KR19980015680A - Coin discrimination device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a coin discriminating apparatus which can be used for a plurality of types of coins. The coin discriminating apparatus includes first and second panel members (16a, A coin movement delaying member 24 formed at the rear end of the coin movement support member 18 forming the coin input path and a coin movement delaying member 24 formed by the coin movement delaying member 18 Coin path switching means 28 for moving one end of the movable piece 28d forward and backward through an opening 16a 'formed at a predetermined position of the first panel member 16a so as to switch the discharge / storage path of the coin delayed in movement, A plurality of coin catches 38a, 38b, 38c formed on the second panel member 16b on the coin storage path formed by the first and second panel members 16a, 16b, Of the first panel member 16a And a coin detection module 20 equipped with first and second coin detecting sensors 22a and 22b which are mounted at predetermined positions and detect a passage time of the coin.

Description

Coin discrimination device

The present invention relates to a coin discrimination apparatus, and more particularly, to a coin discrimination apparatus, which is capable of detecting coins (for example, 50 won, 100 won, 500 won coin) The coin discriminating apparatus comprising:

As is well known, when a certain amount of money is input into a commodity including beverages, an automatic vending machine for automatically discharging the corresponding items is widely available. Also, when a certain amount of money is input, Electronic amusement machines that operate for a while are also becoming widespread.

According to the electronic entertainment machine, such as an automatic vending machine, a coin discriminating device capable of automatically discriminating coins put in order to allow automatic discharge or operation of a specific item only by a certain amount of input is usually employed.

The coin discriminating device is classified into a mechanical type which discriminates the type of coin using the physical characteristics such as the shape and weight of the coin and an electronic type which discriminates the coin using the inherent electrical characteristics of the coin, Since the discriminator is limited in its relatively small size, an electronic coin discriminator has been developed in recent years.

Here, according to the embodiment of the electronic coin sorting apparatus, a coin is passed between a pair of coils or electrodes provided opposite to each other. Based on the signal generated by the coin-like electrical characteristics, . According to an example of the electronic coin discriminating apparatus employing coils, an exciting coil, an oscillating coil, or a reference coil and a detecting coil are provided and based on an electric signal or a voltage signal of a harmonic component generated when the coin passes through the coil And is configured to discriminate a coin.

However, in the electronic coin discriminating apparatus employing a coil, in a method of discriminating a coin based on an electrical signal or a voltage signal of a harmonic component generated when the coin passes through the exciting coil, the oscillating coil, or the reference coil and the detecting coil, It is necessary to precisely adjust the winding ratio of the detection coil and the detection coil, which makes it difficult to assemble the coil.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a coin detecting sensor, which is spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance on a coin input path, based on a pulse signal corresponding to a passing time of coin to the coin detecting sensor And it is an object of the present invention to provide a coin discriminating device adapted to discriminate a coin type.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, first and second panel members, which are provided behind the coin input port formed on the front surface or the upper surface thereof to form a coin input path, and a coin transfer support member, A coin movement delaying member formed at a rear end of the coin transfer support member forming the coin injection path, a coin transferring delay member arranged at a predetermined position of the first panel member for switching the discharge / storage path of the coin delayed in movement by the coin transfer delay member, A plurality of coin receiving passages formed on the second panel member on the coin receiving path formed by the first and second panel members, and a plurality of coin receiving passages formed on the second panel member, The first and second coin collecting units being mounted at predetermined positions of the first panel member to detect the passage time of the coin, The coin discriminating apparatus is configured including the coin detection module with a sensor.

Preferably, the coin movement path is formed such that a surface of the coin movement support member, in which a slit-shaped spoiler outlet is formed at a position preceding the first and second coin detection modules, is flat and the upper half of the first and second panel members And is inclined at a predetermined angle.

On the other hand, the coin movement path is formed by inclining the surface of the coin movement support member, in which the slit-shaped spoiler outlet is formed in front of the coin detection module in a state where the first and second panel members are upright, at a predetermined angle .

