Patent Publication Number: US-8986083-B2

Title: Coin feeding device and coin handling machine

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a coin feeding device that stores coins put thereinto from outside and feeds the stored coins, and to a coin handling machine including the coin feeding device. In particular, the present invention relates to a coin feeding device capable of stably feeding normal coins one by one from a coin storage space, even when a rotary disc is rotated at a high speed so as to increase a processing speed of the coins, and to a coin handling machine including the coin feeding device. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     It has been conventionally known that a coin feeding device, which stores coins put thereinto from outside and feeds the stored coins, is installed inside a coin handling machine (see, JP8-212407A and JP8-212408A, for example).  FIG. 12  is a front view showing the structure of a coin feeding device disclosed in JP8-212407A and JP8-212408A. 
     The coin feeding device  90  disclosed in JP8-212407A and JP8-212408A includes: a rotary disc  92  mounted on a rotary shaft  91 , the rotary disc  92  being configured to be rotated by the rotary shaft  91  while being inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction; and a hopper member  93  configured to define a coin storage space  99  for storing coins between the hopper member  93  and a surface of the rotary disc  92 . In the coin feeding device  90  shown in  FIG. 12 , the surface of the rotary disc  92  is provided with a plurality of protruding members  94 . As shown in  FIG. 12 , the respective protruding members  94  are arranged at equal intervals therebetween on positions near to and along an edge of the rotary disc  92 . The respective protruding members  94  catch coins on the surface of the rotary disc  92 , so that the coins in a lower area of the rotary disc  92  are transported to an upper area of the rotary disc  92  along with the rotation of the rotary disc  92 . 
     In the coin feeding device shown in  FIG. 12 , coins transported by the respective protruding members  94  to the upper area of the rotary disc  92  are sent to a coin passageway  96  by a coin transport means formed of, e.g., a transport belt  95 . In this manner, the coins are fed out from the coin storage space  99 . In the coin feeding device  90  disclosed in JP8-212407A and JP8-212408A, a dispense member  97  is mounted on a lower edge guide  96   a  of the coin passageway  96 . The dispense member  97  is configured to take coins, which have been transported to the upper area of the rotary disc  92  by the protruding members  94 , into the coin passageway  96 . The dispense member  97  is opposed to the surface of the rotary disc  92  with a slight gap therebetween which does not allow passage of a coin. In addition, the dispense member  97  is provided with a groove  97   a  through which the protruding member  94  can pass. 
     DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 
     However, the conventional coin feeding device  90  shown in  FIG. 12  has a problem in that it is difficult to increase a processing speed of coins, i.e., an amount of coins to be fed out from the coin feeding device  90  within a certain period. That is to say, in order to increase a feeding amount of coins within a certain period in the coin feeding device  90  having the rotary disc  92 , a rotary speed of the rotary disc  92  should be increased. However, in the coin feeding device  90  disclosed in JP8-212407A and JP8-212408A, for example, when the rotary speed of the rotary disc  92  is increased, the one protruding member  94  may catch a plurality of coins. In this case, when the one protruding member  94  together with the plurality of coins reaches the upper area of the rotary disc  92 , there is a possibility that the coins might become stuck between the rotary disc  92  and the dispense member  97 , or that the plurality of coins in a superposed state might be sent to the coin passageway  96  by the transport belt  95  of the coin transport means. Further, when the rotary speed of the rotary disc  92  is increased, there is a possibility that a foreign material other than a normal coin, specifically, a deformed coin or an object that is not a coin might be transported to the upper area of the rotary disc  92  by the protruding member  94 . In this case, the foreign material may become stuck between the rotary disc  92  and the dispense member  97 . Furthermore, when the rotary speed of the rotary disc  92  is increased, there occurs a problem in that a coin that has been brought up at a high speed along with the rotating rotary disc  92  might impinge on the protruding member  94  and rebound therefrom. Namely, the behavior of a coin becomes unstable. In addition, since the coin that has been transported by the protruding member  94  to the upper area of the rotary disc  92  is pushed and transported by a pin  95   a  of the transport belt  95  of the coin transport means, the behavior of a coin is not stable. 
     In the coin feeding device  90  disclosed in JP8-212407A and JP8-212408A, for example, when the rotary speed of the rotary disc  92  is increased, there occurs a problem in that it is difficult to stably feed coins from the coin storage space  99 . 
     The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances. The object of the present invention is to provide a coin feeding device capable of sending coins one by one from a rotary disc to a coin transport mechanism, even when the rotary disc is rotated at a high speed, so that normal coins can be stably fed one by one from a coin storage space, whereby a processing speed of coins can be increased, and to provide a coin handling machine including the coin feeding device. 
     A coin feeding device of the present invention is a coin feeding device comprising: a rotary disc that is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to a vertical direction, the rotary disc being mounted on a rotary shaft by which the rotary disc is rotated while being inclined at the predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction; a hopper member configured to define a coin storage space for storing coins between the hopper member and a surface of the rotary disc; a plurality of protruding members disposed on the surface of the rotary disc on a side of the coin storage space, the respective protruding members being located on positions near to an edge of the rotary disc, and the respective protruding members being configured to catch coins on the surface of the rotary disc, so as to transport the coins from a lower area of the rotary disc to an upper area of the rotary disc along with a rotation of the rotary disc; a coin transport mechanism disposed in the upper area of the rotary disc, the coin transport mechanism being configured to transport the coins, which have been transported by the respective protruding members to the upper area of the rotary disc, to an outside of the coin storage space; and a first guide member that is stationarily provided and is located nearer to a center of the rotary disc than the respective protruding members on the rotary disc, with a slight gap being defined between the first guide member and the surface of the rotary disc on the side of the coin storage space, the first guide member being configured to guide, in the upper area of the rotary disc, the coins having been transported by the respective protruding members, to the coin transport mechanism. 
