JP2004077498A - Identifying sensor for metallic object - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely and simply identified a kind (authenticity) of a metallic object (such as a coin for amusement). <P>SOLUTION: An object to be identified 100 is subjected to pass by a Hall element 10 placed in a magnetic field (H). A Hall voltage VH according to the magnetic permeability of the object to be identified 100 is thereby generated. By providing a comparator circuit for detecting whether the Hall voltage VH falls within the range of a predetermined standard level or not, it is identified that the object to be identified 100 is the metallic object or not. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

The present invention relates to a game coin (also referred to as a game medal, hereinafter referred to as a "coin") used as a game medium in a game store such as a pachinko parlor, or a coin used in a vending machine or the like. The present invention relates to a metal object identification sensor for identifying the authenticity of a metal object.

Conventionally, the authenticity of coins used in a slot machine or the like has been identified by a so-called coin selector (coin sorting device). In a conventional coin selector, the shape and size of a coin are selected using a mechanical mechanism. That is, when the coin size is larger than the standard size, the coin cannot be inserted through the insertion slot of the coin selector. On the other hand, when the coin size is smaller than the standard size, the coin inserted from the insertion slot is guided on the inclined rail inside the coin selector, but the height of the coin does not reach the upper guide rail. As a result, the guide rail comes off the middle of the guide rail and falls in the direction of the payout opening. On the other hand, when the size of the coin is the standard size, the coin passes through the rail and is guided to the coin storage section in the coin selector.
JP-A-52-130395 JP-A-10-162189 JP-A-06-052394 JP-T-06-504391A JP-A-52-024922 JP 07-182469 A

However, in the above-described conventional coin selector, if the shape and size of the coin match the standard, the coin is identified as a true coin. For example, a coin in another game store is identified as a true coin. There was a disadvantage that it was used.

(4) If only the shape and size of the coin are matched with the coin standard of the store, the coin is identified as a true coin, and the coin may be forged by misuse.

On the other hand, a method of assigning an identification code or the like unique to a store to a coin, incorporating an IC storing the identification code, and electrically identifying the coin is also conceivable. There is a problem that the system becomes complicated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the related art, and has a metal object identification sensor and a metal object identification sensor for reliably and easily identifying the authenticity of a metal object (for example, a coin). The aim is to provide a method.

In general, when a metal object (for example, a coin) passes near a Hall element arranged in a magnetic field, the magnetic flux density B (= magnetic permeability μ × magnetic field strength H) applied to the Hall element changes before and after the passage of the metal object. This causes a change in the Hall voltage VH.

That is, a Hall voltage VH corresponding to the magnetic permeability μ of the metal object is generated. Therefore, if a comparator circuit for detecting whether or not the Hall voltage VH is within the range of a preset reference level is provided, it is possible to identify whether or not the object to be identified is the metal object. it can. Here, the reference level is set corresponding to a specific metal object to be identified.

For example, reference levels V1 and V2 corresponding to the metal object are set in advance as reference voltages of the comparator circuit, and when V1 <VH <V2, the output of the comparator circuit is set to "1" (high level). In other cases, by outputting “0” (low level), it is possible to identify whether or not the metal object is present. That is, the authenticity is determined based on not the shape of the metal object but the physical property of the metal object, that is, the magnetic permeability.

According to the present invention, the type (true or false) of a metal object (for example, a coin) having a specific magnetic permeability can be reliably and easily identified.

Furthermore, in order to provide a coin with a plurality of pieces of information, a plurality of bands having a ring-shaped magnetic permeability are arranged on the coin by changing its diameter, so that a single coin is identical in appearance. However, the information can be patterned (for example, 16 bits), and a plurality of types of coins can be identified.

Especially, by using the metal object identification sensor of the present invention for a coin selector, there is an advantage that a coin of the same size as the standard can be authenticated.

