JP2001351138A - Coin discriminating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a coin discriminating device excellent in discriminating precision that takes into account of the diameter, thickness and material of a coin, which give influence to each other, in the coin discriminating device where the respective detection sensors of the diameter, material and thickness of the coin are all constituted of magnetic sensors. SOLUTION: A correction means for correcting the detected data of a diameter sensor 30 based on the detected data of material thickness sensors 40 (40A, 40B) is provided to sort the coin 1 by each diameter of the coin with the corrected diameter data to identify it from a similar-diameter coin. By this correcting processing, the detected displacement (error) of a diameter sensor caused by the influence of the thickness of the coin can be corrected and respective kinds of coins can be precisely sorted and discriminated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a coin discriminating apparatus for detecting the diameter, material and thickness of a coin with a magnetic sensor to discriminate the denomination, authenticity, etc. of the coin, and more particularly to the coin discriminating apparatus. The present invention relates to a coin discriminating apparatus that corrects output displacement (error) of a magnetic sensor so that various coins can be discriminated with high accuracy.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a method for detecting the diameter of a coin, for example, as described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-48951, an image sensor is provided on the passage of the coin, and light is irradiated from the lower surface. There is a method of detecting the diameter of a coin by measuring a maximum length of a portion where the passing coin blocks light or a minimum transmission portion. It is effective to employ optical means for detecting the diameter of a coin as described above, but on the other hand, it is vulnerable to the attachment of dust and foreign matter, requires constant cleaning, and requires replacement of the light source. . Therefore, magnetic sensors are generally used in view of such troublesome maintenance and cost.

An example using a magnetic sensor is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-47792. The coin sorting device described in this publication includes an outer diameter detection coil, a material detection coil, and a material thickness detection coil, and corrects a reference value for discriminating a denomination based on a measurement value of the detection coil, thereby obtaining a surrounding area. In order to avoid the performance degradation due to the temperature change of the device and the aging of the components of the apparatus, the oscillator obtained by passing a coin through the outer diameter detection coil, the material detection coil, and the material thickness detection coil is used. A coin of a specific denomination is determined on condition that the maximum change amount of the frequency of the oscillation output is within each determination frame. In this case, the outer diameter determination, the material determination, and the material thickness determination are independent determination targets.

However, as a result of the experiment, as shown in FIG. 19, it has been found that even if the material is the same and the outer diameter is changed, the detected outer diameter output changes when the material thickness changes. . FIG. 19 shows the output value Y of the diameter sensor for each coin of thickness t, with the output Y (AD converted value) of the diameter sensor as the vertical axis and the measured thickness t (mm) as the horizontal axis. 19 indicate the upper threshold and the lower threshold, respectively. For example, φ of white copper gauge coin
(Diameter) = 26.5, t (thickness) = 1.5 and white copper gauge coin with φ = 26.0, t = 1.5. The value is 1340, and the latter AD value is 1285. Also, φ26.5, t = 1.4 and φ = 26.
At 0 and t = 1.5, the actual diameters differ by 0.5 mm, whereas the AD values are almost the same, and no distinction can be made.

[0005] This means that, in terms of actual coins, three kinds of coins, all of which are made of the same white copper (75% Cu, 25% Ni), a Japanese 500 yen coin (φ = 26.5, t = 1.
8) and the Greek 10 Drachma (φ = 26.0, t =
1.9) and Taiwanese $ 10 (φ = 26.0, t = 1.
9) results in that separation is not possible despite the different diameters.

FIG. 20 shows the output value Z of a material sensor for a coin having a thickness t, with the output Z of the material sensor as the vertical axis and the measured value t (mm) of the thickness as the horizontal axis. (A) shows the output Z1 of the material sensor 1 arranged on one side of the passage, and FIG. 2 (B) shows the output Z2 of the material sensor 2 arranged on the opposite side. FIG. 20 (A)
As shown in (B) and (B), it was found that when the thickness of the material was the same, the output of the material sensor increased, and the thickness of the coin affected the output of the material sensor.

In actual coins, φ = 26.5, t = 1.5 and φ = 26.0, t = 1.5 of a white copper gauge coin
In this case, the outputs of the material sensor 1 are 406, which are the same, but the white copper gauge coin φ = 26.5 and t =
1.4, φ = 26.5, t = 1.5, φ = 26.5, t
= 1.6, φ = 26.5, t = 1.7, it can be considered that the same material sensor output is produced because they are the same material. However, in fact, as shown in FIG. As the thickness increases, the material sensor output increases. That is, the outer diameter detection output∝material thickness and the material detection output∝material thickness.

