EP0508560A2 - Method and device for checking coins - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a device for checking the authenticity and value of coins by the use of inductive and optoelectronic means. The invention proposes an improved coin checking, along with a much more reliable recognition of genuine coins and rejection of counterfeit coins which is especially suitable for mobile appliances. According to the invention, within a checking cycle, in which the coin is received, centred, clamped and rotated through 360 DEG , the coin diameter, coin embossing and type of material are detected and evaluated, the coin diameter being determined and checked by means of the angle of rotation of two discs arranged rotatably relative to one another. The device according to the invention is equipped with means which guarantee an exactly centred and vibration-proof clamping of the coin for optoelectronic sensing and inductive material recognition.

Description

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for checking coins using inductive and opto-electronic means.

A wide variety of test systems and test devices are already known for checking the authenticity and the value of coins, which record and evaluate the characteristic features of the coins, such as the geometric dimensions, the material, the weight or the knurling.

The test methods can therefore be divided into mechanical, inductive and optical methods, the mechanical structure of the coin validators being consequently determined by the test method used.

In optical test methods it is known that the coins to be tested roll past optical sensors on a running rail or are guided past them in order to detect characteristic points and / or parameters of the coin. The accuracy of the measurement is determined by the number of sensors available and the length of the track. It follows from this that with very high degrees of accuracy, a higher number of optical sensors and a corresponding track length are necessary, which in turn lead to relatively large and complex test facilities. Small, compact and accurate test systems are very difficult to implement with this technology.

Furthermore, solutions are known in which the coins are clamped between three wedge-shaped rollers, which are arranged in a triangular shape, and are rotated via a motor drive of one of these rollers, by means of a friction pairing between the driven roller and the coin.

The mechanical effort for realizing a plane-parallel and centric running of the coin in this roller arrangement is very high and, since the coin drive is a friction wheel drive, is prone to failure.

In addition, the degree of soiling of the coins must be taken into account, which has a negative impact on the friction pairing with regard to the constant speed.

Optoelectronic coin checking devices and methods are also being used to an increasing extent, which enable an exact scanning of the coin minting or selected sections of the coin minting and / or the knurling of a coin.

These facilities ensure a highly accurate determination of the authenticity and value of a coin and lead to device configurations with a high degree of accuracy in the detection of funds and rejection of counterfeit money.

A prerequisite for an opto-electronic coin validation device that works with high accuracy, however, is an exact and exact detection and centering of the coin to be tested for the subsequent opto-electronic scanning, since even the smallest inaccuracies and deviations during detection, centering and in the coin check during the scanning process Lead to misinterpretation and malfunctions.

Particularly in the case of mobile coin validators with optoelectronic test systems, care must be taken to ensure that, despite vibrations that cannot be prevented, the exact holding and guiding of the coins is ensured during the test cycle and misinterpretations are reliably avoided.

A major disadvantage of known coin checking devices is, above all, that additional or separate checking sections must be provided in the device in question for checking further characteristic parameters, such as for checking the material of the coin. These additional test sections in turn require additional installation space, which is already very tight.

The invention is therefore based on the object of proposing a method and a device which, without restriction of the test options for the relevant parameters of a coin, has a space-saving construction in a confined space and allows the simultaneous recording and evaluation of several test parameters with significantly improved detection of money and counterfeit money.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by the features in claims 1 and 5. Further advantageous developments of the subject matter of the invention result from claims 2 to 4 and 6 to 11.

The device proposed in claim 5 has a construction oriented in the tightest of spaces and enables, within a test cycle in which the coin is rotated through 360 °, in addition to the optoelectronic scanning and evaluation of the coin minting, the diameter and the material properties of the coin at the same time record and evaluate or check with the help of computational means.

The respective diameter of the coin to be checked is advantageously determined in the centering phase of the supplied coin, in which the value of the rotation of two disks arranged to be rotatable relative to one another after completion of the centering process, that is to say after the driver pins have been brought together to the center of this disk by the rotary movement of the disk serving as a receptacle and they enclose the circumference of the coin evenly and thereby center the coin exactly and a rotating coupling to the second disc, measure. For this purpose, both disks are each provided with a marking, which is detected by means of a sensor system.

