DK179422B1

DK179422B1 - A coin separation mechanism and a coin processing apparatus comprising such a coin separation mechanism

Info

Publication number: DK179422B1
Application number: DKPA201700527A
Authority: DK
Inventors: Bjarne Danø
Original assignee: Ctcoin As
Priority date: 2017-09-27
Filing date: 2017-09-27
Publication date: 2018-06-18
Also published as: DK201700527A1; WO2019063049A1

Abstract

A coin separation mechanism is disclosed, comprising a coin bowl (3) and a rotor (4), wherein the rotor, which is rotatable and arranged in an inclined orientation with its lowermost part inside the coin bowl, is provided on its front side with one or more recesses (5) for reception of coins (14, 15) from the coin bowl, in such a way that coins, which are received by these recesses, when the recesses pass through the coin bowl by rotation of the rotor, follow the motion of the recesses upwards on the rotating rotor, wherein the rotor is surrounded by a collar (10) preventing coins from leaving the rotor in directions perpendicular to the rotational axis of the rotor, which collar is provided on its inner side with an inclining ledge (11) at least along a part of that side of the rotor, which moves upward during rotation of the rotor, the ledge being arranged to rise, in the direction of rotation of the rotor and as seen from the front side of the rotor, from being aligned with or behind the front side of the rotor to being in front of the front side of the rotor. Furthermore, at coin processing apparatus comprising such a mechanism is disclosed.

Description

<¹θ> DANMARK (10)

<¹²> PATENTSKRIFT

Patent- og

Varemærkestyrelsen (51) lnt.CI.: G07D 9/00(2006.01) G 07 D 9/02(2006.01) (21) Ansøgningsnummer: PA 2017 00527 (22) Indleveringsdato: 2017-09-27 (24) Løbedag: 2017-09-27 (41) Aim. tilgængelig: 2018-06-18 (45) Patentets meddelelse bkg. den: 2018-06-18 (73) Patenthaver: CTCOIN A/S, Holkebjergvej 138, 5250 Odense SV, Danmark (72) Opfinder: Bjarne Danø, Røllikkevænget 37, 5250 Odense SV, Danmark (74) Fuldmægtig: OTELLO ADVOKATANPARTSSELSKAB, Dalgasgade 25, 8., 7400 Herning, Danmark (54) Benævnelse: A coin separation mechanism and a coin processing apparatus comprising such a coin separation mechanism (56) Fremdragne publikationer:

GB 2442865 A DE 9012793U U1 FR 2264333 A1 WO 8303695 A1 (57) Sammendrag:

A coin separation mechanism is disclosed, comprising a coin bowl (3) and a rotor (4), wherein the rotor, which is rotatable and arranged in an inclined orientation with its lowermost part inside the coin bowl, is provided on its front side with one or more recesses (5) for reception of coins (14,15) from the coin bowl, in such a way that coins, which are received by these recesses, when the recesses pass through the coin bowl by rotation of the rotor, follow the motion of the recesses upwards on the rotating rotor, wherein the rotor is surrounded by a collar (10) preventing coins from leaving the rotor in directions perpendicular to the rotational axis of the rotor, which collar is provided on its inner side with an inclining ledge (11) at least along a part of that side of the rotor, which moves upward during rotation of the rotor, the ledge being arranged to rise, in the direction of rotation of the rotor and as seen from the front side of the rotor, from being aligned with or behind the front side of the rotor to being in front of the front side of the rotor. Furthermore, at coin processing apparatus comprising such a mechanism is disclosed.

Fortsættes ...

A COIN SEPARATION MECHANISM AND

A COIN PROCESSING APPARATUS COMPRISING SUCH A COIN SEPARATION MECHANISM

The present invention relates to a coin separation mechanism and to a coin processing apparatus, such as an automatic coin counter, comprising such a coin separation mechanism.

Background of the invention

In most known automatic coin counters, the coins are collected from a coin bowl, into which the coins to be counted are placed. A rotating rotor lifts up the coins from the coin bowl, and a coin lifter lifts the coins from the rotor to a coin track. When the coins roll along this coin track, they pass a coin sensor, which determines the type or value of the individual coins and counts them, after which they can be sorted according to type or value.

GB 2442865 A discloses a coin separation mechanism for a processing apparatus comprising a coin bowl and a rotatable rotor arranged in an inclined orientation with its lowermost part inside the coin bowl.

A known problem related to such systems is that more than one coin at the time can be lifted onto the coin track from the rotor, which can cause problems, either because the passage may be blocked by more than one coin trying to pass at the same time or because multiple coins pass the coin sensor simultaneously.

Brief description of the invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a mechanism, which overcomes the above-mentioned problems related to automatic coin counters known within the art.