The coin compartments are formed in a number corresponding to the type of coin to be discriminated, and both peripheral portions of the second panel member forming each coin receiving portion are tapered outwardly in the storage direction of the coin.

The coin detecting module includes an oscillating unit for oscillating a pulse signal corresponding to a coin passing time for the first and second coin detecting sensors, a rectifying / amplifying unit for rectifying / amplifying the oscillated signal, An oscillation signal generator for generating an oscillation signal, and an analog-to-digital converter for digitally converting the generated oscillation signal, and comparing the amplitude and period of the digitally converted oscillation signal with data stored in a lookup table to determine the type of the inserted coin, And a coin path switching driving unit for switching the discharge / storage path of the determined coin by the coin path switching means under the control of the control unit.

According to the coin discriminating apparatus of the present invention having the above arrangement, since the type of the coin inserted by the pulse signal oscillated based on the passing time of the coin to the first and second coin detecting sensors provided on the coin input path is discriminated, Coin discrimination becomes possible.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view showing a mechanism of a coin discriminating apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view for explaining an installation state of the coin path switching member shown in FIG. 1,

3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a coin detecting module of the coin discriminating apparatus according to the present invention.

4 is a view for explaining a process of discriminating the type of a coin in the coin discrimination control unit of the coin discriminating apparatus according to the present invention,

FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining a waveform and a lookup table conversion process of the coin discrimination data when the coin passes through the first and second coin detecting sensors according to the present invention; FIG.

6 is a view for explaining another example of a coin input path of the coin discriminating apparatus according to the present invention.

Description of the Related Art [0002]

10: coin discrimination mechanism, 12: front panel,

14: Coin throw-in port, 16a, 16b: first and second panel members,

18: coin transfer support member, 20: coin detection module,

22a, 22b: first and second coin detecting sensors,

28: coin path switching member, 40: oscillating portion,

42: rectification / amplification unit, 44: analog-digital conversion unit,

46: control unit, 48: lookup table,

52: Coin path switching driver.

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

1 is a view showing a mechanism of a coin discriminating apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, the coin discriminating mechanism 10 is provided with a coin receiving slot 14 formed in the front panel 12 and is provided at the rear end of the front panel 12 and inclined leftward at a predetermined angle, for example, A first panel member 16a for allowing a coin to be inputted through the input port 14 to move smoothly and a second panel member 16b which is obliquely fixed to the first panel member 16a so as to move the coin through the coin input port 14 And a coin detection module 20 installed at a predetermined position of the first panel member 16a to generate a coin detection signal based on the passage time of the coin.

On the other hand, according to the present invention, the coin input port 14 'is formed on the top panel 12' provided on the upper surface of the coin discrimination device according to the situation where the corresponding coin discrimination device is employed, 'May be guided by the guide panel 12a onto the coin input path.

The coin detecting module 20 includes a set of coin detecting sensors 22a and 22b spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval. The coin detecting sensors 22a and 22b preferably include a coin detecting sensor 22a and 22b, Are generally arranged in a straight line with respect to the inclination angle of the coin input path so as to oscillate pulse signals of a timing corresponding to the width of the type (50 coin, 100 coin, 500 coin in the present invention), but if necessary, As shown in FIG.

In addition, in the coin discriminating mechanism 10, one end of the coin moving support member 18 has a generally horizontal shape, and an upper portion thereof is protruded upward to delay a movement time of the coin, A coin transfer delaying member 24 having a shape of || '| $' for delaying the movement of the coin from the upward protruding upper portion is provided, and inside the rear peripheral end of the first panel member 16a, A guide member 26 for guiding the discharge or storage of the coin delayed in movement by the coin movement delaying member 24 is provided. It is also preferable that a slit shape having a size slightly smaller than the thickness of about 50 coin is provided at a predetermined position of the coin movement support member 18, precisely at a position preceding the first and second coin detecting sensors 22a, 22b The discharge port 18b is formed so that the discharge is immediately discharged through the discharge port 18b when the discharge is smaller than the thickness of the 50-coin coin.

