Optical coin discrimination sensor and coin processing system using the same
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method for determining the denomination of a coin with a disk-type coin processing system comprises moving a coin along a coin path with a rotatable disk, generating an encoder pulse for each incremental movement of the rotatable disk, directing a light beam transverse the coin path, detecting the light beam with a light detector, developing a signal at the light detector indicating the presence of a coin in the coin path, counting a number of encoder pulses occurring while developing the signal at the light detector, and comparing the counted number of encoder pulses to a plurality of stored numbers of encoder pulses corresponding to the particular coin denominations.
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The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/095,164 and 10/095,256, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/095,164 is entitled “Disc-Type Coin Processing Device Having Improved Coin Discrimination System” and was filed on Mar. 11, 2002 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,755,730. U.S. Pat. No. 10/095,256 is entitled “Sensor and Method For Discriminating Coins of Varied Composition, Thickness and Diameter” and was filed on Mar. 11, 2002 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,892,871.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates generally to coin sensors and coin processing systems and, more particularly, to an optical coin sensor that discriminates between coins that discriminates among coins of different denominations.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONGenerally, disc-type coin sorters sort coins according to the diameter of each coin. Typically, in a given coin set such as the United States coin set, each coin denomination has a different diameter. Thus, sorting coins by diameter effectively sorts the coins according to denomination.
Disc-type coin sorters typically include a resilient pad (disposed on a rotating disc) that rotates beneath a stationary sorting head having a lower surface positioned parallel to the upper surface of the resilient pad and spaced slightly therefrom. The rotating, resilient pad presses coins upward against the sorting head as the pad rotates. The lower surface of sorting head includes a plurality shaped regions including exit channels for manipulating and controlling the movement of the coins. Each of the exit channels is dimensioned to accommodate coins of a different diameter for sorting the coins based on diameter size. As coins are discharged from the sorting head via the exit channels, the sorted coins follow respective coin paths to sorted coin receptacles where the sorted coins are stored.
It is desirable in the sorting of coins to discriminate between valid coins and invalid coins. Use of the term “valid coin” refers to coins of the type to be sorted. Use of the term “invalid coin” refers to items being circulated on the rotating disc that are not one of the coins to be sorted. For example, it is common that foreign or counterfeit coins (e.g., slugs) enter the coin sorting system. So that such items are not sorted and counted as valid coins, it is helpful to detect and discard these “invalid coins” from the coin processing system. In another application wherein it is desired to process (e.g., count and/or sort) only U.S. quarters, nickels and dimes, all other U.S. coins including dollar-coins, half-dollar coins and pennies are considered “invalid.” Additionally, coins from all other coins sets including Canadian coins and Euro coins, for example, would be considered “invalid” when processing U.S. coins. Finally, any truly counterfeit coins (i.e., a slug) are always considered “invalid” in any application. In another application it may be desirable to separate Canadian coins from U.S. coins for example. Therefore, in that application all authentic U.S. coins are considered invalid, and all non-authentic U.S. coin, Canadian coins, and all coins from other coin sets (e.g., Euro coins) are considered invalid.
Typically, prior-art disc-type coin sorters include a discrimination sensor disposed within each exit channel for discriminating between valid and invalid coins as coins enter the exit channels. In such systems, therefore, coins entered the exit channel and are then discriminated. An invalid coin having a diameter that enables it to pass into an exit channel moves past the discrimination sensor. The discrimination sensor detects the invalid coin and a braking mechanism is triggered to stop the rotating disc before the invalid coin is moved out of the exit channel. A diverter, disposed within the coin path external, or internal, to the sorting head, moves such that a coin entering the coin path is diverted to an invalid coin receptacle. The sorting head is then jogged (electronically pulsed) causing the disc to incrementally rotate until the invalid coin is discharged from the exit channel to the coin path where it is diverted to a invalid coin receptacle. The diverter is moved back to its home position such that coins now entering the coin path are directed to the coin receptacles for valid coins. The coin sorter is then restarted and the disc begins to rotate at the normal sorting rate of speed.
One drawback associated with this type of prior art discrimination technique is the downtime consumed by the aforementioned stopping, jogging and restarting of the rotatable disc to remove the invalid coin. This process often takes approximately five seconds per invalid coin. Initially, this may appear to be a relatively insignificant amount of time; however, this time can add up to a significant amount of time in the processing of bulk coins.
Furthermore, because the rotatable disc rapidity breaks and stops so that an invalid coin is not ejected from a coin exit channel before the diverter is moved to route invalid coins to a reject receptacle, the overall speed (i.e., the number of rotations of the rotatable disc per minute) is limited. Additionally, this type prior art discrimination technique results in more “wear and tear” on the breaking system and motor.
