JPH11175795A - Coin discriminating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent an illegal use of a counterfeit coin having different features in a section although features of a specific part are nearly the same with a genuine coin in a coin discriminating device which discriminates whether a coin s genuine or not. SOLUTION: Section detecting means 9 and 11 are provided which detect features of a coin in a predetermined section wherein features of a coin can be detected according to the shape of the output waveform of a sensor in the section. Consequently, a counterfeit coin having different features in the section from a genuine coin can not be illegally used.

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 electrically discriminating the authenticity and type of coins.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, vending machines have become widespread, and a coin discriminating apparatus used therein has been required to have high discrimination performance.

Conventionally, a coin discriminating apparatus of this type has a coin insertion slot, a coin passage connected to the coin insertion slot, a sensor arranged on a side wall of the coin passage, and an output from the sensor. Detecting means for detecting the characteristics of the coin, a storage circuit in which data serving as the authenticity of the coin and reference data for the type of the coin are stored in advance, and a comparison for comparing the output of the detecting means with reference data of the storage circuit And a determination circuit for determining the authenticity and type of the coin based on the comparison result of the comparison circuit. The sensor is made up of a material, thickness and outer diameter sensor, and the detecting means is provided with means for detecting the maximum value or the minimum value of the output of each sensor. Then, the material, thickness, and outer diameter of the coin are detected and identified based on the maximum value or the minimum value of the output of each sensor when the coin passes.

[0004]

However, in such a conventional configuration, what is detected as a feature of a coin is a feature of a specific part of the coin. This is because when the coin passes through the sensor section, the value when the sensor output becomes maximum or minimum is detected. That is,
Only a part of the coin whose sensor output takes a maximum or a minimum is detected, and the detecting means is a partial detecting means for detecting a partial characteristic of the coin.

[0005] For this reason, coins in the section have characteristics different from those of genuine coins, but false coins whose characteristics of specific portions are almost the same may be illegally used. For example, there are similar foreign coins whose thickness, uniformity is different from that of a genuine coin, but whose material, outer diameter, and maximum thickness are almost equal.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a coin identification device capable of preventing such illegal use of counterfeit coins.

[0007]

In order to achieve this object, a coin discriminating apparatus according to the present invention comprises a section detecting means for detecting a feature of a coin based on a shape of an output waveform of a sensor in a predetermined section. This is a configuration provided with.

[0008] Therefore, it is possible to detect the characteristics of coins in the section, so that it is possible to prevent improper use of fake coins in which the characteristics of the specific portion are substantially equal to the genuine coin, but the overall characteristics of the section are different. Will be possible.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is directed to a coin insertion slot, a coin passage connected to the coin insertion slot, a sensor disposed on a side wall of the coin passage, and the sensor. A section detecting means for detecting the characteristics of the coin based on the shape of the output waveform of the sensor in a predetermined section from the output of the memory, and a storage circuit in which data serving as a reference for true / false and the type of the coin is stored in advance. A coin discriminating apparatus comprising: a comparing circuit for comparing an output of the section detecting means with reference data of the storage circuit; and a judging circuit for judging the authenticity and type of the coin based on a comparison result of the comparing circuit. However, since the characteristics of the coin are detected based on the shape of the output waveform of the sensor in the section, the characteristics of the specific part are almost the same as the genuine one, but the illegal use of a fake coin having a different waveform shape as the whole section Can be prevented That.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the coin identification device according to the first aspect, wherein the sensor is a thickness sensor and the thickness of the coin is detected in a predetermined section from an output of the thickness sensor. Since the difference in the shape of the thickness waveform can be detected, the discrimination performance can be improved.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the coin discriminating apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein the uniformity of the coin thickness is detected in a predetermined section from the output of the thickness sensor. Can be detected. That is, since the uniformity is a big feature compared to the counterfeit coin, the discrimination performance can be improved by using the uniformity of the thickness.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a thickness sensor is formed by arranging two cores wound with coils in opposition to a coin path, and connecting these coils in series and anti-phase so that mutual inductance becomes negative. The coin identification device according to claim 2, wherein the coin thickness can be detected from both sides of the coin passage.
Depending on the coin passing position, such as whether the coin passes along the side wall of the coin passage or the center part, the output of each coil is affected and the detection accuracy is reduced, but when it is detected from both sides, this effect is affected. Canceled, and high detection accuracy is obtained.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the coin identification device according to the first aspect, wherein the sensor is a material sensor, and the material of the coin is detected in a predetermined section from an output of the material sensor. Since the difference in the shape of the material waveform can be detected, the discrimination performance can be improved.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the coin identification device according to the fifth aspect, wherein the uniformity of the material of the coin is detected in a predetermined section from the output of the material sensor. Can be detected. That is, since the uniformity is a big feature compared with the counterfeit coin, the use of the uniformity of the material can improve the identification performance.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, a material sensor is formed by arranging two cores wound with coils in opposition to a coin passage, and connecting these coils in series and in-phase so that mutual inductance is positive. The coin identification device according to claim 5, wherein the material of the coin can be detected from both sides of the coin passage.
Depending on the coin passing position, such as whether the coin passes along the side wall of the coin passage or the center part, the output of each coil is affected and the detection accuracy is reduced, but when it is detected from both sides, this effect is affected. Canceled, and high detection accuracy is obtained.

