JPH0211951B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a coin sorting device that electrically determines the authenticity and type of coins.

(Prior Art) In recent years, vending machines have undergone significant development and have become widespread and used everywhere.
A single service company often manages a large number of machines, and there is a strong desire for easy on-site maintenance and repair.

Naturally, it is also strongly desired that the coin sorting device used in the vending machine itself be easily maintainable and serviceable on-site.

Conventionally, this type of coin sorting device has a detection coil provided along the coin path as one oscillator element.

When a coin approaches this detection coil, the impedance of the detection coil changes, and the oscillation frequency or oscillation level of the oscillator changes accordingly. This change varies depending on the outer diameter, thickness, material, etc. of the coin, so by comparing this change with the already memorized standard value of each coin,
It becomes possible to determine the authenticity and type of coins.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) This conventional configuration has the following problems.

Since there are differences in the position of the detection coil and the constants of the elements constituting the oscillator for each coin sorting device, the commonly stored reference value for each coin is different for each coin sorting device. Therefore,
When a defect occurs in the coin sorting device, if the defective location is at least one of the factors that determine the reference value, repairing or replacing only the defective location will cause problems in coin discrimination. In the end, it became necessary to replace the entire device, which caused problems in terms of market service. In addition, conventional coin sorting devices are limited to distinguishing between specific coins (for example, 10 yen coins, 50 yen coins, 100 yen coins, and 500 yen coins), but cannot easily distinguish between other denominations (specific coins). It was not possible to use this method to determine whether it was a token currency or not.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and
To provide a coin sorting device capable of re-memorizing the reference value of each coin by using the coin sorting device alone without requiring a special device.

(Means for Solving the Problem) In order to solve this problem, the present invention provides a readable and writable storage means for storing reference values of each denomination for distinguishing inserted coins, and a coin passage. An oscillator having a disposed detection coil as one element, a measuring means for measuring a change in the oscillation constant of the oscillator due to passage of a coin, or a value obtained by converting the change, and a measurement by the measuring means. In a coin sorting device, the coin sorting device is equipped with a discrimination means for discriminating the authenticity and type of a coin by comparing the value with a reference value of each denomination stored in advance in the storage means, the coin discrimination device has a normal coin discrimination mode and a coin discrimination device. a switching means for switching and setting a re-memory mode for re-memorizing the standard value of the re-memory mode; a statistical processing means for statistically processing the measured value by the measuring means of coins inserted once or more during the re-memory mode; The present invention is characterized by further comprising means for re-storing the value statistically processed by the processing means in the storage means as a new reference value for the coin.

(Function) With the above-described configuration, the present invention has a switching means for switching and setting a normal coin discrimination mode and a re-memory mode for re-memorizing the reference value of a coin, and switches the switching means to the re-memory mode. By setting, the value obtained by statistically processing the measured value of a coin to be re-stored that has been inserted once or more by the statistical processing means, for example, the average value, is re-stored in the memory, which is the storage means, as a new reference value for that coin. It is something that can be done.

As a result, the coin discrimination device that normally performs the original coin discrimination becomes defective, and even if the defective part is at least one of the factors that determine the standard value, it is necessary to have the defective part repaired on-site. As a result, the reference value can be reset to the optimum value after the repair is completed, and a coin discriminating device that can always perform regular discriminating operations can be obtained.

(Embodiment) Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 2 shows an overview of the coin sorting device.
1 is the main body of the coin sorting device, 2 is a coin input port, 3 is a coin passage, 4, 5, and 6 are coils for outer diameter detection, material detection, and material thickness detection, respectively, and 7 is a coin exit.

Fig. 1 shows the internal configuration of the coin sorting device. Reference numbers 11, 12, and 13 are connected to an outer diameter detection coil 4, a material detection coil 5, and a material thickness detection coil 6, respectively, and oscillate at a constant frequency. oscillator, 14
15 is a frequency counter for counting the frequency from the oscillator; 15 is a measuring means for measuring the value of the frequency counter; a determining means for determining the authenticity and type of the inserted coin and outputting a determination result; and 15, when setting the re-memory mode. includes a statistical processing means for statistically processing the measured value of the inserted coin by the measuring means, and a means for re-storing the statistically processed value, for example, an average value, in the memory 16 as a new reference value for the coin. A central control unit (hereinafter abbreviated as CPU) is in charge of overall control for executing functions, 16 is a memory which is a readable/writeable storage means in which the standard value of each coin is stored, and 17 is a normal coin discrimination mode. A changeover switch 18 is a switching means for switching between the mode and the mode for re-storing the reference value in the memory, and a denomination setting switch 18 designates which coin's reference value is to be re-stored in the reference value re-storing mode.

