JPH06231332A - Coin identification device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate identification and to securely identify a coin even if the direction of the front/rear of the coin changes by detecting the number of times when the fluctuated quantity of an output signal from a magnetic sensor, which fluctuates with the transportation of the coin, is within the range of prescribed quantity, and identifying the front/rear of the coin. CONSTITUTION:The magnetic sensor 1 is provided for the coin identification part of a coin processor, for example. A transportation path transporting the coin C by a transportation belt 12 is formed at the upper part of a transfer-out belt 11, and a sensor fixing block 13 is provided at the lower part of the transportation belt 12. The magnetic sensor 1 is fixed to the sensor fixing block 13. Furthermore, a coin selection device 15 selecting the coins C by respective types based on the identification result of the coin C is provided at the right of the sensor fixing block 13. The sensor fixing block 13 is fixed to the coin selection device 15 with a screw 14. The number of times when the fluctuated quantity of the output signal from the magnetic sensor 1, which fluctuates with the transportation of the coil C, is within the range of prescribed quantity, is detected and the direction of the front/rear of the coin C is identified.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a coin discriminating device for magnetically detecting a coin (for example, a coin) to discriminate the type of coin.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a coin processing device,
A coin identification device for identifying the denomination and authenticity of the coin is provided. In this coin identifying device, a method of detecting the magnetic amount of a passing coin by a magnetic sensor or the like is generally well known, and a differential transformer type magnetic sensor has been conventionally used.

In this differential transformer type magnetic sensor, two secondary coils are arranged so as to sandwich the primary coil in a core around which the primary coil is wound, and the two secondary coils output each other. Is connected to cancel. Then, due to the eddy current generated on the surface of the coin as the coin approaches,
The flow of magnetic flux is obstructed and the output of the secondary coil is unbalanced, so that a differential output is obtained in the secondary coil.

Such a differential transformer type magnetic sensor is usually used for detecting the shape of a coin, that is, the hole of a coin. The diameter of a cylindrical core and that of a cylindrical core are 50 yen each. Corresponding to the hole diameters of coins and 5-yen coins, they were set to about 4.5 mm and 6.5 mm, and the sensor itself had a relatively small outer shape of 10 to 13 mm.

[0005]

Conventionally, as described above, since the coin hole is detected by the small magnetic sensor and the material of the coin is detected by another large magnetic sensor, two magnetic sensors are used. I had to.

Therefore, it has been considered to detect the hole of the coin and the material by using one small magnetic sensor. However, when a small magnetic sensor is used, the output is made according to the front and back direction of the coin. There is a problem in that the coin identification accuracy is reduced unless the front and back sides of the coin being conveyed are not uniform.

Further, if a device for discriminating between the front and the back by an optical pattern of a coin is provided, only one magnetic sensor is required, but a device for discriminating between the front and the back is additionally provided, resulting in an increase in cost. was there.

Therefore, the present invention makes it possible to easily identify the front and back of a coin, and to make a reliable identification without degrading the coin identification accuracy even if the orientation of the coin changes. The purpose is to provide.

[0009]

A coin discriminating apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is a coin transporting means for transporting coins, and a magnetic sensor arranged to face the transporting means and magnetically detecting a coin to be transported. And a detecting means for detecting the number of times that the amount of change in the output signal of the magnetic sensor, which changes with the conveyance of the coin, is within a predetermined amount, and the front and back of the coin based on the detection result of the detecting means. And an identification means for identifying the orientation of the.

A coin identifying device according to a second aspect of the present invention is a coin carrying device, a carrying device for carrying a coin, a magnetic sensor arranged to face the carrying device and magnetically detecting a carried coin, Discriminating means for discriminating the type of the coin, the discriminating means for discriminating the direction of the coin from the front side depending on whether or not the change amount of the output signal of the magnetic sensor, which changes with the conveyance of A storage unit that stores a reference value for each type of coin and a front-back direction of the coin, and a determination reference value stored in the storage unit is selected according to the front-back direction of the coin identified by the identification unit. It is provided with a selecting means and a judging means for judging the coin type based on the judgment reference value selected by the selecting means.

[0011]

According to the first aspect of the invention, the number of times that the amount of change in the output signal of the magnetic sensor that changes with the conveyance of the coin is within the predetermined amount is detected, and the front and back of the coin are detected based on this detection result. In order to discriminate the direction of the coin, it is possible to surely discriminate the numerical surface on the surface of the coin, which does not change much, and the pattern surface, which changes largely, without providing a special device.

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the judgment reference value for judging the coin type is stored for each coin type and the direction of the front and back of the coin, and the front and back of the coin identified by the identifying means are stored. Since the judgment reference value stored in the above is selected according to the direction of, the coin type is judged,
Reliable identification is possible even if the direction of the coins changes.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the structure of a differential transformer type magnetic sensor 1. That is, the cylindrical inner magnetic body (core) 2 has four flange-shaped protrusions 2 in the longitudinal direction thereof.
a, 2b, 2c, 2d are provided, and the protrusions 2a and 2
A secondary coil 3a is wound between b and b, a primary coil 3b is wound between the protrusions 2b and 2c, and a secondary coil 3c is wound between the protrusions 2c and 2d.

