Apparatus and method for conserving power in an electronic coin chute
First Claim
1. An electronic coin chute (ECC) for examining coins for authenticity and denomination, the ECC including a coin path with an entry at one end thereof and an exit at the other, the ECC further including first and second sensors which are located along the coin path and which require electrical power to generate magnetic fields that interact with the coin, said first sensor being responsive to a first quality of the coin and to the location of the coin relative to the magnetic field to produce an output signal indicative of the degree of interaction between the coin and the magnetic field, said second sensor being responsive to a second quality of the coin and to the location of the coin relative to the magnetic field to produce an output signal indicative of the degree of interaction between the coin and the magnetic field,characterized by:
- means for applying electrical power to the first sensor prior to the time when the coin enters its magnetic field;
means for removing electrical power from the first sensor and applying electrical power to the second sensor in response to a decrease in the degree of interaction between the coin and the magnetic field of the first sensor; and
means for removing electrical power from the second sensor in response to a decrease in the degree of interaction between the coin and the magnetic field of the second sensor.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An electronic coin chute (ECC) for use in a public telephone station has only a small amount of electrical power available from the telephone line when examining coins for authenticity and denomination. To conserve power during the examination process, a plurality of coin quality sensors are used, each designed to use minimum power. Each sensor generates an oscillating magnetic field that interacts with the coin as it gravitates through the coin chute. By monitoring the output electrical signal from each coin quality sensor, the microprocessor is able to determine when the coin has moved beyond its field and, in response, power is removed from that sensor and applied to the next. After the coin'"'"'s qualities have been measured, they are compared with stored acceptance limits. Power is removed from the last coin quality sensor and applied to a coin routing apparatus to guide accepable coins into a collection box.
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Citations
7 Claims
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1. An electronic coin chute (ECC) for examining coins for authenticity and denomination, the ECC including a coin path with an entry at one end thereof and an exit at the other, the ECC further including first and second sensors which are located along the coin path and which require electrical power to generate magnetic fields that interact with the coin, said first sensor being responsive to a first quality of the coin and to the location of the coin relative to the magnetic field to produce an output signal indicative of the degree of interaction between the coin and the magnetic field, said second sensor being responsive to a second quality of the coin and to the location of the coin relative to the magnetic field to produce an output signal indicative of the degree of interaction between the coin and the magnetic field,
characterized by: -
means for applying electrical power to the first sensor prior to the time when the coin enters its magnetic field; means for removing electrical power from the first sensor and applying electrical power to the second sensor in response to a decrease in the degree of interaction between the coin and the magnetic field of the first sensor; and means for removing electrical power from the second sensor in response to a decrease in the degree of interaction between the coin and the magnetic field of the second sensor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method for examining coins for acceptability in an electronic coin chute (ECC) that includes a coin presence detector that detects when coins are inserted into the ECC, first and second coin quality sensors that each generate a magnetic field which interacts with the coin, the quality sensors producing an output signal in response to a first and second quality of the coin, the output signals indicating the degree of interaction between the coin and the magnetic fields, the ECC further including coin routing apparatus that diverts acceptable coins into a coin collecting apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:
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applying electrical power to the first coin quality sensor when the coin presence detector detects that a coin has been inserted into the ECC; measuring the interaction between the coin and the magnetic field of the first coin quality sensor; removing electrical power from the first coin quality sensor and applying electrical power to the second quality sensor in response to a decrease in the interaction between the coin and the magnetic field of the first sensor; and removing electrical power from the second quality sensor in response to a decrease in the interaction between the coin and the magnetic field of the second sensor. - View Dependent Claims (7)
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Specification