The invention according to claim 8 is the coin discriminating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the section in which the sensor output is equal to or higher than the threshold value is a predetermined section. Since it is hard to receive coins, it is possible to accurately determine a section for detecting the feature of the coin.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the coin discriminating apparatus according to the eighth aspect, wherein a value obtained by subtracting a constant value from the maximum value of the sensor output is used as the threshold value. Even if the coin is received, the threshold value is relatively hard to be affected, so that the section for detecting the feature of the coin can be accurately determined.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coin discriminating apparatus according to the eighth aspect, wherein a value obtained by multiplying a maximum value of a sensor output by a constant value is set as a threshold value, wherein the maximum value of coin characteristics varies. Since the threshold value is relatively stable, it is possible to accurately determine a section in which a feature of a coin is detected.

[0020] The invention according to claim 11 is the coin discriminating apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the minimum value of the sensor output is set as a threshold value, even if the output level of the sensor is affected by the fluctuation of the power supply voltage. Since the threshold value is relatively insensitive, it is possible to accurately determine a section in which the feature of the coin is detected.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the coin discriminating apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein a section between two local maximums of the sensor output is a predetermined section. Since it is hard to receive coins, it is possible to accurately determine a section for detecting the feature of the coin.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the coin identification device according to the first aspect of the present invention, which detects a feature of a coin surface in a predetermined section, and detects a feature of a coin surface in a section. Therefore, the detection accuracy for the pattern difference can be improved.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coin discriminating apparatus according to the thirteenth aspect for detecting a feature of a coin surface from a difference between a sensor output and a threshold value in a predetermined section. The difference between the surface portions can be emphasized and detected, and the section for detecting the characteristics of the surface can be accurately determined.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the coin identification device according to the first aspect, wherein the feature of the surface of the coin is detected from the area of the sensor output waveform in a predetermined section. Can be easily detected.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the coin identification device according to the fifteenth aspect, wherein the characteristic of the coin is detected by correcting the area of the sensor output waveform in a predetermined section by the passing speed of the coin. The characteristics of the coin in the section can be detected without being affected by the passing speed of the coin.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coin identifying apparatus for detecting a feature of a coin from an average of sensor outputs in a predetermined section, without being affected by a passing speed of the coin. , It is possible to easily detect the characteristics of the coin in the entire section.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a front view showing an outline of the coin identification device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 2, a coin insertion slot 2 is provided at an upper portion of the coin identification device main body 1, and a coin passage 3 is connected downward from the insertion slot 2. On the side wall of the passage 3, a thickness sensor 4, a material sensor 5, and an outer diameter sensor 6 are arranged. The passage 3 is connected to a coin outlet 7 located at a lower portion of the coin discriminating apparatus main body 1.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control circuit of the coin identification device according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, a thickness sensor 4 includes two cores disposed opposite to a side wall of a passage 3, a coil wound inside these cores, and an oscillation circuit formed including these coils. And a rectifier circuit whose oscillation waveform is converted from a sine wave to a signal indicating an oscillation level. The coils wound around the opposing cores are connected in series and anti-phase so that the mutual inductance becomes negative, and the output thereof enters the first partial detecting means 8 and the first section detecting means 9.

The material sensor 5 also has the same configuration as the thickness sensor 4, but the coils wound around the opposing cores are connected in series and in-phase so that the mutual inductance is positive, and the output is the second partial detection means. 10 and second section detecting means 1
Enter 1.

The outer diameter sensor 6 has the same configuration as the material sensor 5, the coils are connected in series and in-phase, and the output enters the third partial detecting means 12. The outputs of the detection means 8 to 12 enter the comparison circuits 13 to 17, respectively. The comparison circuits 13 to 17 are also connected to the storage circuit 18. Comparison circuits 13 to 17
Are input to a judgment circuit 19, and the judgment circuit 19 outputs a judgment signal 20.