[0008]

As described above, the use of a magnetic sensor as a coin discrimination sensor is more resistant to dust and foreign matter than an optical sensor, and is advantageous in terms of maintenance and cost. However, for the above-mentioned reason, there is a characteristic that the output of the coin is displaced due to the thickness of the coin affecting the diameter sensor, so that there is a problem that the diameter cannot be accurately determined. In particular, depending on the foreign currency, 50
There was a problem that some coins could not be separated despite their diameters being different from the 0 yen coin. Furthermore, in recent years, there has been a demand that many types of coins must be identified, and in order to meet this requirement, it is necessary to detect the diameter of the coin in detail. However, it is difficult to detect the diameter of a coin with high accuracy only by improving the performance of the diameter sensor, and some foreign currency and counterfeit / falsified coins cannot be identified.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a coin discriminating apparatus in which each of the detection sensors for the diameter, material, and material thickness of a coin is constituted by a magnetic sensor. It is an object of the present invention to provide a coin discriminating apparatus having excellent discrimination accuracy based on the characteristics of the diameter, thickness, and material of coins that affect each other.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a coin discriminating apparatus for detecting the diameter, material and thickness of a coin with a magnetic sensor. This is achieved by providing correction means for correcting based on the detection data of the material thickness, and classifying and identifying the coins for each coin diameter using the corrected detection data of the diameter. Further, a correction means for correcting the detected data of the diameter based on the detected data of the material thickness and the material is provided, and the coins are classified and identified for each coin diameter with the corrected detected data of the diameter. Achieved by

Further, the present invention is provided by a calculating means for calculating the sum of the respective detection data of the diameter, the material thickness and the material, and the coins are classified and identified for each coin diameter with the sum value. In performing each of the above-mentioned corrections, the correction is performed based on the deviation of the temperature-corrected actual measurement value from the reference value for each device; in performing the classification and identification for each coin diameter, the coin diameter and This is more effectively achieved by determining a temporary denomination based on each piece of detection data of the material, and then providing a threshold value so as to be distinguished from coins having a similar diameter.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the present invention, a magnetic sensor is used as a sensor for collecting diameter, material thickness, material data, etc. relating to coin identification in consideration of deterioration in sensor identification accuracy due to adhesion of dust or foreign matter and maintenance. I use a sensor.
Then, the amount of displacement (error) of the coin diameter detection due to the output fluctuation of the diameter sensor caused by the difference in the thickness of the coin is corrected by using the detection data of another sensor (material thickness sensor or material / material thickness sensor). By doing so, the diameter of the coin is detected with high accuracy. For example, in consideration of the characteristic that the diameter sensor is affected by the thickness, a value corresponding to the output displacement (error) of the diameter sensor due to the thickness of the coin is calculated based on the thickness value detected by the thickness sensor. Correct the output of the diameter sensor. Also, utilizing the output characteristic that the material sensor is affected by the thickness, a value corresponding to the output displacement (error) of the diameter sensor due to the thickness of the coin is obtained based on the material value detected by the material sensor. Correct the output of the sensor.

Further, in performing the above correction, the temperature of the identification reference value (or each sensor output) is corrected based on the deviation of the temperature corrected actual measurement value from the reference value of each device, The influence of temperature is avoided. When discriminating coins, the discriminating process is performed by performing a comprehensive judgment by combining the diameter, the material thickness, the sum of the material data, the detection data of each sensor, and the data after the correction described above. Various types of foreign currency and counterfeit / falsified coins, which cannot be distinguished by a conventional coin identification device using a sensor, can be distinguished. Note that the reference value for each device is set based on an actual measurement value of each sensor output detected for each identification target coin in a predetermined temperature environment, for example, before shipment of the coin identification sensor unit, and the reference value of the coin identification device is set. This is a value (a reference value for each of the detection elements (material thickness, material, etc.)), and the temperature of the reference value is corrected based on the detected temperature value at the time of actual operation.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an external configuration of a coin identification sensor 10 according to the present invention. A transport path 11 for transporting coins 1 by a transport belt 4 is provided at an upper part of a main body on a housing. The road 11 is provided with a regulating surface 12 for biasing the coin 1 by, for example, inclination. The coin 1 is transported by the driving force of the transport belt 4 while the transport path 11 is in contact with the regulating surface 12 at the end. In addition, housing-like holding members 13 and 1 for preventing the coin 1 from jumping and scattering are provided on both upper sides of the transport path 11.
4 are provided, and various sensor coils described later are built in the holding members 13 and 14. The drive and signal processing circuits for the various detection sensors mounted on the coin identification sensor 10 include a circuit unit 20 at the bottom of the sensor body,
It is mounted on a printed circuit board and built in.

FIG. 2 shows the positional relationship between the various sensors mounted on the coin identification sensor 10 and the arrangement of the coins 1 to be conveyed. An abnormal approach detection sensor (transmission type optical sensor) 2 is also provided, which is used to optically detect the coin 1 conveyed along the conveyance path 11 by the conveyance belt 4 along the regulation surface 12. Has become. At the front end of the coin identification sensor 10, a diameter sensor 30 for magnetically detecting the diameter (diameter or radius) of the coin 1 is provided.

Further, two material / material thickness sensors 40 (40A, 40B) for magnetically detecting the material and material thickness of the coin 1 are provided on the regulation surface 12 side and the opposite side. . Of the two material / material thickness sensors 40, the material / material thickness sensor 40 </ b> A on the side of the knurled sensor 50 (one-sided side) is configured to obtain a detection output even when any coin passes. The other material / material thickness sensor 40B is provided at a position where sensor output can be obtained only when a coin having a large diameter, for example, a coin of 10 yen or 500 yen passes. In other words, in the case of a coin 1a (100 yen or the like) having a small diameter as indicated by a broken line in FIG. 2, the area of the detection section of the material / material thickness sensor 40B does not pass, and the material / material thickness sensor on the one-sided side is not passed. Material / material thickness data of a coin is collected by 40A, and in the case of a coin having a large diameter, two material / material thickness data are collected by two material / material thickness sensors 40A and 40B.