In order to support the exact determination of the angle of rotation for the diameter check of the coin in this centering phase, the second disc, which is freely rotatable on a common axis of rotation with the receiving disc, can also be fixed by a limit force clamp with a precisely defined torque. As a result of the kinematic rotary connection between the two discs at the end of the centering process via the centrally clamped coin, the higher torque applied by the limit force inhibitor is overcome when all driving pins are in contact with the coin edge and the second disc is rotated synchronously with the receiving disc.

An advantageous solution for the generation of the necessary rotary movement of the receiving disc, against which the coin to be checked rests plane-parallel, consists in the use of a stepping motor as the drive element. By counting the steps from the beginning of the orbital movement of the receiving disc by 360 ° to the moment in which the second disc is also rotated, the mutual rotation of the discs can be determined relatively easily and the coin diameter can be determined therefrom using computational means .

Instead of a stepper motor, analog motors with an incremental measuring system can also be used as the drive element.

The material composition is also checked in the centered clamping of the coin. The material is tested in a known manner with the aid of inductive material detection.

While previously known electronic or electro-mechanical test devices provide a separate test sector for this purpose within the test device, the test device according to a preferred embodiment of the invention has a hollow shaft, into which a cylindrical fixed inductance is used for the material detection.

The run-up bevels provided according to the invention at the free ends of the driver pins have a particularly advantageous effect, as a result of which the coin lies flat against the receiving disc and completely covers the inductance. The coin thus has a precisely defined position with a largely reduced dielectric within the inductive field, so that the tolerance range, which is relatively large in known test devices with a continuous coin, in which the coin has practically no defined system, can be very widely restricted .

The device for carrying out the method consists of two disks which are arranged so as to be rotatable independently of one another and which are mounted on a common axis of rotation, at least one disk having circular arc-shaped elongated holes which, starting from a predetermined diameter, are directed in a radial direction toward the center of the disk.

Driver pins for receiving, centering and holding the coin during the test cycle, in which the coin is rotated through 360 °, are guided through the elongated holes of the disk, which serves as a receiving disk, and are fastened in pivotable levers articulated on the second disk.

According to a further embodiment variant of the invention, elongated holes are also provided in the second disk in an analogous arrangement to the receiving disk, through which extensions of the driving pins are passed. Springs are articulated to these extensions of the driver pins, which are arranged on the back of the second disk and which fix the driver pins in their starting position, which corresponds to the "open" position of the device.

The arcuate elongated holes starting from a smallest diameter near the center of the disks to a larger diameter in the area of the disk edge correspond indirectly to the respective diameter of the smallest and largest coin to be detected and tested.

The coupling or the rotary connections between the two disks takes place, as already explained, via the driver pins. If the first disc, i.e. the locating disc, which is directly connected to the drive shaft of an electric motor, preferably a stepper motor, or is driven clockwise on the shaft common to both discs, the driver pins move, guided in the arcuate oblong holes, as far as the center of the discs until they be blocked in their twisting movement by the end of the circular elongated holes or by the edge of a coin. Then both disks continue to rotate together in the specified direction of rotation.

The incoming coin is first picked up by a few driver pins, then centered precisely by the rotating movement of the receiving disk and the driver pin pivoting towards the center of the disk and then rotated plane-parallel, so that desired parameters of the surface structure can be precisely scanned by means of opto-electronic means with a high level of representation.

Opening the device or the entrainment merzapfen happens by changing the direction of rotation of the receiving disc.

In order to increase the pressing force of the driver pins on the edge of the coin, it is advantageous that the springs, which hold the driver pins in their starting position, are mounted in a tilting arrangement and act as an additional holding force on the edge of the coin when the tipping point is exceeded.

It is also possible to create a tension between the two disks by installing a spring. This bracing rotates both disks towards each other and thus creates a presetting of the angle levers with the driver pins.

The spring is arranged so that the driver pins act on the coins with an increased pressure force.

According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the receiving disc is attached directly to an axis of rotation which is driven by a motor via a gear and on which the second disc, on which the angle levers are rotatably articulated with the driving pins, is freely rotatably mounted. As already explained, the common axis of rotation is preferably designed as a hollow shaft, in which a fixed inductor is used for inductive material detection.