When the coin is conveyed into the selector, the coin itself passes through the guide rail while rotating, so that a ring-shaped band having magnetic permeability is added. There is an advantage that the coin can be identified without using the coin. In addition, the band having the ring-shaped magnetic permeability can be formed on either one side or both sides. In the case of one side, even if the identification signal becomes weak due to patterning of information, identification is possible.

Next, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a metal object identification sensor 50 (hereinafter, simply referred to as an identification sensor 50) according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, a Hall element 10 and a magnet 20 that applies a magnetic field (H) to the Hall element are arranged to face each other at a predetermined interval, and an object 100 to be identified (for example, a game coin) passes through the gap. Passed in the direction of the arrow. That is, the sensing surface of the Hall element 10 and the S pole (or N pole) of the magnet 20 face each other.

As will be described later in detail, the Hall voltage VH output from the Hall element 10 is compared with a reference level by the signal processing IC 30, and as a result, the identification signal is a signal for notifying the identification result of the identification target 100. The detection signal KS, which is a signal notifying that the SS and the identification target 100 have passed, is output.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a specific outer shape of the identification sensor 50 according to the present embodiment, (a) is a plan view, and (b) is a left side view of (a). That is, the Hall element 10, the magnet 20, and the signal processing IC 30, which are components of the identification sensor 50, are enclosed in a resin container having a U-shape. From the identification sensor 50, a DC power supply line (15V) for the signal processing IC 30, an identification signal line, and a detection signal line (not shown) are taken out.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the Hall voltage VH of the Hall element 10 and the magnetic flux density B acting perpendicularly to the sensing surface of the Hall element. It is known that the Hall voltage VH is proportional to the magnetic flux density B within a range where the magnetic flux density B is relatively small.

Here, the drive method of the Hall element includes a constant voltage drive (for example, an InSb Hall element) and a constant current method (for example, a GaAs Hall element) depending on the type of semiconductor.
Either scheme may be employed in all embodiments of the present invention. In both driving methods, the Hall voltage VH is expressed by the following equation (1).
VH = RH / d.IC.B (1)
Here, RH is the Hall coefficient, d is the thickness of the semiconductor layer, and IC is the control current flowing through the semiconductor layer. The temperature dependency of the Hall voltage VH depends on the temperature coefficient of the Hall coefficient RH.

Now, let H be the strength of the magnetic field in which the Hall element 10 of the identification sensor 50 is placed. Considering the case where the object to be identified 100 is passed, the Hall voltage VH0 in a state before the object 100 is expressed by the following equation.
VHO = RH / d · IC · μ0H (2)
Here, μ0 is the magnetic permeability of vacuum.

The Hall voltage VH1 in a state where the identification target 100 is inserted between the magnet 20 and the Hall element 10 is represented by the following equation.
VH1 = RH / d · IC · μH (3)
Here, μ is the magnetic permeability of the identification object 100.
Then, the Hall voltage VH1 can be expressed by the following equation from the equations (2) and (3).
VH1 = μ / μ0 · VH0 (4)
Accordingly, since the Hall voltage VH1 changes in proportion to the magnetic permeability of the object 100 to be identified, if the Hall voltage VH1X of the metal body X to be identified is known in advance, the Hall voltage VH1 of the object 100 to be identified is calculated as VH1X. By performing the comparison, a method for identifying whether the identification target 100 is the metal body X can be provided.

Specifically, as described later, a comparator circuit detects whether the Hall voltage VH1 of the identification target object 100 is between two reference voltages V1 and V2 set in advance according to the metal body X. It is.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of the metal object identification sensor 51 (hereinafter, simply referred to as the identification sensor 51) according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 4, unlike the first embodiment, the Hall elements 10 and the magnets 20 are arranged side by side in a line in the vertical direction on the paper, and the identification object 100 is arranged so as to pass along this direction. In such an arrangement, since the magnetic lines of force generated from the magnet 20 act on the sensing surface of the Hall element 10 (although not perpendicular to the sensing surface), the Hall voltage VH1 corresponding to the identification target 100 is obtained. Similarly to the first embodiment, it is possible to identify whether the identification target 100 is the metal body X.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a specific outer shape of the identification sensor 51 according to the present embodiment, where (a) is a plan view and (b) is a left side view of (a). That is, the Hall element 10, the magnet 20, and the signal processing IC 30, which are components of the identification sensor 51, are sealed in a rectangular parallelepiped resin container.

