EP1378866A2 - Vorrichtung und Verfahren zur Prüfung von Münzen - Google Patents

Vorrichtung und Verfahren zur Prüfung von Münzen Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1378866A2
EP1378866A2 EP02380207A EP02380207A EP1378866A2 EP 1378866 A2 EP1378866 A2 EP 1378866A2 EP 02380207 A EP02380207 A EP 02380207A EP 02380207 A EP02380207 A EP 02380207A EP 1378866 A2 EP1378866 A2 EP 1378866A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
coin
impact element
sensor
impact
acoustic wave
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Ceased
Application number
EP02380207A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP1378866A3 (de
Inventor
José Luis Pina Insausti
Luis Santos Echavarri Sanz De Galdeano
Alfonso Carlosena Garcia
Antonio J. Lopez Martin
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Azkoyen Medios de Pago SA
Original Assignee
Azkoyen Medios de Pago SA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from EP02380143A external-priority patent/EP1378867A1/de
Application filed by Azkoyen Medios de Pago SA filed Critical Azkoyen Medios de Pago SA
Priority to EP02380207A priority Critical patent/EP1378866A3/de
Publication of EP1378866A2 publication Critical patent/EP1378866A2/de
Publication of EP1378866A3 publication Critical patent/EP1378866A3/de
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07D—HANDLING OF COINS OR VALUABLE PAPERS, e.g. TESTING, SORTING BY DENOMINATIONS, COUNTING, DISPENSING, CHANGING OR DEPOSITING
    • G07D5/00—Testing specially adapted to determine the identity or genuineness of coins, e.g. for segregating coins which are unacceptable or alien to a currency
    • G07D5/06—Testing the hardness or elasticity
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07D—HANDLING OF COINS OR VALUABLE PAPERS, e.g. TESTING, SORTING BY DENOMINATIONS, COUNTING, DISPENSING, CHANGING OR DEPOSITING
    • G07D5/00—Testing specially adapted to determine the identity or genuineness of coins, e.g. for segregating coins which are unacceptable or alien to a currency

