Apparatus for producing optical signatures from coinage

• US 7,916,281 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2009
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Coinsecure Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Coinsecure Incorporated
• Inventors: Haddock, Richard M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Hoa Q
• Application Number:
  US12/426,861
• Publication Number:
  US 20090303478A1
• Time in Patent Office: 708 Days
• Field of Search: 356/71, 3562371-2375, 356335-343, 194/317, 194/328, 194/334, 194/303, 194/330, 194/329, 194/331, 194/335, 194/346, 463/17, 463/27, 463/16, 463/20, 463/43
• US Class Current: 356/71
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 5/005 Testing the surface pattern, e.g. relief
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 5/10 Testing the rim, e.g. the milling of the rim

Abstract

An apparatus for producing scattering signatures from a coin comprises a platform configured to hold the coin and an electromagnetic radiation source configured to produce a beam directed toward a portion of at least one surface of the coin. The electromagnetic radiation source is arranged to produce a far-field scattering signature upon interaction the at least one surface of the coin. A plurality of collection elements is configured to produce an electrical signal based upon collecting at least a portion of the far-field scattering signature.

Claims

1. An apparatus for producing scattering signatures from a coin, the apparatus comprising:

a rotatable platform configured to hold the coin;

an electromagnetic radiation source configured to produce a beam directed toward a portion of at least one surface of the coin, the electromagnetic radiation source further configured to produce a scattering signature upon interaction with the at least one surface of the coin; and

a plurality of collection elements configured to produce a detection signature unique to an individual coin based upon collecting at least a portion of the scattering signature over a plurality of detection events.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the electromagnetic radiation source is a laser.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the plurality of collection elements is a PiN diode array.

4. An apparatus for producing a scattering signature from a coin, comprising:

a platform configured to hold the coin;

a sled movable over an area of a coin'"'"'s surface, the sled including

an electromagnetic radiation source configured to direct electromagnetic radiation onto a coin surface;

a plurality of scattering detectors positioned to collect over a plurality of detection events a scattering signature unique to an individual coin from the coin surface.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said electromagnetic radiation source is a laser.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said plurality of scattering detectors is a linear array of detectors positioned obliquely with respect to an optical axis of a laser beam produced by said laser so as to receive light scattered from said coin surface.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, further including a precision stepper motor configured to move the sled.

8. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said platform includes an edge detector.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said edge detector on said platform includes a plurality of light pipe channels on the platform and a plurality of light pipes on the platform, the light pipes and light pipe channels.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said edge detector is an optical edge detector.

11. The apparatus of claim 4, further including a camera positioned over the platform, wherein the sled may be moved away from the platform to allow said camera to image a coin on said platform.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further including an illumination source configured to illuminate the coin during image generation by said camera.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the illumination source includes an upper bank of LEDs and a lower bank of LEDs, both the upper bank and lower bank configured to provide light onto the coin.

14. The apparatus of claim 4, further including a coin centering mechanism on said platform.

15. An apparatus for obtaining an optical scattering signature from a coin comprising:

a coin holding turntable;

an optical coin edge detector positioned to allow detection of a coin edge when said coin is on the platform;

a motor linked to said turntable such that the turntable can be rotated,

a camera and camera illumination source positioned over said platform and configured to capture an image of the coin on the platform; and

a sled movable over the coin, said sled including a laser and a linear array detector configured to allow detection of a scattered light from the coin and also configured to capture a unique optical coin signature.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the camber illumination source includes an upper bank of illumination sources and a lower bank of illumination sources.