Coin-validation arrangement
First Claim
1. Coin validation arrangement comprising a coin-guide means for guiding an input coin (14, 16) along a predetermined coin path, one or more coin sensors (L1-L3) disposed in the path of the input coin, a circuit means for sensing the effect of the input coin on the parameter of the one or more sensors and providing an input-coin signal representative of said effect, and means for sampling the input-coin signal to produce a sequence of sample values, characterised in that the arrangement comprises means for multiplying respective values of a plurality of detection waveforms characteristic of a particular coin, each detection waveform comprising a sequence of numerical values, by those of the input-coin signal, and for summing the products to produce an evaluation value corresponding to each detection waveform, and means for determining whether each of the evaluation values falls within predetermined limits, in order to validate the coin.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A coin-validation arrangement in which a wavelet analysis is used to derive accurate information from signals related to coin sensors placed in the path of an input coin, this information being compared with corresponding information relating to sample coins, the result of the comparison giving rise to a “pass/fail” validation decision on the input coin. The information may be derived from a sampling of the sensor-related signal, a measurement of signal amplitudes for each point and a correlation of each amplitude with the corresponding amplitude of one or more preselected wavelets to provide a set of correlation coefficients. In an alternative embodiment the sampled sensor-related signal is subjected to a discrete wavelet transform operation using high-and low-pass filtering and subsequent subsampling stages, thereby producing a set of DWT coefficients. In either case the number of coefficients used in the comparison process may be reduced, thereby saving processing power.
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Citations
31 Claims
- 1. Coin validation arrangement comprising a coin-guide means for guiding an input coin (14, 16) along a predetermined coin path, one or more coin sensors (L1-L3) disposed in the path of the input coin, a circuit means for sensing the effect of the input coin on the parameter of the one or more sensors and providing an input-coin signal representative of said effect, and means for sampling the input-coin signal to produce a sequence of sample values, characterised in that the arrangement comprises means for multiplying respective values of a plurality of detection waveforms characteristic of a particular coin, each detection waveform comprising a sequence of numerical values, by those of the input-coin signal, and for summing the products to produce an evaluation value corresponding to each detection waveform, and means for determining whether each of the evaluation values falls within predetermined limits, in order to validate the coin.
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24. Validation arrangement substantially as shown in, or as hereinbefore described with reference to, Table 1 and FIG. 6 of the drawings, or FIG. 10 of the drawings.
- 25. Method for validating a coin inserted into a coin mechanism having a coin-guide means for guiding an input coin along a predetermined coin path and one or more coin sensors disposed in the path of the input coin, the method comprising sensing the effect of the input coin on the parameter of the one or more sensors and providing an input-coin signal representative of said effect, and sampling the input-coin signal to produce a sequence of sample values, characterised by the step of multiplying respective values of a plurality of detection waveforms characteristic of a particular coin, each detection waveform comprising a sequence of numerical values, by those of the input-coin signal, and of summing the products to produce an evaluation value corresponding to each detection waveform, and determining whether each of the evaluation values falls within predetermined limits, in order to validate the coin.
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31. Method for validating a coin substantially as shown in, or as hereinbefore described with reference to, FIG. 6 and Table 1, or FIG. 10 of the drawings.
Specification