Coin discriminating apparatus
First Claim
1. A coin discriminating apparatus comprising:
- a coin inlet;
a coin passage connected to said coin inlet;
a thickness detecting sensor provided on a side wall of said coin passage;
a coin outlet provided downstream of said thickness detecting sensor;
a signal processing means for processing output signals fed from said thickness detecting sensor and measuring a period of time during which a value of output signal from the thickness detecting sensor exceeds a predetermined first threshold value, so as to judge whether convex configuration formed on a circumferential periphery portion of said coin to be detected is genuine or counterfeit;
said signal processing means being further associated with a material detecting sensor outputting a signal of twin-peaked waveform based on material of said coin to be detected, so that said period of time during which the value of an output signal from the thickness detecting sensor exceeds the predetermined first threshold value is adjusted by a value of a time interval between two peaks of said twin-peaked waveform of the output signal from the material detecting sensor so as to judge whether said convex configuration is genuine or counterfeit.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention relates to a coin discriminating apparatus and method for discriminating genuine coins from counterfeit coins, and determining their denominations. And more particularly, the present invention purports to detect genuine coins based on the inherent difference in degree of peripheral thickening or convex configuration between genuine coins and counterfeit coins so as to provide a coin discriminating apparatus and method capable of preventing counterfeit coins from being used in an unauthorized or unfair way. In one specific example, there is provided a thickness detecting sensor 8 adjacent to a coin passage, and a coin face contour detecting apparatus 11 measures a time during which an output of the thickness sensor 8 exceeds a threshold value 22, thereby detecting degree of peripheral thickening or convex configuration of coins to discriminate genuine coins from counterfeit.
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Citations
9 Claims
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1. A coin discriminating apparatus comprising:
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a coin inlet; a coin passage connected to said coin inlet; a thickness detecting sensor provided on a side wall of said coin passage; a coin outlet provided downstream of said thickness detecting sensor; a signal processing means for processing output signals fed from said thickness detecting sensor and measuring a period of time during which a value of output signal from the thickness detecting sensor exceeds a predetermined first threshold value, so as to judge whether convex configuration formed on a circumferential periphery portion of said coin to be detected is genuine or counterfeit; said signal processing means being further associated with a material detecting sensor outputting a signal of twin-peaked waveform based on material of said coin to be detected, so that said period of time during which the value of an output signal from the thickness detecting sensor exceeds the predetermined first threshold value is adjusted by a value of a time interval between two peaks of said twin-peaked waveform of the output signal from the material detecting sensor so as to judge whether said convex configuration is genuine or counterfeit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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Specification