JPH0822563A - Coin counter - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To accurately measure the number of coins in a hopper for change of an automatic ticket vendor with a simple constitution by calculating the number of coins in the hopper in accordance with the output of a sensor consisting of a strain gauge. CONSTITUTION:The weight of a hopper 1, a discharging mechanism 2, and coins in the hopper 1 is supported by a pair of frames 3a and 3b, and the change of the weight corresponding to the number of coins is detected by a sensor S. The sensor S consists of a strain gauge and is stuck to one frame 3b. The output terminal of this sensor is connected to a detection circuit which consists of a bridge circuit as a strain gauge detection circuit and a signal processing which amplifies the output or this bridge circuit to obtain a detection signal. When this device us built in the automatic ticket vendor, the output signal of this detection circuit is inputted to a controller constituted with the microcomputer, which generally controls the automatic ticket vendor, as the center.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a coin processing machine, such as an automatic ticket vending machine, an automatic checkout machine, or various automatic vending machines, which receives coins in its main body and performs predetermined processing operations such as ticketing processing. Alternatively, the present invention relates to a coin counting device incorporated into a money changer that accepts banknotes in a main body and discharges coins.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a coin processing machine such as an automatic ticket vending machine (hereinafter referred to as a coin processing machine body including the money changing machine body) will be described as change or exchange coins (hereinafter, change coins will be included in change coins). ) Is provided in the main body of the coin processor for storing coins for change.

At the bottom of this hopper, one coin
A mechanism for discharging coins one by one is provided so that coins corresponding to the amount of change can be discharged from the hopper.

Further, this hopper is provided with a coin detecting device comprising a photo sensor, and is constructed so that coins in the hopper can be detected (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Sho 49-49).
102398). Therefore, when the number of coins in the hopper becomes small, it is possible to inform the clerk of the timing of coin replenishment based on the detection signal, or to automatically replenish coins based on the detection signal.

[0005]

However, since the coin number measuring device incorporated in the above-mentioned conventional coin processing machine main body is configured to detect the coins in the hopper with the photo sensor, it is possible to accurately measure the number of coins. There was a drawback that I could not.

For example, when the photo sensor is contaminated,
If there is no coin in the hopper, it is erroneously detected as a coin, or if there is a bridge of coins in the hopper and the optical axis of the photo sensor passes through the gap created in the accumulated coin there were.

Further, in order to always perform normal measurement of the number of coins by the photo sensor, it is necessary to clean the photo sensor, and there is a drawback that maintenance and inspection are troublesome.

Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks, and its purpose is to keep in mind that the weight of one coin is substantially constant, and the number of coins in the hopper can be simplified. An object is to provide a coin counting device capable of accurately measuring the number of coins.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, a coin measuring device according to the present invention has a hopper having a capacity for accommodating a large number of coins, a frame for supporting the hopper, and a sticker for the frame. It is characterized by having a sensor composed of a strain gauge provided and a calculating means for calculating the number of coins in the hopper from the output of the sensor. Further, a discharge mechanism for discharging coins in the hopper is provided at a lower portion of the hopper.

[0010]

In the above structure, the calculating means calculates the number of coins in the hopper from the output of the sensor including the strain gauge.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of an apparatus according to an embodiment incorporated in a coin processing machine such as an automatic ticket vending machine, and FIG. 2 is a view taken along the line AA of FIG.

The hopper 1 has an opening at the top and a discharge mechanism 2 at the bottom, and is constructed to have a capacity for storing a large number of coins of the same denomination, such as 10 yen or 100 yen. There is.

The discharging mechanism 2 is a known discharging mechanism having a perforated disc (not shown) rotated by a motor M, and is configured to discharge coins in the hopper 1 one by one. Has been done.

The frames 3a and 3b are composed of a pair of plate pieces vertically provided upward from the gantry 4 of the coin processing machine main body. The upper ends of the frames 3a and 3b are located on both sides of the lower portion of the discharging mechanism 2. Are configured to support each. Therefore, the pair of frames 3a, 3b
Supports the weight of the hopper 1, the discharging mechanism 2, and the coins in the hopper 1.

This weight is based on the total weight of the hopper 1 and the discharging mechanism 2, and has a relation of the total weight according to the number of coins stored in the hopper 1. Therefore, in the apparatus of this embodiment, a sensor described later detects a change in weight according to the number of coins.

In the figure, S is a sensor consisting of a well-known strain gauge, which is attached to one frame 3a. The output terminal of the sensor S is connected to a detection circuit 4 including a bridge circuit 4a, which is a known detection circuit of a strain gauge, and a processing circuit 4b that amplifies the output of the bridge circuit 4a to obtain a detection signal.

When the device of this embodiment is incorporated in the main body of the automatic ticket vending machine, the output signal of the detection circuit 4 is a controller mainly composed of a microcomputer for controlling the main body of the automatic ticket vending machine ( (Not shown).

FIG. 3 is a graph showing the measurement result of the number of coins in the hopper 1 in the apparatus of this embodiment. Here, the vertical axis represents the detected number of coins obtained from the change in the output of the sensor S corresponding to the change in the number of coins in the hopper. The horizontal axis represents the actual number of coins with respect to the number of coins obtained from the output of the sensor S on the vertical axis.

The detected number of sheets and the actual number of sheets should originally correspond to 1: 1 as shown by an ideal straight line in FIG. However, when the number of coins in the hopper 1 increases, the actual number tends to gradually increase.

This is because the shape of the hopper 1 shown in FIG. 1 is biased to one side, the axial direction of the discharging mechanism 2 is slightly inclined from the vertical direction, and only one sensor S is used. Therefore, if some or more (300 or more coins in the example of FIG. 3) coins are stored in the hopper 1,
This is because the moment change is large and the error of the sensor S is large.

This error causes the sensor S to move to the other frame 3
It can also be corrected by providing it in a. Also, even if one sensor S is used as in this embodiment, the tendency of the error is known in advance, so the correction should be performed by the software processing of the controller. You can

However, in the case where the apparatus of this embodiment is incorporated in the main body of a coin processing machine and the staff is notified when the number of change coins falls below a predetermined number, when the number of coins in the hopper 1 becomes small, the number of coins becomes small. Are counted accurately, so that no problems occur.

As described above, the apparatus of this embodiment has a feature that the number of coins in the hopper 1 can be accurately and surely measured by using the sensor composed of the strain gauge.

[0024]

The coin number measuring device according to the present invention has a hopper having a capacity for accommodating a large number of coins, a frame for supporting the hopper, a sensor including a strain gauge attached to the frame, and Since it comprises the calculating means for calculating the number of coins in the hopper from the output of the sensor, the coins can be reliably measured with a simple configuration.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view taken along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing the relationship between the number of detected coins and the number of coins.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Hopper 2 Coin ejection mechanism 3a, 3b Frame 4 Detection circuit B stand

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Tadashi Yamagishi No. 10 Matsunagamachi, Kanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Nobuaki Electric Machinery Co., Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A hopper having a capacity for accommodating a large number of coins, a frame for supporting the hopper, a sensor including a strain gauge attached to the frame, and the number of coins in the hopper based on the output of the sensor. A coin counting device for calculating the number of coins, comprising: 2. The coin counting device according to claim 1, wherein a discharge mechanism for discharging coins in the hopper is provided at a lower portion of the hopper.