Patent Application
20140295744
This application claims the benefit of European Patent Application No. 13161542.9, filed on Mar. 28, 2013.
The entire disclosure of European Patent Application No. 13161542.9, filed on Mar. 28, 2013, is incorporated herein by reference as if set forth in their entireties.
The present disclosure relates to a coin sorter and specifically to a resilient rim of the coin sorter.
Retail cash systems (RCS) are used for handling of cash, such as notes (bills), cheques or coupons in a retail establishment. The systems generally comprise a coin deposit apparatus and a coin dispensing apparatus.
The coin deposit apparatus has to discriminate between different types of acceptable coins, such as valid coins in a plurality of denominations in one or more specific currencies. Preferably, it should also be capable of detecting unacceptable cash, such as fake (counterfeit) coins or coins of a foreign currency. In the coin deposit apparatus a coin acceptance module (CAM) handles the discrimination of coins and is also adapted to count the coins to register the deposited amount. One typical user is a cashier emptying a till after a work shift.
The CAM includes a coin sorter. An important feature of the coin sorter is of course the accuracy of the coin sorting. A further important feature of the coin sorter is the highest coin sorting speed not resulting in reduction of the accuracy of the coin sorting.
WO09025968 (Adams et al.) discloses coin handling machine with a driving member disposed over a sorting disc, the driving member comprising narrow fins for moving the coin along an outside reference edge. The plurality of fins may make the manufacturing process complex, and the shape of the fins may not ensure that the coins are pressed towards the outside reference edge to increase the coin sorting accuracy.
In view of the above, an objective of the disclosure is to solve or at least reduce one or several of the drawbacks discussed above. Generally, the above objective is achieved by the attached independent patent claims.
According to a first aspect, the present disclosure is realized by a coin sorter comprising: a base plate comprising: an upper and a lower surface, the upper surface having a circular border having an opening, and a plurality of circularly arranged coin openings, each coin opening being in vicinity of the border, a carrier disc mounted above the upper surface of the base plate, the carrier disc being concentric with respect to the circular border of the base plate and rotatable around an center axis of the base plate, the carrier disc comprising a resilient rim on the side facing the upper surface of the base plate, the rim being aligned with the plurality of circularly arranged coin openings, wherein the coin sorter is arranged to receive a coin through the opening of the circular border, wherein the resilient rim is arranged to engage the coin and bring the coin in abutment with the circular border in a path across the plurality of circularly arranged coin openings, wherein the resilient rim comprising at least one circumferentially arranged projecting part, each projecting part of the at least one projecting part is projecting in a direction perpendicular from the carrier disc towards the upper surface of the base plate, or a direction away from the circular border towards the upper surface of the base plate, wherein at least one projecting part is adapted for always being folded inwards towards the center of the carrier disc and away from the circular border when engaging a coin to be sorted.
As used herein, the term “coin openings” shall be understood to not only include the openings illustrated in the drawings and explained herein, but also sorting grooves, channels and exits seen in the prior art.
As used herein, the term “each coin opening being in vicinity of the border” shall be understood to include that each coin opening is positioned nearby the border or at a pre-defined small distance from the border. The distance to the border should be as small as possible but still large enough such that a coin brought over a coin opening with a smaller width than the width of the coin is not falling in the coin opening if brought over in abutment with the border.
As used herein, the term “away from the circular border” shall be understood that the at least one projecting part is projecting in an angle from the carrier disc towards the center of the carrier disc.
According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, each projecting part of the at least one projecting part is tapered in the projecting direction.
As used herein, the term “tapered” shall be understood to mean that the end of the projecting part, the part closes to the upper surface of the base plate, is narrower than the base of the projecting part. The reduction in width is not necessarily equal along the entire projecting part.
According to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, each tapered projecting part is tapered within the range of 1-5 degrees.
According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, each projecting part of the at least one projecting part is made from one of Nitrile rubber, TPE and TPU. According to further embodiments, each projecting part of the at least one projecting part is made from a material with similar flexibility and durability properties as Nitrile rubber, TPE or TPU.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the complete resilient rim is made from Nitrile rubber, TPE or TPU.
According another embodiment of the present disclosure, the resilient rim comprising two circumferentially arranged projecting parts, the two projecting parts being separated such that one projecting part being arranged closer to a center of the carrier disc compared to the other.
According to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the two projecting parts are separated from each other by a distance within the range of 5-8 mm.
According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the projecting part at the longest distance from the center of the carrier disc is projecting at a distance within the range of 4-7 mm from the outer edge of the resilient rim.
According to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the two projecting parts both are projecting slightly towards the centre of the carrier disc holding the resilient rim.
According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, each projecting part of the at least one projecting part protrudes by a distance from the carrier disc within the range of 7.5-9 mm.
According to yet another embodiment, the widest part of each projecting part of the at least one projecting part has a thickness within the range of 1-4 mm.
