Coin sorting machine

• US 5,871,075 A
• Filed: 01/29/1996
• Issued: 02/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Asahi Seiko Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Asahi Seiko Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Takayama, Shigeki, Ohtomo, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): BARTUSKA, FRANCIS JOHN
• Application Number:
  US08/591,975
• Time in Patent Office: 1,114 Days
• Field of Search: 194/317, 194/318
• US Class Current: 194/318
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 3/00 Sorting a mixed bulk of coins into denominations
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 5/08 Testing the magnetic or electric properties

Abstract

A low-cost, high-performance coin sorting machine is provided by providing a plurality of coils which sense coins concurrently and using a simple oscillation circuit to provide oscillation signals at different frequencies, thereby reducing the size of the coin sorting machine. Right and left pairs of sensor coils are composed of inner and outer coils. When either of the connections between one inner coil and other inner coil, and between one outer coil and the other outer coil, is made in a cumulative mode, the other connection is made in a differential mode. The relationship between the oscillation frequencies is set so that one of the frequencies is greater than twice the other.

Claims

1. A coin sorting machine, comprising:

a coin slot;

a coin passage along which a coin inserted through said coin slot rolls;

first and second sensor coils facing respective sides of a coin rolling along said coin passage;

first and second oscillator circuits including said first and second sensor coils, respectively, and oscillating at first and second frequencies, respectively; and

decision means for detecting the influence of a coin rolling along said coin passage on the magnetic flux of said sensor coils to sort coins accordingly, wherein;

each said sensor coils comprises a first coil disposed on one side of said coin passage and a second coil disposed opposite said first coil, said coin passage lying between said first and second coils;

said first coil comprises a first inner coil and a first outer coil surrounding said first inner coil without any ferrite separator therebetween;

said second coil comprises a second inner coil and a second outer coil surrounding said second inner coil without any ferrite separator therebetween;

said first inner coil and said second inner coil are connected in one of a cumulative mode and a differential mode, and said first outer coil and said second outer coil are connected in the other of said cumulative mode and said differential mode; and

one of said first and second frequencies is greater than twice the other.

2. A coin sorting machine according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the combination of said first inner coil and said first outer coil and the combination of said second inner coil and said second outer coil are wound around a single core.

3. A coin sorting machine according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the combination of said first inner coil and said first outer coil and the combination of said second inner coil and said second outer coil are concentric.

4. A coin sorting machine according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the combination of said first inner coil and said first outer coil and the combination of said second inner coil and said second outer coil have similar shapes.

5. A coin sorting machine according to claim 1, wherein said first frequency is in a range of 10 to 200 kHz.

6. A coin sorting machine according to claim 2, wherein said first frequency is in a range of 10 to 200 kHz.

7. A coin sorting machine according to claim 3, wherein said first frequency is in a range of 10 to 200 kHz.

8. A coin sorting machine according to claim 4, wherein said first frequency is in a range of 10 to 200 kHz.

9. A coin sorting machine, comprising:

a coin slot;

a coin passage along which a coin inserted through said coin slot rolls;

first and second sensor coils disposed on respective opposite sides of said coin passage;

first and second oscillator circuits including said first and second sensor coils, respectively, and oscillating at first and second frequencies, respectively; and

decision means for detecting the influence of a coin rolling along said coil passage on the magnetic flux of said sensor coils to sort inserted coins accordingly, wherein;

said sensor coils comprises a first coil and a first overlapping coil that overlap in a thickness direction of said first coil without any ferrite separator therebetween, said first overlapping coil being concentric with said first coil;

said second sensor coil comprising a second coil and a second overlapping coil that overlap in a thickness direction of said second coil without any ferrite separator therebetween, said second overlapping coil being concentric with said second coil;

said first sensor coil and said second sensor coil are connected together in one of a cumulative mode and a differential mode, and said first overlapping coil and said second overlapping coil are connected together in the other of said cumulative mode and said differential mode; and

one of said first and second frequencies is greater than twice the other, and wherein said decision means stores for comparison the voltage and frequency characteristics of a plurality of coin materials for each of said first and second frequencies and the corresponding one of said cumulative mode and differential mode.

10. A coin sorting machine according to claim 9, wherein at least one of the combination of said first coil and said first overlapping coil and the combination of said second coil and said second overlapping coil is formed with the same diameter of coils.

11. A coin sorting machine according to claim 9, wherein at least one of the combination of said first coil and said first overlapping coil and the combination of said second coil and said second overlapping coil is formed with coils of similar shapes.

12. A coin sorting machine according to claim 9, wherein said first frequency is in a range of 10 to 200 kHz.

13. A coin sorting machine according to claim 10, wherein said first frequency is in a range of 10 to 200 kHz.

14. A coin sorting machine according to claim 11, wherein said first frequency is in a range of10 to 200 kHz.