According to a further feature according to the invention, the free ends of the driver pins for receiving, centering and holding / clamping the coin to be tested are equipped with a run-up slope directed towards the contact surface of the receiving disk. The run-up bevels are expediently arranged at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the angle lever, which corresponds to the tangent of the circular-arc-shaped elongated holes in the receiving disc.

This advantageous design of the driver pin supports the secure detection of the coins to be checked and ensures that they are constantly pulled by these run-up bevels in a stable, plane-parallel and centered position against the contact surface of the receiving disc, which is necessary for the vibration-proof clamping, in particular for mobile coin testing devices and for the inductive material recognition with regard to the precisely determinable dielectric within the inductive field is of particular importance.

In comparison to known solutions, the invention minimizes the overall constructive structure and the manufacturing outlay of the testing devices and achieves a high running accuracy of the coin during the testing process. Compared to the solutions with coin runner and triangularly arranged rollers, the solution according to the invention requires a very small installation space in order to grasp the coin to be checked after it has entered the optoelectronic testing device, to center it and with high accuracy for the scanning of selected parameters, for example coin stamping or Parts of it, rotate parallel and centrally by> 360 °.

Compared to the previously known coin checking devices, the invention guarantees a far more reliable detection of credit money and rejection of counterfeit money.

• Fig. 1 die schematische Darstellung einer bevorzugten Ausführung der Prüfeinrichtung im Teilschnitt;
• Fig. 2 die Seitenansicht eines Winkelhebels mit den Mitnehmerzapfen;
• Fig. 3 die Draufsicht des Winkelhebels;
• Fig. 4 die Vorderansicht der Aufnahmescheibe mit eingespannter und zentrierter Münze;
• Fig. 5 eine weitere Ausführungsform der erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung;
• Fig. 6 die zweite Scheibe mit den angelenkten Winkelhebeln in "Offen"-Stellung;
• Fig. 7 die Vorderansicht der Aufnahmescheibe mit zugeführter Münze vor Beginn des Zentrier- und Einspannvorganges.

The invention will be explained in more detail below using an exemplary embodiment. In the accompanying drawings:

• Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a preferred embodiment of the test device in partial section.
• Figure 2 is a side view of an angle lever with the driver pin.
• 3 shows the top view of the angle lever;
• 4 shows the front view of the receiving disc with the coin clamped and centered;
• 5 shows a further embodiment of the device according to the invention;
• 6 shows the second disk with the articulated angle levers in the "open"position;
• Fig. 7 is the front view of the receiving disc with the coin supplied before the start of the centering and clamping process.

The device shown in Figs. 1-7 is arranged, for example, in an opto-electronic coin checking device at an angle of <20 ° to the vertical, so that the coins fed via a slope, as shown in Fig. 7, over the entire surface on the contact surface 13 of the Support disc 4 rest and a plane-parallel recording is guaranteed. The driver pins 5, which are passed through the circular-shaped elongated holes 9 in the receiving disc 4, are in the open position, i.e. in their starting position, which corresponds to a free space related to the diameter of the largest coin. After the coin 6 has run in, it practically rests with its edge 17 on the driving pin 5 of the lower angle lever 10 and over the entire surface of the contact surface 13 of the disk 4.

On the hollow shaft 8 - Fig. 1 - via gears 2; 11 of a gear transmission of a drive motor 1, preferably a stepper motor or an analog motor with an incremental measuring system, after receiving a coin 6 to be tested in a periodic, rotating rotary movement of 360 ° is driven, a receiving disc 4 is attached non-rotatably. The drive motor 1 is fastened to a mounting plate 20 which also serves as a bearing plate for the storage of the hollow shaft 8. On the same hollow shaft 1 there is a second disk 3 which can rotate freely a locking ring 12 is axially secured and is pivotally articulated on the angle lever 10 by means of pivots 15 which engage in corresponding bores 14 of the angle lever 10. Both discs 3; 4 are equipped with sensors 19, the disk 3 being able to be additionally fixed in its starting position by a limit force clamp 21.

The receiving disc 4 is provided with circular arc-shaped elongated holes 9, which extend radially, starting from the center of the disc, to the periphery of the disc 4 - Fig. 4. Through these elongated holes 9, the driver pins 5 of the angle lever 10 are passed, which when opening and closing the device for the purpose of receiving or dispensing the coin 6 to be checked or checked through the elongated holes 9.