     According to such a coin feeding device, the first guide member, which is configured to guide, in the upper area of the rotary disc, coins which have been transported by the respective protruding members to the coin transport mechanism, is stationarily provided on a position that is nearer to the center of the rotary disc than the respective protruding members of the rotary disc. Thus, even when the rotary disc is rotated at a high speed, there is no possibility that the coins transported in the upper area of the rotary disc by the respective protruding members might be sandwiched between the rotary disc and the first guide member, and therefore the coins can be stably sent one by one from the rotary disc to the coin transport mechanism. Thus, the normal coins can be stably fed one by one from the coin storage space to the outside thereof. As a result, a processing speed of coins of the coin feeding device can be increased as compared with that of the conventional money feeding device. 
     In the coin feeding device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the first guide member has a top surface portion configured to guide, in the upper area of the rotary disc, the coins, having been transported by the respective protruding members along with the rotation of the rotary disc, in a substantially horizontal direction so as to send the coins to the coin transport mechanism, whereby the coins having been transported by the respective protruding members to the upper area of the rotary disc are moved on the top surface portion of the first guide member in substantially the horizontal direction so as to reach the coin transport mechanism. 
     In addition, it is preferable that the first guide member has a shuffling portion configured to shuffle the coins in the coin storage space, the coin having been disengaged from the protruding member in the course of being transported by the protruding member from the lower area of the rotary disc to the upper area thereof. 
     In addition, it is preferable that the first guide member has a guide wall portion configured to guide upward the coins, which have been transported by the respective protruding members from the lower area of the rotary disc, along the surface of the rotary disc at a position that is substantially the same level as the center of the rotary disc. 
     It is preferable that the coin feeding device according to the present invention further comprises a second guide member that is stationarily provided, and is located radially outward from the rotary disc on a position that is upper than the center of the rotary disc, the second guide member being configured to guide, when two or more coins in a superposed state are transported by the one protruding member from the lower area of the rotary disc, the coin(s) lying upon the other coin(s) on the rotary disc radially outward from the rotary disc by the centrifugal force of the rotary disc. 
     According to such a coin feeding device, when two or more coins in a superposed state are transported by the one protruding member from the lower area of the rotary disc, the second guide member guides the coin lying upon the other coin(s) on the rotary disc radially outward from the rotary disc by the centrifugal force of the rotary disc. The coin, which has been guided radially outward from the rotary disc, is disengaged from the protruding member so as to be returned to the lower area of the rotary disc by its own weight. Since such a second guide member is provided, when two or more coins in a superposed state are transported by the one protruding member from the lower area of the rotary disc, the coin(s) lying upon the other coin(s) on the rotary disc can be returned to the lower area of the rotary disc by its (their) own weight(s). Thus, a processing speed of coins of the coin feeding device can be increased as compared with that of the conventional money feeding device. Even when two or more coins in a superposed state are transported by the one protruding member from the lower area of the rotary disc, the coin(s) lying upon the other coin(s) on the rotary disc can be returned to the lower area of the rotary disc by the second guide member. 
     When three or more coins in a superposed state are transported by the one protruding member from the lower area of the rotary disc, the second guide member may be configured to guide the coin(s) lying upon the other two superposed coins on the rotary disc radially outward from the rotary disc by the centrifugal force of the rotary disc. 
     It is preferable that the coin feeding device according to the present invention further comprises a lever member that is disposed in the vicinity of the edge of the rotary disc, the lever member having a shaft that is disposed radially outward from the rotary disc, the lever member being swingable about the shaft along the surface of the rotary disc on the side of the coin storage space, and the lever member being located such that a gap through which one normal coin can pass is defined between the lever member and the surface of the rotary disc on the side of the coin storage space. 
     According to such a coin feeding device, since the lever member is disposed in the vicinity of the edge of the rotary disc, with a gap through which one normal coin can pass being defined between the lever member and the surface of the rotary disc on the side of the coin storage space, two or more coins in a superposed state can be restrained from being sent from the lower area of the rotary disc to the upper area thereof. Thus, a processing speed of coins of the coin feeding device can be increased as compared with that of the conventional money feeding device. Even when two or more coins in a superposed state are transported by the one protruding member from the lower area of the rotary disc, the coin(s) lying upon the other coin on the rotary disc can be returned to the lower area of the rotary disc by the lever member. 
     It is preferable that the lever member is structured such that the distance between the lever member and the surface of the rotary disc on the side of the coin storage space is gradually increased along the coin transport direction along the edge of the rotary disc. 
     It is preferable that in the vicinity of the location of the lever member, the first guide member has a projecting portion that projects away from the surface of the rotary disc, whereby a coin, which has been disengaged from the protruding member by the lever member, falls down along the projecting portion of the first guide member to the lower area of the rotary disc. 
     It is preferable that the coin feeding device according to the present invention further comprises a third guide member that is stationarily provided, and is located in the upper area of the rotary disc, the third guide member being disposed such that a gap through which one normal coin can pass is defined between the third guide member and the surface of the rotary disc on the side of the coin storage space. 
     According to such a coin feeding device, since the third member is provided such that a gap through which one normal coin can pass is defined between the third guide member and the surface of the rotary disc on the side of the coin storage space, two or more coins in a superposed state can be restrained from being sent to the coin transport mechanism. Thus, a processing speed of coins of the coin feeding device can be increased as compared with that of the conventional money feeding device. Even when two or more coins in a superposed state are transported by the one protruding member from the lower area of the rotary disc, the coin(s) lying upon the other coin on the rotary disc can be returned to the lower area of the rotary disc by the third guide member. 
     It is preferable that the third guide member is structured such that the distance between the third guide member and the surface of the rotary disc on the side of the coin storage space is gradually increased along the coin transport direction along the edge of the rotary disc. 
     It is preferable that the third guide member has an inclined portion that is inclined such that, when two or more coins in a superposed state are transported by the one protruding member to the third guide member, the coin(s) lying upon the other coin(s) on the rotary disc is (are) separated from the rotary disc. 
     In the coin feeding device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the surface of the rotary disc is provided with a shuffling protrusion configured to shuffle the coins in the coin storage space, when the rotary disc is rotated. 