Definitions

  • the present invention is included within the devices which check the validity of coins or of metallic tokens, or of disc-shaped elements in general. To distinguish coins of legal tender or valid tokens, from each other or from pertinent counterfeits, these devices determine different properties thereof, such as: their dimensions, electrical and electromagnetic properties, presence of minting impressions, weight, hardness, etc.
  • a smaller number of inventions are known and described related with the measurement of mechanical properties of the coins such as their elasticity, hardness, weight or density which result of interest to detect counterfeits made from softer and less elastic materials like lead and tin, of which some counterfeits are made of. Also, it is of interest to detect the presence of blanks, that is, coins without minting and whose difference with the corresponding coin of legal tender is usually, besides the missing relief, a minimal difference in dimensions. Logically, the discrimination of these blanks based on the aforementioned properties of elasticity, hardness, density, and certainly of properties of an electromagnetic type proves practically impossible.
  • a quality of coins which results from the combination of their elasticity, dimensions and density is their sound on striking a certain medium, since the fundamental frequencies of the former depend in a known manner on the properties mentioned. The measurement of the sound would therefore make possible the discernment of coins, counterfeits and tokens which would be distinguished from each other by their elasticity, density, dimensions, or combinations of these three parameters.
  • EP O 360 506 a similar device is proposed in which the coin falls on a resistant element of great elasticity which leads to the coin vibrating and emitting sound.
  • the information on the sound is combined with the information on the weight and dimensions obtained by other sensors to determine the validity thereof.
  • the patent EP 0766207 B1 concerns a procedure for identification of coins which uses the acoustic signal produced by the coin after colliding with a hard surface.
  • the signal received by a microphone is applied to a bank of filters and is subsequently integrated by means of independent integrators for each one of the filters.
  • the parameters which are obtained are related with the relative values between one and another band of said integration and their evolution over the time that the acoustic signal lasts.
  • an aspect which has not been taken into account in any of the previous embodiments is the disposition of the microphone, and even the possibility of using more than one of these elements.
  • the propagation and distortion aspects of the sound wave are important, whereby differences in the placement of the microphone of the order of 1 cm provide in short times appreciably different signals.
  • the invention relates to a device in accordance with claims 1 and 3 and to a selector in accordance with claim 10. Preferred embodiments of the device are defined in the dependent claims.
  • the fundamental limitations which the procedures described above suffer, are that the characteristics of the sound emitted by the coin depend, as well as on the mechanical and dimensional properties thereof, on the mechanical configuration of the selector, on the form and conditions in which the impact thereof takes place on the element mounted for the purpose of producing the sound and on the position of the microphone.
  • the sound signal produced by the coin does not have sufficient regularity in the course of different insertions, and is also masked by sounds coming from the actual casing, striking plate, etc.
  • situations usually arise in which the sound analysed does not correspond to that of the desired impact between the coin and the element mounted for it, but instead has its origin in multiple other impacts produced over the course of the rolling channel of the coin.
  • the present invention relates to a device for obtaining the physico-mechanical characteristics of a coin for its verification thereof, which is particularly intended to be mounted in a selector.
  • This selector comprises a casing which defines a rolling track for the coin (or the coins) to be verified, in which track is located an impact element, which has an initial idle position in which said impact element is at least partially inserted in said track, so the coin strikes against said impact element in its journey along the rolling channel.
  • the device of the invention comprises at least a first sensor of an acoustic wave produced by the striking of the coin on the impact element, which comprises means of conversion of the acoustic wave into an electric signal.
  • the device of the invention is characterised in that the impact element is mounted on the casing of the selector with freedom of movement according to at least a first direction and in that said impact element is configured in such a way that, after the impact, it returns to its initial idle position.
  • the device preferably also comprises at least a second sensor of an acoustic wave which like the first sensor of an acoustic wave, also comprises means of conversion of the acoustic wave into an electric signal, and means of joint analysis of the electric signals of said at least, first sensor and second sensor.
  • the invention also relates to a device for obtaining physicomechanical characteristics of a coin for verification thereof, which is particularly intended to be mounted in a selector, the selector comprising a casing which defines a rolling track for the coin to be verified, an impact element being located in said track, so the coin strikes against said impact element in its journey along the rolling track.
  • the device is characterised in that it comprises at least a first sensor and a second sensor of an acoustic wave produced by the striking of the coin on said impact element, each sensor comprising means of conversion of the acoustic wave into an electric signal, and means of joint analysis of said electric signals.
  • the impact element has a hardness greater than the maximum hardness of a coin within a group of coins to be verified and in that its characteristic modes of vibration do not interfere with the characteristic modes of vibration of the coin to be verified.
  • the conditions that the impact element will fulfil, with respect to its geometry and material are those that propitiate the generation of the greatest possible number of characteristic modes (frequencies) of the coin, that is, that the impact surface is minimum and that the hardness of its contact surface is very high, in any event greater than that of the coins or tokens to be characterised.
  • the characteristic modes of vibration of the element must be such that they do not interfere in any way with those of the coins to be examined.
  • a possible and not restrictive embodiment of this element is constituted by a steel cylinder the major axis of which is located perpendicular to the direction in which the coin rolls.
  • said at least first sensor of an acoustic wave is located in any one of the lateral walls of the rolling track, and at a distance from the point of impact between the coin and the impact element, not greater than the diameter of the largest coin to be verified.
  • the device of the invention which comprises at least a first and a second sensor of an acoustic wave, preferably these are located in any one of the lateral walls of the rolling track, and at a distance from the point of impact between the coin and the impact element, not greater than the diameter of the largest coin to be verified.
  • first sensor and second sensor consist of a microphone.
  • the means of joint analysis comprise means of combining said electric signals and means of cancelling the electric signals common to said, at least, first sensor and second sensor.
  • a kinematic or electric magnitude associated with the impact of the coin on the impact element is used as a useful reference to know the instant at which the vibrations and the sound of the coin to examine commences.
  • Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a coin selector which comprises an entrance for the coins and a casing which defines a rolling track for the coins, and characterised in that it comprises a device for obtaining physico-mechanical characteristics of a coin for its verification according to any one of the preferred embodiments which are defined in the foregoing.
  • the principle on which the present invention stands is that the sound produced by the coin has its origin in the modes of vibration thereof and that these depend in a univocal manner on the geometric form and size thereof, on its elasticity and on its density.
  • the manner in which these modes of vibration, and therefore the sound, are excited and evolve in time depend also on the form in which the impact takes place, and on the propagation medium.