Accordingly, a need exists for a coin processing machine that can discriminate invalid coins at a high-rate of speed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccording to one embodiment of the present invention, a method for determining the denomination of a coin with a disk-type coin processing system comprises moving a coin along a coin path with a rotatable disk, generating an encoder pulse for each incremental movement of the rotatable disk, directing a light beam transverse the coin path, detecting the light beam with a light detector, developing a signal at the light detector indicating the presence of a coin in the coin path, counting a number of encoder pulses occurring while developing the signal at the light detector, and comparing the counted number of encoder pulses to a plurality of stored numbers of encoder pulses corresponding to the particular coin denominations.
The above summary of the present invention is not intended to represent each embodiment, or every aspect, of the present invention. Additional features and benefits of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description, figures, and claims set forth below.
While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments will be shown byway of example in the drawings and will be desired in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTSTurning now to the drawings and referring first to
According to one embodiment, coins are initially deposited by a user in a coin tray (not shown) disposed above the coin processing system 100 shown in
As the disc 114 is rotated, the coins deposited on the resilient pad 118 tend to slide outwardly over the surface of the pad 118 due to centrifugal force. As the coins move outwardly, those coins which are lying flat on the pad 118 enter the gap between the surface of the pad 118 and the sorting head 112 because the underside of the inner periphery of the sorting head 112 is spaced above the pad 118 by a distance which is about the same as the thickness of the thickest coin. As is further described below, the coins are processed and sent to exit stations where they are discharged. The coin exit stations may sort the coins into their respective denominations and discharge the coins from exit channels in the sorting head 112 corresponding to their denominations.
Referring now to
An outer wall 136 of the entry channel 132 divides the entry channel 132 from the lowermost surface 140 of the sorting head 112. The lowermost surface 140 is preferably spaced from the pad 118 by a distance that is slightly less than the thickness of the thinnest coins. Consequently, the initial outward radial movement of all the coins is terminated when the coins engage the outer wall 136, although the coins continue to move more circumferentially along the wall 136 (in the counterclockwise directed as viewed in
In some cases, coins may be stacked on top of each other—commonly referred to as “stacked” coins or “shingled” coins. Some of these coins, particularly thicker coins, will be under pad pressure and cannot move radially outward toward wall 136 under the centrifugal force. Stacked coins which are not against the wall 136 must be recirculated and stacked coins in contact against the wall 136 must be unstacked. To unstack the coins, the stacked coins encounter a stripping notch 144 whereby the upper coin of the stacked coins engages the stripping notch 144 and is channeled along the stripping notch 144 back to an area of the pad 118 disposed below the central opening 130 where the coins are then recirculated. The vertical dimension of the stripping notch 144 is slightly less the thickness of the thinnest coins so that only the upper coin is contacted and stripped. While the stripping notch 144 prohibits the further circumferential movement of the upper coin, the lower coin continues moving circumferentially across stripping notch 144 into the queuing channel 166.
Stacked coins that may have bypassed the stripping notch 144 by entering the entry channel 132 downstream of the stripping notch 144 are unstacked after the coins enter the queuing channel 166 and are turned into an inner queuing wall 170 of the queuing channel 166. The upper coin contacts the inner queuing wall 170 and is channeled along the inner queuing wall 170 while the lower coin is moved by the pad 118 across the inner queuing wall 170 into the region defined by surface 172 wherein the lower coin engages a wall 173 and is recirculated. Other coins that are not properly aligned along the inner queuing wall 170, but that are not recirculated by wall 173, are recirculated by recirculating channel 177.
As the pad 118 continues to rotate, those coins that were initially aligned along the wall 136 (and the lower coins of stacked coins moving beneath the stripping notch 144) move across the ramp 162 leading to the queuing channel 166 for aligning the innermost edge of each coin along the inner queuing wall 170. In addition to the inner queuing wall 170, the queuing channel 166 includes a first rail 174 and a second rail 178 that form the outer edges of stepped surfaces 182 and 186, respectively. The stepped surfaces 182, 186 are acutely angled with respect to the horizontal. The surfaces 182 and 186 are sized such that the width of surface 182 is less than that of the smallest (in terms of the diameter) coins and the width of surface 184 is less than that of the largest coin.