The operation of the coin discriminating apparatus configured as described above will be described below. When the coin inserted from the insertion slot 2 approaches the sensors 4 to 6, the impedance of the coil changes, and the oscillation level of the oscillation circuit changes accordingly. The amount of change is formed so as to differ mainly depending on the thickness of the coin in the thickness sensor 4, mainly depending on the material of the coin in the material sensor 5, and mainly depending on the outer diameter of the coin in the outer diameter sensor 6. Each of the rectifier circuits converts the oscillation waveform of the oscillation circuit from a sine wave to a signal indicating an oscillation level. Each of the partial detecting means 8, 10, and 12 detects the maximum value of the variation of the oscillation level when the coin passes, and outputs the detected value to the corresponding comparing circuits 13, 15, and 17, respectively.

Next, the operation of the section detecting means 9 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 shows output waveforms 30 and 40 of the thickness sensor 4 when the coin passes. The vertical axis is the change amount of the oscillation level, and the horizontal axis is the time. The solid line waveform in FIG. 3 is a waveform 30 of a Japanese 500 yen coin. On the other hand, the broken line waveform is a waveform 40 of the first counterfeit coin having a material, an outer diameter, and a maximum thickness that are substantially equal to a 500-yen coin and have a difference in thickness uniformity. The difference between these waveforms 30 and 40 is as follows. The 500 yen coin has a relatively small degree of surface irregularities, that is, a high degree of uniformity in thickness, whereas the first counterfeit coin has a relatively large degree of surface irregularities because the center is thicker than the periphery. That is, the uniformity of the thickness is low. In the present invention, the difference is detected by the section detecting means 9 as a difference in section thickness.

In the present embodiment, a value obtained by subtracting a constant value 33 from the maximum value 31 of the output of the thickness sensor 4 is defined as a threshold value 32, and a portion where the output of the thickness sensor 4 is not less than the threshold value 32 is defined as a detection section. In this section, the output waveform 3 of the thickness sensor 4
Area 34 of the waveform where the difference between 0 and threshold value 32 is created
Is used to detect the thickness of the section. Section thickness sensor 4
Although it is possible to detect the thickness of the section by the area of the waveform of the portion formed by the output waveform 30 of FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, in particular, since the thickness of the surface of the coin is detected, The area of the waveform is used. Also, threshold 3
If 2 is fixed, it is liable to be affected by fluctuations in temperature, power supply voltage, and the like. Therefore, a value obtained by subtracting the constant value 33 from the maximum value 31 is used. You can also.

Since the area 34 thus determined is obviously affected by the passing speed of coins, it is necessary to correct the passing speed. In the present embodiment, the time 35 during which the output of the thickness sensor 4 considered to be proportional to the passing speed of coins is equal to or higher than the threshold value 32 is used. The correction is not limited to this. Instead of correcting the area with the coin passing speed, an average in the section of the output of the thickness sensor 4 may be obtained. The section detection means 9 outputs a signal indicating a value obtained by dividing the area 34 by the time 35 to the comparison circuit 14.

Further, the operation of the section detecting means 11 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 shows output waveforms 50 and 60 of the material sensor 5 when the coin passes. As in FIG. 3, the vertical axis indicates the amount of change in the oscillation level, and the horizontal axis indicates time. The solid line waveform in FIG. 4 is a waveform 50 of a Japanese 500 yen coin. On the other hand, the waveform of the dashed line is the waveform 60 of the second counterfeit coin 60 in which the thickness, the outer diameter, and the material of the portion where the output of the material sensor 5 takes the maximum are almost equal to the 500 yen coin and the material uniformity is different. is there. The difference between these waveforms 50 and 60 is as follows. The 500 yen coin has a relatively small degree of unevenness on the surface, that is, the degree of uniformity of the electromagnetic characteristics of a coin detected as a material is high, whereas the second counterfeit coin has a hollow on the surface, so the degree of unevenness is small. This is because the material is relatively large, that is, the uniformity of the material is low. In the present invention, the difference is detected by the section detecting means 11 as a difference in the material of the section.

In this embodiment, the output of the material sensor 5 is 2
The interval between the two maximums is defined as a detection section, and the minimum value of the output of the material sensor 5 is defined as a threshold value 51.
The material of the section is detected based on the area 52 of the waveform where the difference between the output waveform 50 of FIG. Although the material of the section can be detected based on the area of the waveform generated by the output waveform 50 of the material sensor 5 in the section, in the present embodiment, in particular, the material of the coin surface is detected.
The area of the waveform of the portion where the difference from 1 is created is used.

Since the area 52 obtained in this manner is obviously affected by the passing speed of coins, it is necessary to correct the passing speed. In the present embodiment, the time 53 between the two maxima of the output of the material sensor 5 which is considered to be proportional to the passing speed of the coin is used. Correction is possible without limitation. Instead of correcting the area with the passing speed of coins, an average in the section of the output of the material sensor 5 may be obtained. The section detecting means 11 outputs to the comparison circuit 16 a signal indicating a value obtained by dividing the area 52 by the time 53.