A sine wave signal having a predetermined frequency is input from the oscillator to the primary coil 3b. Then, the secondary coils 3a and 3c are electromagnetically induced by the primary coil 3b, and the secondary coil 3 is arranged with the primary coil 3b interposed therebetween.
a and 3c are connected so as to cancel each other's outputs,
It constitutes a differential transformer.

The cylindrical inner magnetic body (core) 2 is positioned on a cylindrical outer magnetic body (core) 5 via a positioning ring 4, and the outer magnetic body 5 is covered by a cylindrical case 6. ing. Below the cylindrical case 6, P
A C fixing base 7 and a PC board (printed circuit board) 8 fixed by the PC fixing base 7 are provided and integrated with a mold resin 9. In addition, this magnetic sensor 1
Is output to the outside by the lead wire 10.

Next, the flow of magnetic flux generated from the primary coil 3b will be described with reference to FIG. Primary coil 3
The magnetic flux generated from b mainly concentrates on the four protrusions 2a to 2d of the internal magnetic body 2 and reaches the external magnetic body 5,
At that time, the secondary coils 3a and 3c interlink.

When there is no coin above the magnetic sensor 1 and no coin is detected, the amount of magnetic flux linked to the secondary coils 3a and 3c is equal, and the differential output is a value close to "0" ( Offset value).

As the coin approaches, the output of the secondary coil 3a on the detection surface side begins to decrease. This is because an eddy current is generated in the coin in a direction that obstructs the magnetic flux due to the magnetic flux interlinking from the inner magnetic body 2 to the outer magnetic body 5 (of course, the magnetic flux shielding effect is the material, thickness and diameter of the coin). This is because the magnetic flux linked to the secondary coil 3a decreases.

The magnetic sensor 1 having the above-described structure is arranged in the coin discriminating portion of the coin processing device, for example, as shown in FIG. That is, a transport path for transporting the coin C by the transport belt 12 is formed above the delivery belt 11, and a sensor fixing block 13 is provided below the transport belt 12 and the sensor fixing block 13 is provided. The magnetic sensor 1 is fixed to the.

On the right side of the sensor fixing block 13, there is provided a coin sorting device 15 for sorting the coins C by type based on the identification result of the coins C. The sensor fixing block 13
Are fixed to the coin sorting device 15 by screws 14.

FIG. 4 shows the configuration of a processing circuit for processing the output signal of the magnetic sensor 1. In the figure, the differential output of the magnetic sensor 1 is input to and amplified by the amplifier circuit 16. The amplification factor of the amplifier circuit 16 can be adjusted by a variable resistor (not shown). The output of the amplifier circuit 16 is rectified by the rectifier circuit 17 and then converted into a DC signal through a low pass filter (LPF) 18.

The output of the low-pass filter 18 is input to the A / D converter 19, converted into a digital signal here, and then sent to a CPU (central processing unit) 20. The CPU 20 is the A / D converter 1
9 output is sampled at fixed time intervals, the maximum value is detected from the sampling data, and RAM (random
The data is stored in the access memory 21.

The maximum value is detected by sequentially comparing the sampling data to detect the maximum value, and the RAM is detected.
The error is prevented from being caused by noise or the like by storing the value in No. 21 and determining that the maximum value is reached when the current value is lower than the current maximum value by a predetermined width (amount), and then ending.

ROM (Read Only Memory) 22
Stores firmware (control program) for operating the CPU 20, and is sequentially read and executed by the CPU 20.

Next, changes in the output signal of the magnetic sensor 1 depending on the front and back of the coin C will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8, the output signal a is a waveform when the number surface of the coin C is downward, and the output signal b is a waveform when the pattern surface of the coin C is downward. 5 shows the output waveform of a 1-yen coin, FIG. 6 shows the output waveform of a 10-yen coin, and FIG.
An output waveform of a 00-yen coin and FIG. 8 show an output waveform of a 500-yen coin.

As is apparent from FIGS. 5 to 8, when the number surface of each coin is downward, the number signal is relatively flat, so that the output signal does not change much and the pattern is flat. When the surface is facing downward, the pattern surface changes to a gentle mountain shape, and there is no flat portion.

FIG. 9 shows the conveyance surface of the coin C and the distribution of the maximum value of the output when 100 coins of each coin are detected as a sample. The white bar indicates when the picture surface is facing downward, and the black bar indicates when the numeral surface is facing downward.For almost all coins, the output is large depending on whether the picture surface is facing down or the numeral surface is facing down. There is a relationship and the peaks of the output distribution are different. In particular, in the case of a white copper coin that is difficult to determine, the double peak of the output is remarkable.