According to the present embodiment, since the Hall element 10 and the magnet 20 are arranged in a line along the passing direction of the identification object 100, the whole can be housed in a rectangular parallelepiped small resin container. Therefore, when the identification sensor 51 is incorporated in a coin selector or the like, a storage space can be saved. Also, there is an advantage that it can be easily stored even when incorporated into an existing coin selector or the like.

FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 are diagrams showing examples of the circuit configuration of the signal processing IC 30. FIG. FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram showing an amplifier circuit section of the signal processing IC 30. A constant voltage circuit 120 supplies a constant voltage to the Hall element 10. The constant voltage circuit 120 includes an operational amplifier 101 to which the zener voltage Vz generated by the zener diode 1SZ62 is input, a ladder resistor that divides the output of the operational amplifier 101 with a resistor to generate 1V, and receives the divided 1V voltage. , And an operational amplifier 102. The output of the operational amplifier 102 is applied to the Hall element 10.

(4) Thereby, the control current IC flows through the semiconductor layer of the Hall element 10. A pair of output voltages VHH and VHL are generated from the semiconductor layer surface perpendicular to the direction in which the control current IC flows. The hall voltage VH is a difference voltage between these output voltages VHH and VHL. That is, VH = VHH-VHL.

The first output voltage VHH is amplified by the operational amplifier 103 and then applied to the non-inverting input terminal (+) of the differential amplifier 105. After the second output voltage VHL is amplified by the operational amplifier 104, it is applied to the non-inverting input terminal (-) of the differential amplifier 105. Thus, the amplified Hall voltage VH is obtained from the differential amplifier 105. That is, since the Hall voltage VH from the Hall element 10 is as small as several hundred mV, it is differentially amplified.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a comparator circuit unit of the signal processing IC 30. The output Vout of the differential amplifier 105 is input to the first comparator circuit 33 and the second comparator circuit 34, respectively. Then, the identification signal SS is output from the first comparator circuit 33, and the detection signal KS is output from the second comparator circuit 34.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a specific circuit configuration example of the first comparator 33 and the second comparator 34. FIG. 8A is a circuit diagram of the first comparator circuit 33. The output Vout (amplified Hall voltage VH) of the differential amplifier 105 is applied to the non-inverting input terminal (+) of the operational amplifier 110 and the inverting input terminal (-) of the operational amplifier 111. The reference voltage V1 is input to the non-inverting input terminal (-) of the operational amplifier 110, and the reference voltage V2 is input to the non-inverting input terminal (+) of the operational amplifier 111. Here, it is assumed that V2> V1.

The outputs of the operational amplifiers 110 and 111 are input to the AND gate 112. When Vout> V1, the output of the operational amplifier 110 becomes H (high) level. On the other hand, when V2> Vout, the output of the operational amplifier 111 becomes H (high) level. Therefore, when V1 <Vout <V2, the outputs of the operational amplifiers 110 and 111 are both at H level, and the output of the AND gate 112 (identification signal SS) is at H level. If V1 <Vout <V2 is not satisfied, the output of the AND gate 112 (identification signal SS) becomes L (low) level. Therefore, by setting the reference voltages V1 and V2 in advance in correspondence with the metal object to be identified (for example, a game coin), the type (or authenticity) of the metal object can be identified.

