CN1531713A - Electronically controlled rotary coin change dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

A coin dispenser (20) has a base (25) for supporting an integrally formed coin magazine (23) with coin channels (24) rotating along a coin path (49). A coin ejector (80) is located at a single coin ejection location and proximate to said coin path (49) to eject coins from the bottom of the coin channels (24) into a change cup (28). Electronic sensors (45, 46) are provided for anticipating the approach of the coin channels to the coin ejector (80) and to a low coin sensing station (50). An electronic control (90) is responsive to position signals from the position monitors (45, 46) for coordinating operation of the coin ejector (80) and the low coin sensor (51). A coin exit sensor (48) is positioned in a coin exit channel (27) just before the change cup (80) to send a signal to the electronic control (90) to confirm the ejection of each coin.

Description

Electronically controlled rotary coin change dispenser

Background technique

The present invention relates to coin dispensing machines, especially coin dispensing machines for making change. This coin change dispenser can be used in places such as cash registers, ticket offices and others.

Perhaps the most common coin change dispensers have a vertical configuration in which a plurality of upright coin storage tubes are arranged in a row, as shown, for example, in Walton, U.S. Patent No. 3,590,833 and Duplessy, U.S. Patent No. 4,593,709 This coin change dispenser was developed.

Such dispensers are assembled from many smaller, machined mechanical parts, including, inter alia, multiple coin ejection mechanisms. A coin dispenser with nine coin tubes typically has nine nine coin ejection mechanisms each comprising many small parts.

A number of coin change dispensers having circular configurations have been disclosed in the patent literature, but have not found widespread commercial acceptance. Gauselmann's U.S. Patent No. 3,191,609 proposes a stationary housing in which a plurality of coin tubes are arranged in a circular or elliptical shape, in order to eject coins from each coin tube, a coin ejection mechanism along the circular Shaped or elliptical path movement.

In US Patent No. 4,276,895 to Heywood, a plurality of vertical coin tubes are mounted in a circle on a rotatable base. As the base rotates, the coin tube aligns with a separate coin ejection mechanism. The coin ejection mechanism has a toothed ring that drives two ejection pins spaced 180 degrees apart. One of the ejection pins is lifted upward by a cam mechanism and ejects the coin. A disadvantage of this arrangement is that it dispenses coins from the different coin tubes and is noticeably slow to respond as each coin is ejected.

U.S. Patent No. 09/785,229 to Adams et al., filed February 16, 2001, discloses the concept of a rotary coin change dispenser with a rotary coin bin and an ejector that ejects The stopper is located in a single non-movable position around the circular coin path formed by the rotating coin compartment.

There is a need for improved rotary coin dispenser construction to reduce the number of parts and, therefore, reduce manufacturing costs while providing modern electronic controls for coin dispensing and sensing operation of small quantities of coins.

Summary of the invention

The present invention provides a novel coin bin assembly and control features for a rotary coin change machine. The present invention provides a look-ahead electronic sensor for detecting the proximity of a coin tube slot from which coins are ejected. The present invention also provides a look-ahead electronic sensor for detecting the arrival of a coin tube slot whose condition is to be tested for a small number of coins. The present invention also provides an electronic reference position sensor for synchronizing the operation of the rotating coin bins. Also, the present invention provides an electronic exit sensor for detecting that a coin has been ejected into a change cup to confirm that the coin has actually been ejected.

The present invention also provides position markers for monitoring the angular position of the rotary coin hopper relative to a coin ejector and a small coin detector.

A primary object of the present invention is to improve the control of coin dispensers by adapting to modern electronic processors and sensors.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an integrated coin bin, which is easy to load coins, firmly holds coins, and is easy to dispense coins.

Another object of the present invention is to reduce the number of molded parts of the coin compartment assembly, thereby reducing costs when the dispenser is manufactured in high volume.

An advantage of the present invention is that it is readily adaptable to coins of different countries, and different change capacities, eg 99 cents and $4.99. A coin dispenser can use different coin compartments, including coin compartments containing coins from different countries. Controlling the dispensing machines with different coin compartments is accomplished by programming the electronic controller.

The coin dispenser of the present invention can be used in a variety of situations. For example, the coin dispenser can be used for change at an exit checkout counter at a grocery store or convenience store, or at a restaurant's checkout counter. The coin dispenser can be used as part of a system that provides change for exchange of banknotes, or it can be used in conjunction with a money dispenser, for example, as part of an ATM machine. It can also be part of the point of sale.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention, in addition to those described above, can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description of the preferred embodiments. Therein, the following drawings are incorporated, which form a part hereof, and illustrate examples of the invention.