     It is preferable that the coin feeding device according to the present invention further comprises a detecting unit configured to detect whether an object exists in the coin storage space or not; a drive unit configured to openably and closably drive the hopper member; and a control unit configured to control the drive unit, such that, when the detecting unit detects that an object remains in the coin storage space after the operation for feeding coins in the coin storage space to the outside of the coin storage space has been finished, the drive unit opens the hopper member so that the object remaining in the coin storage space falls down from the coin storage space. 
     A coin handling machine according to the present invention is a coin handling machine comprising: a housing; a coin inlet through which coin(s) is (are) put from outside into the housing; the aforementioned coin feeding device to which the coin put into the coin inlet is sent; a recognition unit configured to recognize the coin transported by the coin transport mechanism of the coin feeding device; and a storing unit configured to store the coin transported by the coin transport mechanism. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a structural view schematically showing an inner structure of a coin handling machine in one embodiment according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a structural view showing details of structures of a coin feeding unit, a transport unit and a sort unit in the coin handling machine shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing details of a structure of the coin feeding unit in the coin handling machine shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4A  is a side view of the coin feeding unit shown in  FIG. 3 , in which a hopper member is closed so that a coin storage space is defined between the hopper member and a surface of a rotary disc. 
         FIG. 4B  is a side view of the coin feeding unit shown in  FIG. 3 , in which the hopper member is opened. 
         FIG. 5  is a front view of the coin feeding unit shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 6  is a sectional view of the coin feeding unit shown in  FIG. 5  taken along the arrows A-A, showing a structure of a first guide member. 
         FIG. 7A  is a sectional view of the coin feeding unit shown in  FIG. 5  taken along the arrows B-B, showing a structure of a second guide member. 
         FIG. 7B  is a view showing that three superposed coins are transported by one protruding member in the second guide member shown in  FIG. 7A . 
         FIG. 8  is a sectional view of the coin feeding unit shown in  FIG. 5  taken along the arrows C-C, showing a structure of a lever member. 
         FIG. 9  is a view showing the structure of the lever member when the coin feeding unit shown in  FIG. 5  is viewed from the D direction. 
         FIG. 10  is a view showing a structure of the second guide member, when the coin feeding unit shown in  FIG. 5  is viewed from the E direction. 
         FIG. 11  is an exploded perspective view of the coin feeding unit shown in  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 12  is a front view showing a structure of a conventional coin feeding device. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     An embodiment of the present invention will be described herebelow with reference to the drawings.  FIGS. 1 to 11  show a coin handling machine in this embodiment.  FIG. 1  is a structural view schematically showing an inner structure of the coin handling machine in this embodiment.  FIG. 2  is a structural view showing details of structures of a coin feeding unit, a transport unit and a sort unit in the coin handling machine shown in  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing details of a structure of the coin feeding unit in the coin handling machine shown in  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 4A  is a side view of the coin feeding unit shown in  FIG. 3 , in which a hopper member is closed so that a coin storage space is defined between the hopper member and a surface of a rotary disc.  FIG. 4B  is a side view of the coin feeding unit shown in  FIG. 3 , in which the hopper member is opened.  FIGS. 5 to 11  are views showing details of the structure of the coin feeding unit. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the coin handling machine  10  includes: a housing  12  of substantially a rectangular parallelepiped shape; an inlet  14  through which coin(s) is (are) put into the housing  12  from outside thereof; a supply unit  20  configured to supply the coin put into the inlet  14  to a coin feeding unit  70 , which is described below; and the coin feeding unit  70  configured to store the coin supplied from the supply unit  20  and to feed the stored coin. Connected to the coin feeding unit  70  is a transport unit  30  configured to transport the coin fed from the coin feeding unit  70  inside the housing  12 . The transport unit  30  is provided with a recognition unit  34  configured to recognize the denomination, the fitness and the authentication of the coin. A sort unit  32  is connected to a downstream side of the transport unit  30 . Coins which have been transported by the transport unit  30  are sorted by denomination or in a state in which denominations are mixed, by the sort unit  32  based on the recognition result of the recognition unit  34 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , a reject coin chute  62  is connected to the sort unit  32 . Thus, a coin that could not be recognized by the recognition unit  34  and a coin that was recognized as a not normal coin by the recognition unit  34  are sent as rejected coins to the reject coin chute  62  from an opening  36   a  (described below) of the sort unit  32 . A reject unit  60 , that is accessible from outside the housing  12 , is disposed on a downstream end of the reject coin chute  62 , whereby the rejected coins are sent from the reject coin chute  62  to the reject unit  60 . Thus, an operator can take out the rejected coins from the reject unit  60 . In addition, a foreign-material discharge chute  64  is disposed below the coin feeding unit  70 , whereby a foreign material sent from the coin feeding unit  70  to the foreign-material discharge chute  64  is sent to the reject coin chute  62 . 
     An escrow unit  40  is disposed below the sort unit  32 . The escrow unit  40  is composed of a plurality of (e.g., three) escrow portions  40   a ,  40   b  and  40   c  that temporarily hold coins by denomination or in a state in which denominations are mixed. The coins sorted by the sort unit  32  are sent to the escrow portions  40   a ,  40   b  and  40   c  through chutes  32   a ,  32   b  and  32   c  corresponding to the escrow portions  40   a ,  40   b  and  40   c . A storing unit  50  is further disposed below the escrow unit  40 . The storing unit  50  is composed of a plurality of (e.g., three) storing portions  50   a ,  50   b  and  50   c  that store coins by denomination or in a state in which denominations are mixed. The coins temporarily held in the escrow portions  40   a ,  40   b  and  40   c  are sent to the storing portions  50   a ,  50   b  and  50   c  through chutes  42   a ,  42   b  and  42   c  corresponding to the storing portions  50   a ,  50   b  and  50   c.    
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the supply unit  20 , the coin feeding unit  70 , the transport unit  30 , the sort unit  32 , the recognition unit  34 , the escrow unit  40 , the storing unit  50  and so on are accommodated in the housing  12 . By opening a door  12   a  of the housing  12  of the coin handling machine  10 , coins stored in the storing unit  50  can be collected by a specified collector, such as a staff of an armored car company who is in charge of collecting cash, or a bank clerk. 