Further, near the regulating surface 12, there is provided a knurled sensor 50 for optically detecting a knurl on the side surface of the coin 1, and magnetically detects an end pattern of the coin 1. Sensor 60 is provided at a position spaced a predetermined distance from the regulating surface 12. At the rear end of the coin identification sensor 10, a denomination timing sensor 70 that magnetically detects the arrival of the coin 1 and outputs a coin identification timing signal is provided.

The tooth sensor 50 and the edge sensor 6
0 is behind the contact position of the coin 1 with the regulating surface 12 when the tip of the coin 1 hits the material / material thickness sensor 40,
The coin 1 is appropriately installed in a range in front of a position where the coin 1 comes into contact with the regulation surface 12 when the coin 1 comes off the abnormal approach detection sensor 2. The diameter sensor 30 and the material / material thickness sensor 40 are disposed at an appropriate distance so that they do not magnetically interfere with each other.

FIG. 3 shows how the diameter sensor 30 is wound. The primary coil 31 for excitation is connected to the transport path 11 of the coin 1.
Secondary coils 32 and 3 embedded in the lower surface body of
3 are embedded in the holding members 13 and 14 on the upper surface of the runway 11, respectively. An excitation signal is applied to the primary coil 31 from the terminals OSC1 and OSCG1, and the secondary coil 32
And the output signal from 33 is output from terminal _{Vin1, V GND1} and _{Vin2, V GND 2.} Between the primary coil 31 and the secondary coils 32 and 33, magnetic fluxes as shown in M1 and M2 are generated.

That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the diameter sensor 30 has an exciting coil 31 provided at the lower part of the passage, and detection coils 32 and 33 provided at the upper part of the passage on the left and right sides in the conveying direction. Is detected. In the diameter sensor 30 having such a configuration, the coil 3
When the coin 1 arrives between the coin 1 and the coils 32 and 33, the magnetic flux of the coil 31 is blocked by the coin 1 and the output decreases. And, as the diameter of the coin is larger, the magnetic flux from the coil 31 is blocked, so that the output of the diameter sensor 30 becomes smaller. Conventionally, the diameter of a coin is detected using this output characteristic.

However, as described in the prior art, since the output characteristics of the magnetic sensor change depending on the material and thickness of the coin, if the coin diameter is determined using the output of the magnetic sensor as it is, even if the coin diameter is different, Regardless, a situation occurs in which similar coins cannot be separated. Therefore, in the present invention, the output displacement of the diameter sensor 30 is corrected by a process described later using the output characteristics of the material / material thickness sensor 40 described below.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show the winding of the material / material thickness sensor 40, and the resonance coil 41 for detecting the material thickness.
In addition, two resonance coils 42 for material detection are buried in parallel in the holding member 14 on the upper surface of the runway 11 and the lower surface main body of the runway 11. Is generated. That is, an independent double coil is wound around a common core in the material / material thickness sensor 40, and has a different frequency, for example, 120 KHz in the material detection coil 42 and a material thickness detection coil 41.
, A current having a frequency of 150 KHz flows to form respective resonance circuits.

FIG. 4 shows one material / material thickness sensor 4.
0, but in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, two materials / thickness sensors 40A and 40B having the same configuration are used.
It is provided in three places. The shape of the core and the winding form of the coil are as shown in FIGS. 6 (A) and 6 (B).
The coil C1 shown in FIG.
FIG. 6B shows a coil on the lower side of the material thickness detecting coil 41. The conductor C1 is wound around a core C1 having a shape as shown in FIG. Forming a coil. The material sensor 42 and the material thickness sensor 41 use a common core, and the core C1 shown in FIG. 6A is provided so as to face each other with a passage therebetween.
Sine wave oscillation circuits OSC1, OSC2 together with capacitors
Is formed. When the coin 1 passes above or below the core, a part of the line of magnetic force is absorbed, and the oscillation frequency of the sine wave oscillation circuit changes accordingly.

In such a configuration, the material / material thickness sensor 40 generates an AC magnetic flux by applying a sine wave to the resonance coil 42, and when the coin 1 enters the gap of the magnetic head portion, the magnetic flux becomes an eddy current due to the coin. Attenuated by loss. Therefore, the apparent mutual inductance becomes small, and the resonance frequency becomes high. Also, the higher the conductivity of the material of the coin 1, the easier the eddy current flows in accordance with the change in the magnetic flux passing through the coin 1, and the more the lines of magnetic force are absorbed.

The detection principle of the material / material thickness sensor 40 is the same as the detection principle of the diameter sensor 30 described later. That is, in summary, in the magnetic sensor having the above configuration,
(A) The attenuation of the magnetic flux increases as the coin becomes thicker,
The smaller the resistivity, the larger the change. (B) The larger the frequency and the coin thickness, the smaller the resistivity, that is, the influence of the coin material. The lower the output of the detection coil, the higher the coin diameter D. Therefore, the amount of change ΔΦ in magnetic flux due to the insertion of the coin 1 into the gap portion of the magnetic head is a function shown in Equation 3 below, that is, ΔΦ = f (frequency ω, resistivity ρ, permeability μ
_i , coin thickness T, coin diameter D). Therefore, the material of the coin,
The material thickness or diameter can be detected.