The present invention relates to a coin separation mechanism for a processing apparatus, which coin separation mechanism comprises a coin bowl and a rotor, wherein the rotor, which is rotatable and arranged in an inclined orientation with its lowermost part inside the coin bowl, is provided on its front side with one or more recesses for reception of coins from the coin bowl, in such a way that coins, which are received by these recesses, when the recesses pass through the coin bowl by rotation of the rotor, follow the motion of the recesses upwards on the rotating rotor, wherein the rotor is at least partly surrounded by a collar preventing coins from leaving the rotor in directions perpendicular to the rotational axis of the rotor, which collar is provided on its inner side with an inclining ledge at least along a part of that side of the rotor, which moves upward during rotation of the rotor, the ledge being arranged to rise, in the direction of rotation of the rotor and as seen from the front side of the rotor, from being aligned with or behind the front side of the rotor to being in front of the front side of the rotor.

The use of an inclining ledge on the inner side of the collar is advantageous compared to the disclosure of GB 2442865 A, because it causes the excessive coins, in situations where more than one coin has been received by the same recess, to be lifted from the rotor, flip over and fall back into the coin bowl before they reach the uppermost position of the rotor. This means that the recess will contain maximum one coin to be lifted off the rotor for further processing by a coin processing apparatus, such as an automatic coin counter.

In an embodiment of the invention, the rise of the ledge from its starting point to its ending point is at least 2 mm, preferably at least 5 mm.

In an embodiment of the invention, the width of the ledge increases in the direction of rotation of the rotor.

In an embodiment of the invention, the maximum width of the ledge is at least 2 mm, preferably at least 5 mm.

Dimensions within these ranges have shown to ensure the optimal function of the coin separation mechanism.

In an embodiment of the invention, the rotor further comprises a stirring pin rotating with the rotor, which stirring pin, at least along a part of the rotation of the rotor, in which the stirring pin passes through the coin bowl, protrudes from the front side of the rotor for stirring up the coins in the coin bowl.

The use of a stirring pin increases the speed with which the coins in the coin bowl are received by the recesses of the rotor, because the stirring helps to raise up coins, which are laying in the coin bowl being orientated perpendicular to the front side of the rotor. The fact that the stirring pin only protrudes from the front side of the rotor along a part of the rotation means the collision with other parts, such as for instance a coin lifter of a coin track of an automatic coin counter, of which the coin separation mechanism forms part, is avoided.

In an embodiment of the invention, the stirring pin is spring-loaded and arranged in a hole through the rotor, and the coin separation mechanism further comprises, behind the rotor, a backplate, the distance between which backplate and the rotor varies in such a way that, where the distance is short, the backplate forces the stirring pin forward to protrude from the front side of the rotor, whereas, where the distance is longer, the spring-load forces the stirring pin backwards so that it does not protrude from the front side of the rotor.

The use of a spring-loaded stirring pin and a backplate, the distance between which 10 backplate and the rotor varies, is a simple and reliable method of ensuring, in which positions the stirring pin protrudes from the front of the rotor, and in which positions it does not protrude.

In an aspect of the invention, it relates to a coin processing apparatus, such as an 15 automatic coin counter, comprising a coin separation mechanism according to any of the preceding claims.

Drawings

In the following, a few exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in further detail with reference to the drawings, of which

Fig. 1 is a perspective drawing of an automatic coin counter according to an embodiment of the invention,

Figs. 2a-2c

Figs. 3a-3b are schematic drawings illustrating the function of a coin separation mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention, and are schematic drawings illustrating the function of a detail of a coin separation mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention.

Detailed description of the invention

Fig. 1 is a perspective drawing of an automatic coin counter 1 according to an embodiment of the invention

In the illustrated embodiment, a coin bowl 3, a rotatable rotor 4 and a coin track 8 with a coin sensor 9 are arranged on the inclining front side of a casing 2 comprising, among other things, a motor for rotating the rotor 4, a power supply for the coin sensor 9 and the necessary electronics for registration and calculating the value of the coins passing the coin sensor 9.

The rotor 4 is arranged substantially parallel to the front side of the casing 2, i.e. in an inclined orientation, with its lowermost part inside the coin bowl 3 and provided on its front side with one or more recesses 5 for reception of coins from the coin bowl 3. Thus, coins, which are received by these recesses 5, when the recesses 5 pass through the coin bowl 3 by rotation of the rotor 4, follow the motion of the recesses 5 upwards on the rotating rotor 4, until they are lifted from the rotor 4 onto the coin track 8 by a coin lifter 6. As can be seen from the figure, the rotor 4 comprises a track 7, in which the coin lifter 6 moves relative to the rotor 4. This track 7 is deeper than the recesses 5 so that coins received in the recesses 5 will pass over the coin lifter 6. A coin sensor 9 determines the type or value of each individual coin rolling down the coin track 8.