Brief description of the drawings

Fig. 1 is the perspective view of the coin dispenser of a specific embodiment of the present invention after removing part of the upper cover;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the base assembly of the coin dispenser of Figure 1 with the coin compartment removed;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the coin dispenser of Fig. 1;

Figure 4 is a top view of the base assembly of Figure 2, with parts shown in section;

Figures 5a-5c are a top view, a bottom view and partial details of the coin bin assembly in Figure 1, respectively;

Figures 6a and 6b are top and bottom views of the coin compartment base included in the components of Figures 5a-5c;

Figure 7 is a partial cross-sectional detailed view of the dispenser of Figure 1, showing the drive mechanism of the coin dispenser;

Figure 7a is an exploded view of the drive mechanism in Figure 7;

Figures 8a and 8b are partial cross-sectional details of an ejection mechanism that is part of the embodiment of Figure 1;

Fig. 9 is a logic block diagram of the electronic control circuit in the embodiment of Fig. 1 and Fig. 2;

Figure 10 is a flowchart of the operation of the coin change dispenser of Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 11 is an exploded view of the coin bin assembly of Figures 5a and 5b;

Figures 12a and 12b are further partial details of the coin bin assembly of Figures 5a and 5b;

Figures 12c and 12d are partial perspective and cross-sectional details of a latch mechanism located near the bottom of the coin compartment;

FIG. 13 is a timing diagram showing the operation of the embodiment of FIG. 1 with a test coin bin.

Detailed ways

Figures 1-13 show a preferred embodiment of the coin change dispenser according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the coin dispenser 20 includes an outer, generally cylindrical cover 21 that covers a generally cylindrical coin hopper assembly 22 (FIG. 11). The cover 21 can be opaque or transparent or comprise a transparent part. The cover 11 is lockable with the base 25 to prevent access to the interior of the coin dispenser 10 (FIG. 11).

The coin hopper assembly 22 includes a coin hopper 23 having a plurality of vertical coin tube slots 24, in this embodiment having twelve coin tube slots. As shown in FIG. 1, the coin tube slots 24 are empty to show the underlying structure, however, when in use, these coin tube slots 24 will hold coins, one for each denomination. It is also beneficial to have multiple stacks of coins for a certain currency value, such as dimes, to give 99 cents change to a dollar.

The coin bin assembly 22 is mounted on the base 25 and rotates counterclockwise. As it rotates, propelling coins along a circular coin path, a single coin ejector 80 repeatedly operates to eject coins from the bottom of coin tube slot 24 into dispensing channel 27 and then into cup 28 . Both the dispensing channel 27 and the cup are formed on the base 25, which is a one-piece moulding. Alternatively, the cup 28 may be a separate component and mounted on the base 25, or other type of coin ramp or ramp, which may be used to transfer coins to a container or device.

Figure 2 shows the base 25 with the coin holder assembly 22 removed. The base 25 includes a cylindrical post 29 on which is supported an annular bearing 30 which supports the coin bin assembly 22 in rotation, as shown in more detail in FIG. 3 . Further, it can be seen from FIG. 7 that a motor 31 is mounted on the support plate 26 inside the cylinder 29 . A first gear 32 is mounted on the motor output shaft 33 and drives a second gear 34 . The second gear protrudes outward from the opening 35 on the side wall 36 of the cylinder 29 , engages with the ring gear 67 and drives it to rotate, as shown in FIG. 11 . The second gear 34 moves against the spring force provided by the spring 41 , as shown in FIG. 7 , so that the gear 34 can mesh with the ring gear 67 when the coin bin assembly is installed. The motor 31 is coupled to the drive gear 32 through a one-way bearing (not shown in FIG. 7 ) so that the coin hopper assembly 22 can be manually rotated when the coin hopper 23 is installed and loaded with coins.

Referring to Fig. 7a, it is an exploded view of the drive mechanism components. The motor 31 is mounted on the mounting plate 26, an ejection housing 89 is mounted on the lower surface of the mounting plate 26, the drive gear 32, the toleranceslip ring 37, the roller clutch (roller clutch) 38 and Retainers 39 (FIG. 7a) are each installed at the end of the motor output shaft 31a (shown in FIG. 7). The anti-slip ring 37 is a corrugated or corrugated annular member mounted on a roller type one-way overrunning clutch 38 and located in the cavity of the drive gear 32 . The retainer 39 is inserted into the middle cavity of the roller type one-way overrunning clutch 38, and a set of screws 39a is inserted into the flange portion of the retainer 39, and is screwed downwards against the motor output shaft 31a, thereby retaining the retainer 39 in the On the motor output shaft 31a, the retainer in turn mounts the other components 32, 37 and 38 on the motor output shaft 31a.

During operation, the roller type one-way overrunning clutch 38 only allows rotational movement in one direction, that is, for the counterclockwise rotation of the coin bin assembly 22 . This allows the coin compartment to rotate during the loading operation. The anti-slip ring 37 allows the gear 32 to slip relative to the motor output shaft 31a when the rotation of the gear is resisted by a large reverse torque, which occurs when a coin jams. This feature makes up for the defect that the eject pin 81 bends and deforms when the coin jams.