FIG. 7 shows a schematic configuration of the jaw sensor 50. The laser beam emitted from the laser diode 51 is applied to the jagged portion of the coin 1 via the collimating lens 52 and the slit 53, and the reflected light from the jagged portion is The light is received by the photodiode with lens 54 and signal processing is performed. The principle of such jagged detection is that
The method may be the same as the method described in Japanese Patent Application No. 44770 (Japanese Utility Model Application No. 1-1055791).

FIGS. 8 and 9 show the structure of the edge sensor 60. The edge sensor 60 has a magnetic head 61 for generating a magnetic field and magnetically detecting the magnetic field. The three-dimensional U-shaped magnetic core 62 whose upper part is bent inward has a primary coil 63 and a secondary coil 64.
Is wound. The primary coil 63 is excited by a high frequency excitation signal, the high frequency signal input to the primary coil 63 is output from the secondary coil 64, and the relative permeability of the coin 1 (metal) existing on the magnetic head 61 is reduced. The amplitude changes accordingly. Then, the magnetic head 61 is arranged so that the magnetic field generation direction is orthogonal to the coin 1 conveyance direction, and the primary coil 63 is moved toward the center of the coin.
4 is arranged outside the coin.

The denomination timing sensor 70 is provided at the rear end of the coin identification sensor 10 as shown in FIG. 2, and when a coin approaches the denomination timing sensor 70, all the sensors 30 The data collection for the corresponding coins No. to No. 60 is completed, and the identification result of the coin is transmitted.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the main part of the coin identification device, and shows the magnetic sensor mounted on the coin identification sensor 10 and the circuit configuration of the main part.
In FIG. 10, a CPU 21 for performing overall control is connected to a ROM 22 containing a program, a RAM 23 for storing data for control or identification, and an AD converter 24 via a bus line. Further, the circuit unit 20 connected to various sensors and the temperature detection circuit 80 for detecting the environmental temperature of the coin identification sensor 10 are provided in the multiplexer 2 respectively.
5 is connected to the AD converter 24. The outputs from the detection coils 33 and 32 of the diameter sensor 30 arranged on the right and left sides of the passage are output from the amplifiers 20-301 and 20-301, respectively.
0-303 and smoothing circuits 20-302, 20-304
Are converted to digital values by the A / D converter 24 and input to the CPU 21.

Further, the first and second material / material thickness sensors 40 (40A, 40A) provided at two places with the passage therebetween.
Signals of material thicknesses 1 and 2 and materials 1 and 2 of B) are oscillation circuits 20-401a, 20-401b, 20-403a,
After passing through 0-403b, the smoothing circuits 20-402
a, 20-402b, 20-404a, 20-404b
Are converted to digital values by the A / D converter 24 and input to the CPU 21. The output from the denomination timing sensor 70 is input to the smoothing circuit 20-702 via the amplifier 20-701, converted to a digital value by the A / D converter 24, and input to the CPU 21. Further, the output of the temperature detection circuit 80 is converted into a digital value by the A / D converter 24 and input to the CPU 21.

In the above-described configuration, a sensor output correction process and a coin identification process according to the present invention will be described. First, before describing the process of correcting the output of the diameter sensor 30, the principle that the diameter sensor 30 and the material sensor 40 are affected by the thickness of the coin will be described.

In the configuration shown in FIG.
The electromotive voltage V generated in the secondary coils 32 and 33 is proportional to the magnetic flux, but this magnetic flux is attenuated by eddy current loss due to the coin when a coin is inserted. FIG. 11 shows how the magnetic flux density B is attenuated. Here, the Z axis is set to the boundary surface Z = 0, and the left (-)
The direction indicates the air layer, and the right (+) direction indicates the conductor layer. As shown in the figure, the magnetic flux B decreases exponentially according to the depth (rightward) from the boundary surface Z = 0, and the phase is delayed according to the depth. Considering the amount of change in the magnetic flux B as ΔΦ, the amount of change ΔΦ can be expressed by the following equation (1).

[0034]

(Equation 1) Here, μ ₀ is the magnetic permeability at Z = 0 and the vacuum magnetic permeability, and H ₀ is Z
= 0 the intensity of the magnetic field at the of, mu _i area initial permeability of the conductor, [rho is resistivity, omega is frequency, S ₁ is the magnetic flux is blocked by the coin

S _{1 in the} above equation can be expressed as S ₁ = D × L (coin diameter D × length L in the core width direction), and the magnetic permeability is μ ₀ = coin because the coin is a non-ferrous metal. μ _i = 4π × 10
⁻⁷ [H / m], A = μ ₀ · H ₀ · L =
Assuming that this is constant, the above equation (1) can be rewritten into the following equation (2), where T is the thickness of the coin.

[0036]

(Equation 2)

Table 1 shows the material corresponding to the coin and the skin thickness δ (thickness when the amplitude of the magnetic flux becomes 1 / e) corresponding to the frequency.

[0038]

[Table 1]

As can be seen from the above equation (2), the amount of magnetic flux attenuation increases as the coin becomes thicker, and the change increases as the resistivity ρ decreases. Also, as the frequency ω and the coin thickness T increase, the influence of the resistivity ρ, that is, the coin material, decreases. The outputs of the secondary coils 32 and 33 of the diameter sensor 30 are
It can be seen that it is proportional to the coin diameter D. Therefore, the amount of change ΔΦ in magnetic flux due to a coin can be expressed by a function shown in the following Expression 3.