On the free ends of the driver pins 5, ramp bevels 7 are provided, which are directed towards the contact surface 13 of the receiving disc 4 and are arranged at an angle to the longitudinal axis 18 of the angle levers 10 - FIGS. 2 and 3.

At the beginning of the test process, the initial position of the disk 3 is advantageously fixed by the limit force restrictor 21 with a defined friction or torque, while the driver pins 5 are in their "open" position in the outer periphery of the receiving disk 4 for receiving a coin 6.

The incoming coin 6 is initially gripped by the driver pins 5 lying in the direction of entry and lies loosely against the contact surface 13 of the receiving disc 4. For this purpose, the test device is arranged obliquely in the overall device at an angle <20, which ensures that the coin 6 is placed loosely on the contact surface 13.

With the onset of a rotational movement through 360 °, the driver pins 5, guided through the circular-shaped elongated holes 9 in the receiving disk 4, are guided in an aperture-like manner to the center of the disk 4 and the coin 6 is centered until all the drivers 5 rest evenly on the coin edge 17. In this process, the coin 6 is pulled through the run-up slope 7, on which the coin edge 17 practically rests, to the contact surface 13 of the receiving disc, as a result of which a precisely defined and vibration-proof stable contact and clamping of the coin 6 for the subsequent opto-electronic scanning of the coin and / or their knurling is guaranteed.

The centering process is practically completed when all of the driver pins 5 rest against the coin edge 17. A kinematic rotary connection to the disk 3 is established via the coin 6, the driving pin 5 and the angle lever 10 and, after overcoming the defined friction / torque applied by the limit force clamp 21, the disk 3 is also set in a synchronous rotary movement with the receiving disk 4. The higher torque that occurs at the same time supports safe and stable clamping of the coin 6 with exact, plane-parallel contact with the contact surface 13 of the disk 4 for the subsequent optoelectronic scanning.

After completing the centering of the coin 6 and after establishing the kinematic rotary connection between the receiving disc 4 and the disc 3 via the centered coin 6 and the driving pin 5, which lie completely against the coin edge 17, by scanning the on the discs 3; 4 attached markings 19 with the aid of a sensor system and by detecting and counting the steps of a stepping motor used as drive motor 1, the angle of rotation of the mutual rotation of the two disks 3; 4 determined and from this the respective diameter of the coin 6 to be tested is determined by means of computation.

According to the invention, a cylindrical fixed inductor 16 for inductive material detection is arranged in the hollow shaft 8. The material test of the coin 6 is expediently carried out after the centering process has been completed with the coin being completely in plane-parallel contact with the contact surface 13 and with a complete, stable coverage of the fixed inductance 16.

5, the motor shaft 22 of the drive motor 1 is connected directly to the receiving disc 4. The drive motor 1 is in turn attached to a mounting plate 13 which is equipped with a bearing pin 24. The second disk 3, on which the angle levers 10 are rotatably articulated, is freely rotatably mounted on this journal 24. Analogously to the receiving disk 4, the disk 3 is also provided with circular-arc-shaped elongated holes 9, directed towards the center of the disk 3, in FIG. 6, through which extensions 25 of the driver pins 5 are passed. On the back of the disc 3 springs 27 are articulated to the extensions of the driver pin 5 in such a way that they act together with the angle levers as a toggle mechanism and when the device is closed, the center of the discs 3; Support 4 directional lever movement of the angle lever 10.

This ensures that the angle lever 10 with the driver pin 5 in its initial position, which corresponds to the "open" position of the device, remain purely mechanically and after starting the motor 1 and after overcoming the tipping point, the movement of the center of the disc 4 Lever 10 respectively the Driver pin 5 supports and at the same time the leverage acting on the coin edge 17 is increased.

When the motor 1 and the disk 4 start up, the disk 3 is held in place by an assigned pawl 26, which engages in a corresponding recess 28 in the jacket of the disk 3, until the spring 7 reaches the tipping point and thereby the entire tensioning and centering process supported coin 6 supported.

