JP2934619B1 - Coin discriminator - Google Patents

Abstract

A coin discriminating apparatus capable of discriminating coins in a simple configuration and in real time is provided. A coin 1 is placed in a magnetic field exerted by coils A1 and B1.
In the coin discriminating apparatus for discriminating the coin 1 by detecting the characteristic values of the coils A1 and B1 that change by passing the coins,
A set of sensor coils a and b provided so that their respective central axes do not coincide with each other, and a discriminating means for discriminating a coin passing between the pair of sensor coils a and b are provided.

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 applied to a toll collection machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a coin is passed through a magnetic field exerted by an AC-excited coil, and a characteristic value of the coil, which is changed by an eddy current loss generated in the coin, is detected to discriminate the type and authenticity of the coin. This detection method is known and has been put to practical use in various types of automatic teller machines and vending machines. This detection method is
The shape and arrangement of the coil are devised in accordance with the material, diameter, thickness, and the like of the coin, which are the main characteristic values, and a change in the induced voltage and a phase change, which are obtained by voltage conversion, are detected to perform a determination process.

Further, as the latest method, in addition to the above-described detection method, a method has been proposed which enables finer shape identification such as unevenness and holes on a coin surface. As an example of this method, an apparatus for discriminating coins disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-215222 will be described below with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the arrangement of a coin 11 and sensor coils 12a and 12b. The centers of the two sensor coils 12a and 12b are opposed to each other, and the coin 11 is passed through the opposed space. Sensor coil 12
The outer diameters of a and 12b are designed to be sufficiently smaller than the coin diameter in order to detect the unevenness of the coin 11.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of a detection circuit.
The two sensor coils 12a and 12b are differentially connected in series and connected to the detection circuit 13, and are subjected to voltage conversion. The signal from the detection circuit 13 is processed in parallel by a peak level processing circuit 14, a differentiation processing circuit 15, and a peak expansion processing circuit 16, and then input to a determination processing circuit 17, where a pattern identification process is performed on each input waveform. Added.

In the conventional method, the peak level of the detection circuit 13 is generally extracted. However, in the recent method, as shown in FIG. 7, the peak level changes according to the unevenness of the coin included in the envelope. Differentiating higher frequency components or adding a process to further expand the peak portion, the number of peaks, peaks, and valley level differences as feature extraction values, and the pre-stored reference coin feature values and Compare.

[0007]

Since the above-mentioned method is a method of comparing the engraving patterns of the target coin and the reference coin, a fake coin in which a medal is simply machined into a disk, or a material / material
It also has the ability to identify foreign currency of similar size and fake coins whose thickness is adjusted by machining the surface of the game medal.

However, there are problems such as the necessity of additional circuits such as a differential processing circuit and a peak enlarging processing circuit for the output of the sensor coil and the necessity of processing the pattern identification of the engraving by a CPU. When used in a vending machine or the like that requires a cost, it causes a cost increase. An object of the present invention is to provide a coin discriminating apparatus capable of discriminating coins in a simple configuration and in real time.

[0009]

Means for Solving the Problems To solve the above problems and achieve the object, a coin discriminating apparatus of the present invention is configured as follows. (1) a coin discriminating device of the present invention, in the coin discriminating apparatus which detects a characteristic value of the coils is changed by passing a coin in a magnetic field on the coil discriminates the coin, facing each other, their The coin passes between
A pair of detection coils arranged in
In the center of the coin, the diameter of each coil is sufficiently larger than the diameter of the coin.
The coins that are small and whose central axes do not coincide with each other and pass through
Are provided so as to be positioned on both sides of the coin,
A set of sensor coils for detecting the characteristic value of the surface of, and discriminating means for discriminating the coin passing between the pair of sensor coils, and a. (2) The coin discriminating apparatus of the present invention is the apparatus described in (1) above, wherein the one set of sensor coils is differentially connected, and the discriminating means is a differential output generated by the one set of sensor coils. Is compared with a predetermined value to determine the coin.

[0010]

FIG. 1A is a plan view showing an arrangement of sensor coils in a coin discriminating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a sectional view thereof. In FIGS. 1A and 1B, a groove 21 for a passage of the coin 1 is dug in the transport path 2 of the 500-yen coin 1 as a target coin. The detection coils A1 and B1 similar to the conventional one have a rectangular shape, and the major axis is larger than the maximum diameter of the target coin.
The minor axis is designed to be about the minimum diameter of the target coin, and opposes each other with the passage of the transport path 2 interposed therebetween. The interval between the two detection coils A1 and B1 is a width that allows play to the maximum thickness of the coin. The detection coils A1, B1 mainly detect the material, size, and thickness of the coin.