Referring to Figure 2, additional details of the base 25 are shown. Two annular grooves 42 , 43 are formed around the cylinder 29 on the base portion 44 of the base 25 . Two position sensors 45 , 46 are arranged on the inner slot 43 for detecting the angle or rotation position of the coin holder 23 . Each position sensor 45 and 46 has a U-shaped housing with an optical emitter on one leg and an optical detector on the other leg. These position sensors 45, 46 detect the passage of an identification tab 65 (FIG. 4) located at the bottom of the coin hopper assembly 22 (FIG. 11). The identification tab 65 travels in the inner slot 43 and an annular ridge 68 (FIG. 11) located at the bottom of the coin holder assembly 22 travels in the outer slot 42 (FIG. 4). A coin ejection sensor 48 is located on the dispensing channel 27 just prior to entering the coin cup 28, as shown in phantom in FIG. The sensor 48 sends a signal confirming that the coin ejector 80 has ejected a coin. A reference position housing 50 can also be seen, in which a signal transmitter 51a of a reference position/few coin sensor 51 is arranged, as shown in FIG. 4 . As can be further seen from FIG. 4 , the detector 51b of the sensor 51 is located in the middle hollow part of the cylinder 29, a window is provided on the coin case 23, and a window is also provided on the cylinder 29 so that the signal can follow the light path 53 Passes between the signal transmitter 51a and the signal detector 51b. The term "window" as used herein may be an opening, or a signal pass through, which allows a fiducial or small coin signal to pass therethrough.

As best seen in FIG. 11, the coin holder assembly 22 includes an annular coin holder 23 and an annular base member 60 which are integrally molded from a highly durable plastic material or metal. The coin bin 23 is substantially cylindrical, and has a plurality of longitudinally extending tube slots 24 for storing coins formed around it, and a coin outlet 24b is formed on its outer surface. As can be clearly seen in FIG. 4 , each pipe slot 24 has a side wall 24 a with a C-shaped cross section, and an opening 24 b facing the outside of the coin compartment 23 is formed on the side wall 24 a. The diameter of each tube slot 24 varies according to the denominations of the coins it deposits. Each tube slot 24 is formed symmetrically along a transverse axis 54 at an angle θ with respect to a radius 55 drawn from the center of the coin case 23 so that the tube slot opening 24b is oriented toward the counterclockwise direction of rotation of the coin case 23. backward direction. In a preferred embodiment, the angle θ is 32 degrees. This angle reduces the chance of the coin being inadvertently ejected due to centrifugal force, and it also reduces the ejection force of the coin compared to radial ejection.

The pipe groove formed on the coin holder 23 has a taper not greater than 0.2 degrees, and the pipe groove also has a plurality of circumferentially spaced, zero-tapered ribs 24f (FIG. 1) extending upward on the inner wall surface 24a of the pipe groove 24, For securely holding coins, the rib 24f ends at a distance from the top opening of the tube slot 24 to form a slightly angled funnel 24g (FIGS. 1 and 11) for easy coin loading. Usually, when molding a part, such as the coin holder 23, the wall 24a of the tube groove 24 is tapered to some extent due to the molding. In this configuration, molded taper is minimized.

The base member 60 of the coin compartment is shown in detail in Figures 6a and 6b. The coin bin base member 60 has a central opening 66 around which a ring gear 67 is formed. As shown in FIG. 6 b , opaque identification sheets 65 are integrally molded on the bottom of the base member 60 corresponding to the respective pipe slots 24 , and these identification sheets 65 have slightly different lengths according to the diameters of their corresponding pipe slots 24 . These tabs 65 are positioned at an angle in front of their respective tube slots 24 so that the position sensors 45, 46 can sense the coin before the tube slots 24 reach the coin ejector 80 or reference/small coin sensing station 50 (FIGS. 2, 4). to the ID card. The position sensor 45 used in conjunction with the coin ejector 80 is located 18 degrees in front of the coin ejector 80 (Fig. 2, Fig. 4). The position sensor 46 used in conjunction with the small coin sensor is located 10 degrees in front of the reference station 50, inside which are located the components of the small coin sensor 51a, 51b. This means that the identification plate 65 of the first tube slot is offset from the first tube slot by about 10 degrees in the circumferential direction, so that before the first tube slot is located opposite the start of the ejector 80 or opposite the small coin sensor 51a, 51b, The sensors 45, 46 are not encountered.

The base member 60 also includes a square-shaped tab 64 (FIG. 6a) projecting upwardly from the top of the base member 60 to be received in the depicted slot 24c of the channel side wall 24a. As shown in Figures 1 and 11, when the base part 60 of the coin case is combined with the coin case 23, the square protrusion 64 is inserted into the slot 24c of the coin case 23, so that the base part 60 is in a position relative to the coin case 23. correct rotation position. Screws 70 ( FIG. 11 ) pass through six holes 69 in base member 60 into bosses 23b formed on coin holder 23 and are shown from the top view in FIG. 4 .

The base member 60 is formed with a partial bottom surface 61 on each of the tube grooves 24 separated by the blocking protrusions 62 . The base member 60 forms an arcuate slot 63 in each tube slot 24 for receiving a pin 81 of a coin ejector 80 when assembled with the coin holder 23 (FIG. 5a) (FIG. 12a). The slot 63 is formed along the circular coin path 49 (FIG. 4) along which the stack of coins moves as the coin magazine 23 rotates.