FIG. 8B is a circuit diagram of the second comparator circuit 34. The output Vout (amplified Hall voltage VH) of the differential amplifier 105 is input to the non-inverting input terminal (+) of the operational amplifier 115, and the reference voltage V3 is input to the inverting input terminal (-). Then, the detection signal KS is output from the operational amplifier 115.
The detection signal KS is a signal for detecting that the identification object 100 has been input to the identification sensors 50 and 51. Reference voltage level V3 is set smaller than reference voltage V1 (V3 <V1). Thus, even when the output Vout of the identification target 100 does not reach the reference level V1, it is possible to detect that the input has been performed.

FIG. 9 is a signal waveform diagram of the output Vout of the differential amplifier 105, the identification signal SS, and the detection signal KS. When the identification object 100 is input to the identification sensors 50 and 51, a change occurs in Vout output from the differential amplifier 105. In response, the identification signal SS and the detection signal KS are output. In the case of FIG. 9A, since V1 <Vout <V2, the identification signal SS temporarily goes to the H level, and it is identified that the object is the metal object. In the case of FIG. 9B, since V3 <Vout <V1, only the detection signal KS temporarily goes to the H level while the identification signal SS remains at the L level, and it is determined that the detection target is not the metal object. . The identification signal SS and the detection signal KS are pulse signals. For example, by inputting these signals to the set terminal of the RS flip-flop, the H level can be maintained until the flip-flop is reset.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a metal object identification sensor 52 (hereinafter, simply referred to as an identification sensor 52) according to the present embodiment.

In FIG. 10, a first Hall element 11 and a second Hall element 12 and a magnet 20 for applying a magnetic field (H) to them are arranged facing each other at a predetermined interval. Since the second Hall element 12 is arranged at a position farther from the magnet 20 than the first Hall element 11, the strengths H1 and H2 of the magnetic fields on the sensing surfaces thereof are different. That is, H1> H2.

{Circle around (1)} The object to be identified 100 (for example, a game coin) passes through the gap between the first Hall element 11 and the second Hall element 12 and the magnet 20 in the direction of the arrow.

Here, the Hall voltage VH11 of the first Hall element 11 when the identification object 100 passes is expressed by the following equation based on Equation (3).
VH11 = RH / d · IC · μH1 (5)
Similarly, the Hall voltage VH12 of the second Hall element 12 when the identification object 100 passes is expressed by the following equation based on Equation (3).
VH12 = RH / d · IC · μH2 (6)
Next, the difference voltage ΔVH between VH12 and VH11 is expressed by the following equation.
ΔVH = RH / d · IC · μ · ΔH (7)
Here, ΔH = H2−H1.

Thus, it can be seen that the difference voltage between the Hall voltages of the two Hall elements 11 and 12 changes in proportion to the magnetic permeability μ of the identification target 100. Therefore, by comparing ΔVH with a predetermined reference voltage in the same manner as in the first and second embodiments, the type (or authenticity) of the metal object can be identified.

信号 The signal processing circuit IC 35 performs this signal processing. That is, the signal processing circuit IC 35 outputs the identification signal SS and the detection signal KS based on the Hall voltages VH11 and VH12 of the two Hall elements 11 and 12. According to the differential identification sensor 52 using the two Hall elements, the temperature dependence of the Hall elements is removed, and the external noise is canceled by the differential circuit. (Or true or false).

Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a metal object identification sensor 53 (hereinafter, simply referred to as an identification sensor 52) according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, unlike the third embodiment, the first Hall element 11, the second Hall element 12, and the magnet 20 are arranged side by side in a line in the up-down direction on the paper surface. It was arranged to pass along. According to this arrangement, as in the third embodiment, the second Hall element 12 is arranged at a position farther from the magnet 20 than the first Hall element 11, so that the magnetic field on the sensing surface thereof is Have different strengths H1 and H2. Therefore, the type (or authenticity) of the metal object can be similarly identified.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a circuit configuration example of the signal processing circuit IC35. This signal processing circuit IC35 is applied to a constant voltage driving method. 12, the constant voltage circuit 120 has the same configuration as the constant voltage circuit shown in FIG. The output voltage of the constant voltage circuit 120 is applied to the first and second Hall elements 11 and 12 via the connection terminals P1 and P5. Then, the Hall voltage output from the first Hall element 11 is input to the operational amplifiers 131 and 132 via the terminals P2 and P4, respectively, is amplified, and then applied to the differential amplifier 133.

On the other hand, the Hall voltage output from the second Hall element 12 is input to the operational amplifiers 141 and 142 via the terminals P6 and P8, respectively, is amplified, and then applied to the differential amplifier 143. That is, the output (terminal TP1) of the differential amplifier 133 corresponds to the voltage obtained by amplifying the Hall voltage VH11 of the first Hall element, and the output (terminal TP2) of the differential amplifier 143 corresponds to the voltage of the second Hall element. The hall voltage VH12 corresponds to the amplified voltage.

(4) The output of the differential amplifier 133 and the output of the differential amplifier 143 are further input to the differential amplifier 151, further amplified by the operational amplifier 152, and then output to the terminal TP3. The output of the operational amplifier 152 corresponds to a voltage obtained by amplifying the difference voltage ΔVH between VH12 and VH11. This output is input to the first comparator circuit 33 and the second comparator circuit 34 shown in FIG. 7, and similarly, the identification signal SS and the detection signal KS are created.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of the circuit configuration of the signal processing circuit IC35. This signal processing circuit IC 35 is applied to a constant current driving method. The difference from the circuit of FIG. 12 is that a constant current circuit 125 is provided instead of the constant voltage circuit 120. In the constant current circuit 125, the operational amplifier 127 controls the base voltage of the transistor 128 so that the current i flowing through the resistor R1 is constant.

The output current of the constant current circuit 125 is supplied to the first Hall element 11 and the second Hall element 12 via the terminals P1 and P5. Other configurations are the same as those of the circuit of FIG.

In the above-described first to fourth embodiments, the magnet 20 is used as the magnetic field generation source. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a coil may be used. Examples of the type of metal object (for example, coin) to be identified include a magnetic alloy such as an iron-nickel alloy and a stainless steel alloy.

変 え る By changing the composition of these alloys, the magnetic permeability μ changes, and the Hall voltage changes accordingly. Then, the reference voltages V1 and V2 may be set according to the Hall voltage of the selected metal object.

Further, according to the experiment of the present inventor, it was found that the Hall voltage changes with high sensitivity even when the surface of the coin is plated with a material having a change in magnetic permeability. As the coin), the metal object can be identified not only when the coin is adjusted by the entire alloy composition but also when the coin is partially adjusted.

The following examples are given as examples of the partially adjusted ones. These can also be identified.
(1) A metal (for example, an amorphous alloy, a permalloy, or the like) having a different magnetic permeability μ is attached or embedded as a magnetic flux detecting material to a metal object to be identified. Further, the form is not only unified (one pattern), but also pluralized into a ring shape to have a plurality of patterns.
(2) Print or deposit a magnetic ink on the metal object to be identified. Further, the form is not only unified (one pattern), but also pluralized in a ring shape, and has a plurality of patterns. In order to improve the abrasion resistance of the magnetic ink, vapor deposition or resin coating is applied.
(3) A metal object to be identified is plated with metal having different magnetic permeability (for example, Ni plating, Co plating, etc.), and the thickness direction of the metal plating is changed, and the form is unified (one pattern). ), And has a plurality of patterns in a ring shape.

Next, the experimental example (1) will be described in detail. As the identification sensor, those of the first to fourth embodiments can be used, but in this experimental example, the sensor of the second embodiment (FIG. 4) was used. The experimental conditions are as follows.
・ Hall element: HB-302B (made by Asahi Kasei Electronics)
-Magnet field strength: 110mT
-Magnetic flux detecting material: Amorphous alloy METGLAS2605TCA (manufactured by Nippon Amorphous Metals Co., Ltd.) The initial permeability is 15000, which is larger than the permeability of a coin to be identified. Its thickness is on the order of 25 microns.
Coins to be identified: The above amorphous alloy is attached as a magnetic flux detecting material to four types of base metals (stainless steel 303, 304, copper, brass (JIS C2720)).
・ Amorphous alloy is concentrically attached to the coin surface. By changing the pasting pattern, coin identification (determination) is performed.