In addition, an opening 16c formed at a predetermined position of the first panel member 16a may be provided with a coin passage switching member (not shown) for guiding the discharge of the coin when it is determined by the coin detecting module 20 The coin path switching member 28 is provided with a movable piece fixedly provided on the rear surface of the first panel member 16a so as to switch the discharging path of the defective coin and the storage path of the normal coin, .

The coin path switching member 28 formed at a predetermined position of the first panel member 16a is spaced apart from the inner surface of the first panel member 16a by a predetermined distance for discharging defective coin, (30) is provided to form a discharge path (32) of the defective coin, and its discharge path (32) is linked to the outlet (34) defined below the front panel (12). Preferably, the discharge path 32 is formed to be inclined downwardly toward the discharge port 34 in order to smooth discharge of the defective coin.

The coin path switching member 28 is defined by the guide member 26 in the retracted state of the movable piece of the coin path switching member 28 when the coin detection module 20 discriminates a normal coin. The coin receiving path 36 is formed to have a constant length.

The second panel member 16b is provided for the first panel member 16a so as to protect the coin path switching member 28 and the like including the moving path of the coin, And a plurality of kinds of coins (50 won, 100 won, 500 won in the present invention) are selected at a position corresponding to the coin receiving path 36 in the second panel member 16b, The coin receiving openings 38a, 38b, and 38c are formed. That is, the coin catches 38a, 38b, and 38c are formed to have a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the coin corresponding to the types of coins (50, 100, and 500 won) mixed in the corresponding coin discriminating device, The peripheral portions (for example, 38d, 38e) of the coin catches 38a, 38b, 38c in the direction in which the coin is discharged are tapered to facilitate the discharge of the coin.

Fig. 2 shows an example of the configuration of the coin path switching member 28 shown in Fig. 1, and the coin path switching member 28 preferably has an electromagnet coil (not shown) A metal movable member 28c is provided in front of the core 28a and one end of the metal movable member 28c is connected to the opening 16a 'formed in the first panel member 16a while being joined to the movable member 28c. And the other end of which is fixedly coupled to the back surface of the first panel member 16 and acts as a leaf spring. The core 28a Is fixed by a bracket 28e coupled to an electronic entertainment machine or vending machine to which the coin discriminating device is mounted.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the coin detecting module 20 in the coin discriminating apparatus according to the present invention. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 40 denotes a coin detecting sensor for detecting the coins when the coin is passed through the first and second coin detecting sensors 22a and 22b. (See FIGS. 4 and 5A). Reference numeral 42 denotes a rectifying / amplifying unit for rectifying and amplifying the pulse signal generated by the oscillating unit 40. The rectifying / And 44 denotes an analog-to-digital converter for digitally converting an oscillation signal rectified / amplified by the rectifier / amplifier 42. Further, 46 calculates the total amount of coins inserted based on the digitally converted oscillation signal, and generates control signals (for example, control on operation ON and operation time) for the apparatus in which the coin discriminating apparatus according to the present invention is employed And 48 denotes a lookup table (see FIG. 5B) in which data on a plurality of types of coins passing through the first and second coin detecting sensors 22a and 22b is stored. Numeral 50 denotes a control unit, And numeral 52 denotes a coin path for switching the discharge / storage path of the coin by driving the coin path switching member 28 under the control of the control unit 46. [ And a switching driver.

Next, the operation of the coin discriminating apparatus according to the present invention having the above-described configuration will be described.

First, a plurality of types of coins and coin-type coins for discriminating coins including normal 50, 100, and 500 won coins are passed between the first and second coin detecting sensors 22a and 22b, After the attenuation ratio of the magnetic field is measured, the lookup table 48 is displayed with a state in which attenuation is generated by vortexing of the material corresponding to the type of coin passing through the first and second coin detecting sensors 22a and 22b The digital data corresponding to the pulse signal oscillated by the oscillating unit 40 is stored in the form of a lookup table.