  • the word sound will be understood in an extensive way, including those signals propagated through the air be they audible or not to the human ear. Based on this principle, by means of the device of this invention, the following is achieved:
  • the device of the invention comprises an impact element which, in contrast to other inventions described, is not firmly joined to the casing but is instead free, in a "floating" configuration, being able to move with respect to said casing at least in a preferred direction.
  • Said element has to project slightly into the rolling track so that when the coin strikes against it, it will move in the direction possible, allowing the subsequent passing of the coin, and thereafter returning to its idle position by means of some mechanism like, for example, some flexible metal strips or a coil type spring.
  • the objective of this free disposition of the impact element is that of avoiding that the vibration produced therein by the coin spreads throughout the casing producing sounds which mask that desired.
  • this disposition greatly facilitates the determination of the precise instant at which the desired sound, and not another begins, using sensors of piezoelectric, optical, electric or other types which determine the movement, speed or acceleration of the impact element.
  • the device described can have, in the event, any of these types of sensor.
  • the device of the invention comprises, also, at least one sensor of an acoustic wave, preferably a microphone which has to be located close to the impact element, at a distance not greater than the diameter of the largest coin to be examined, from the point of impact of the coin with the element. Therefore, this sensor of an acoustic wave will be close to the coin at the instant in which said impact takes place. After the impact, the sound wave produced by the coin is different over time on the two sides of the channel, whereby the sound picked up will also be so. For that reason the subsequent analysis of the signal, although containing the same information, has to be different.
  • the sensor element i.e. the microphone
  • the microphone can be located on either of the two sides of the channel and even on both if it is desired to use the information provided by them in a combined way.
  • a microphone is understood to be any device which permits waves propagated in the air to be detected, be they audible to humans or not.
  • the device of the invention also envisages the possibility of incorporating more than one microphone on a same side of the channel, since said sound has properties associated with each measurement point.
  • the use of more than one microphone can be specially useful when, due to limitations of a mechanical type, it is not possible to have a totally free impact element.
  • the use of several microphones permit compensation, such as is the objective of this invention, of other sound signals not coming directly from the coin but from the casing.
  • the device described can be implemented in any point of the channel of the selector, best discrimination results are obtained when it is mounted in an area in which the movement of the coin is developing in a stable manner, since in this case the impact conditions are much more homogeneous for a given coin. Therefore, preferably, the impact element together with the microphone or microphones are arranged at the end of the coin rolling ramp.
  • a preferred embodiment of the invention would be that in which the element on which the coin impacts is located on one of the lateral walls of the rolling track, so the coin strikes on the edge of its rim, minimising the contact surface.
  • Figure 1 shows a possible embodiment of the device of the present invention in the event of the same incorporating one microphone 10 or two microphones 10, 10'.
  • FIG. 1 a portion 1 of a coin selector is shown, in which are seen, as elements known in a selector, the casing of the selector with its two lateral walls 3, 3' which define a rolling track 4 for the coins 5.
  • the device has two microphones 10, 10', one in each lateral wall, and an impact element 6 which is located in a free manner in one of the walls of the selector.
  • the impact element 6 is a cylindrical mass of steel.
  • the rolling direction of the coin has been shown schematically by means of the arrow M, and the direction of the movement of the impact element against which said coin strikes by means of the arrow E; by means of A and B, the mounting positions for one or two microphones are indicted.
  • both the coin 5 and the impact element 6 will suffer a lateral displacement due to the reaction force as is shown in Figure 2.
  • the coin will begin to vibrate at its characteristic frequencies which will depend on its geometry, mass and modulus of elasticity.
  • the impact element will also vibrate and will emit an acoustic signal corresponding to its modes of vibration, however to avoid possible interference with the signals coming from the coins, the dimensions and materials are chosen so that they do not interfere in the frequency bands of interest of the coins.
  • a resonant frequency is chosen for the impact element substantially greater than that of the coins to be validated, which can even be greater than that of the response of the microphone employed, whereby it is as if to all effects it was not present.
  • the signal As-Bs is shown obtained by subtraction between the signals provided by the microphones 10, 10' located in the positions "A” and “B”, respectively, for a 2 Euro coin.
  • the preferred embodiment is shown in Figure 3, in which four positions "A", “B”, “C” and “D” have been represented for the microphones 10, 10', 10", 10"', respectively.
  • a preferred embodiment with two microphones has already been described in the previous section.
  • Another preferred embodiment also with two microphones is that corresponding to positions "A” and “C” or to "B” and “D”, as is shown in Figure 4.
  • the microphones are mounted preferably on a line parallel to the displacement of the coin.
  • a difference which has been observed, during the time immediately after impact, consists in that the signal from the microphone near the edge of the coin boosts the lowest resonant frequency, whilst that which is located toward the centre of said coin is more sensitive to the higher resonant frequency modes.
  • a linear combination of the two signals is very effective for suppressing signals other than those emitted by the coin and moreover in the case of using the signals from the microphones mounted on the same side of the channel, fuller information will be obtained on the different resonant modes of the coin.
  • the use of two microphones located on the same wall of the coin passage besides the reduction of noise, has the advantage of allowing the coin to be characterised in a brief interval of time and of space travelled by the coin.
  • the time is 33 ms, excessive in coin selectors in which the coin acceptance or rejection gate is in the proximity of the sensors and therefore the time of analysis has to be decreased as much as possible.
  • crossed positions are also possible, that is, "A” and "D” or “B” and “C”, which can be useful depending on the specific device in which it is incorporated, especially on the space available in relation with other sensors or mechanisms present.
  • the signals from two or more microphones can also be combined by means of non-linear processes, like correlation, for the purpose of obtaining a representative signal of the coin in course.
  • the individual signals from one or more microphones or that obtained by applying linear or non-linear procedures will be processed according to known techniques for obtaining certain representative parameters of the coin in course, which subsequently will be compared with those representative of acceptable coins in order to determine its validity.
  • the signals will be analysed either by analogue procedures based on banks of filters, measuring energy in different bands and its evolution in time, detection of peak values, measurement of rms value, etc., or by digital signal processing, calculating values in the time domain starting from the sampled signal, such as maximums, minimums, inflection points, zero crossovers, envelope, and in the frequency domain other values such as: characteristic frequencies, damping constant, bandwidths.
  • DSP Digital Signal Processor
  • the use of an impact element free in at least one axis has the advantage of low transmission of vibrations to the rest of the selector after the impact of the coin.
  • the microphone mounted in the proximity of the coin receives a high signal level from the coin with respect to the noise generated, the precise determination of the instant of the impact being therefore very simple.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Testing Of Coins (AREA)
EP02380207A 2002-07-02 2002-10-07 Vorrichtung und Verfahren zur Prüfung von Münzen Ceased EP1378866A3 (de)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP02380207A EP1378866A3 (de) 2002-07-02 2002-10-07 Vorrichtung und Verfahren zur Prüfung von Münzen