As shown in Fig. 5a, Fig. 5b and Fig. 11, the coin case also has a partial bottom surface 24d formed on each pipe slot 24 for supporting the bottom end of the stack of coins. These partial bottom surfaces 24d further define a slot 63 in each tube slot for receiving a pin 81 of a coin ejector 80, as shown in FIGS. 12a and 12b. This part of the bottom surface 24d, 61 must be large enough to prevent the coin from falling out of the slot 63 even when there is only one coin in the tube slot 24. The relationship between the dimensions of the base 24d, 61 and coins of different sizes is shown in Figures 5c and 12a.

As shown in Figures 1 and 11, the coin holders 23 are also formed with vertical slots 24c at the bottom of each tube slot 24 at a short distance above the bottom surface 24d. These slots 24c receive the tabs 64 on the base member 60, but have an opening in their upper portion forming a window 24e (FIG. 1) for detecting the height of the small number of coins marked. A signal is transmitted through such window 24e when pipe slot 24 is opposite transmitter 51a of the reference station. When pipe slot 24 its window 24e is aligned between base station transmitter 51a and base station detector 51b, if base station detector 51b detects a signal (logic "1"), it means that the coin amount is few, because The signal path is not blocked by coins in the tube slot 24 . A set of sensors 51a and 51b for both small coin detection and fiducial positioning can verify the circuit during each coin dispensing cycle.

As shown in FIG. 3 , a coin ejector 80 is mounted on the plate 26 within the cylinder 29 of the base 25 along with the motor 31 . The coin ejector 80 includes a pull solenoid 82 attached to the plate 26 mounted on the base 25 . When solenoid 82 is energized, it moves a plunger 83 upward and compresses a return spring 84 . The ejector 80 has an arm 85 mounted on and moves with the plunger 83 . A sleeve 86 is rotatably mounted on the arm 85, and its free end has a protrusion 86a on which the eject pin 81 is mounted. The bushing 86 is biased in its position by a torsion spring 87 so that when the pin 81 is subjected to an external force when the coin jams, the bushing 86 will rotate against the torsion spring 87, thereby allowing the pin 81 to back off, thus avoiding the impact on the ejection. Damage to device 80.

The manner in which coins are ejected from the tube slot 24 is shown in Figures 5c, 12a and 12b. As shown in FIG. 5c, the coin 47 of the coin tube slot 24 is located on the part of the bottom surface 24d, which is part of the coin compartment 23, and the bottom surface 61, which is located on the base member 60 and inside the slot 63. When the ejector 80 is about to eject a coin 47, as shown in FIG. 12a, it is inserted upwardly into the ejection slot 63 of the pipe slot 24. As the coin holder 23 rotates, the pin 81 moves along the slot 63, simultaneously pushing coins off the partial bottom surfaces 24d, 61, into the shoulder 61a formed on the base member 60, and eventually out of the tube slot 24 through the opening 24b.

The bottom of the coin compartment 23 is freed by the thickness of a coin above the shoulder 61a to form an exit slot from the bottom of the pipe slot 24. In this method, a standard measure of thickness is provided. This allows only coins located at the bottom of each tube slot 24 to be pushed out of the coin tube slots 24 by the ejector pin 81 through the shoulder 61a, as shown in FIG. 12b.

The coin ejector 80 is a single mechanism located at a single location on the circular coin path 49 . As shown in another view shown in Figures 8a and 8b, when the tube slot 24 containing the coin 47 to be dispensed reaches the position of the ejector 80, the action of the solenoid 82 causes the pin 81 to move vertically upward through the slot 63, As such it will be in contact with the edge surface of the lowermost coin 47 in the container 24 . The pin 81 comes into contact with the coin at a position approximately at the midpoint of the portion opposite to the side wall 24c of the tube groove 24 . This will push the coins out of the tube slot 24, through the dispensing slot 27 and into the coin cup 28. The solenoid is then de-energized and the force provided by the return spring 84 moves the latch 81 vertically downwards to its initial position, as shown in Figure 8a. If the pin 81 is not fully retracted, the lower surface of the coin case 23 pushes the pin 81 downward. The pin 81 will not engage the lowermost coin in the next tube slot unless the solenoid is energized again. The coin ejector pin 81 moves linearly between an extended position and a retracted position in a direction substantially parallel to the (vertical) axis of rotation of the coin magazine 23 .

The depth of each tube groove 24 or the height of each bottom surface 24d is determined according to the thickness of coins to be ejected from the tube groove 24 . The depth may be selected such that the upper surfaces of the lowest coins in each tube slot 24 lie on the same plane. However, this method can be modified such that for coin stacks containing very thick coins, the coin ejection pins go up a predetermined distance sufficient to eject the bottommost coin in each container, not necessarily the thickest coin the top of. In addition, by selecting the appropriate depth of the tube slot 24 and the appropriate thickness of the outlet slot of the tube slot 24, the pin 81 can contact the bottom two coins in the container, so that two coins can be ejected from one tube slot 24 at the same time. coin.

Referring to Figures 12c and 12d, a first embodiment of a coin lock pin 75 is shown. In FIG. 12c, a coin 47 is located on the bottom surface 61 at the bottom of each tube slot 24 . A short polyurethane tube 75 is positioned in place on the bottom of the coin holder 23 and projects into the tube slot 24 above the shoulder 61a from which it protrudes. This forms a detent 75 at the coin exit slot to retain the coin 47 and prevent it from exiting the coin tube slot 24 before being ejected by the ejector 80 .

In FIG. 11 a second embodiment of a coin lock pin 71 is shown. They are located at the bottom of the coin tube slot 24 to keep coins in place, for example, when a coin bin loaded with coins is transported from one location to another.

The locking pin 71 is an L-shaped spring member. As shown in FIG. 11 , the coin case 23 has a groove 24 h formed on the outer surface of the pipe groove 24 . The L-shaped locking pins 71 have vertical legs 71a which are inserted into respective slots 24h, and each locking pin 71 also has a foot 71b which protrudes into each coin tube slot 24 from a suitable position at the bottom of the coin case 23. The coin outlet slots of 24 to assist in keeping the stack of coins in each coin tube slot 24.

FIG. 9 shows the electronic controller of the dispensing machine 10 . Mounted on the base 25 of the body 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a main processor and control circuit board 90 ( FIG. 9 ) connected to an RS-232 communication cable 91 . Also mounted on the base 25 is an auxiliary interface circuit board 92 to which an auxiliary interface cable 93 is connected. The auxiliary interface circuit board provides optional and enhanced capabilities to the electronic system, thereby increasing the versatility of the machine. It is a plug-in "daughter board" of the main processor and control circuit board 90. It can change the firmware program with the cooperation of flash memory.

The power supply 94 (FIG. 9) is provided in a package similar to a battery charging adapter for a laptop computer. The power supply 94 receives 120V AC power from the power cord 95 and supplies 12V DC power to the main processor circuit board through an upper cover interlock switch 96 . When the upper cover 12 is opened, the interlock switch 96 is opened to cut off the power to the coin dispenser 10 .

The main processor circuit board 90 (FIG. 9) is connected to the ejector solenoid 82, the motor 31, and a "slot sync" position sensor 45 to synchronize the position of a selected slot to the coin ejector 80, which The circuit board 90 is also connected to a "few coin sync" position sensor 46 to synchronize the position of a selected tube slot to the reference position/few coin sensor 51, which sensor is also connected to the main processor circuit board 90, which also Connects to coin exit sensor 48.

When the AC input power is connected to the 12V DC power supply 94 , or when the upper cover 21 is closed to lock the upper cover interlock switch 96 , the 12V DC power supply is supplied to the main processor circuit board 90 . Therefore, the main processor executes an initialization program to rotate the coin case 23 to the reference position, and after the reference position and the value representing the coin case 24 full of coins is loaded onto the main processor circuit board as a memory position detection, a stop is performed. scheduled delay. The delay is determined such that during an actual dispensing cycle, the coin magazine 23 is ensured to stop at a position where it accelerates to operating speed before reaching the "reference" position. This position is called the "pre-acceleration" position.

As shown in FIG. 10, it is a flowchart of the operation of the main processor on the main processor board 90. After starting the power supply represented by the block 100, the machine 10 receives the change value to be distributed through the RS-232 communication cable 91, As shown in processing block 101 . The host processor then energizes the motor to move the coin bin 23 to the reference position, as indicated by processing block 102 . Then, as shown in the decision block 103 , an instruction is executed to test whether the reference position window 23 a on the coin bin 23 is aligned with the reference position sensor 51 . Once the reference position is found, as indicated by processing block 104, the slot count register is reset. The instructions shown in decision block 105 are then executed to determine whether change is to be made from the first slot aligned with the ejector 80, if the result is "yes", the ejection solenoid 82 operates and the processor waits and The end of the slot sync signal from sensor 45 is detected, as indicated by processing block 106 . As an optional feature, the processor may also wait for a signal from the coin exit sensor 48 to confirm ejection of the coin. A test in decision block 107 is then performed to determine if this is the last chute that needs to dispense coins to achieve the required amount of change.

When the result of executing decision block 105 or 107 is "No", then the main processor executes the program instructions shown in decision block 108 to detect the coin tube slot 24 of a small number of coins, but not necessarily with change. The pipe groove is the same pipe groove. This is because several coin tube slots 24 must pass through the ejector 80 (FIG. 1) before reaching the small amount of coin sensor 51 of the reference station 50. If the test result in the judgment block 108 is "yes", the main processor executes an instruction as shown in the processing block 109 to set a small amount of coin positions corresponding to the tube slot 24 . As indicated at process block 110, the slot count is incremented for each slot change and coin count test. The processor then checks the next tube slot 24 for change or ejects a coin. After all pipe slots check and change is completed, that is, when the result of judging block 107 is "yes", as shown in judging block 111, the processor checks whether the change is completed, and it is noted that a circulation of the coin compartment may not be able to distribute Complete all requested change. If the change has not been completed, the main processor returns to the reference position to start another change cycle of the coin bin assembly 23. If the result of the judgment block 111 is "Yes", the change is completed, the motor 31 will be powered off, as shown in the processing block 112 and the end block 113, the whole process is completed.

Figure 13 shows a timing diagram for testing all coin tube slots of the coin bin in an embodiment where the low coin sensor 46 is positioned 58 degrees ahead of the reference/small coin sensors 51a, 51b and the eject sensor 45 is positioned 66 degrees ahead of the ejector 80 . The identification tabs 65 are spaced at an angle of 58 to 66 from their respective tube slots. The upper graph represents the logic high and logic low signals from the slot "sync" (coin ejection) position sensor 45. The middle graph represents the logic high and logic low signals from the few coin sensor 51 . The lower graph represents the logic high and logic low signals from the "few coin" position sensor 46.

The timing diagram shows that only from 359 degrees to 1 degree, the slot sync and reference/few coin signals are "1" or logic high states, which define the "reference" position. A logic high ("1") signal is generated when the reference/small coin detector 51b receives a signal from the reference/small coin transmitter 51a; a logic low ("0") is detected if the signal path is blocked. A logic high ("1") is generated when the slot sync sensor 45 or the small coin sync sensor detects the flag. When the slot synchronous position sensor detects "1" from the slot, the coin ejection pin 81 is lifted.

In Figure 13, a test coin magazine 23 having a tube slot 24 containing different types of coins, including US, UK and German coins, was tested. The coin compartment 23 is empty, so all the slots show a low coin signal ("1"). The numbers on the logic pulse angles are the angles that the coin hopper assembly 22 rotates between the rising and falling edges of each signal relative to the reference position window 23a on the coin hopper assembly. #Number represents the pipe slot number. It can further be seen that while bin #1 detects change first, bin #10 detects a small amount of coins first. It can also be seen that, in order to distribute coins from the 1# pipe slot, the degree of rotation is different from 9 degrees to 26 degrees. During this angle of rotation, ejector pin 81 extends into slot 63 of tube slot #1, as shown in Figure 12a, and moves toward one end of slot 63 beyond the position shown in Figure 12b. When the ejection solenoid 82 is energized, the coin magazine drive motor 31 is powered off or reduced to reduce power requirements. The energy stored in the rotating coin compartment 23 will provide sufficient force to eject the coins. The overrunning clutch on the drive gear 32 allows the coin hopper assembly 22 to rotate freely only in the forward direction. After the change is complete, the motor is stopped to position the coin magazine 23 in the pre-acceleration position.

The exit sensor 48 (FIGS. 2 and 9) provides a feedback to the main processor 90 confirming that the coin to be ejected has actually been ejected into the change cup 28 and has not jammed. If a jam occurs, another tube slot can be selected to dispense change or coin equivalent. Error messages are transmitted to the operator via the RS-232 communication cable 91 .

The mixed coins stored in the coin compartment 23 should be able to provide up to 99 cents (or $4.99) in change over one full rotation. According to one particular embodiment, the coin bin assembly 22 rotates at a speed of 30 RPM. If the change is dispensed in one turn, this will be done in two seconds. If desired, the coin bin 23 can be rotated a second time to complete the dispensing of the desired amount of change. The coin magazine does not have to be stopped in order to complete a dispensing cycle. If more than one rotation cycle is required to eject coins from the plurality of tube slots 24 in order to complete the dispensing of change, the motor 31 can be operated until the dispensing is complete and is moved to the pre-acceleration position again.

The dispenser 20 can use a variety of coin bins 23 containing a mix of different coins. For example, a coin compartment 23 with slots for coin tubes of different sizes (diameters) can hold mixed coins (pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, dollars), another coin compartment 23 Have coin tube slots of equal size (eg, both loaded with quarters or metal tokens, useful in arcades).

Preferably, the small amount of coin sensor 51 is located at an appropriate height so that when there are still a small number of coins (eg, 3-6) in the tube slot 24, it will no longer sense coins in the tube slot 24. The dispenser 20 can then avoid selecting the bins 24 with low coins (e.g., if one of the quarter bins is low, the other quarter bin will be selected, or two dimes will be selected. coin tube slot and a nickel tube slot). The dispenser preferably has an audible or visual alarm indicating that the coin compartment 23 should be replaced. Since the coin bin 23 drives the tube slot 24 through the small amount coin detector 51, only a small amount coin sensor is provided. However, as an additional feature, a second small amount coin detector may also be provided, located approximately midway up the height of the coin compartment 23, to provide a signal indicating that the container is approximately half empty. If the coin holder 23 is made of an opaque material, the coin holder 23 will include a slot 24c in the tube slot 24 so that the small coin detector 51b can sense the coin. However, if the coin housing 23 is made of a transparent plastic material, for example, it is not necessary to include the slot 24c in the tube slot 24 .

Another advantage of the disclosed configuration is that it easily accommodates different coin mixes (ie, different numbers and sizes of slots for different coin compartments 23). A coin dispenser 20 can be used with different coin bins 23, including coin bins with coins from different countries, simply by programming the coin dispenser 20 to display data on the mix of coins contained in the different coin bins (including coins denomination data and the number of coins dispensed by one action of the coin ejector 80—usually one or two at a time).