Fig. 1 further illustrates how the rotor 4 is surrounded by a collar 10, which prevents coins from leaving the rotor 4 in a partly radial direction, and how the rotor 4 is provided with a plurality of dirt passages 12 consisting of through-going holes through which different kinds of impurities can leave the front side of the rotor 4.

Figs. 2a-2c are schematic drawings illustrating the function of a coin separation mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention.

If two or more coins 13, 14 are received by the same recess 5, the edge of the second coin 14 is caught by an inclining ledge 11, which is arranged along a part of the inner side of the collar 10 as is illustrated in Fig. 2a. Because the ledge 11 is inclined and rises from the front side of the rotor 4 in the direction of rotation of the rotor 4, the edges of the second coin 14 is lifted from the front side of the rotor 4 as the coin 14 moves upwards with the rotation of the rotor 4 as shown in Fig. 2b. Eventually, the edge of the second coin 14 is lifted so much from the front side of the rotor 4 that the coin 14 flips over and falls back into the coin bowl 3 (not shown in these figures), which is illustrated in Fig. 2c. Thus, only the first coin 13 remain in the recess 5 and reaches the coin lifter 6 for being lifted onto the coin track 8 of the automatic coin counter 1.

Figs. 3a-3b are schematic drawings illustrating the function of a spring-loaded stirring pin 15 of a coin separation mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention.

In some embodiments, the rotor 4 is provided with a stirring pin 15, which is arranged in a hole through the rotor 4 and spring-loaded to be retracted to a position, in which it does not protrude from the front side of the rotor 4.

In some positions of the rotating rotor 4, corresponding to the parts of the rotation, in which the stirring pin 15 is located within the coin bowl 3 (not shown in these figures), the distance between a backplate 16 and the rear side of the rotor 4 is so small that the backplate 16 forces the stirring pin 15 forward through the hole in the rotor 4 against the spring load so that, in these position, the stirring pin 15 protrudes from the front side of the rotor.

This means that the stirring pin 15 protrudes when passing through the coin bowl 3, thus stirring up the coins therein, which is especially helpful in raising up coins, which are laying in the coin bowl 3 in an orientation perpendicular to the front side of the rotor 4.

On the other hand, when not inside the coin bowl 3, the stirring pin 15 is retracted and does not protrude from the front side of the rotor 4. This means that it will not collide with the coin lifter 6 or the coin track 8 if the coin separation mechanism forms part of an automatic coin counter 1 as the one illustrated in Fig. 1.

reference numbers

Coin processing apparatus

Casing

Coin bowl

Rotor

Recess for reception of coin

Coin lifter

Track for coin lifter

Coin track

Coin sensor

Collar

Inclined ledge

Dirt passage

First coin

Second coin

Stirring pin

Backplate

Claims

claims

A coin separating mechanism for a processing apparatus (1), wherein the coin separating mechanism comprises a coin bowl (3) and a rotor (4), wherein the rotor, which is rotatable and arranged in an inclined orientation, with its lower part being within the bowl face is provided with one or more recesses (5) for receiving coins (14,15) from the coin bowl in such a way that coins received by these recesses as the recesses pass through the coin bowl upon rotation of the rotor follow the movement of the recesses upward on the rotating rotor, wherein the rotor is at least partially surrounded by a collar (10) which prevents coins from leaving the rotor in directions perpendicular to the rotary axis of the rotor, the collar on its inside being provided with an inclined ledge (11) at least along a portion of the side of the rotor which is moved upward during rotation of the rotor, this ledge being arranged so as to rise, in the direction of the rotor's rest tation, when viewed from the front of the rotor, characterized in that the ledge is arranged so that it rises from being in line with or behind the front of the rotor to being in front of the front of the rotor.

The coin separating mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the pitch of the ledge from its starting point to its end point is at least 2 mm, preferably at least 5 mm.

The coin separating mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the width of the ledge increases in the direction of rotation of the rotor.

The coin separating mechanism according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the maximum width of the ledge is at least 2 mm, preferably at least 5 mm.

A coin separating mechanism according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the rotor further comprises a stirring pin (15) rotating with the rotor, the stirring pin projecting, at least along a portion of the rotation of the rotor, with the stirring pin passing through the coin bowl. from the front of the rotor to mix the coins in the coin bowl.

The coin separating mechanism according to claim 5, wherein the stirring pin is spring loaded and arranged in a hole through the rotor and wherein the coin separating mechanism, further behind the rotor, further comprises a back plate (16), the distance between said back plate and the rotor varying in such a way that the distance is small, the back plate presses the stir stick

5 so that it protrudes from the front of the rotor, whereas when the distance is greater, the spring load pushes the stirrer backwards so that it does not protrude from the front of the rotor.

A coin processor (1), such as an automatic coin counter, comprising one

10 coin separating mechanism according to any one of the preceding claims.