System and Method for Coin Validation

• US 20090032368A1
• Filed: 03/26/2008
• Published: 02/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IPS Group Incorporated
• Original Assignee: IPS Group Incorporated
• Inventors: Hunter, Stephen John, Joubert, Andre Malan
• Granted Patent: US 7,806,248 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 194/318
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 5/00 Testing specially adapted to determine the identity or genuineness of coins, e.g. for segregating coins which are unacceptable or alien to a currency
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 5/08 Testing the magnetic or electric properties

Abstract

A system for validating a coin has a passageway through which the coin passes, in use; an oscillator having a component positioned relative to the passageway for the frequency and amplitude of oscillation of the oscillator to be varied, in use, by passage of the coin along the passageway; a period (or frequency) determining unit for determining the period (or frequency) of an oscillating signal provided by the oscillator when influenced by the coin and for supplying a determined period (or frequency) value; an amplitude determining unit for determining the amplitude of the oscillating signal provided by the oscillator when influenced by the coin and for supplying a determined amplitude value; and an assessing unit for assessing if the determined period (or frequency) and amplitude values lie in a predetermined window of period (or frequency) and amplitude values.

Claims

1. A system for validating a coin, the system including

a passageway through which the coin passes, in use;

an oscillator having a component positioned relative to the passageway for the frequency and amplitude of oscillation of the oscillator to be varied, in use, by passage of the coin along the passageway;

a time feature determining unit for determining a time feature of an oscillating signal provided by the oscillator when influenced by the coin and for supplying a determined time feature value;

an amplitude determining unit for determining the amplitude of the oscillating signal provided by the oscillator when influenced by the coin and for supplying a determined amplitude value; and

an assessing unit for assessing if the determined time feature and amplitude values lie in a predetermined window of time feature and amplitude values.

2. A system for validating a coin as claimed in claim 1, in which the predetermined window of time feature and amplitude values is defined by straight lines.

3. A system for validating a coin as claimed in claim 2, in which the straight lines define a rectangle.

4. A system for validating a coin as claimed in claim 3, in which the predetermined window is angled with respect to a set of time feature and amplitude axes.

5. A system for validating a coin as claimed in claim 1, in which the assessing unit includes a computing device for computing test time feature and amplitude values from the determined time feature and amplitude values and a comparator for comparing the test time feature and amplitude values with predetermined time feature and amplitude validation values.

6. A system for validating a coin as claimed in claim 5, in which the computing device performs, in use, a linear transformation to provide the test time feature and amplitude values.

7. A system for validating a coin as claimed in claim 5, in which the computing device performs, in use, a rotational transformation to provide the test time feature and amplitude values.

8. A system for validating a coin as claimed in claim 6 or claim 7, in which the computing device uses predetermined multiplying and addition coefficients.

9. A system for validating a coin as claimed in claim 5, in which the comparator compares, in use, the test time feature and amplitude values with a plurality of time feature and amplitude validation values for a plurality of coin denominations.

10. A system for validating a coin as claimed in claim 1, in which the said oscillator component is a coil, which surrounds the passageway.

11. A system for validating a coin as claimed in claim 1, which has a plurality of oscillators with each oscillator having a component positioned relative to the passageway for the frequency and amplitude of each oscillator to be varied, in use, by passage of a coin along the passageway and a plurality of time feature determining units and amplitude determining units, each oscillator being associated with a time feature determining unit and an amplitude determining unit and in which the assessing unit assesses if the determined time feature and amplitude values lie in the predetermined window.

12. A system for validating a coin as claimed in claim 1, in which the time feature is the period of oscillation of the oscillating signal.

13. A parking meter which includes a system as claimed in claim 1.

14. A method of validating a coin in a coin-operated machine having a coin passageway, the method including the steps of:

providing an oscillator, having a component positioned relative to the passageway for the frequency and amplitude of oscillation of the oscillator to be varied, in use, by passage of the coin along the passageway;

determining a time feature of oscillation of an oscillating signal provided by the oscillator when a coin to be validated influences the oscillator;

determining the amplitude of the oscillating signal; and

assessing if the determined time feature and amplitude values lie in a predetermined window of time feature and amplitude values.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14, in which the predetermined window of time feature and amplitude values is defined by straight lines.

16. A method as claimed in claim 15, in which the straight lines define a rectangle.

17. A method as claimed in claim 16, in which the predetermined window is angled with respect to a set of time feature and amplitude axes.

18. A method as claimed in claim 14, which includes computing test time feature and amplitude values from the determined time feature and amplitude values and comparing the test time feature and amplitude values with predetermined time feature and amplitude validation values.

19. A method as claimed in claim 18, which includes performing a linear transformation to provide the test time feature and amplitude values.

20. A method as claimed in claim 18, which includes performing a rotational transformation to provide the test time feature and amplitude values.

21. A method as claimed in claim 19 or 20, in which predetermined multiplying and addition coefficients are used.

22. A method as claimed in claim 18, in which the test time feature and amplitude values are compared with predetermined time feature and amplitude validation values for a plurality of coin denominations.

23. A method as claimed in claim 14, in which the component is a coil.

24. A method as claimed in claim 14, in which a plurality of oscillators is provided with each oscillator having a component positioned relative to the passageway for the frequency and amplitude of each oscillator to be varied, in use, by passage of a coin along the passageway and in which the time feature and amplitude of oscillation of the oscillating signal provided by each oscillator is determined and the determined time feature and amplitude values of each oscillator are assessed to ascertain if they lie in the predetermined window of time feature and amplitude values.

25. A method as claimed in claim 14, in which the time feature is the period of oscillation of the oscillating signal.

26. A method as claimed in claim 14, in which the coin-operated machine is a parking meter.