In this state, when a coin is inserted through the coin receiving slot 14 (14 ') formed in the front panel 12 or the top panel 12' and the inserted coin is a defective coin smaller than the width of 50 coin Is discharged onto the coin discharge path through the discharge port (18b) formed in the coin movement support member (18) and discharged through the discharge port (34). On the other hand, when a counterfeit coin of 50 yuan, 100 yuan or 500 yuan coin or a similar shape is inputted, the coin is inserted into the coin input defined by the first panel member 16a and the coin transfer support member 18 And passes through the first and second coin detecting sensors 22a and 22b configured in the coin detecting module 20 through a path.

According to the determination process for the type of coin applied to the present invention, the time t1 (t1) at which the coin is input from the coin input port 14 and reaches the second coin detection sensor 22b from the first coin detection sensor 22a And the time t2 during which the second detection sensor 22b completely passes through the second detection sensor 22a. As illustrated in Fig. 4, the coin is detected from the first coin detection sensor 22a to the second coin detection sensor 22a, The time to reach the second coin detecting sensor 22b and the time to pass through the second coin detecting sensor 22b vary depending on the inclination angle formed by the coin movement support member 18, The influence is not so much, and only the passing time of the coin depends on the diameter of the coin.

That is, the time t1 when the coin arrives from the first coin detecting sensor 22a to the second coin detecting sensor 22b, the time t2 when the coin passes through the second coin detecting sensor 22b, The formula for X = | $ a (t1 - t2) / | $ at2 is established, where the component for the inclination angle is ignored because it is the same condition for the entire coin, and is determined by the diameter of the coin accordingly It is possible to determine the type of coin depending on the passing time of the first and second coin detecting sensors 22a and 22b.

Therefore, the pulse signal shown in FIG. 5 is oscillated in the oscillating unit 40 corresponding to the type of the coin detected by the first and second coin detecting sensors 22a and 22b, 5A shows a pulse signal having a maximum diameter of 500 yen, and FIG. 5A shows a pulse signal having a maximum diameter of 500 coins. FIG. 5A shows a pulse signal having a maximum diameter of 500 coins, (C) shows an oscillation signal of a 50-currency coin having a minimum diameter. The magnetic field attenuation of the first and second coin detection sensors 22a and 22b by the 50-currency, 100-currency and 500- 0.5 "and" 0.4 "as measured on the basis of the damping" 1 "of the iron wire as shown in FIG. 5b, and 0.2 in the case of the copper coins, In the case of coin, it is measured to be approximately '0.3' As the data for determination is stored in the look-up table (48). Here, the look-up table data to be applied when discriminating coins by the look-up table 48 is not limited to the types of coins illustrated in FIG. 5B, but may be a coin in a form usable as a defective coin and / It is needless to say that the types of coins determined to be discriminated by the device can be additionally or alternatively set and stored.

Accordingly, when a pulse signal whose amplitude and period are determined by the coin passing through the first and second coin detecting sensors 22a and 22b is oscillated in the oscillating unit 40, the pulse signal is supplied to the rectifying / amplifying unit 42 and applied to the analog-to-digital converter 44 for digital conversion.

The oscillation signal digitally converted by the analog-to-digital conversion unit 44 is applied to the control unit 46 to discriminate the type of coin based on the data stored in the lookup table 48. For example, In the case of the circumference, determination of authenticity and kind (amount) is made based on the digital data of the pulse signal shown in (c) of Fig. 5a as the diameter of the coin to be discriminated in the present invention is minimum, On the other hand, in the case of, for example, 100-won coin, depending on the diameter of the coin to be discriminated in the present invention, the diameter is medium, the authenticity and the type ). In the case of the 500-yen coin, the determination is made that the diameter of the coin to be discriminated in the present invention is the maximum, Based on the digital data, the determination of the authenticity and type (amount) will be written on.

The coin passing through the coin detecting module 20 while the authenticity of the coin and the type of the coin are being judged is transmitted to the coin transfer support member 18 through a coin transfer delay So that the coin is sprung by the member 24 and guided by the guide member 26 to be lowered.

In this case, when the inserted coin is worn out as a result of the determination by the controller 46, the coin path switching member 28 is kept in the non-operating state, so that one end of the movable piece 28c is in the non- The dust is advanced through the opening 16c formed in the panel member 16a and the dust is discharged to the discharge port 34 side.