     In addition, the coin handling machine  10  is equipped with a control unit  16  configured to control the respective constituent elements of the coin handling machine  10 . To be specific, the control unit  16  is configured to control the supply unit  20 , the coin feeding unit  70 , the sort unit  32 , and the escrow unit  40 . Information relating to a recognition result of coins is sent from the recognition unit  34  to the control unit  16 . 
     Herebelow, details of the respective constituent elements of the coin handling machine  10  will be described. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the supply unit  20  is located on a position directly below the inlet  14 , so as to receive a plurality of coins in a state in which denominations are mixed, which are put into the inlet  14  by an operator. The coins received by the supply unit  20  are sent to the coin feeding unit  70  located on a position directly below the supply unit  20 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 to 4 , the coin feeding unit  70  includes a rotary disc  72  that is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction, and a hopper member  74  that defines a coin storage space  73  for storing coins between the hopper member  74  and a surface  72   b  of the rotary disc  72 . As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the rotary disc  72  is provided with a rotary shaft  72   a , whereby the rotary disc  72  is rotated, while being inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction, by the rotary shaft  72   a  in directions shown by the arrows in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . In addition, the surface  72   b  of the rotary disc  72  on the side of the coin storage space  73  (the surface on the right side in  FIGS. 4A and 4B ) is provided with a plurality of protruding members  78 . These protruding members  78  are arranged at equal intervals therebetween on positions near to and along an edge of the rotary disc  72 . As shown in  FIG. 4A  and the like, the respective protruding members  78  catch coins (depicted by the reference number C in  FIG. 4A ) on the surface  72   b  of the rotary disc  72 , so that the coins in a lower area of the rotary disc  72  are transported to an upper area of the rotary disc  72  along with the rotation of the rotary disc  72 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , in the coin feeding unit  70 , a coin transport mechanism formed of, e.g., a transport belt  76 , is disposed in the upper area of the rotary disc  72 . The transport belt  76  of the coin transport mechanism is configured to transport coins, which have been transported by the protruding members  78  from the lower area of the rotary disc  72  to the upper area thereof, to an outside of the coin storage space  73 . Specifically, coins are sent by the transport belt  76  from the coin storage space  73  to the transport unit  30 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 4A and 4B , the hopper member  74  can be opened and closed.  FIG. 4A  is a side view of the coin feeding unit  70  shown in  FIG. 3 , in which the hopper member  74  is closed so that the coin storage space  73  is defined between the hopper member  74  and the surface of the rotary disc  72 .  FIG. 4B  is a side view of the coin feeding unit  70  shown in  FIG. 3 , in which the hopper member  74  is opened. As shown in  FIGS. 4A and 4B , the hopper member  74  is rotated about a shaft  74   a . The shaft  74   a  is provided with a drive motor  74   b  that rotates the shaft  74   a  in a normal direction and a reverse direction. Due to the rotation of the shaft  74   a  by the drive motor  74   b , the hopper member  74  is reciprocated between a closed position, which is shown in  FIG. 4A , and an opened position, which is shown in  FIG. 4B . The drive motor  74   b  is controlled by the control unit  16 . Thus, the opening and closing operation of the hopper member  74  can be controlled by the control unit  16 . 
     When the hopper member  74  is located on the closed position as shown in  FIG. 4A , the coin storage space  73  is defined between the hopper member  74  and the surface of the rotary disc  72 , whereby a plurality of coins in a state in which denominations are mixed are stored in the coin storage space  73 . On the other hand, when the hopper member  74  is moved from the closed position which is shown in  FIG. 4A , to the opened position which is shown in  FIG. 4B , various objects including coins fall down from the coin storage space  73  so as to be sent to the foreign-material discharge chute  64 . The objects, which have been sent from the coin feeding unit  70  to the foreign-material discharge chute  64 , are sent to the reject coin chute  62 . 
     The coin feeding unit  70  has a photosensor  79  that detects the presence of an object in the coin storage space  73 . The photosensor  79  is composed of a light emitting element and a light receiving element, whereby light emitted from the light emitting element is received by the light receiving element. When an object exists in the coin storage space  73 , the light emitted from the light emitting element is interfered with by the object, so that the light cannot reach the light receiving element. Thus, the photosensor  79  detects the presence of the object in the coin storage space  73 . 
     When the photosensor  79  detects that an object remains in the coin storage space  73  after the operation for feeding the coins in the coin storage space  73  to the outside of the coin storage space  73  has been finished, the control unit  16  performs a control such that the hopper member  74  is opened by the drive motor  74   b  so that the object remaining in the coin storage space  73  falls down from the coin storage space  73 . The object falling down from the coin storage space  73  is sent to the foreign-material discharge chute  64 . 
     The more detailed structure of the aforementioned coin feeding unit  70  will be described hereafter. 
     The transport unit  30  has, e.g., a transport belt  31 . Coins are transported one by one along a transport path  31   a  that extends substantially horizontally. The transport path  31   a  is composed of a transport-path bottom surface  31   b  and a transport-path side surface  31   c . The transport-path side surface  31   c  is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction. As shown in  FIG. 2 , in the transport path  31   a , coins are transported in the right direction in  FIG. 2  by the transport belt  31  along the transport-path side surface  31   c , such that the coins are in contact with the transport-path bottom surface  31   b  by their own weights. 
     The recognition unit  34  is disposed on the transport unit  30 , so as to recognize the denomination, the fitness and the authentication of the coins transported by the transport unit  30 . Information relating to a recognition result of the coins by the recognition unit  34  is sent to the control unit  16 . 
