DE20016666U1 - Tamper protection for device controls - Google Patents

Description

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D-33649 Bielefeld

Tamper protection for device controls

The invention relates to a manipulation protection for device controls and housings, in particular of goods, vending and gaming machines, with an electrical power supply of the device control.

Vending machines and gaming machines are often the target of attempts to manipulate the control system of such machines in such a way that goods are dispensed without payment or such machines work without coins being inserted. Devices that protect such machines from mechanical attempts to open them are widely known. However, these do not allow the control system of the machine to be influenced, as it is usually unable to detect an attempt at manipulation.

The object of the invention is to provide a manipulation protection for device controls, which detects a manipulation attempt and subsequently puts the device control out of operation.

The solution to this problem is achieved according to the invention in conjunction with the generic features by the technical teaching specified in the characterizing part of the main claim.

The tamper protection consists of a sensor body filled with a gaseous or liquid medium, which is connected to a detector for a change in the state of the sensor body and/or the medium.

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is connected and evaluates these, whereby during a manipulation attempt with damage to the sensor body and a resulting change in state, for example a sudden change in pressure, an electrical signal is generated by the detector which puts the entire device control out of operation.

The advantage of this manipulation protection is that when the device control is switched off, the entire device becomes inoperable and no further goods or services can be provided by the machine. This switching off of the device control can be done in a variety of ways. For example, a simple switch can be activated via the detector or a circuit breaker, which can put the device control back into operation after a certain time interval. A software-controlled switch-off is also possible.

Further advantageous embodiments of the subject matter of the invention result from and in combination with the following subclaims.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, an electrical overload fuse or the device main fuse is connected in the power supply of the device control, which the detector triggers with a signal generated by it when it detects unauthorized access, so that the power supply is completely interrupted outside the device control. In this way, an attempt to manipulate a device control itself,

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which may only block the control elements of a machine through software, is effectively excluded.

A particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention has a fuse as electrical overload protection, which ensures that the entire device control is permanently put out of operation even at the first attempt at manipulation and the device remains inoperable until it is repaired and the fuse is replaced.

In a particularly simple and effective embodiment of the subject matter of the invention, the sensor body consists of an outer shell such as a double-layer membrane pocket and a medium-filled interior, whereby one or more sensor bodies can be arranged, in particular glued, on the entire inside of a device housing or only in front of safety-relevant components of a housing or around such components. This simple possibility of arranging such a sensor also makes this electronic manipulation protection ideal for retrofitting older vending and gaming machines with the new manipulation protection.

However, such an inventive sensor body does not necessarily have to consist of a membrane pocket, but can also be made of an at least partially elastic material or can be designed as a solid pressure vessel that is arranged on the inner wall of a housing or directly in front of safety-relevant components.

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According to a further advantageous embodiment, the housing itself can be designed as the outer shell of the sensor body, namely pressure-tight and subjected to negative or positive pressure. 5

For the invention, it is irrelevant whether a gas or a liquid is used as the medium and whether the interior of the sensor body is kept under overpressure, ambient pressure or negative pressure and also whether the outer shell is solid or partially elastic, since the sensor body can be equipped not only with a pressure sensor for the pressure pulse generated during a manipulation attempt, but with a wide variety of sensors.

When a sensor body with at least a partially elastic outer shell is mechanically impacted, for example with a drill, even a slight deformation of the outer shell can trigger the desired pressure pulse without it first having to be drilled through.

Another advantageous embodiment could comprise a sensor that detects the escape of a gas or a liquid from the interior of the sensor body.

Furthermore, an embodiment of the sensor body would be conceivable which changes its spatial extent in the event of a loss of pressure or negative pressure, whereby this change could also be detected by a sensor.

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The detector's signal can also be processed in other ways, for example to alert the machine operator to an attempted manipulation via radio or telephone connection.

An embodiment of the invention is described in more detail below with reference to the drawing. It shows:

Fig. 1 is a circuit diagram of a tamper protection for device controls.

The tamper protection consists of a sensor body 1 filled with a gaseous or liquid medium with a pressure sensor 8 that is electrically connected to the detector 3. The sensor body 1 has an outer shell 2 and an interior 9 and is arranged on the inside of a housing 7. If an attempt is made to tamper with the housing 7 by drilling into it, the sensor body 1 or its outer shell 2 is damaged, so that if the interior 9 of the sensor body 1 is subjected to overpressure, ambient pressure or negative pressure, a short pressure pulse is generated, which is picked up by a pressure sensor 8 and recognized as such by the detector 3, which then generates a current pulse that irreversibly destroys an electrical overload fuse 6 or main device fuse connected in the power supply 5 of the device control 4 of a vending or gaming machine, since this is designed as a fuse. This ensures that the device control is permanently disabled until the overload fuse 6 is manually replaced and any further attempt at tampering is doomed to failure.

Claims (13)

1. Tamper protection for device controls and housings, in particular merchandise, vending and gaming machines, with an electrical voltage supply for the device control, characterized in that the tamper protection consists of a sensor body ( 1 ) filled with a medium, which is connected to a detector ( 3 ) for a change in state of the sensor body ( 1 ) and/or the medium, and that in the event of damage to the sensor body ( 1 ) and a change in state, the detector ( 3 ) can generate a signal with which the device control ( 4 ) can be put out of operation. 2. Tamper protection according to claim 1, characterized in that an electrical overload protection device ( 6 ) is interposed in a supply line of the power supply ( 5 ) of the device control ( 4 ), which can be triggered by a signal amplified by the detector ( 3 ) in the event of a change in state determined by the detector ( 3 ) due to unauthorized access. 3. Tamper protection according to claim 2, characterized in that the overload protection ( 6 ) is designed as a fuse. 4. Tamper protection according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sensor body ( 1 ) consists of an outer shell ( 2 ) and an interior space ( 9 ). 5. Tamper protection according to claim 4, characterized in that the housing itself forms the outer shell ( 2 ). 6. Tamper protection according to claim 4, characterized in that the outer shell ( 2 ) of the sensor body ( 1 ) is designed as a double-layer membrane pocket. 7. Tamper protection according to claim 4, characterized in that the outer shell ( 2 ) of the sensor body ( 1 ) is designed as a solid pressure vessel. 8. Tamper protection according to claim 4, characterized in that the outer shell ( 2 ) of the sensor body ( 1 ) is at least partially elastic. 9. Tamper protection according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the medium in the sensor body ( 1 ) is gaseous or liquid. 10. Tamper protection according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the medium in the sensor body ( 1 ) is kept under overpressure or ambient pressure or negative pressure. 11. Tamper protection according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a sensor body ( 1 ) is arranged on or in front of safety-relevant components in the housing ( 7 ) of a machine. 12. Tamper protection according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a sensor body ( 1 ) has a pressure sensor ( 8 ) via which a pressure pulse resulting from an injury to the sensor body ( 1 ) can be detected by the detector ( 3 ). 13. Tamper protection according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an elastic element is pre-tensioned in the interior ( 9 ) of the sensor body ( 1 ) with an at least partially elastic outer shell ( 2 ), which relaxes in the event of damage to the outer shell ( 2 ) of the sensor body ( 1 ).