[0040]

ΔΦ = f (frequency ω, resistivity ρ, magnetic permeability μ _i ,
Coin thickness T, coin diameter D)

From the above, it can be said that the output of the diameter sensor 30 is affected by the thickness T of the coin. Further, as can be seen from Equations 2 and 3 and Table 1, it can be said that the output of the material sensor 40 is also affected by the thickness T of the coin as in the case of the diameter sensor 30.

In the following, the effects on the sensors due to differences in the diameter, material, and material thickness of coins will be described with reference to specific examples.

(1) Influence on Diameter Data The diameter sensor is affected by the thickness according to the principle described above, and as described with reference to FIG. 19 showing actual results (see the description of the prior art). Reference), it was found that the output of the diameter sensor was affected by the thickness of the coin, and as a result of actually conducting detailed analysis and analysis, the effect was as follows. For example, when the same diameter gauge coin is used, a thickness difference of 0.1 mm is affected by a diameter of 0.15 to 0.30 mm. On the other hand, the material thickness data shows that the actual thickness difference of the gauge coin is 0.1 mm but the diameter difference is 0.22 m.
Experiments have shown that the effect is equivalent to m. If there is an actual difference in coin thickness, it is reflected in the material thickness data. Therefore, it is conceivable to correct the detection displacement (error) of the diameter sensor 30 due to the influence of the coin thickness using the material thickness data detected by the material / material thickness sensor 40. For example,
After the denomination of the coin is determined, the difference between the coin and the reference value of the thickness of the coin is converted into a diameter difference to correct the diameter data, thereby improving the diameter detection accuracy.

(2) Influence on Material Data The material data from the material / material thickness sensor is hardly affected by the diameter, but is affected by the thickness. As described above with reference to FIG. 20 (see the description of the related art), it has been found that the output of the material sensor 41 is affected by the thickness of the coin, and as a result of actual experiment and analysis, Was as follows. For example, in the case of a white copper coin, the detection output of the material of the material / material thickness sensor 40 is 2.6 mm with a difference of 0.1 mm in thickness.
Affected by ~ 3.6%. Further, there is a difference depending on the material, and aluminum and brass are affected by 7.5%.

(3) Influence on material thickness data The material thickness data is hardly affected by the diameter, but is affected by the material.

From the above, the present invention employs the following correction method. Hereinafter, a process of correcting coin diameter detection data and a process of identifying a coin using the correction data according to the present invention will be described.

In the conventional coin discriminating apparatus, the detected value (diameter data) of the diameter sensor 30 is defined as Y, and the detected value Y is compared with the threshold value of the coin for each denomination, for example, by the following equation 4 to satisfy the condition. If not, it will be rejected.

## EQU4 ## Threshold lower limit <Y <Threshold upper limit

In the present invention, the detection value (diameter data) Y of the diameter sensor 30 is used as the material / material thickness sensor 40 (40A, 40A).
Using the detected value of B), the difference between the coin thickness and material reference value and the reference value is converted into a diameter difference and corrected by the following first and second correction methods. The symbol shown in each of the following mathematical expressions is 5
The value obtained by adding the deviation α of the measured value S ′ after temperature correction to the reference value S of the material thicknesses 1 and 2 of 00 yen to the reference value S is referred to as “material thickness 1” and “material thickness 2”, respectively. The first material thickness output data (one-side shift side) is “X1”, the first thickness-thickness output data (opposite side) is “X2”, and the diameter data is “Y”. Similarly, the material output data corresponding to the material 1 and the material 2 is “Z1” and “Z2”. The reference values of the material thicknesses 1 and 2 and the material 1 and 2 are the standard values of the material thickness and the material for each apparatus set initially.

[Correction 1] As correction 1 (first correction method), the outputs X1 and X2 of the material thickness detected by the material / material thickness sensors 40A and 40B are used, and the diameter sensor 30 is calculated by the following equation (5).
Is corrected. That is, the difference between the thickness data X1 and X2 and the 500 yen reference value is converted into a diameter difference, and the converted value is added to the diameter data Y as a correction amount. Then, in the coin identification processing, the diameter data Y ′ after correction is compared with a threshold value as shown in Expression 6 below to make a determination.

[0050]

Y ′ = ｛(material thickness 1−X1) + (material thickness 2−X)
2)｝ / 2 + Y

[Formula 6] threshold lower limit <Y ′ <threshold upper limit

FIGS. 12A and 12B show the outputs X1, X2 of the material thicknesses 1, 2 detected by the material / material thickness sensors 40A, 40B.
The output value of the material / thickness sensor for each coin having the thickness t is shown with X2 as the vertical axis and the measured value t (mm) of the thickness as the horizontal axis. Similarly, the output Y ′ of the diameter sensor 30 after correcting the raw output Y of the diameter sensor 30 by using the outputs X1 and X2 of the material / thickness sensor according to the above equation 5 is the sensor output on the vertical axis and the horizontal axis on the horizontal axis. FIG. 13 shows the measured values of the thickness. As can be seen from FIG. 13, by employing the method of the above-described correction 1, coins that cannot be classified based on the output Y of the diameter sensor 30 (see FIG. 19), for example, white copper (Cu 75%, Ni 25% ), 500 yen coins of Japan (φ = 26.5, t = 1.8)
And the Greek 10 Drachma (φ = 26.0, t = 1.
9) and 10 dollars in Taiwan (φ = 26.0, t = 1.9)
Can be classified and identified.