According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a coin counting and sorting device comprising a coin sorter according to the first aspect of the present disclosure, a coin bowl, adapted for receiving a mass of coins to be sorted, a coin lifting device for receiving and forwarding the mass of coins to be sorted from the coin bowl, a inclined rail block for transporting the forwarded the mass of coins from the coin lifting device, individually, (passively) to coin sorter, the coin sorter, coin bowl, coin lifting device and inclined rail block being mounted on a front plate of the coin counting and sorting device, wherein the inclined rail block is designed to deliver the transported coins towards the border of the base plate of the coin sorter.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, inclined rail block has an angled end portion, the angled end portion is arranged to transport the coin from a plane behind the coin sorter to the plane of the coin sorter.
According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a coin deposit and dispensing apparatus comprising the coin counting and sorting device according to the second aspect of the present disclosure.
The second and third aspect may generally have the same features and advantages as the first aspect.
It is noted that embodiments of the disclosure relate to all possible combinations of features recited in the claims. Generally, all terms used in the claims are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the technical field unless explicitly defined otherwise herein.
Other objectives, features and advantages of the present disclosure will appear from the following detailed disclosure as well as from the drawings.
This and other aspects of the present disclosure will now be described in more detail, with reference to the appended drawings showing embodiments of the disclosure, wherein:
a-c each show an alternative rim geometry according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
Embodiments of the disclosure are based on the idea of providing a coin sorter having a resilient rim with at least one projecting part that is adapted to bring the coins to be sorted with a considerable speed across the coin openings of the base plate and adapted to press the coin towards the border of the base plate. Since the sorting accuracy for the coin sorter depends on the fact that the coin to be sorted is pressed towards the border of the base plate, the design and properties of the resilient rim are of utterly importance. By providing the resilient rim having at least one projecting part projecting according to embodiments of the present disclosure, the resilient rim will provide an adequate pressure to the coin to be sorted towards the border of the base plate and thus the risk of miss sorting is reduced. Moreover, the resilient rim will provide a more consistent pressure to the coin to be sorted towards the border of the base plate independently of the coin thickness, thus leading to a more homogeneous eject behavior of the coins through the coin opening which significantly reduces the risk of jams in channels leading coins from the coin opening. Moreover, a perpendicular projecting direction of the at least one projecting part may be advantageous for manufacturing reasons.
By providing a tapered projecting part, a correct folding behavior for the projecting part may be improved. The at least one projecting part should always be folded inwards towards the center of the carrier disc and away from the border when engaging a coin to be sorted to ensure that the coin is firmly pressed towards the border of the base plate and thus sorted correctly. As is clearly understood from reference to the other portions of this text and from, for example, reference to
To provide the adequate pressure on a coin to be sorted, and to provide a long lasting resilient rim, the material of the at least one projecting part is advantageously a flexible and durable material such as Nitrile rubber, TPE or TPU or another suitable material with similar properties. Moreover, in the case the resilient rim is molded, TPE or TPU is an advantageous choice but another suitable material with similar properties is equally possible. In this case, the entire rim is advantageously made from the same material.
Besides the ability to sort correctly, an important ability of the coin sorter is the speed of sorting. By providing a rim with two projecting parts separated such that one projecting part being arranged closer to a center of the carrier disc compared to the other, the speed of sorting may be increased. In this embodiment, the area of contact between the rim and the coin to be sorted is increased without the rim reducing its pressuring ability. By increasing the area of contact, the friction between the rim and the coin is increased. Consequently, the speed of the carrier disk may be increased without the rim loosing it engaging power to the coin when moving it in the path over the coin openings. To reduce the risk of a small coin getting stuck between the two projecting parts, they are, according to an embodiment, separated from each other within the range of 5 to 8 mm. Above 8 mm there is a risk that for example the one cent euro coin gets stuck between the projecting parts. By placing the outer projecting part within the range of 4-7 mm from the outer edge of the resilient rim, the risk of a small coin getting stuck between a holder of the rim and the base of the outer projecting part may be reduced. The range of 4-7 mm is further advantageous in that the inner projecting part may in this case still put pressure on a small coin. Moreover, the above radial positions of the projecting parts may be advantageous for forming the consistent pressure needed for reduce the miss sorting of the coins to be sorted. To further ensure the consistent pressure, it may be advantageous if the two projecting parts are projecting with the same angle from the carrier disc. In this embodiment, the direction and quantity of the pressuring force on the coin to be sorted from both projecting part will be the same.
The coin sorter may be used in a coin counting and sorting device. Such a device is often constructed such that the coin to be sorted is transported to the coin sorter on an inclined rail block. It may be advantageous if the inclined rail block is designed to deliver the transported coin to the coin sorter such that the resilient rim will engage the coin in good time before the first coin opening of the base plate. Consequently, the at least one protruding part of the resilient rim will have a certain distance available before the coin have to be pressured towards the border of the base plate, e.g. before the first coin opening. This may be advantageous if for example the coin is bouncing slightly just when the coin is grabbed by the rim. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the resilient rim may engage the transported coin at coin at least 35 mm before the first coin opening which may reduce the miss sorting. In the case of the inclined rail block being mounted to the coin counting and sorting device in a plane behind the plane of the coin sorter, an angled end portion of the inclined rail block may be an simple and easy to manufacture solution to ensure that the resilient rim can engage the transported coin at the proper distance from the first coin opening.