     The coins which have been recognized by the recognition unit  34  are sent to the sort unit  32 , and the sort unit  32  then sorts the coins. To be specific, the transport-path side surface  31   c  of the transport path  31   a  in the sort unit  32  has a plurality of (e.g., three) openings  36   a ,  36   b  and  36   c . The respective openings  36   a ,  36   b  and  36   c  communicate with the reject coin chute  62  and the chutes  32   a  and  32   b . When coins transported along the transport-path side surface  31   c  in the transport path  31   a  enter the respective openings  36   a ,  36   b  and  36   c , the coins are sent to the reject coin chute  62  and the chutes  32   a  and  32   b , respectively. In addition, in the downstream end of the transport path  31   a , an opening  36   d  is formed on the downstream side of the openings  36   a ,  36   b  and  36   c . The opening  36   d  is in communication with the chute  32   c . When the coins transported by the transport path  31   a  do not enter the respective openings  36   a ,  36   b  and  36   c , the coins are transported by the transport belt  31  up to the downstream end of the transport path  31   a  so as to enter the opening  36   d . The coins having entered the openings  36   d  are sent to the chute  32   c.    
     In addition, correspondingly to the respective openings  36   a ,  36   b  and  36   c , a plurality of (e.g., three) diverting members  37   a ,  37   b  and  37   c  are provided. The respective diverting members  37   a ,  37   b  and  37   c  are swingable about shafts  37   p  disposed below the transport-path bottom surface  31   b . Rollers  37   q  are mounted on distal ends of the diverting members  37   a ,  37   b  and  37   c . As shown in  FIG. 2 , correspondingly to the respective diverting members  37   a ,  37   b  and  37   c , pushing members  38  that push upward the diverting members  37   a ,  37   b  and  37   c  are disposed below the respective diverting members  37   a ,  37   b  and  37   c.    
     When the pushing members  38  do not push upward the respective diverting members  37   a ,  37   b  and  37   c , the rollers  37   q  of the respective diverting members  37   a ,  37   b  and  37   c  do not project upward from the transport-path bottom surface  31   b  of the transport path  31   a , whereby coins transported by the transport path  31   a  are not pushed upward by the rollers  37   q  of the respective diverting members  37   a ,  37   b  and  37   c , from the transport-path bottom surface  31   b . Thus, the coins transported by the transport path  31   a  do not enter the respective openings  36   a ,  36   b  and  36   c , so that the coins are transported to the downstream end of the transport path  31   a  and enters the opening  36   d.    
     On the other hand, when the pushing member  38  of the respective pushing members  38 , which corresponds to the diverting member  37   a , for example, pushes upward the diverting member  37   a , the diverting member  37   a  is rotated upward about the shaft  37   p , so that the roller  37   q  mounted on the distal end of the diverting member  37   a  projects upward from the transport-path bottom surface  31   b . Thus, a coin transported by the transport path  31   a  is brought up by the roller  37   q  of the diverting member  37   a  and enters the opening  36   a.    
     The pushing members  38  are respectively controlled by the control unit  16 . To be specific, when a coin that could not be recognized by the recognition unit  34  or a coin that was recognized as an abnormal coin by the recognition unit  34  is sent to the sort unit  32 , the control unit  16  controls the pushing member  38  corresponding to the diverting member  37   a  such that the diverting member  37   a  is pushed upward by the pushing member  38 . Thus, the coin is made to enter the opening  36   a  and is set to the reject coin chute  62 . The coin is finally sent from the reject coin chute  62  to the reject unit  60 . On the other hand, when the denominations of coins were recognized by the recognition unit  34 , the control unit  16  controls the respective pushing members  38  corresponding to the diverting members  37   b  and  37   c , such that the coins are made to enter the openings  36   b ,  36   c  and  36   d  by denomination. After the coins have been made to enter the openings  36   b ,  36   c  and  36   d  by the denominations, the coins having entered the respective openings  36   b ,  36   c  and  36   d  are sent to the respective escrow portions  40   a ,  40   b  and  40   c  of the escrow unit  40  through the chutes  32   a ,  32   b  and  32   c , respectively. Alternatively, coins in a state in which denominations are mixed are sequentially sorted by the opening  36   b , and are temporarily held in the escrow portion  40   a  through the chute  32   a . After the predetermined number of coins are stored in the escrow portion  40   a  so that the escrow portion  40   a  becomes full, coins are then sorted by the next opening  36   c  and are continuously processed. 
     The respective escrow units  40   a ,  40   b  and  40   c  of the escrow unit  40  are configured to temporarily hold coins by denomination or in a state in which denominations are mixed. The coins temporarily held in the respective escrow portions  40   a ,  40   b  and  40   c  are finally sent to the respective storing portions  50   a ,  50   b  and  50   c  of the storing unit  50 , through the chutes  42   a ,  42   b  and  42   c  below the escrow portions  40   a ,  40   b  and  40   c , respectively. The storing portions  50   a ,  50   b  and  50   c  of the storing unit  50  are configured to store coins by denomination or in a state in which denominations are mixed. As described above, by opening a door  12   a  of the housing  12 , the coins stored in the respective storing portions  50   a ,  50   b  and  50   c  of the storing unit  50  can be collected by a specified collector, such as a staff of an armored car company who is in charge of collecting cash, or a bank clerk. 
     Next, further details of the coin feeding unit  70  in this embodiment are described with reference to  FIGS. 5 to 11 .  FIG. 5  is a front view of the coin feeding unit  70  shown in  FIG. 3 .  FIG. 6  is a sectional view of the coin feeding unit  70  shown in  FIG. 5  taken along the arrows A-A, showing a structure of a first guide member  80 .  FIG. 7A  is a sectional view of the coin feeding unit  70  shown in  FIG. 5  taken along the arrows B-B, showing a structure of a second guide member  82 .  FIG. 7B  is a view showing that three superposed coins are transported by the one protruding member  78  in the second guide member  82  shown in  FIG. 7A .  FIG. 8  is a sectional view of the coin feeding unit  70  shown in  FIG. 5  taken along the arrows C-C, showing a structure of a lever member  86 .  FIG. 9  is a view showing the structure of the lever member  86  when the coin feeding unit  70  shown in  FIG. 5  is viewed from the D direction.  FIG. 10  is a view showing a structure of a third guide member  84 , when the coin feeding unit  70  shown in  FIG. 5  is viewed from the E direction.  FIG. 11  is an exploded perspective view of the coin feeding unit  70  shown in  FIG. 5 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5  and so on, the coin feeding unit  70  is equipped with the first guide member  80 , the second guide member  82 , the third guide member  84 , and the lever member  86 . 
     The first guide member  80  is stationarily provided, and is located so as to cover the upper area of the rotary disc  72 . To be more specific, the first guide member  80  is located nearer to the center of the rotary disk  72  than the respective protruding members  78  on the rotary disc  72 , with a slight gap being defined between the first guide member  80  and the surface  72   b  of the rotary disc  72  on the side of the coin storage space  73 . The first guide member  80  is connected to the rotary shaft  72   a  of the rotary disc  72  through a bearing. 
     The first guide member  80  is configured to guide, in the upper area of the rotary disc  72 , coins transported by the respective protruding members  78  to the transport belt  76 . More specifically, the first guide member  80  has a top surface portion  80   a . The top surface portion  80   a  guides the coins, which have been transported by the respective protruding members  78  along with the rotation of the rotary disc  72 , in substantially the horizontal direction (right direction in  FIG. 5 ), in the upper area of the rotary disc  72 . The top surface portion  80   a  extends along the substantially horizontal direction (right and left direction in  FIG. 5 ). Since the first guide member  80  has the top surface portion  80   a , the coins, which have been transported by the respective protruding members  78  to the upper area of the rotary disc  72 , are moved on the top surface portion  80   a  of the first guide member  80  in substantially the horizontal direction (right direction in  FIG. 5 ) so as to reach the transport belt  76 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5  and so on, in the left area in  FIG. 5 , the first guide member  80  has a shuffling portion  80   b . The shuffling portion  80   b  of the first guide member  80  is configured to shuffle the coins in the coin storage space  73 , the coin having been disengaged from the protruding member  78  in the course of being transported from the lower area of the rotary disc  72  to the upper area thereof. To be specific, the shuffling portion  80   b  is inclined upward in  FIG. 5  from the surface of the rotary disc  72  toward the viewer from the sheet of  FIG. 5 . As shown by the arrow F in  FIG. 5 , a coin, which has been disengaged from the protruding member  78  in the course of being transported from the lower area of the rotary disc  72  to the upper area thereof, collides with the shuffling member  80   b  so as to be returned to the lower area of the rotary disc  72 . Namely, since the first guide member  80  has the shuffling portion  80   b , the coin can be shuffled in the coin storage space  73  as shown by the arrow F of  FIG. 5 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 11 , in the left area in  FIG. 5 , the first guide member  80  has a guide wall portion  80   c . The guide wall portion  80   c  extends in the up and down direction in  FIG. 5  at a position that is substantially the same level as the center of the rotary disc  72 . The guide wall portion  80   c  is configured to guide coins, which have been transported by the respective protruding members  78  from the lower area of the rotary disc  72 , in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction (i.e., upward direction in  FIG. 5 ) along the surface of the rotary disc  72 , at the position that is substantially the same level as the center of the rotary disc  72 . Since such a guide wall portion  80   c  is provided on the first guide member  80 , the coins, which have been transported by the respective protruding members  78  from the lower area of the rotary disc  72 , are transported upward at the position that is substantially the same level as the center of the rotary disc  72 , without being disengaged from the respective protruding members  78  toward the center of the rotary disc  72 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 11 , in the vicinity of a location of the lever member  86  (described below), the first guide member  80  has a projecting portion  80   d  that projects away from the surface of the rotary disc  72  (i.e., that projects toward the viewer from the sheet of  FIG. 5 ). As shown by the arrow I in  FIG. 5 , a coin, which has been disengaged from the protruding member  78  by the lever member  86 , falls down by its own weight to the lower area of the rotary disc  72 . The operation of the coin on the surface of the rotary disc  72 , which is disengaged from the protruding member  78  by the lever member  86 , is described below. Since such a projecting portion  80   d  is provided on the first guide member  80 , the coin, which has been disengaged from the protruding member  78  by the lever member  86 , can be smoothly made to fall down to the lower area of the rotary disc  72 , whereby the shuffling of coins by the first guide member  80  in the coin storage space  73  can be further promoted. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 5 ,  7 A and  7 B, the second guide member  82  is stationarily provided, and is located radially outward from the rotary disc  72  on a position that is upper than the center of the rotary disc  72 . Specifically, as shown in  FIG. 7A  and so on, the second guide member  82  is inclined from the surface  72   b  of the rotary disc  72  radially outward from the rotary disc  72 . As shown in  FIG. 7B , when three or more coins C in a superposed state are transported by the one protruding member  78  from the lower area of the rotary disc  72 , the second guide member  82  is configured to guide the coin C′ which lies upon the two superposed coins C on the rotary disc  72  radially outward from the rotary disc  72  (left direction in  FIG. 7B ) by the centrifugal force of the rotary disc  72 . The coin C′, which has been guided radially outward from the rotary disc  72  by the centrifugal force of the rotary disc  72 , is disengaged from the protruding member  78  so as to be returned to the lower area of the rotary disc  72  by its own weight, as shown by the arrow G in  FIG. 5 . Since such a second guide member  82  is provided, when three or more coins in a superposed state are transported by the one protruding member  78  from the lower area of the rotary disc  72 , the coin(s) lying upon the two superposed coins on the rotary disc  72  can be returned to the lower area of the rotary disc  72  by its (their) own weight(s). 
     The structure of the second guide member  82  is not limited to the structure shown in  FIGS. 7A and 7B . The following structure is possible as another embodiment of the second guide member. Namely, when two or more coins in a superposed state are transported by the one protruding member  78  from the lower area of the rotary disc  72 , the coin(s) lying upon the coin on the rotary disc  72 , i.e., the second coin, the third coin . . . may be guided radially outward from the rotary disc  72  (left direction in  FIG. 7B ) by the centrifugal force of the rotary disc  72 . With the use of such a second guide member, when two or more coins in a superposed state are transported by the one protruding member  78  from the lower area of the rotary disc  72 , the coin(s) lying upon the coin in contact with the rotary disc  72  can be returned to the lower area of the rotary disc  72  by its (their) own weight(s). 
     As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 10 , the third guide member  84  is stationarily provided, and is located in the upper area of the rotary disc  72 . The third guide member  84  is disposed such that a gap through which one normal coin can pass is defined between the third guide member  84  and the surface  72   b  of the rotary disc  72  on the side of the coin storage space  73 . Since such a third guide member  84  is provided, two or more coins in a superposed state can be restrained from being sent from the upper area of the rotary disc  72  to the transport belt  76 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 10 , the third guide member  84  is structured such that the distance between the third guide member  84  and the surface  72   b  of the rotary disc  72  on the side of the coin storage space  73  is gradually increased along the coin transport direction (direction shown by the arrow in  FIG. 10 ) along the edge of the rotary disc  72 . Thus, two superposed coins and/or a foreign material such as a deformed coin can be restrained from being sandwiched between the rotary disc  72  and the third guide member  84 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 10 , the third guide member  84  has an inclined portion  84   a . The inclined portion  84   a  is inclined so as to be away from the surface of the rotary disc  72  along the coin transport direction along the edge of the rotary disc  72  (direction shown by the arrow in  FIG. 10 ) (i.e., the inclined portion  84   a  is inclined to project toward the viewer from the sheet of  FIG. 5 ). The inclined portion  84   a  of the third guide member  84  is configured to separate a coin lying upon a coin on the rotary disc  72  away from the rotary disc  72 . The coin that has been separated away from the rotary disc  72  is retuned to the lower area of the rotary disc  72  by its own weight. Since the third member  84  has the inclined portion  84   a , two or more coins in a superposed state can be further restrained from being sent to the transport belt  76 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 5 ,  8  and  9 , the lever member  86  is disposed in the vicinity of the edge of the rotary disc  72  in the upper area of the rotary disc  72 . The lever member  86  has a shaft  86   a  that is disposed radially outward from the rotary disc  72 . The lever member  86  is swingable about the shaft  86   a  in the direction shown by the arrow H in  FIG. 5  along the surface  72   b  of the rotary disc  72  on the side of the coin storage space  73 . As shown in  FIG. 8 , the lever member  86  is located such that a gap through which one normal coin C can pass is defined between the lever member  86  and the surface  72   b  of the rotary disc  72  on the side of the coin storage space  73 . Since such a lever member  86  is provided, two or more coins in a superposed state can be restrained from being sent from the lower area of the rotary disc  72  to the upper area thereof. 
     As shown in  FIG. 9 , the lever member  86  is structured such that the distance between the lever member  86  and the surface  72   b  of the rotary disc  72  on the side of the coin storage space  73  is gradually increased along the coin transport direction (direction shown by the arrow in  FIG. 9 ) along the edge of the rotary disc  72 . Thus, two superposed coins and/or a foreign material such as a deformed coin can be restrained from being sandwiched between the rotary disc  72  and the lever member  86 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the surface  72   b  of the rotary disc  72  is provided with a plurality of protrusions  75 . The respective protrusions  75  are located nearer to the center of the rotary disc  72  than the respective protruding members  78  on the surface  72   b  of the rotary disc  72 . The respective protrusions  75  are disposed on the surface  72   b  of the rotary disc  72  so as to shuffle coins in the coin storage space  73 . To be specific, when the rotary disk  72  is rotated, the coins are shuffled by the respective protrusions  75  in the coin storage space  73 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the first guide member  80  has hollows  80   e  that allow passage of the respective protrusions  75  disposed on the surface  72   b  of the rotary disc  72  when the rotary disc  72  is rotated. Since such hollows  80   e  are provided in the first guide member  80 , the respective protrusions  75  do not collide with the first guide member  80  when the rotary disc  72  is rotated. 
     Next, an operation of the coin handling machine  10  as structured above will be described below. The below-described operation of the coin handling machine  10  is performed by the control unit  16  that controls the respective constituent elements of the coin handling machine  10 . 
     When an operator puts one or a plurality of coins into the inlet  14  of the coin handling machine  10 , the coin(s) is(are) sent to the supply unit  20 . Then, the predetermined number of coins or all the coins in the supply unit  20  are sent from the supply unit  20  to the coin feeding unit  70 , and the coins sent to the coin feeding unit  70  are stored in the coin storage space  73 . 
     When the rotary disc  72  of the coin feeding unit  70  is rotated in the direction shown by the arrow in  FIG. 2  or  5 , the coins stored in the coin storage space  73  and thus positioned in the lower area of the rotary disc  72  are caught by the respective protruding members  78  on the surface  72   b  of the rotary disc  72 . The coins caught by the respective protruding members  78  on the surface  72   b  of the rotary disc  72  are transported from the lower area of the rotary disc  72  to the upper area thereof. Then, in the upper area of the rotary disc  72 , the coins are guided one by one by the first guide member  80  to the transport belt  76 . To be specific, the coins caught by the respective protruding members  78  on the surface  72   b  of the rotary disc  72  are transported to the upper area of the rotary disc  72  via the second guide member  82 , the lever member  86 , and the third guide member  84 , in this order. Then, the coins which have been transported to the upper area of the rotary disc  72  are guided one by one by the first guide member  80  to the transport belt  76 . The coins having been sent to the transport belt  76  are transported one by one by the transport belt  76  to the outside of the coin storage space  73 . More specifically, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the coins transported by the transport belt  76  are delivered to the transport belt  31  of the transport unit  30 , and the coins are transported one by one by the transport belt  31  in the right direction in  FIG. 2 . 