[Correction 2] As a correction 2 (second correction method), the difference between the material data and the 500 yen reference value is converted into a diameter difference, and this converted value is added to the diameter data Y as a correction amount. This correction processing may be performed independently of the first correction processing, and the diameter data obtained by adding the correction amount to the diameter data Y may be used for determination.
As shown in the following Expression 7, the converted value is added as a correction amount to the diameter data Y ′ corrected by the first correction processing. Then, in the coin identification processing, the diameter data Y ′ after the correction is compared with the threshold according to the following Expression 8 to make a determination.

[0053]

Y ″ = Y ′ + (Material 1−Z1) + (Material 2−Z)
2)

[Equation 8] Threshold lower limit <Y ”<Threshold upper limit

As an actual result, the material / material thickness sensor 4
Outputs Z1 and Z2 of materials 1 and 2 detected at 0A and 40B
Are as shown in FIGS. 20 (A) and 20 (B).
Using the outputs Z1 and Z2, the diameter sensor 30
The output Y ″ after the correction of the output Y is as shown in FIG. 14. As can be seen from FIG.
The differences between Japanese 500 yen coins that could not be classified and 10 Drachma in Greece, 10 dollars in Taiwan, and 50 Rial in Iran as described above become clearer, and the separation and identification accuracy is improved. In addition, although 500 yen and Portugal 20 ecudo cannot be distinguished by adopting the correction 2 method, it is to be distinguished by a comprehensive determination 2 method described later relating to a coin diameter obtained by combining the corrected detection data. I have to.

[Comprehensive Judgment 1 Regarding Coin Diameter] In coin classification and identification processing, the diameter data Y
The determination of (raw data) was also used at the same time, and the determination result based on the raw data, the determination result based on Equation 6 using the diameter data Y ′ subjected to the first correction processing, and the second correction processing were performed. The AND condition with the result of the above-mentioned expression 6 using the diameter data Y ″, that is, the diameter condition of the coin is determined by the following expression 9, and the coin is classified for each coin diameter, and the coin with the similar-diameter coin is classified. The threshold used for the determination is
The value of the coin to be identified which must be actually distinguished and identified is, for example, as shown in FIG. 19 (diameter data Y), FIG. 13 (diameter data Y ′), and FIG. The sensor output corresponding to the actual measurement value (reference value) is converted into two-dimensional coordinates, determined based on the coordinate information (the positional relationship between the identification target and the removed coin), and set in advance for each identification target coin. It takes into account the probability of self-recognition and the probability of misidentification.

[0056]

[Equation 9] (lower threshold <Y <upper threshold) and (lower threshold <
Y ′ <upper limit of threshold) and (lower limit of threshold <Y ”<upper limit of threshold)

[Comprehensive Judgment 2 Regarding Coin Diameter] Further, in the present invention, the above-mentioned judgment 1 processing is performed, and the coin is used as the judgment 2 processing by using all the detection data of the diameter, material and material thickness. Is determined, the coins are classified for each coin diameter, and the coins are identified. At that time, for example,
As shown in Expression 11, the data Y of the output of the diameter sensor 30
(Or Y ′ or Y ″ after the correction) and the total value Txyz of the data (Z1, Z2, X1, X2) of the material / material thickness sensor 40 are compared with a predetermined threshold value for determination.

[0058]

Txyz = (diameter data + material 1 data + material 2
(Data + thickness 1 data + thickness 2 data)

[Equation 11] Threshold lower limit <Txyz <Threshold upper limit

The total value Txyz obtained by the above equation (10) is
The vertical axis represents the total value Txyz and the horizontal axis represents the actual measured value of the thickness, as shown in FIGS. Here, FIG. 15A is an example in which the correction is performed based on the detection data of the two material / material thickness sensors 40, and FIG. 15B is corrected in accordance with the detection data of the one-side material / material thickness sensor 40. An example is shown. As can be seen from FIGS. 15 (A) and 15 (B), it is also possible to distinguish 20 Equd in Portugal from 500 yen, and the material /
By using the detection data of the material thickness sensor 40, Greek NO1 drachma can be distinguished.

As described above, the raw diameter data Y, the diameter data Y ′ including the material thickness element of the correction 1, the diameter data Y ″ including the material thickness / material element of the correction 2, and the output of each sensor (this example) Then
The value of the sum Sxyz of the diameter, the material 1, the material 2, the material thickness 1, and the material thickness 2) is determined by comparing with the respective threshold values. The reason why the judgment is made by setting a plurality of judgment frames in which the respective elements are combined is based on the idea that there is no normal coin near the upper limit value or the lower limit value of the judgment frames of all characteristics. In other words, even for similar coins that cannot be distinguished only by certain characteristics, a difference can be made by looking at multiple characteristics, and if they are added, a sufficient threshold value can be set and high-precision discrimination is possible become.