Therefore, the determination reference value for determining the type of the coin C based on the maximum value is conventionally a wide range (upper limit) so as to cover both the case where the picture surface is downward and the case where the numerical surface is downward. Value, lower limit value) was set, but in this device, the judgment reference value table of the coin C is set to a range in which the judgment reference value range is limited depending on whether the pattern surface is downward or the numerical surface is downward. It is set.

As described above, if the range of the judgment reference value is set according to the direction of the coin C, the range of the judgment reference value of each denomination does not overlap, and the judgment of the coin C can be performed accurately. Become.

Next, the operation of identifying the coin C having the above structure will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The output of the A / D converter 19 is sampled by the CPU 20 at fixed time intervals, and the A / D converter 1
When the output of 9 rises from the offset value by a predetermined level, front / back discrimination is started.

First, the CPU 20 stores a value obtained by adding and subtracting a predetermined width from the current detection value in the RAM 21 as an upper limit value and a lower limit value, and determines whether the next detected value is within the range between the upper limit value and the lower limit value. Is determined. When the detected value is within the range between the upper limit value and the lower limit value, the CPU 20 counts up a counter (not shown). Further, when the detected value is outside the range of the upper limit value and the lower limit value, the above-mentioned upper limit value,
Reset the lower limit value and reset the counter.

The CPU 20 repeats the above operation until the output of the A / D converter 19 reaches a level close to the offset value, thereby determining the direction of the coin based on the contents of the counter.

That is, when the counter reaches the predetermined value, it is determined that the output signal has a flat portion (the number surface is facing downward), and when the counter does not reach the predetermined value, the flat portion is output. It was determined that there was no (the pattern surface was downward).

The CPU 20 selects a reference value in a determination reference value table (not shown) based on the determination result of the front and back sides. As described above, the determination reference value table of coins is set to a range in which the determination reference value range is limited depending on whether the picture surface is downward or the numerical surface is downward.

Then, the CPU 20 compares the reference value of the selected maximum value with the maximum value of the output of the A / D converter 19 stored in the RAM 21, and determines which coin range the maximum value belongs to. , The type of coin C is determined.

By thus setting the range of the judgment reference value according to the direction of the coin, the range of the judgment reference value of each denomination does not overlap, and the coin can be judged accurately.

Further, since the front and back of a coin can be determined with a simple structure, there is an effect that the cost is significantly reduced as compared with the case where the front and back of a coin is determined by an optical pattern or the like.

In the above embodiment, the case of identifying the type of coin has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and is similarly applied to an identifying device for identifying the type of a medal, for example. it can.

[0040]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, the front and back of a coin can be easily identified, and even if the direction of the front and back of the coin changes, the identification accuracy of the coin does not deteriorate and the coin can be reliably identified. It is possible to provide a coin identification device that can perform various identifications.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional side view showing the configuration of a magnetic sensor.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a flow of magnetic flux generated by a primary coil of a magnetic sensor.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an arrangement of magnetic sensors in a coin identifying unit of the coin processing device.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a processing circuit that processes an output signal of a magnetic sensor.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an output signal waveform of a magnetic sensor when a 1-yen coin is used.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an output signal waveform of a magnetic sensor when a 10-yen coin is used.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an output signal waveform of a magnetic sensor when a 100-yen coin is used.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an output signal waveform of a magnetic sensor when a 500-yen coin is used.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating distribution of maximum values of output signals of a magnetic sensor.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a coin identifying operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ... Magnetic sensor 2 ... Internal magnetic body 2a ... Projection 2b ... Projection 2c ... Projection 3a ... Secondary coil 3b ... Primary coil 3c ... Secondary coil 4 ... Positioning ring 5 ... External Magnetic material 6 …… Cylindrical case 11 …… Feeding belt 12 …… Conveyor belt 13 …… Sensor fixing block 14 …… Screw 15 …… Coin sorter 16 …… Amplifier circuit 17 …… Rectifier circuit 18 …… Low pass filter 19 ...... A / D converter 20 ...... CPU 21 ...... RAM 22 ...... ROM

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A transporting means for transporting coins, a magnetic sensor which is arranged to face the transporting means and magnetically detects the transported coins, and a magnetic sensor which changes as the coins are transported. It is characterized by further comprising: detection means for detecting the number of times the amount of change in the output signal is within a predetermined amount range, and identification means for identifying the front-back direction of the coin based on the detection result of the detection means. Coin identification device. 2. A transporting means for transporting coins, a magnetic sensor which is arranged so as to face the transporting means and magnetically detects the transported coins, and a magnetic sensor which changes as the coins are transported. Identification means for identifying the direction of the front and back of the coin depending on whether or not the amount of change in the output signal is within a predetermined range, and a determination reference value for determining the type of the coin is the type of coin and the front and back of the coin. A storage means for storing each direction, a selection means for selecting the judgment reference value stored in the storage means according to the front and back directions of the coins identified by the identification means, and the selection means A coin discriminating device comprising: a judging unit for judging the type of coin based on a judgment reference value.