For example, when the number of ring patterns is three as shown in FIG. 14, the amorphous alloy bands 151, 152, and 153 on the coin 100 near the Hall element 10 are magnetized by the magnetic bias by the magnet 20.

That is, assuming that the surface of the magnet 20 has the N pole as shown in FIG. 14 when the coin 100 passes over the Hall element 10, the amorphous alloy strips 151, 152, 153 closer to the magnet 20 have the S pole. In the case of three patterns, magnetic flux changes appear at six locations corresponding to the amorphous alloy bands 151, 152, and 153. This change in magnetic flux is detected by the Hall element 10, and an amplified pulse signal of the Hall voltage VH is obtained by the amplifier circuit section (FIG. 6) of the signal processing IC 30 described above. The coin 100 is identified based on the pattern of the amplified pulse signal.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 15 to 17, an experimental result of identification of the coin 100 by the same method as described above will be described. FIG. 15 is an example of three patterns. Ring-shaped amorphous alloy bands 151 and 152 are attached to the surface of the coin 100, and a circular amorphous alloy band 154 is formed inside the amorphous alloy band 152. As shown in the right side, as the pattern of the amplified pulse signal, negative pulses of P1, P2, and P3 and positive pulses of P4, P5, and P6 are generated (the horizontal axis is the time axis, and the vertical axis is the vertical axis. Voltage). It can be considered that the pulses P1 and P6 are generated in the amorphous alloy band 151, the pulses P2 and P5 are generated in the amorphous alloy band 152, and the pulses P3 and P4 are generated in the amorphous alloy band 154.

Next, FIG. 16 shows an example in which the number of patterns is two (hollowed out). That is, the ring-shaped amorphous alloy strips 151 and 152 are attached to the surface of the coin 100. It can be considered that the pulses P1 and P4 are generated corresponding to the amorphous alloy band 151, and the pulses P2 and P3 are generated corresponding to the amorphous alloy band 152, respectively. That is, in this example, the amorphous alloy band 154 in FIG. 15 is removed, but the pulse signal waveform also corresponds to it.

FIG. 17 shows an example of two patterns (opening). That is, the ring-shaped amorphous alloy band 151 is attached to the surface of the coin 100, and the circular amorphous alloy band 154 is attached to the inside thereof. It can be considered that the pulses P1 and P4 are generated corresponding to the amorphous alloy band 151, and the pulses P2 and P3 are generated corresponding to the amorphous alloy band 154, respectively.

異 な る In this way, different pulse waveforms can be obtained according to the difference in the pattern of the amorphous alloy band, so that the coin 100 can be identified from this pulse waveform. According to this experiment, no remarkable difference in the pulse signal due to the difference in the base metal (stainless steel 303, 304, copper, brass (JIS C2720)) was found.

Next, a signal processing method of the amplified pulse signal obtained by the above method will be described with reference to FIG. In the case of a coin 100 having three amorphous alloy bands 151, 152, and 153 as shown in FIG. 18, the amplified pulse signal (analog signal) has three negative pulses and three positive pulses as shown in the figure. Occur. Therefore, by inverting the analog signal, clipping the signal level on the negative polarity side, and performing waveform shaping, a rectangular digital pulse signal as shown in the figure is obtained. Then, the identification signal of the coin 100 can be obtained by counting the pulse signal with a counter or recognizing it as a digital signal sequence of 1 or 0.

Next, a usage example of the identification sensors 50 to 53 of the above embodiment will be described. Here, for example, an example in which the coin identification sensor 52 is used for a slot machine will be described. FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram (front view) showing the coin selector. FIG. 20 is a side view of the coin selector shown in FIG.

$ 201 is a coin slot, and 202 is a slot cover. The coin identification sensor 52 is attached along the coin insertion path inside the insertion slot 201. Reference numeral 203 denotes a guide rail 203 for guiding the coin 300 inserted from the coin insertion slot 201 to a coin storage portion (not shown) inside the coin selector. The guide rail 203 is provided with an upper guide 204 and a lower guide 205, and supports the coin 300 conforming to the standard so that the coin 300 does not fall.

(4) The guide rail 203 is installed so as to be inclined in the guide direction of the coin 300 and slightly inclined in the direction in which the coin 300 guided by the guide rail 203 falls.

Reference numeral 206 denotes a coin payout actuator which is provided in the middle of the guide rail 203 and whose ON / OFF is controlled by the coin sensor 52. The coin payout actuator 206 is configured using, for example, a solenoid. When the coin payout actuator is OFF, the coin 300 is stopped by the payout actuator 206 (prevented from passing through the passage), falls off the guide rail 203, and falls in the direction of arrow A. And paid out.

投入 When the payout actuator 206 is ON, the insertion becomes valid, and the coin 300 cannot be stopped. Reference numeral 208 denotes a coin passing confirmation sensor that is provided downstream of the payout actuator 206 and notifies the passing of the coin 300.

Next, the operation of the coin selector using the coin identification sensor 52 will be described with reference to FIGS. 19, 20, and 21. FIG. 21 is a schematic system configuration diagram including the coin selector 200 and the main control board 250 on the slot machine side.

In the state where coins can be inserted (except during game start or error), the payout actuator 206 is turned on by a control signal from the main control board 250.

[Appropriate coin]
When the inserted coin 300 is a proper coin, it is identified as OK by the coin identification sensor 52, and the identification signal SS becomes H level. As a result, the payout actuator 206 maintains the ON state, so that the coin 300 passes through the payout actuator 206 along the guide rail 203 and reaches the passage confirmation sensor 208. Passage confirmation sensor 208 sends a coin passage signal TS to main control board 250. The coin 300 that has passed the passage confirmation sensor 208 falls in the direction of arrow B and is stored in a coin storage unit (not shown).

[Illegal coin]
When the inserted coin 300 is an incorrect coin,
1) If the size is larger than the standard, the coin cannot be inserted from the coin insertion slot 201.
2) When the size is small, the height does not reach the upper guide 204 of the guide rail 203, so that the coin 300 falls in the direction of arrow A and is paid out to the outside.
3) If the size matches the standard, the above mechanism cannot identify any more. However, since the coin identification sensor 52 turns NG, the coin identification signal SS becomes L level. In response, the payout actuator 206 is turned off. Then, the coin 300 is stopped by the payout actuator 206, falls in the direction of arrow A, and is paid out. Note that the payout actuator 206 returns to the ON state after a certain period of time, and the next coin insertion becomes effective.

As described above, by using the coin identification sensor 52 of the present invention in the coin selector 200, even if the size of the coin 300 is the same as the standard, the type of the coin 300 is identified based on the magnetic permeability μ of the coin 300. This makes it possible to determine whether or not the coin is appropriate.

Therefore, for each amusement store such as a pachinko hall, prepare one of a plurality of types of coins with different alloy compositions, coins pasted or embedded with metals with different magnetic permeability, and coins printed or evaporated with magnetic ink. By setting the reference voltages V1 and V2 of the coin identification sensor 52 according to the type of the coin, it is possible to prevent coins from other stores from being used.

As the coin identification sensor 52, any of the above-described first to fourth embodiments may be used. However, in order to identify the coin with high accuracy, the third and fourth embodiments adopt a differential system. It is preferable to use the example. In order to save the storage space and efficiently store the data in the coin selector 200, the second and fourth rectangular parallelepipeds are preferable.

It is a schematic diagram showing the composition of the identification sensor of the metal thing concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a specific external shape of the metal object identification sensor according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a Hall voltage VH and a magnetic flux density B. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the identification sensor of the metal object which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure showing the specific outline of the identification sensor of the metal thing concerning a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram illustrating an amplifier circuit unit of the signal processing IC. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a comparator circuit unit of the signal processing IC. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of a circuit configuration of first and second comparator circuits. FIG. 4 is a signal waveform diagram of an output Vout of a differential amplifier, an identification signal SS, and a detection signal KS. It is a schematic diagram showing the composition of the identification sensor of the metal thing concerning a 3rd embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram showing the composition of the identification sensor of the metal thing concerning a 4th embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a circuit configuration example of a signal processing circuit IC. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating another example of the circuit configuration of the signal processing circuit IC. It is a figure showing the discernment method of the metal coin concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure showing the discernment method of the metal coin concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure showing the discernment method of the metal coin concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure showing the discernment method of the metal coin concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure showing the discernment method of the metal coin concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is the schematic (front view) which shows a coin selector. It is the schematic (side view) which shows a coin selector. It is a schematic system configuration diagram of a coin selector.

Explanation of reference numerals

10-12 Hall element 20 Magnet 30 Signal processing IC
33 first comparator circuit 34 second comparator circuit 35 signal processing circuit IC 50-53 identification sensor 100 identification object 101-104 operational amplifier 105 differential amplifier 110,111 operational amplifier 112 and gate 115 operational amplifier 120 constant voltage circuit 125 constant current Circuit 127 Operational amplifier 128 Transistor 131, 132 Operational amplifier 133 Differential amplifier
141, 142 operational amplifier 143 differential amplifier 151 differential amplifier 152 operational amplifier 200 coin selector 201 coin insertion slot 202 coin insertion cover 203 guide rail 204 upper guide 205 lower guide 206 coin payout actuator 208 coin passage confirmation sensor 250 main control board 300 coin SS identification signal KS detection signal P1 to P8 Connection terminals TP1 to TP3 terminals

Claims (5)

A metal object identification sensor for identifying a metal object having a specific magnetic permeability, comprising a magnet and a hole arranged in a magnetic field generated by the magnet and generating a Hall voltage according to the magnetic permeability of the identification object. Element,
An amplifier for amplifying the Hall voltage,
Detecting whether the Hall voltage amplified by the amplifier is between a first reference voltage V1 and a second reference voltage V2 (V1> V1) preset for the metal object; A comparator circuit for outputting a signal,
The magnet and the Hall element are juxtaposed, the object to be identified is arranged to pass along the direction in which the magnet and the Hall element are juxtaposed,
A metal object identification sensor, wherein the identification object is passed over the Hall element, and whether or not the identification object is the metal object is identified based on the detection signal. A metal object identification sensor for identifying a metal object having a specific magnetic permeability, comprising: a magnet; and a first and a second sensor disposed in a magnetic field generated by the magnet, the first and the second corresponding to the magnetic permeability of the identification object. First and second Hall elements for generating a Hall voltage;
A differential amplifier circuit for amplifying a difference between the first Hall voltage and the second Hall voltage;
It detects whether or not the output of the differential amplifier circuit is between a first reference voltage V1 and a second reference voltage V2 (V1> V1) set in advance corresponding to the metal object. And a comparator circuit that outputs
The magnet, the first Hall element, and the second Hall element are arranged in a row in this order, and the object to be identified is oriented in a direction in which the magnet and the first and second Hall elements are arranged side by side. So that they pass along
The identification object is passed through the first and second Hall elements, and whether the identification object is the metal object is identified based on the detection signal. Sensors. The metal object identification sensor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the object to be identified is a metal coin. 4. The metal object identification sensor according to claim 3, wherein a predetermined pattern made of a magnetic flux detecting material having a different magnetic permeability from the metal coin is provided on a surface of the metal coin. The sensor according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined pattern is a ring-shaped pattern.

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