With the above-described configuration and correction / judgment method, the operation related to coin identification processing will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

The coin discriminating device discriminates the coin diameter, material, hole, jagged pattern, edge pattern (pattern, irregularities) and the like by the following processing based on the detection data of various sensors mounted on the coin discriminating sensor 10. A determination is made for each element as an element, and the coin is discriminated. Here,
A temporary denomination of an old 500 yen coin (an old 500 yen coin without knurls)
A case will be described as an example where it is determined whether or not the coin 1 to be identified is an old 500 yen coin. As the temporary denomination, six denominations of Japanese yen are allocated based on the outputs of the diameter sensor and the material sensor, and it is determined by the processing based on this flowchart whether the coin is a similar foreign currency. .

First, the CPU 21 determines the presence or absence of a hole in the coin 1 based on data from the abnormal approach detection sensor 2 also serving as a hole detection sensor. If it is determined that there is no hole, the coin 21 is rejected as having no hole ( Step S1, S
2). If it is determined that there is a hole, it is determined based on data from the detection coil on the one-sided side of the diameter sensor 30 whether or not the one-sided conveyance of the coin 1 is normally performed. If it is determined that there is a misalignment error, it is rejected (steps S3 and S4).

If the misalignment is normal, the diameter data Y from the diameter sensor 30 is corrected using the material thickness data X1, X2 and the material data Z1, Z2 from the material / material thickness sensors 40A, 40B. , And the diameter data Y, Y ′, and Y ″ before and after the correction are each within a predetermined threshold value according to Equation 9. The thickness data is used. The determination may be made only with the diameter data Y 'after the correction by the above-described correction 1 or the diameter data Y "after the correction by the above-mentioned correction 2 using the material thickness data and the material data. Most preferably, the determination is made using data. In this example, each diameter data Y, Y ', Y "
If either of them is outside the threshold, it is determined that the diameter is different and rejected (steps S5 and S6).

If the diameter is within a predetermined threshold value, the MAX of the material 1 data Z1 from the first material / material thickness sensor 40A
Assuming that the difference between 1 and MIN1 is Z1p, it is determined whether or not Z1p is within a predetermined threshold. If Z1p is outside the threshold, it is determined that the waveform pattern of the material 1 is different and rejected. In addition, MIN
If No. 1 cannot be detected, the waveform pattern of the material 1 is determined with MIN1 as the minimum value between the detection of MAX1 and the end of data collection by the detection of the denomination timing sensor 70 (Steps S7 and S8). Here, the above MAX
1, MIN1 and MAX2, MAX used in the following judgment
3, MIN2 is an AD conversion value of each characteristic portion of the sensor output waveform (in this example, first to third convex portions, first and second concave portions).

If Z1p is within a predetermined threshold, the first
It is determined whether or not the peak value X1max of the material thickness 1 data X1 from the material / material thickness sensor 40A is within a predetermined threshold. If the peak value X1max is outside the threshold, it is determined that the material 1 is different and rejected (steps S9 and S10). ). If X1max is within a predetermined threshold, the difference between MAX1 and MIN1 of the material thickness 1 data X1 from the first material / material thickness sensor 40A is defined as X1p, and it is determined whether X1p is within a predetermined threshold. If it is out of the threshold, it is determined that the waveform pattern of the material thickness 1 is different and rejected. If MIN1 cannot be detected, MA
The minimum value until the end of data collection after X1 detection is set as MIN1 to determine the waveform pattern of the material thickness 1 (step S).
11, S12).

If X1p is within the predetermined threshold, the second
It is determined whether or not the peak value Z2max of the material 2 data Z2 from the material / material thickness sensor 40B is within a predetermined threshold. If the peak value Z2max is outside the threshold, it is determined that the material 2 is different and rejected (steps S13 and S14). . If Z2max is within a predetermined threshold, MAX1 and MIN of the material 2 data Z2
The determination process similar to the waveform pattern of the material 1 in steps S7 and S8 is performed with the difference from Z2pa as Z2pa (steps S15 and S16). If Z2pa is within a predetermined threshold, the absolute value of the difference between MAX1 and MAX2 of the material 2 data Z2 is set as Z2pb, and it is determined whether or not Z2pb is within a predetermined threshold. It is determined that the two waveform patterns are different and rejected (steps S17 and S16). If the above Z2pb is within the predetermined threshold, it is determined whether or not the peak value X2max of the material thickness 2 data X2 from the second material / material thickness sensor 40B is within the predetermined threshold. 2 are different and rejected (steps S18, S19).

Subsequently, diameter data, material 1 data, material 2
Data, thickness 1 data, and thickness 2 data sum to Txy
As z, it is determined whether or not Txyz is within a predetermined threshold value (reference value after temperature correction) as in the above equation 11, and if it is outside the threshold value, it is determined that the total pattern of the diameter, the material thickness, and the material is different. Rejected (steps S20, S21).

If Txyz is within a predetermined threshold value, the larger of MAX1 and MAX2 of the material thickness 2 data X2 and MIN
Assuming that the difference from X1 is X2pa, it is determined whether X2pa is within a predetermined threshold. If X2pa is outside the threshold, it is determined that the waveform pattern of the material thickness 2 is different and rejected (steps S22 and S22).
23). If X2pa is within a predetermined threshold, material thickness 2
The smaller of MAX1 and MAX2 of data X2 and MIN1
Is determined as X2pb, and it is determined whether or not the difference is within the threshold. If the difference is outside the threshold, it is determined that the waveform pattern of the material thickness 2 is different and rejected. If MIN1 cannot be detected,
After MAX1 is detected, the above-described determination processing is performed with the minimum value within a predetermined time as MIN1 (steps S24 and S23).