The storage circuit 18 stores a reference value for each type of genuine coin. The comparison circuits 13 to 17 compare the input from each of the detection means 8 to 12 with the reference of the storage circuit 18 and output a signal indicating the type of genuine coin if they match within an allowable range. If the value does not match, a signal indicating that the coin is a counterfeit is output. Judgment circuit 19
Then, only when all the signals from the comparison circuits 13 to 17 indicate the same type of genuine coin, a signal indicating the type of genuine coin is output.
Output as

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the feature of a section can be detected by the section detecting means.
For this reason, fake coins with differences in section thickness and material from genuine
It is possible to prevent unauthorized use. Also, since the feature of the surface can be detected by the difference with the threshold,
It is also possible to prevent the improper use of counterfeit coins whose surface thickness and material differ from those of the original coin.

In this embodiment, an example in which the change in the oscillation level when passing a coin is used for identification is shown.
Changes in inductance, frequency, phase, etc. can also be used.

[0040]

As described above, according to the present invention, since there is provided the section detecting means for detecting the characteristic of the coin based on the shape of the output waveform of the sensor in the predetermined section, the characteristic of the coin in the section is provided. , It is possible to prevent fraudulent use of fake coins, which have substantially the same characteristics as the genuine coin but have different characteristics in the section.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control circuit of a coin identification device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing an outline of the coin identification device.

FIG. 3 is an output waveform diagram of the thickness sensor of the coin identification device.

FIG. 4 is an output waveform diagram of a material sensor of the coin identification device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Coin identification device main body 2 Slot 3 Coin passage 4 Thickness sensor 5 Material sensor 6 Outer diameter sensor 9 Section detection means 11 Section detection means 13 Comparison circuit 14 Comparison circuit 15 Comparison circuit 16 Comparison circuit 17 Comparison circuit 18 Storage circuit 19 Determination circuit

Claims (17)

[Claims] 1. A coin slot, a coin passage connected to the coin slot, a sensor disposed on a side wall of the coin passage, and a shape of an output waveform of the sensor in a predetermined section. Section detecting means for detecting the characteristics of coins, a storage circuit in which data serving as a reference for authenticity and type of coins and a type are stored in advance, and an output of the section detecting means is compared with reference data of the storage circuit. A coin discriminating apparatus comprising: a comparing circuit; and a judging circuit for judging the authenticity and type of the coin based on a result of the comparison by the comparing circuit. 2. A coin discriminating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is a thickness sensor, and the thickness of the coin is detected in a predetermined section from an output of the thickness sensor. 3. The coin identification device according to claim 2, wherein the uniformity of the thickness of the coin is detected in a predetermined section from the output of the thickness sensor. 4. The thickness sensor according to claim 2, wherein two cores wound with coils are arranged to face the coin path, and these coils are connected in series and anti-phase so that mutual inductance becomes negative to form a thickness sensor. Coin identification device. 5. The coin discriminating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is a material sensor, and the material of the coin is detected in a predetermined section from an output of the material sensor. 6. The coin identification device according to claim 5, wherein the uniformity of the material of the coin is detected in a predetermined section from the output of the material sensor. 7. The coin according to claim 5, wherein two cores wound with coils are arranged to face the coin path, and these coils are connected in series and in-phase so that mutual inductance is positive to form a material sensor. Identification device. 8. The coin discriminating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a section in which the sensor output is equal to or greater than a threshold is a predetermined section. 9. The coin discriminating apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a value obtained by subtracting a fixed value from the maximum value of the sensor output is used as the threshold value. 10. The coin discriminating apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a value obtained by multiplying a maximum value of the sensor output by a constant value is set as a threshold value. 11. The coin discriminating apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a minimum value of the sensor output is set as a threshold value. 12. The coin discriminating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a section between two local maximums of the sensor output is a predetermined section. 13. The coin identification device according to claim 1, wherein a feature of the surface of the coin in a predetermined section is detected. 14. The coin discriminating apparatus according to claim 13, wherein a feature of the coin surface is detected from a difference between a sensor output and a threshold value in a predetermined section. 15. The coin discriminating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a feature of the coin is detected from an area of a sensor output waveform in a predetermined section. 16. The coin discriminating apparatus according to claim 15, wherein a feature of the coin is detected by correcting an area of a sensor output waveform in a predetermined section by a passing speed of the coin. 17. The coin identification device according to claim 1, wherein a feature of the coin is detected from an average of sensor outputs in a predetermined section.