     When the coins are transported by the transport belt  31 , the denomination and so on of the coins are recognized by the recognition unit  34 . The coins recognized by the recognition unit  34  are sent to the sort unit  32 . In the sort unit  32 , a coin that could not be recognized by the recognition unit  34  or a coin that was recognized as an abnormal coin by the recognition unit  32  is made to enter the opening  36   a , by the control unit  16  that controls the pushing member  38  corresponding to the diverting member  37   a . The coin having entered the opening  36   a  is sent to the reject unit  60  through the reject coin chute  62 , whereby the operator can take out the coin sent to the reject unit  60 . On the other hand, coins that have been recognized as normal coins by the recognition unit  34  are made to enter one of the respective openings  36   b ,  36   c  and  36   d  by denomination, by the control unit  16  that controls the pushing members  38  corresponding to the diverting members  37   b  and  37   c . The coins having entered the respective openings  36   b ,  36   c  and  36   d  are respectively sent through the chutes  32   a ,  32   b  and  32   c  to the escrow portions  40   a ,  40   b  and  40   c  of the escrow unit  40  by the denomination, and are temporarily held in the escrow portions  40   a ,  40   b  and  40   c . Alternatively, the coins in a state in which denominations are mixed are sequentially sorted by the opening  36   b , and are temporarily held in the escrow portion  30   a  through the chute  32   a . After the predetermined number of coins are stored so that the escrow portion  40   a  becomes full, coins are then sorted by the next opening  36   c  and are continuously processed. Thereafter, the coins which have been temporarily held in the escrow portions  40   a ,  40   b  and  40   c  are respectively sent through the chutes  42   a ,  42   b  and  42   c  to the storing portions  50   a ,  50   b  and  50   c  of the storing unit  50  by denomination or in a state in which denominations are mixed, so as to be stored in the storing portions  50   a ,  50   b  and  50   c.    
     After the feeding operation of the coins in the coin storage space  73  in the coin feeding unit  70  has been finished, the photosensor  79  detects whether there is any remaining object (e.g., a deformed coin and an object other than a coin) in the coin storage space  73 . When the photosensor  79  detects that an object remains in the coin storage space  73 , the drive motor  74   b  opens the hopper member  74 , as shown in  FIG. 4B , so that the object remaining in the coin storage space  73  falls down from the coin storage space  73 . The object having fallen down from the coin storage space  73  is sent to the reject unit  60  through the foreign-material discharge chute  64 . 
     In this manner, a series of coin processing operations in the coin handling machine  10  is completed. 
     According to the coin feeding unit (coin feeding device)  70  in this embodiment and the coin handling machine  10  including the coin feeding unit  70 , the first guide member  80 , which is configured to guide, in the upper area of the rotary disc  72 , coins which have been transported by the respective protruding members  78  to the transport belt (coin transport mechanism)  76 , is stationarily provided on a position that is nearer to the center of the rotary disc  72  than the respective protruding members  78  of the rotary disc  72 . Thus, even when the rotary disc  72  is rotated at a high speed, there is no possibility that the coins transported in the upper area of the rotary disc  72  by the respective protruding members  78  might be sandwiched between the rotary disc  72  and the first guide member  80 , whereby the coins can be stably sent one by one from the rotary disc  72  to the transport belt  76 . Thus, the normal coins can be stably fed one by one from the coin storage space  73  to the outside thereof. As a result, a processing speed of coins of the coin feeding unit  70  can be increased as compared with that of the conventional money feeding unit. 
     In addition, in the coin feeding unit  70  in this embodiment, the second guide member  82  is stationarily provided, and is located radially outward from the rotary disc  72  on a position that is higher than the center of the rotary disc  72 . To be specific, as shown in  FIG. 7A  and so on, the second guide member  82  is inclined from the surface  72   b  of the rotary member  72  radially outward from the rotary disc  72 . When three or more coins C in a superposed state are transported by the one protruding member  78  from the lower area of the rotary disc  72 , the second guide member  82  is configured to guide, as shown in  FIG. 7B , the coin C′ lying upon the other two superposed coins C on the rotary disc  72  radially outward from the rotary disc  72  (left direction in  FIG. 7B ) by the centrifugal force of the rotary disc  72 . The coin C′, which has been guided radially outward from the rotary disc  72  by the centrifugal force of the rotary disc  72 , is disengaged from the protruding member  78  and is returned to the lower area of the rotary disc  72  by its own weight, as shown by the arrow G in  FIG. 5 . Since such a second guide member  82  is provided, when three or more coins in a superposed state are transported by the one protruding member  78  from the lower area of the rotary disc  72 , the coin(s) lying upon the other two superposed coins on the rotary disc  72  can be returned to the lower area of the rotary disc  72  by its (their) own weight(s). 
     In addition, in the coin feeding unit  70  in this embodiment, the third guide member  84  is stationarily provided, and is located in the upper area of the rotary disc  72 . The third guide member  84  is located such that a gap through which one normal coin can pass is defined between the third guide member  84  and the surface  72   b  of the rotary disc  72  on the side of the coin storage space  73 . Since such a third guide member  84  is provided, two or more coins in a superposed state can be restrained from being sent from the upper area of the rotary disc  72  to the transport belt  76 . 
     In addition, in the coin feeding unit  70  in this embodiment, the lever member  86  is disposed in the vicinity of the edge of the rotary disc  72  in the upper area of the rotary disc  72 . The lever member  86  has the shaft  86   a  that is disposed radially outward from the rotary disc  72 . The lever member  86  is swingable about the shaft  86   a  in the direction shown by the arrow H in  FIG. 5  along the surface  72   b  of the rotary disc  72  on the side of the coin storage space  73 . As shown in  FIG. 8 , the lever member  86  is disposed such that a gap through which one normal coin C can pass is defined between the lever member  86  and the surface  72   b  of the rotary disc  72  on the side of the coin storage space  73 . Since such a lever member  86  is provided, two or more coins in a superposed state can be restrained from being sent from the lower area of the rotary disc  72  to the upper area thereof. 
     The coin feeding unit (coin feeding device) in this embodiment and the coin handling machine including the coin feeding unit are not limited to the above embodiment, but can be variously modified. 
     To be specific, in the coin feeding unit  70  shown in  FIG. 5 , for example, one or more of the second guide member  82 , the third member  84  and the lever member  86  can be omitted. Further, the structure of the first guide member is not limited to the structure shown in  FIG. 5 . As long as the first guide member can guide, in the upper area of the rotary disc, coins transported by the respective protruding members, and as long as the first guide member is located nearer to the center of the rotary disc than the respective protruding members on the rotary disc, the first guide member of various shapes and various sizes can be used.