The major and minor diameters of the sensor coils a and b are designed to be sufficiently smaller than the minimum diameter of the target coin. FIG.
In (a), each coil is represented in a rectangular shape, but may be a circular coil. The feature of the present invention lies in the arrangement of the coils. Sensor coils a and b are buried substantially in the center of the conventional detection coils A1 and B1, and the center of each of the sensor coils a and b is set so that the sensor coils a and b do not face each other. The axes are offset vertically.

FIG. 1C is a diagram showing an example of a modified coin. This modified coin has a counterbore (S) formed on one surface of a 500 won coin having a shape similar to a 500 yen coin. In the coin discriminating device, since the sensor coils a and b mainly detect a gap from the surface of the coin 1, for example, as shown in FIG. As a result, counterbore processing on one side of the forged coin which has been machined and forged is detected by comparing the front and back differentially.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a signal processing circuit in the coin discriminating apparatus. The coils A1 and B1 are the aforementioned detection coils and are connected in series. Coils A2 and B2 are reference coils, and Z1 and Z2 are dummy resistors, forming a bridge circuit.

The high-frequency oscillator 3 supplies power to the above-described bridge circuit. When no coin is present in the coils A1, B1, the bridge output voltage is set to zero by initial adjustment of the dummy resistors Z1, Z2. The output voltage from the bridge circuit is input to the amplifier 4 and amplified. Therefore, when the coin 1 passes through the coils A1 and B2, the output voltage ΔV resulting from the material, size and thickness of the coin 1 is input to the amplifier 4.

The output voltage ΔV is supplied from the amplifier 4 via the A / D converter 5, and the phase difference (Δθ) of the output voltage ΔV from the reference voltage (output of the oscillator 3) is supplied to the CPU 6 via the counter 6. (Microcomputer) 7 is taken in every period. Then, the CPU 7 sorts various coins by calculating each maximum value and comparing it with a preset setting range of ΔV and Δθ of the reference coin. The above signal processing is disclosed in JP-A-6-290333.

In this embodiment, the sensor coils a and b for detecting the coin surface are differentially connected to each other.
The sensor coils a and b are coils A1 and B1 respectively.
Inductively coupled to both ends of each of the sensor coils a and b generates an induced voltage, but the differential output (Va−V
b) is almost zero. This differential output (Va-Vb)
Is amplified by an amplifier 8, an envelope is detected by a low-pass filter 9, is compared with a set level by a comparator 10, and the presence or absence (H / L) of the signal is sent to a CPU (microcomputer) 7.

Therefore, when a genuine coin passes, the differential output (Va-Vb) causes only a slight change in the difference in the unevenness of the genuine stamp, as shown in FIG. 1 (c). When a strange modified coin passes, the differential output (Va-Vb) is
It changes greatly depending on the presence or absence of spot facing. Therefore, a threshold value is set between the above-mentioned fluctuation range of the genuine coin by the comparator 10 and a CPU exceeding this set level is determined as a falsified coin by the CPU 7.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a modification of the arrangement of each coil. In the above description, the discrimination between a genuine coin and a modified coin obtained by adding a counterbore for adjusting the thickness to a 500 won coin having a shape similar to a 500 yen coin has been described. On the other hand, when the coins are sorted at the same time as other coins, for example, when it is desired to simultaneously detect the perforation of the 50-yen coin 50, the sensor coils a and b are positioned slightly below the center of the transport path 21 as shown in FIG.
Only one sensor coil b is inserted into the hole 5 of the 50-yen coin 50.
If it is set at a position facing 1, detection of perforations of 50-yen coins as well as counterfeiting of fake coins becomes possible.

The determination logic in the CPU 7 eliminates the coin if there is an output from the sensor coils a and b of the present invention even if the value is within the set value of 500 yen for the conventional coils A1 and B1. Similarly, in the case of a 50 yen coin, the discrimination accuracy is improved by the logical product of the output and the detection of the hole.

Since the sensor coils a and b for detecting unevenness in the present embodiment are electromagnetically coupled to the conventional coils A1 and B1, a power supply between the sensor coils a and b is not required, and coin discrimination is performed. The device can be easily configured. Further, since the respective center axes of the sensor coils a and b are shifted and the sensor coils a and b are differentially coupled, only the differential output is detected if both sides of the target coin are asymmetrically machined. Therefore, the presence / absence of asymmetric processing can be determined in real time without performing complicated waveform processing on the rear side.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing the relationship between the arrangement of the sensor coils and the output waveform in a stationary manner.
(A) is an output waveform when the sensor coils 12a and 12b in the conventional example are coaxially arranged, and (b) is an output waveform when the respective center axes of the sensor coils a and b in the present invention are shifted. If there is a counterbore S as shown by a dotted line in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the counterbore S
Is generated, a "mountain" S1 corresponding to. If the height of this "mountain" S1 exceeds the threshold value set by the comparator 10,
Counterbore is determined to be "Yes".