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP02380143 2002-07-02
EP02380143A EP1378867A1 (de) 2002-07-02 2002-07-02 Verfahren und Vorrichtung zur Münzprüfung
EP02380207A EP1378866A3 (de) 2002-07-02 2002-10-07 Vorrichtung und Verfahren zur Prüfung von Münzen

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1378866A2 true EP1378866A2 (de) 2004-01-07
EP1378866A3 EP1378866A3 (de) 2004-04-21

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EP02380207A Ceased EP1378866A3 (de) 2002-07-02 2002-10-07 Vorrichtung und Verfahren zur Prüfung von Münzen

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Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1196034A (en) * 1966-08-05 1970-06-24 Siemens Ag Improvements in or relating to Automatic Coin Recognition Arrangements.
EP0318229A2 (de) * 1987-11-24 1989-05-31 Gec Plessey Telecommunications Limited Vorrichtung zum Prüfen von Münzen
US5226520A (en) * 1991-05-02 1993-07-13 Parker Donald O Coin detector system
DE19503765C1 (de) * 1995-02-04 1996-05-02 Nat Rejectors Gmbh Münzgerät mit einer Vorrichtung zur Härtebestimmung von Münzen
EP1083524A2 (de) * 1999-08-18 2001-03-14 Jofemar, S.A. Münzauswahlvorrichtung

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1196034A (en) * 1966-08-05 1970-06-24 Siemens Ag Improvements in or relating to Automatic Coin Recognition Arrangements.
EP0318229A2 (de) * 1987-11-24 1989-05-31 Gec Plessey Telecommunications Limited Vorrichtung zum Prüfen von Münzen
US5226520A (en) * 1991-05-02 1993-07-13 Parker Donald O Coin detector system
DE19503765C1 (de) * 1995-02-04 1996-05-02 Nat Rejectors Gmbh Münzgerät mit einer Vorrichtung zur Härtebestimmung von Münzen
EP1083524A2 (de) * 1999-08-18 2001-03-14 Jofemar, S.A. Münzauswahlvorrichtung

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Publication number Publication date
EP1378866A3 (de) 2004-04-21

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