If the inserted coin is a genuine coin, the control unit 46 controls the coin path switching unit 52 to switch the coin path switching member 28 The movable member 28c is attracted by the activation of the electromagnet coil 28b so that one end of the movable piece 28c is moved to the other end of the electromagnet coil 28b, Is moved backward from the opening 16c of the first panel member 16a, the coin moves to the coin receiving path side. The coin moving in the coin receiving path is discharged through a coin receiving opening corresponding to the plurality of coin receiving openings 38a, 38b and 38c formed in the second panel member 16b (not shown) (For example, 38d and 38e) of the second panel member 16b defining the second panel members 38a, 38b and 38c are outwardly tapered along the direction of storing the coin, so that the storage of the coin is smoothly performed.

In the state where such coins are stored, the control unit 46 displays the calculated amount on a display unit 50 formed of, for example, an LCD panel, and outputs a control signal for a vending machine or an electronic entertainment apparatus equipped with the coin discriminating device .

FIG. 6 is a view showing a modification of the coin input path extending to the coin input port 14 (14 '). The coin input path shown in FIG. 1 includes the first panel member 16a and the second panel member 16b are inclined at a predetermined angle. However, the coin injection path shown in Fig. 5 is formed in such a manner that the surface of the coin movement support member 18 in the state where the first and second panel members 16a, At an angle. 5, the coin input through the coin input slot 14 passes through the coin detection module 20 in a state of being closely attached thereto, and accordingly, the discrimination of the type of coin .

As described above, according to the coin discriminating apparatus of the present invention, the type of the coin input by the oscillation frequency changed based on the passing time of the coin to the first and second coin detecting sensors installed on the coin input path is discriminated It becomes possible to optimally discriminate a coin, and accordingly, it can be appropriately applied to an automatic sales machine or an amusement machine that requires a mixture of many kinds of coins.

Claims (5)

The first and second panel members 16a and 16b and the coin movement support members 18b and 18b which are provided behind the coin input ports 14 and 14 'formed on the front surface or the upper surface thereof to form a coin input path, A coin movement delaying member 24 formed at one end of the coin transfer support member 18b forming the coin injection path, One end of the movable piece 28d is inserted through the opening 16a 'formed at a predetermined position of the first panel member 16a so as to switch the discharge / storage path of the coin delayed by the coin movement delay member 24 The coin path switching means 28, A plurality of coin catches 38a, 38b, 38c formed on the second panel member 16b on the coin storage path formed by the first and second panel members 16a, 16b, And a coin detection module 20 equipped with first and second coin detection sensors 22a and 22b mounted at predetermined positions of the first panel member 16a forming the coin movement path to detect the passage time of the coin And wherein the coin discriminating apparatus comprises: 2. The coin transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the coin movement path has a surface of the coin movement support member (18) in which a slit-shaped spoiler outlet (18b) is formed at a position preceding the first and second coin detection modules (20) And the upper half of the first and second panel members (16a, 16b) are inclined at a predetermined angle. The coin transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the coin transfer path is a coin transfer path in which the first and second panel members (16a, 16b) are erected and a slit- And the surface of the member (18) is inclined at a predetermined angle. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the coin catches (38a, 38b, 38c) are formed in a number corresponding to the type of coin to be discriminated and both peripheral portions of the second panel member (16b) And is tapered outwardly in the storage direction. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the coin detecting module (20) comprises an oscillator (40) for oscillating a pulse signal corresponding to a coin passage time for the first and second coin detecting sensors (22a, 22b) A rectifying / amplifying unit 42 for rectifying / amplifying the signal, an analog-to-digital converting unit 44 for digitally converting the rectified and amplified oscillating signal, an amplitude and period of the digitally converted oscillating signal in a lookup table 48, A control unit 46 for determining the type of the inserted coin by comparing it with the data stored in the coin path switching unit 28, and for displaying the calculated total amount on the display unit 50; And a coin path switching driving unit (52) for switching the discharge / storage path of the coin determined by the coin path switching unit (52).