As a result, there is no need to perform pre-processing such as differentiation processing or peak expansion processing on the output waveform as in the conventional example, and no calculation processing for pattern identification is required, and a determination result is output in real time. Further, coil A
1 and B1 and the signal processing of the sensor coils a and b can be performed simultaneously in parallel, so that high-speed processing is realized.

In the conventional example shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a plurality of sensors (not shown) for detecting the material, diameter, thickness and the like of a target coin are combined in series. Although the processing time becomes longer, such a problem does not occur in the present embodiment.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to only the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented with appropriate modifications without departing from the scope of the invention. (Summary of Embodiment) The configuration, operation and effect shown in the embodiment are summarized as follows. [1] coin discriminating apparatus shown in the embodiment, the coin detecting a characteristic value of the <br/> coil which varies by passing the coin 1 in a magnetic field on <br/> the coil In the coin discriminating device for discriminating the coin No. 1 and the coin discriminating device, the coin discriminating device is opposed to each other and the coin discriminating device is disposed therebetween.
A set of detection coils A1,
B2 and approximately the center of the set of detection coils A1 and B2,
Each coil diameter is sufficiently smaller than the coin 1
The axes do not coincide with each other, and the coins 1
The coin 1 is provided so that each
Sexual value pair of sensor coils a to detect, and b, the pair of sensor coils a, discriminating means for discriminating the coin passing between the b and (7), and a.

Therefore, according to the coin discriminating apparatus, a pair of sensor coils a and b are provided in the detection coils A1 and B1 as sensors for detecting the material, diameter, thickness and the like of the coin. , It is possible to detect S, such as counterbore of the target coin,
It is possible to simultaneously detect the material, diameter, thickness and counterbore of the target coin with one power supply, and the coin can be discriminated in real time with a simple configuration. As a result, recently, a machined modified coin mixed with a vending machine or the like, for example, 500 yen whose material and shape are similar to 500 yen
It is possible to determine, in a simple circuit configuration, a modified coin in which a part of the surface of the coin has been shaved and in real time.
[2] The coin discriminating apparatus shown in the embodiment is the same as the above [1].
Wherein the set of sensor coils is differentially connected, and the discriminating means discriminates the coin by comparing a differential output generated by the set of sensor coils with a predetermined value. .

Therefore, according to the coin discriminating apparatus, the set of sensor coils is opposed to the front and back sides of the target coin, the opposing positions are vertically shifted, and the differential connection is performed. It is possible to detect the presence or absence of coin counterbore based on the level of the signal level of the differential output.

[0027]

According to the coin discriminating apparatus of the present invention, a set of sensor coils is provided in a detection coil as a sensor for detecting the material, diameter, thickness, and the like of a coin, so that spot coins and the like of a target coin can be reduced. It is possible to simultaneously detect the material, diameter, thickness and counterbore of the target coin with a single power supply, and the coin can be discriminated in real time with a simple configuration. With this, a recently modified machine mixed especially in vending machines and the like, for example, a modified coin in which a part of the surface of a 500-won coin whose material and shape is similar to 500 yen is cut with a simple circuit configuration, And it can be determined in real time. Further, according to the coin discriminating apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to detect whether or not the target coin is counterbore based on the signal level of the differential output.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an arrangement of sensor coils and an altered coin in a coin discriminating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a signal processing circuit in the coin discriminating apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a modification of the arrangement of each coil according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram steadily showing a relationship between an arrangement of sensor coils and an output waveform according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an arrangement of a target coin and a sensor coil according to a conventional example.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of a detection circuit according to a conventional example.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a differentiation process and a peak enlargement process according to a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Coin 2 ... Conveyance path 21 ... Groove 3 ... Oscillator 4 ... Amplifier 5 ... A / D converter 6 ... Counter 7 ... CPU (microcomputer) 8 ... Amplifier 9 ... Low-pass filter 10 ... Comparator A1 ... Detection coil B1 ... Detection coil A1: Reference coil A2: Reference coil Z1: Dummy resistor Z2: Dummy resistor a: Sensor coil b: Sensor coil S: Counterbore

Continuation of front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G07D 5/08 104

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A coin discriminating apparatus detects the characteristic value of the coil to be changed by passing the coins in the magnetic field on the coil discriminates the coin, to face each other, the coin passes between them Arrange to do
A set of detection coils placed, and approximately the center of the set of detection coils, each coil diameter is
Sufficiently smaller than the coin diameter so that the central axes
Each coin is located on both sides of the passing coin.
Cormorants provided, characterized by comprising a set of sensor coils for detecting the characteristic value of the coin surface, and a discrimination means for discriminating the coin passing between the pair of sensor coils Coin discriminator. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pair of sensor coils are differentially connected, and the discriminating means discriminates the coin by comparing a differential output generated by the pair of sensor coils with a predetermined value. The coin discriminating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein