Coin processing apparatus

• US 5,219,059 A
• Filed: 01/02/1992
• Issued: 06/15/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Nippon Conlux
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Nippon Conlux
• Inventors: Furuya, Yonezo, Fukuda, Ichiro, Yoshizawa, Genzo
• Primary Examiner(s): Bartuska, F. J.
• Application Number:
  US07/816,762
• Time in Patent Office: 530 Days
• Field of Search: 194/317, 194/318, 194/319, 194/345, 194/203, 194/200
• US Class Current: 194/200
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 3/14 Apparatus driven under control of coin-sensing elements
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 5/08 Testing the magnetic or electric properties
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 1/046 with means for dealing with jamming, e.g. by bent wires

Abstract

A coin processing apparatus arranged to automatically execute a cancellation process for canceling acceptance of an inserted coin by detecting, on the basis of output levels of receiving coils in a plurality of sets of coin selecting coils disposed on a coin path, a fact that the inserted coin has been guided into a return path through the operation of a return lever, and also to judge the occurrence of coin jamming and coin counter-flow on the basis of the output levels of the receiving coils. The output level of the receiving coil in each of the plurality of sets of coin selecting coils is monitored so as to carry out the automatic cancellation process in case the output levels of the respective receiving coils concurrently exceed a predetermined threshold level and persist longer than a predetermined period of time. In case the output level of the receiving coil in at least one of the plurality of sets of coin selecting coils exceeds the predetermined threshold level and persists longer than a second predetermined period of time, it is judged that the coin jamming has occurred. Further, in case the output level of the receiving coil of the most downstream one of the plurality of sets of coin selecting coils exceeds the predetermined threshold level and the detection output occurs again after the lapse of a third predetermined period of time from the time point when the detection output has once ceased, then the coin judged as a true coin is treated as a false coin.

Claims

1. A coin processing apparatus comprising:

coin discriminating means disposed along a coin path and including a plurality of sets of coin selecting coil means each set comprising an exciting coil adapted to be excited with a signal of a predetermined frequency and a receiving coil provided in opposing relationship to said exciting coil with said coin path intervened therebetween, for discriminating a coin passing through said coin path on the basis of a level of output derived from the receiving coil of each of said coin selecting coil means in response to the coin passing through said coin path;

a coin return lever arranged, when operated, to cause said exciting coil and said receiving coil in each of said plurality of sets of coin selecting coil means to be spaced apart from each other, thereby guiding the coin lying in said coin path to a coin return path;

first detecting means for detecting that levels of outputs of the respective receiving coils in said plurality of sets of coin selecting coil means concurrently exceed a predetermined threshold level;

first timer means for counting a first time period;

second detecting means for respectively detecting that the level of output of each receiving coil in said plurality of sets of coins selecting coil means exceeds said predetermined threshold level;

second timer means for counting a second time period;

means for judging, on the basis of detection output derived from said second detecting means, that coin jamming has occurred if the level of output of the receiving coil in at least one of said plurality of sets of coin selecting coil means persists longer than the second time period counted by said second timer means; and

cancel processing means arranged to cancel acceptance of the inserted coin if detection output derived from said first detection means persists longer than said first time period counted by said first timer means.

2. A coin processing apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

third detecting means for detecting that the output level of the receiving coil in the most downstream one of said plurality of sets of coin selecting coil means exceeds said predetermined threshold level;

third timer means for counting a third time period; and

true-coin cancellation processing means for treating a coin judged as a true coin to be a false coin if said third detecting means generates a detection output again after a lapse of the third time period counted by said third timer means from a point of time when the output of said third detecting means has ceased.