A description has been made of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make modifications to the present invention within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

For example, although optical sensors are disclosed in the preferred embodiment, sonar sensors or proximity sensors could be substituted without departing from the scope of the invention. As another example, the coin path is preferably circular, although other recyclable coin paths other than circular shapes may be used.

Moreover, the chip is used as a mark for position sensing of the coin compartment assembly, and other types of marks can also be used. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be determined by the following claims.

Claims (31)

1. a coin dispenser comprises a pedestal, it is characterized in that, also comprises:

A coin storehouse, this coin storehouse has the coin tube seat of a plurality of ccontaining columns of coins, and described coin storehouse is rotatably installed on this pedestal, so that this coin storehouse is along a round-robin coin path movement;

A coin ejector, the coin path that is positioned at single coin ejection seat and approaches described circulation shape, described ejector operationally stretches into and withdraws from a selected coin tube seat to contact and to eject a coin;

A position monitor is used to monitor this coin storehouse and each coin tube seat with respect to the angular movement of this coin ejector, reaches

An electronic controller, response make coin ejector coordinated manipulation and a selected coin tube seat arrive the coin ejection seat and take place simultaneously from the position signalling of position monitor.

2. coin dispenser as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that, this circulation coin path is circular.

3. coin dispenser as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that, this position monitor is positioned at before this coin ejector, along the distance of this coin path and the angular displacement apart of this coin ejector, so that prediction is from wherein distributing the coin tube seat of coin.

4. coin dispenser as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that, this position monitor is positioned at before this coin ejector in this coin path, the two along the coin path at a distance of the angular distance of about 18 degree, so that prediction is from wherein distributing the coin tube seat of coin.

5. coin dispenser as claimed in claim 1, it is characterized in that, this position monitor further comprises the sign that is installed on the coin storehouse and plays motion with one, described sign is provided with corresponding to each coin tube seat, an optical sensor and this coin ejector are collaborative, are used to detect corresponding to will be from a sign of the coin tube seat that wherein ejects coin.

6. coin dispenser as claimed in claim 5 is characterized in that described sign is positioned at the bottom in this coin storehouse, and this optical sensor is positioned on the pedestal of this coin dispenser.

7. coin dispenser as claimed in claim 5, it is characterized in that this sign is a sheet, be formed on this below, coin storehouse, this optical sensor further comprises an optical launcher and a fluorescence detector, and it is positioned at the relative both sides of the groove on this coin dispenser pedestal.

8. coin dispenser as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that, also has an a small amount of coin sensor and a second place monitor, is used to follow the tracks of the angular motion of this coin storehouse with respect to this a small amount of coin sensor.

9. coin dispenser as claimed in claim 8, it is characterized in that, this is used to follow the tracks of this coin storehouse and further comprises with respect to the second place monitor of the angular motion of this a small amount of coin sensor: be installed on the coin storehouse and play the sign of motion with one, with one second optical sensor, be used to detect corresponding to the motion of a sign of selected coin tube seat with respect to this a small amount of coin sensor.

10. coin dispenser as claimed in claim 9 is characterized in that, this second optical sensor is positioned at the place ahead one angular distance of this a small amount of coin sensor along this coin path, so that the coin tube seat of this a small amount of coin situation that prediction will be detected.

11. coin dispenser as claimed in claim 9 is characterized in that, this second optical sensor is positioned at the angular distance of this a small amount of coin sensor about 10 degree along the place ahead in this coin path, so that the coin tube seat of this a small amount of coin situation that prediction will be detected.

12. coin dispenser as claimed in claim 8, it is characterized in that, this coin storehouse comprises a reference position portion, when this coin storehouse reference position portion and this a small amount of coin sensor on time, signal that its permission is sent by an a small amount of coin signal projector passes through.

13. coin dispenser as claimed in claim 8 is characterized in that, each the coin tubes groove on the coin storehouse is formed with a position with the height that is higher than bottom, this coin storehouse, is used to represent the height of an a small amount of coin of each coin tube seat; Be characterised in that when each each tube seat with a small amount of coin was positioned at the opposite of this a small amount of coin sensor, described position allowed to pass from the signal of an a small amount of coin signal projector.

14. coin dispenser as claimed in claim 1, it is further characterized in that:

A coin exit, as the operating result of coin ejector, coin is from wherein ejecting;

A coin exit sensor transmits signal for this electronic controller, has assigned with the coin of confirming an ejection.

15. a coin dispenser comprises a pedestal, it is characterized in that, also comprises:

A coin storehouse, this coin storehouse has the coin tube seat of a plurality of ccontaining columns of coins, and described coin storehouse is rotatably installed on this pedestal, so that this coin storehouse is along a circulation shape coin path movement;

An a small amount of coin sensor is positioned at a small amount of coin detection position along the coin path, be used for a selected coin tube seat one be higher than the bottom predetermined altitude the position, the coin that detects this selected coin tube seat lacks;

A position monitor is used to monitor this coin storehouse and each coin tube seat with respect to the angular motion of this a small amount of coin detection position, reaches

An electronic controller, response be from the position signalling of position monitor, is used for a small amount of coin sensor of coordinated manipulation and a selected coin tube seat and arrives a small amount of coin detection position and take place simultaneously.