Aspects of this disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which currently preferred embodiments of the disclosure are shown. The invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments of the disclosure set forth herein.
The coin separating knife 128, one end 120 of which according to the above is arranged in connection with the rubber disc 116, is at a downward inclination and is connected at its second end 114 to an anti bounce block 110 which will be described in greater detail below. The coin separating knife 128 and the anti bounce block 110 are mounted on an inclined rail block 112. A coin brought into contact to the separating knife 128, by the rotation of the rubber disc 116, and thus separated from the mass of coins to be sorted will by the inclination of the separating knife 128 be brought into a rolling downward motion along the upper side of the separating knife, which has been made flat so as to avoid coins from falling off the knife once separated, towards the front coin sensor 108. When the coin is transported the inclined rail block 112 will support the planar surface of the coin while the upper side of the separating knife 128, and later the anti bounce block 110, will support its perimeter. When rolling down the coin separating knife 128, the coin may for different reasons start to bounce. The coin may for example not be completely round, as in the case of for example British 20 and 50 pence coins, or the bouncing movement may originate from when the coin are separated at the coin bowl 118, or for some other reason. The functionality of the anti bounce block 110 will now be described in conjunction with
When trying to solve this problem, the inventors tried a variety of different possible solution. Some solutions included an anti bounce block which could move up and down in relation to the inclined rail block, to have a damping effect on a bouncing coin. The dampening abilities of such an anti bounce block varied, were hard to control and could in some situations even increase bouncing. The best solutions included an anti bounce block made of metal rigidly mounted on the inclined rail block. Surprisingly, a rigidly fastened anti bounce block showed much better anti bounce abilities than if the anti bounce block and inclined rail block where integrated into one piece of metal, intuitively one might think that a frictional screw joint would act as if the parts were integrated but this where not the case. The integrated solution was rejected because of its terrible ability to absorb bouncing. In a further tested solution, the anti bounce block where made of a plastic material but the result was not satisfactory. The theoretical explanation to why chosen design of the anti bounce block showed such satisfactory results is not fully known. According to the theory of the inventors, bouncing energy is absorbed by the anti bounce block mass and transferred away in a beneficial way with this set up.
Two different designs of the anti bounce block where tested. One design which is explained in detail in conjunction with
Moreover, the rectangular anti-bounce block has a lower production cost than the wedge-shaped block.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a coin counting and sorting device 100 wherein the design of the inclined rail block 112 is designed to deliver a transported coin 504 to the coin sorter such that a resilient rim 606 of the coin sorter will engage the coin 504 at least 35 mm from a first coin opening 506 of the base plate 106 of the coin sorter. This feature of such a coin counting and sorting device 100 will be explained in conjunction with
Since thicker coins thus will make the protruding parts 702, 704 bend more, the area of contact between protruding parts 702, 704 and the coin will increase and consequently the friction between the rim 606 and the coin will also increase. This has the advantage that the risk of the rim 606 losing its engaging power over the heavy thicker coin may be decreased.
As described above, this new inventive design of the resilient rim 606 provides a consistent pressure to the coin to be sorted towards the border 602. An effect of this is that speed of which a coin falling into a coin opening and also the trajectory of the coin falling into the coin opening will be consistent. This significantly reduces the risk of jams in channels leading coins from the coin opening since the risk of a coin “catching up” an equally sorted proceeding coin in the channel is reduced.
Different possible rim geometries will now be described in conjunction with
a shows a resilient rim 606 with one projecting part 1002 protruding from an outer part of the base 922 of the resilient rim 606. This embodiment may significantly reduce miss sorting compared to prior art. Further, the rim 606 shown in
b shows a resilient rim 606 with two projecting parts 702, 704 projecting from the base 922 of the resilient rim 606. This is the embodiment shown in
c shows a resilient rim 606 with two projecting parts 1004, 1006 projecting from the base 922 of the resilient rim 606. Each projecting part 1004, 1006 is projecting in a direction slightly inwards the center of the carrier disc 608 holding the resilient rim 606. This embodiment may reduce miss sorting compared to prior art. Further, the rim 606 shown in
Bellow follows a table showing miss sorting statistics depending on the design of the resilient rim (shown in
In the above statistics: SD=single denomination, Mix=Mixed denominations. The prototype refers to which embodiment shown in
The person skilled in the art realizes that the present disclosure by no means is limited to the preferred embodiments described above. On the contrary, many modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the appended claims. For example, the design of the coin counting and sorting device described above is just exemplary, other ways of feeding coins to the coin sorter is equally possible.
Additionally, variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by the skilled person, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word “comprising” does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article “a” or “an” does not exclude a plurality. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measured cannot be used to advantage.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13161542.9 | Mar 2013 | EP | regional |