First, the operation in the normal coin judgment mode (in FIG. 1, the mode changeover switch 17 is on the +5V side) will be explained. When a coin inserted from the input port 2 rolls on the coin passage 3 and approaches the outer diameter detection coil 4,
As the impedance of the detection coil changes, the oscillation frequency of the oscillator 11 changes. The oscillation output a1 of the oscillator 11 is input to the frequency counter 14 through the gate 21. FIG. 3 shows the gate control signal c1 of the gate 21, the oscillation output a1 of the oscillator 11, the count input b of the frequency counter 14,
and the relationship between the reset signal c4 and the frequency counter 14. The oscillation output a1 of the oscillator 11 is the CPU
Gate control signal c sent from 15 to gate 21
1 for a certain period of time T, the frequency counter 14
is given as the count input b. At this time, the gate control signals c1 and c3 of the gates 22 and 23 are not output, and only the gate 21 is in an active state. The counter 14 counts the frequency of the count input b and sends the count result c to the CPU 15.
The CPU 15 sends a gate control signal c1 to the gate 21.
After outputting for a certain time T, this count result c is read. CPU15 counts result c
After reading in, a reset signal c4 is output to the frequency counter 14, and the frequency counter 14 is reset and returns to the initial state. In this way, sampling of the oscillation frequency is repeated. in fact,
The output time T of the gate control signal c1 is set to 1 ms, and when the oscillation output a1 of the oscillator 11 is 500 KHz, the count input b of the frequency counter 14 is set to 500 kHz.
pulses are input.

FIG. 4 shows a time change in the frequency of the oscillation output a1 of the oscillator 11 when a coin passes through the outer diameter detection coil 4. Oscillation frequency f ₀₁ when there is no coin and maximum frequency when the coin passes through the outer diameter detection coil 4
By sampling f ₁ max as described above, it is possible to calculate the maximum amount of change Δf ₁ max in frequency representing the outer diameter of the inserted coin.
Similarly, when the inserted coin passes through the material detection coil 5, the maximum variation Δf ₂ max in the frequency of the oscillation output a2 of the oscillator 12 representing the material of the inserted coin is calculated. Note that when measuring the frequency of the oscillation output of the oscillator 12, the gates 21 and 2
The gate control signals c1 and c3 of No. 3 are not output, and only the gate 22 becomes active. Similarly, when the inserted coin passes through the thickness detection coil 6, the maximum variation Δf ₃ max in the frequency of the oscillation output a3 of the oscillator 13, which represents the thickness of the inserted coin, is calculated. Note that when measuring the frequency of the oscillation output of the oscillator 13, the gate control signals c1 and c2 of the gates 21 and 22 are not output, and only the gate 23 is in an active state.

Δf ₁ max of the coins inserted in this way,
By determining Δf ₂ max and Δf ₃ max and comparing these values with reference values for each coin stored in the memory 16, the authenticity and type of the inserted coin can be determined. Suppose each coin (10 yen, 50 yen,
100 yen, 500 yen) are stored in the memory 16 as shown in Figure 5, in order to determine that the inserted coin is a 10 yen coin, f ₁ (10 yen) - α ₁₀ ≦∆f ₁ max≦f ₁ (10 yen) + α ₁₀ ′ ... Outer diameter discrimination f ₂ (10 yen) - β ₁₀ ≦∆f ₂ max≦f ₂ (10 yen) + β ₁₀ ′ ... Material discrimination f ₃ ( 10 yen) - γ ₁₀ ≦∆f ₃ max ≦ (10 yen) + γ ₁₀ '...Three conditions for determining material thickness should be satisfied.

Here, α ₁₀ , α ₁₀ ′, β ₁₀ , β ₁₀ ′, γ ₁₀ , γ ₁₀ ′ are
It is a constant that is determined in consideration of variations in 10 yen coins, changes in ambient temperature over time, changes in component parts over time, etc., and is a known value in advance. If the coin is not determined to be a 10 yen coin, it is compared with a 50 yen coin, a 100 yen coin, and a 500 yen coin, and if there is no equivalent coin, it is determined to be a counterfeit coin. A coin discrimination signal is output according to the determination result.

Next, the operation when the reference value of each coin is in the re-memory mode (in FIG. 1, the mode changeover switch 17 is on the 0V side) will be described. Figure 6 shows the processing procedure in the re-memory mode of the standard value of each coin. Each time a coin is inserted, the counter that counts the number of times it has been inserted is incremented by 1, and when this counter reaches a certain value B or more, Then, the average value of the maximum frequency change amount of the coins inserted so far is re-stored as the reference value for each set denomination. The procedure will be explained in detail below.

