reject conveyance path 25 to the reject container 28. The coin 41 determined to be normal is sent to the temporary holding unit 29 via the denomination passage 26.

  When the total deposit amount is counted by the coin discriminating unit 23 and the count value is confirmed, the shutter 30 is opened, and the coin 41 stored in the temporary storage unit 29 is stored in the denomination storage 32. For one-yen coins, since the authenticity and denomination are not determined by the coin discriminating unit 23, they are not added to the total deposit amount, but are sent from the stored one-yen storage box 27 to the temporary holding unit 29. And sent to the denomination storage 32 for storage. The reject coins stored in the reject storage 28 are returned via the temporary storage unit 29 and the return box 33.

  If the deposit amount is not confirmed, the coin 41 of the temporary holding unit 29 is moved to the return box 33 and returned. In this case, one-yen coins stored in the one-yen storage box 27 are also returned.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the coin transport path 22 for transporting coins, on the upstream side in the transport direction of the coin discriminating unit 23, the drop hole 48 for dropping a one-yen coin and the continuous one-yen coin transport path 24. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the coin powder mainly generated during the transfer of the one-yen coin from affecting the coin discriminating unit 23 and to prevent the detection accuracy of the coin discriminating unit 23 from being lowered. .

  Next, a second embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a side view showing a coin processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 5, the coin processing device 50 of the second embodiment is provided with a coin conveyance path 51 that is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment. In the coin conveyance path 51, a conveyance belt 42 that conveys the coin 41 while pressing it is rotatably supported by pulleys 43 and 44.

  The coin 41 is transported by the transport belt 42 while being pressed between the transport surface 45 of the coin transport path 51 and the transport belt 42. The coin transport path 51 is provided with a transport guide 46 (47), which regulates the transport position of the coin 41. Among these, the side part of one conveyance guide 46 comprises the reference plane with which the coin 41 is abutted.

  A drop hole 48 is formed in the transfer surface 45 of the coin transfer path 51. The drop hole 48 is set to such a size that a one-yen coin falls and other kinds of coins do not fall. The drop hole 48 is connected to the one-yen coin conveyance path 24. A coin discriminating unit 23 for determining the authenticity and denomination of the coin 41 is disposed downstream of the drop hole 48 in the coin conveyance direction (right side in the figure). The coin discriminating unit 23 discriminates the authenticity and denomination of the coin 41 by reading the outer shape and the like of the coin 41.

  A simple detection unit 52 is disposed below the one-yen coin conveyance path 24. The simple detection unit 52 detects the material of the falling one-yen coin. With this simple detection unit 52, it is possible to identify one-yen coins falling on the one-yen coin conveyance path 24 and foreign substances other than one-yen coins.

  In the second embodiment having the above-described configuration, in the same manner as in the first embodiment, among the coins transported through the coin transport path 51, only one yen coin reaches the coin discriminating unit 23. It falls from the drop hole 48 to the one-yen coin conveyance path 24. Therefore, since the transport distance of one-yen coin from the start of transport in the coin transport path 51 to the drop hole 48 is shortened compared to the conventional case, the coin powder generated by rubbing the one-yen coin with the transport surface 45 of the coin transport path 51. The amount of decreases. Further, since the one-yen coin falls on the upstream side in the transport direction from the coin discriminating unit 23, even if coin powder is generated during the transport, the coin powder is hardly transported to the coin discriminating unit 23. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a decrease in detection accuracy of the coin discriminating unit 23.

  At this time, foreign matter may fall from the drop hole 48 in addition to the one-yen coin. However, since the one-yen coin and the foreign object can be identified by the simple detection unit 52, the one-yen container 27 shown in FIG. 3 may be provided with a foreign-only container to separately store the one-yen coin and the foreign object. Alternatively, one simple coin may be counted by the simple detection unit 52 and added to the total deposit amount of coins of other denominations.

It is a top view which shows the coin processing apparatus in 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the automatic transaction apparatus in which a coin processing apparatus is integrated. It is a schematic block diagram which shows a coin processing apparatus. It is a side view which shows the coin processing apparatus in 1st Embodiment. It is a side view which shows the coin processing apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. It is a side view which shows the conveyance part in the conventional coin processing apparatus. It is a top view which shows the conveyance part in the conventional coin processing apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Automatic transaction apparatus 18 Coin processing apparatus 22 Coin conveyance path 23 Coin discrimination | determination part 24 One-circle conveyance path 42 Conveyor belt 48 Fall hole 52 Simple detection part

Claims (2)

In the coin processing apparatus having a determining means for determining a coin to be conveyed by pressing the coin against the conveying surface by the conveying means.
An avoidance conveyance path for conveying a specific coin by avoiding the determination means on the upstream side in the conveyance direction with respect to the determination means ,
The avoidance conveyance path has a drop hole for dropping the specific coin, and a drop conveyance path for dropping and conveying the specific coin dropped in the drop hole,
A coin processing apparatus comprising: a discriminating unit configured to discriminate the specific coin that has fallen along the fall transport path in the fall transport path . The automatic transaction apparatus which has a coin processing apparatus of Claim 1.

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