If X2pb is within the predetermined threshold value, the absolute value of the difference between MAX1 and MAX2 of the material thickness 2 data X2 is defined as X2pc, and it is determined whether X2pc is equal to or greater than the predetermined value. For example, it is determined that the waveform pattern of the material thickness 2 is different and rejected (steps S25 and S2).
3). Further, the number of zones from the point at which the output of the material thickness 2 data X2 has changed by a predetermined value or more to the point at which MAX2 is detected is defined as X2pd, and it is determined whether X2pd is equal to or more than a predetermined value. 2 are rejected because they are determined to be different (steps S26 and S2).
3)

Subsequently, the total number of knurls, the effective number of knurls, and the number of invalid knurls are obtained from the detection data from the knurled sensor 50. If any of them exceeds the threshold, it is determined that the jagged condition (old 500 yen coin) is not satisfied and rejected (steps S27 and S28). If the condition of the jagged shape is satisfied, the value of each characteristic portion of the sensor output waveform, for example, the AD conversion value GMAX1 of the first to third peak values shown in the waveform example of FIG. 18 based on the data from the edge sensor 60 , GMAX
2. Using GMAX3, the waveform shape is analyzed based on each peak value, differential value, and the like, and an edge waveform pattern recognition process is performed (step S29). If it is determined that the edge waveform pattern is abnormal, the edge pattern is rejected as abnormal (steps S30 and S31), and if it is determined that the edge waveform pattern is normal, the coin 1 It is determined that the coin is a yen coin, and the operation of identifying the coin is terminated (step S32).

[0072]

As described above, according to the present invention, the displacement (error) of the output of the diameter sensor caused by the difference in the thickness of the coins.
Is corrected, so that sufficient coin discrimination ability including various foreign currencies can be obtained. In addition, since the correction process is performed using the output characteristics of the existing material thickness sensor or the material thickness and material sensors, it is possible to inexpensively provide coin identification having high-precision identification capability. Further, since the discrimination process is performed using the sum of the respective detection data of the diameter sensor, the material thickness sensor, and the material sensor, coins that cannot be distinguished by the judgment of the output of each sensor can be distinguished. In this way, by performing a plurality of correction and determination processes by combining a plurality of detection data and separating them by sieving, it is possible to classify coins that cannot be separated only from each characteristic (diameter, material, material thickness). Become.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a coin identification sensor according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between a sensor arrangement example of a coin identification sensor according to the present invention and a coin to be conveyed;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a winding of a diameter sensor.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a winding example of a material / material thickness sensor.

FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating a winding example of a material / material thickness sensor.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a shape of a core constituting a material / material thickness sensor and a winding form of a coil.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a tooth sensor.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an edge sensor.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between an edge sensor and a coin to be conveyed;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a main part of the coin identification device.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing how the magnetic flux density is attenuated in the diameter sensor when coins are inserted.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the relationship between the output of a material thickness sensor for each coin and the thickness of the coin.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the relationship between the output of the diameter sensor and the thickness of the coin after correction by correction 1.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a relationship between the output of the diameter sensor and the thickness of a coin after correction by correction 2.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the relationship between the total output of detection data of each magnetic sensor subjected to diameter correction and temperature correction and the thickness of a coin.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a partial view of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of an output waveform of an edge sensor.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing the relationship between the output of a diameter sensor for each coin and the thickness of the coin.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing the relationship between the output of a material sensor for each coin and the thickness of the coin.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 coin 2 abnormal approach detection sensor 3 500 yen coin 4 transport belt 10 coin identification sensor 11 transport path 12 regulating surface 20 circuit unit 30 diameter sensor 40 material / thickness sensor 50 ridge sensor 60 edge sensor 70 denomination timing sensor 80 temperature detection circuit

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A coin discriminating device for detecting a diameter, a material, and a material thickness of a coin with a magnetic sensor, comprising: a correction unit for correcting the diameter detection data based on the material thickness detection data;
A coin discriminating apparatus characterized in that said coins are classified and discriminated for each coin diameter based on said corrected diameter detection data. 2. A coin discriminating apparatus for detecting a diameter, a material, and a material thickness of a coin with a magnetic sensor, comprising: a correction unit configured to correct the detected data of the diameter based on the detected data of the material thickness and the material. A coin discriminating apparatus characterized in that said coins are classified and discriminated for each coin diameter based on said corrected diameter detection data. 3. A coin discriminating apparatus for detecting the diameter, material, and material thickness of a coin with a magnetic sensor, comprising: calculating means for calculating the sum of each of the detected data of the diameter, material thickness, and material; A coin identification device, wherein the coins are classified and identified for each coin diameter. 4. In making the correction in claim 1 or 2,
The coin discriminating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction is performed based on a deviation of a temperature-corrected actual measurement value from a reference value for each apparatus. 5. In classifying and discriminating each coin diameter, a temporary denomination is determined based on each detection data of the diameter and material of the coin, and subsequently, the coin is classified into coins having a similar diameter. The coin identification device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a threshold value is provided as described above.