16. coin dispenser as claimed in claim 15, it is characterized in that, being used to detect the coin storehouse further comprises with respect to this position monitor of the angular motion of this a small amount of coin detection position: the sign on the coin storehouse, an optical sensor is used to detect a sign with respect to this corresponding selected coin tube seat in a small amount of coin detection position.

17. coin dispenser as claimed in claim 16 is characterized in that, this optical sensor is positioned at the place ahead of this a small amount of coin detection position, the two along this coin path at a distance of an angular distance, so that predict the coin tube seat that this wants detected a small amount of coin.

18. coin dispenser as claimed in claim 16, it is characterized in that, this optical sensor is along the distance of this coin path angle between 45 degree and 90 degree in the place ahead of this a small amount of coin detection position, so that predict the coin tube seat that this wants detected a small amount of coin.

19. coin dispenser as claimed in claim 15 is characterized in that, this coin storehouse comprises a reference position portion, when this coin storehouse reference position portion and this a small amount of Coin validator on time, signal that its permission is sent by this a small amount of coin signal projector passes through.

20. a coin storehouse assembly that is used for the coin dispenser, described coin storehouse assembly is characterised in that:

An annular, integrally formed coin storehouse pedestal, it has of forming around central opening and is driven portion, and machine power is driven portion by this can be applied to coin storehouse assembly; And

An annular, integrally formed coin storehouse, its have a plurality of be distributed on the circumference can ccontaining columns of coins a plurality of coin tube seats,

Wherein, described coin storehouse pedestal is connected with described coin storehouse, and described coin storehouse pedestal comprises at least one surperficial position, is used for supporting before ejecting the coin of described tube seat, described coin storehouse pedestal is formed with groove location, is used for a ccontaining ejection pin of launching coin from each tube seat.

21. coin as claimed in claim 20 storehouse assembly is characterized in that, the surface of supporting described coin in described this tube seat further comprises the part bottom surface integrally formed with the coin storehouse, is arranged in the columns of coins that each tube seat is used for supporting each tube seat.

22. coin as claimed in claim 21 storehouse assembly is characterized in that, this coin storehouse pedestal also is formed with the part bottom surface that is positioned at below this each tube seat, be used to support when its by the coin that ejects from each tube seat.

23. coin as claimed in claim 20 storehouse assembly is characterized in that, described tube seat is along the direction opening of an axis, and the radius in this axis direction and described coin storehouse is an acute angle.

24. coin as claimed in claim 20 storehouse assembly, it is characterized in that, described coin storehouse is formed with the tube seat with the tapering that is not more than 0.2 degree, has a plurality of circumferencial directions rib that distribute, cone of nulls degree, its inner wall surface by this tube seat extends upward, be used for stably keeping coin, described rib ends at the spacing distance place from this tube seat upper opening, so that load coin.

25. coin as claimed in claim 24 storehouse assembly is characterized in that described coin storehouse is formed with angled position, guiding enters from the top of described tube seat, is convenient to receive coin.

26. coin as claimed in claim 20 storehouse assembly, it is characterized in that, described tube seat forms groove at outside surface, and further has a L shaped lock pin, it has a vertical shank, inserts a groove separately, and described lock pin also has a foot, it stretches in the outlet of a coin tube seat, in order to assist the columns of coins in the maintenance tube seat.

27. coin as claimed in claim 20 storehouse assembly is characterized in that, at least one coin lock pin is arranged in an outlet slot of each coin tubes trench bottom, can not drop out from each coin tube seat before being launched in order to keep nethermost coin.

28. a coin dispenser comprises a pedestal, it is characterized in that, also comprises:

A coin storehouse, this coin storehouse has the coin tube seat of a plurality of ccontaining columns of coins, and described coin storehouse is rotatably installed on this pedestal, and can drive by a rim gear wheel;

A motor is arranged on the described pedestal, and assembled when this coin storehouse, this motor is positioned at described rim gear wheel;

One cogwheel gearing couples with described motor, is used to drive described rim gear wheel, to drive described coin storehouse.

29. coin dispenser as claimed in claim 28 is characterized in that described cogwheel gearing has at least one gear, it is by the spring bias voltage, the position can be moved, and makes when described coin storehouse is installed on the described pedestal, and this gear can easily mesh with described rim gear wheel.

30. coin dispenser as claimed in claim 28, it is characterized in that, described motor has a motor output shaft, wherein, described cogwheel gearing has at least one gear and is installed on the motor output shaft by a roller clutch, with free limit rotation to a sense of rotation in this coin storehouse.

31. coin dispenser as claimed in claim 28, it is characterized in that, described motor has a motor output shaft, wherein, described cogwheel gearing has at least one gear and is installed on the motor output shaft by a torque responsive slip ring, when a predetermined moment of torsion was applied in the direction opposite with the sense of rotation of motor output shaft, it allowed cogwheel gearing to slide with respect to motor drive shaft.

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