After all driver pins 5 rest on the coin edge 17 of the coin 6, the rotary movement of the disk 4 is transmitted to the disk 3 and the entire mechanical system is rotated in the direction specified by the motor 1 and at the appropriate speed, with the aid of an opto-electronic test - And evaluation device, which is not the subject of the present invention, for example, the surface structure of the coin or parts thereof can be detected and evaluated with high accuracy.

To open the device and the possible issue of the coin 6, the direction of rotation of the motor 1 is changed and the disc 3 is locked again for this process by the pawl 26.

The driver pins 5 are returned to their starting positions by means of the circular-shaped elongated holes 9 and supported by the springs 27.

Instead of the pawl 26, a controllable brake can also be provided, which interacts with the jacket of the disk 3.

List of reference symbols

• 1 drive motor
• 2 gear
• 3 disc
• 4 holding washers
• 5 drive pins
• 6 coin
• 7 bevels
• 8 hollow shaft
• 9 circular elongated hole
• 10 angle levers
• 11 gear
• 12 circlip
• 13 contact surface
• 14 hole
• 15 pivots
• 16 Fixed inductance
• 17 coin edge
• 18 longitudinal axis
• 19 marks
• 20 mounting plate
• 21 Limit force inhibitor
• 22 motor shaft
• 23 mounting plate
• 24 journals
• 25 extensions
• 26 pawl
• 27 spring
• 28 recess

Claims (14)

1. A method for checking the authenticity and the value of coins by determining the coin diameter, the material properties of the coin and the coinage, characterized in that within a test cycle in which the coin is picked up, centered, clamped and rotated by 360 °, the Coin diameter, the coinage and the material properties are recorded and evaluated. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the coin diameter is detected and checked within the centering phase of the coin. 3. The method according to claim 1 and 2, characterized in that the coin diameter is determined and checked via the angle of rotation of the rotation of two disks which can be rotated independently of one another. 4. The method according to claim 1 to 3, characterized in that the angle of rotation of the drive motor is detected and evaluated for the determination of the coin diameter. 5. A device for checking the authenticity and the value of coins, characterized in that two disks (3; 4) which can be rotated independently of one another are arranged on a common axis, of which at least the disk (4) serving as the receiving disk has an arcuate shape, by one outgoing predetermined diameter, radially directed towards the center of the receiving disc (4) elongated holes (9), through which drive pins (5) of angular levers (10) rotatably articulated on the disc (3) are passed and as a common axis preferably one via a gear (2; 11) driven by a motor (1) serves hollow shaft (8), on which the receiving disc (4) is attached in a rotationally fixed manner and on which the disc (3) is freely rotatable, with a fixed inductance (8) in the hollow shaft (8). 16) is inserted and the free ends of the driver pins (5) with bevels (7) verse hen are. 6. The device according to claim 5, characterized in that the run-up bevels (7) of the driver pin (5) to the contact surface (13) of the disc (4) directed and arranged at an angle () to the longitudinal axis (18) of the angle lever (10) , wherein the angle or tangent corresponds to the curved path of the circular elongated holes (9) in the disc (4). 7. The device according to claim 5, characterized in that the disc (3) is provided in an analogous arrangement to the receiving disc (4) with arc-shaped elongated holes, through the extensions (25) of the driver pin (5) and by springs (7) are attached in tipping arrangement, are fixed. 8. The device according to claim 5, characterized in that the drive motor (1) is a stepper motor, preferably an analog motor with an incremental measuring system. 9. The device according to claim 5, characterized in that the disc (3) is fixed by a limit force clamp (21) with a defined friction / torque. 10. The device according to claim 5 and 8, characterized in that the receiving disc (4) on the motor shaft (22) of a drive motor (1) directly attached and the disc (3) on a bearing pin (24) of a receiving plate (20) for the Drive motor (1) is freely rotatable. 11. The device according to claim 5 and 10, characterized in that the freely rotatable disc (3) is assigned a pawl (26) which engages in recesses (28) in the disc shell and between the discs (3; 4) a two discs biasing spring is provided. 12. Use of the device according to claim 5 to 11 in money exchange facilities. 13. Use of the device according to claim 5 to 11 in measuring and / or testing devices for rotationally symmetrical parts. 14. Use of the device according to claim 5 to 11 in self-collecting facilities.

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