First, in step 50, a counter that counts the number of times of input is cleared to zero. Next, in step 51, it is checked whether the reference value of each coin is in the re-memory mode, and if it is not in the re-memory mode, it enters the normal coin discrimination mode (step 80) described above. This mode check is performed by the control signal c5 given by the mode changeover switch 17, which is a switching means, and the Hi level (+5V side) is the normal coin discrimination mode, and the Lo level (0V side) is the mode for determining each coin. is set to the reference value re-memory mode. In step 52, it is determined whether or not a coin has been inserted. If no coin has been inserted, the process returns to step 51, and steps 51 and 52 are repeated until a coin is inserted. In step 52, it is determined whether a coin has been inserted or not when the increase in the oscillation frequency f' ₁ -f ₀₁ of the oscillation output a1 of the oscillator 11 exceeds a certain value A as shown in FIG. Then, the process moves to the next step 53. The value of A is set smaller than the value of Δf ₁ max of all coins to be determined. In step 53, the maximum frequency changes Δf ₁ max, Δf ₂ max, Δf ₃ max of the input coin are determined in the same way as described in the normal coin discrimination mode, and these are calculated as f _1i , f _2i , f _3i (i= 0, 11...B-1) and is temporarily held in the CPU 15. At step 54, the counter is incremented by one. step 55
If the value of the counter exceeds a certain value B, the process moves to the next step 56, and if not, the process goes to step 56 again.
Steps 51, 52, 53, and 54 are repeated until the counter value reaches a certain value B or more. Step 56 is a step for statistical processing means to statistically process the measured values, specifically, the average value of f _1i , f _2i , f _3i (i=0, 1..., B-1) obtained in step 53. Calculations are performed to obtain f ₁ , f ₂ , and f ₃ .

f ₁ = _B-1 〓 ⁱ⁼⁰ f _1i /B f ₂ = _B-1 〓 ⁱ⁼⁰ f _2i /B f ₃ = _B-1 〓 ⁱ⁼⁰ f _3i /B A certain value B is determined in step 56. The required f _1i , f _2i ,
Average values f ₁ , f ₂ of f _3i (i=0, 1, ..., B-1),
f ₃ is set to a value that can sufficiently absorb variations in f _1i , f _2i , f _3i (i=0, 1, . . . , B-1). In reality, a certain value B is set to eight. The average values f ₁ , f ₂ , and f ₃ found here serve as reference values for re-storing the set denomination coin. Steps 57, 58, 59,
At 60, it is determined which coin's reference value is to be re-stored, and this is determined by the outputs c6 and c7 of the denomination setting switch 18 shown in FIG. In reality, the denominations are set as shown in Figure 7. Depending on the values of the outputs c6 and c7 of the denomination setting switch 18, steps 57,
58, 59, and 60, steps 61, 62, and 62, which are steps for processing the re-memory means, respectively.
Move on to 63 and 64, and calculate the average value found in step 56.
f ₁ , f ₂ , f ₃ are the re-memory values of the standard value of the set denomination,
The data is stored again in the memory 16, which is the storage means shown in FIG. When the reference values have been re-stored in steps 61, 62, 63 and 64, the process returns to step 50. By changing the denomination setting in this manner and inserting coins again, it becomes possible to re-memorize the standard value of any coin.

In this example, the oscillation frequency of the oscillator changes as the coin passes, and this change in oscillation frequency is used to identify the coin, but it is also possible to convert the change in the oscillation level using A/D conversion, etc. Of course, this also includes the case where the coin is determined by comparing the obtained data with a reference value in the memory. The memory that stores the standard value of each coin can be anything that can be read and written, and the memory
The memory may be internal memory, for example RAM within a microcomputer. Also, there is no need to use the denomination setting switch when in the standard value re-memory mode; for example, a certain number of denominations,
It is also conceivable that each time a coin is inserted, the reference value is re-memorized and at the same time the coin is moved to the next denomination. In addition, anything that can be easily devised from this embodiment should be considered as an example of application of the present invention.

(Effects of the Invention) As described in detail above, according to the present invention, in addition to the normal coin discrimination mode, a re-memory mode for the reference value of each coin used for coin discrimination is provided,
By making it possible to re-memorize the standard value of each coin, in the event of a defect, it is possible to repair or replace the minimum number of parts, thereby improving serviceability. In addition, since the coin on which the reference value is to be stored can be arbitrarily selected, it is possible to easily handle other denominations, such as 5 yen coins, and a versatile coin sorting device can be provided. .

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is an internal schematic diagram of the coin sorting device, Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the coin sorting device, and Fig. 3 is a time chart showing the sampling state of the oscillation frequency of the oscillator.
Figure 4 is a graph showing the change in oscillation frequency when a coin passes through the detection coil, Figure 5 is a data arrangement diagram in memory, and Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the procedure for re-memorizing the reference value of each coin. , FIG. 7 is an example of a diagram showing allocation of denomination settings. 4, 5, 6...detection coil, 11, 12, 13
...Oscillator, 14...Frequency counter, 15...
Central control unit (CPU), 16...Memory, 17...
...Mode selection switch, 18...Denomination setting switch.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A readable/writable storage means for storing reference values of each denomination for determining inserted coins, an oscillator whose element is a detection coil disposed in a coin passage, and a coin a measuring means for measuring the change in the oscillation constant of the oscillator due to passage of the oscillator, or a value converted from the change; For switching and setting a normal coin discrimination mode and a re-memory mode for re-memorizing the standard value of a coin in a coin sorting device equipped with a determination means for determining the authenticity and type of a coin by comparing it with a standard value. a switching means, a statistical processing means for statistically processing the measured value by the measuring means of a coin inserted at least once during the re-memory mode, and a value statistically processed by the statistical processing means as a new reference value for the coin. A coin sorting device further comprising means for re-memorizing the data in the storage means.