Referring for a moment to
Referring back to
Referring to
Referring now to
The queuing channel 166 is designed such that a line tangent to the inner queuing wall 170 of the L-shaped queuing channel 166 at about the point where coins move past the ramp 196 into the discrimination region 202 (shown as point A in
As the pad 118 continues to rotates, the L-shape of the queuing channel 166 imparts spacing to the coins which are initially closely spaced, and perhaps abutting one another, as the coins move across the ramp 162 into the queuing channel 166. As the coins move along the first upstream segment 190 of the queuing channel 166, the coins are pushed against inner queuing wall 170 and travel along the inner queuing wall 170 in a direction that is transverse to (i.e., generally unparallel) the direction in which the pad 118 is rotating. This action aligns the coins against the inner queuing wall 170. However, as the coins round the corner 194 into the second downstream segment 192 of the queuing channel 166, the coins are turned in a direction wherein they are moving with the pad (i.e., in a direction more parallel to the direction of movement of the pad). A coin rounding the corner 194 is accelerated as the coin moves in a direction with the pad; thus, the coin is spaced from the next coin upstream. Put another way, the first segment 190 receives coins from the entry channel 132 and the second segment 192 is disposed in a position that is substantially more in direction of movement of said rotatable disc 114 for creating an increased spacing between adjacent coins. Accordingly, the coins moving through the second segment 192 are spaced apart. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the coins are spaced apart by a time of approximately five milliseconds when the sorting head 112 has an eleven inch diameter and the pad 118 rotates at a speed of approximately three hundred revolutions per minute (300 r.p.m.). According to an alternative embodiment, the coins are spaced apart by a distance of less than about two inches when the sorting head 112 has an eleven inch diameter and the pad 118 rotates at a speed of about 350 r.p.m.
Referring back to
The sorting head 112 includes a cutout for the discrimination sensor 204. The discrimination sensor 204 is disposed just below the flat surface of the discrimination region 202. Likewise, a coin trigger sensor 206 is disposed just upstream of the discrimination sensor 204 for detecting the presence of a coin. Coins first move over the coin trigger sensor 206 (e.g., a photo detector or a metal proximity detector) which sends a signal to a controller indicating that a coin is approaching the coin discrimination sensor 204.
According to one embodiment, the coin discrimination sensor 204 is adapted to discriminate between valid and invalid coins. As discussed in the Background Section, use of the term “valid coin” refers to coins of the type to be sorted. Use of the term “invalid coin” refers to items being circulated on the rotating disc that are not one of the coins to be sorted. Any truly counterfeit coins (i.e., a slug) are always considered “invalid.” According to another alternative embodiment of the present invention, the coin discriminator sensor 204 is adapted to identify the denomination of the coins and discriminate between valid and invalid coins.
Coin discrimination sensors suitable for use with the disc-type coin sorter shown in
As discussed above according to one alternative embodiment of the present invention, the discrimination sensor 204 discriminates between valid and invalid coins. Downstream of the discrimination sensor 204 is a diverting pin 210 disposed adjacent inner queuing wall 170 that is movable to a diverting position (out of the page as viewed in
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the diverting pin 210 is coupled to a voice coil (not shown) for moving the diverting pin between the diverting position and the home position. Using a voice coil in this application is a nontraditional use for voice coils, which are commonplace in acoustical applications as well as in servo-type applications. Typically, a discrete amount of voltage is applied to the voice coil for moving the windings of the voice coil a discrete amount within the voice coil's stroke length—the greater the voltage, the greater the movement. However, the Applicants have discovered that the when the voice coil is “flooded” with a positive voltage, for example, the voice coil rapidly moves the diverting pin 210 coupled thereto to the diverting position (i.e., the end of the voice coil's stroke length) within a very short time period that is less than the time it takes for the coins to move from the discrimination sensor 204 to the diverter pin 210 when increased spacing is encountered due to the queuing channel. The voice coil is then flooded with a negative voltage for rapidly moving the diverting pin 210 windings back to its home position.
A voice coil suitable for use with the present invention is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,345,206, entitled “Moving Coil Actuator Utilizing Flux-Focused Interleaved Magnetic Circuit,” which is incorporated herein by references in its entirety. As an example, a voice coil manufactured by BEI, Technologies, Inc. of San Francisco, Calif., model number LA15-16-024A, can move an eighth-inch (⅛ in) stroke (e.g., from the home position to the diverting position) in approximately 1.3 milliseconds, which is a speed of about 0.1 inch per millisecond, and can provide approximately twenty pounds of force in either direction. Other voice coils are suitable for use with the coin sorting system of
Other types of actuation devices can be used in alternative embodiments of the present invention. For example, a linear solenoid or a rotary solenoid may be used to move a pin such as diverting pin 210 between a diverting position and a home position.
As the pad 118 continues to rotate, those coins not diverted into the reject channel 212 continue along inner queuing wall 170 to the gauging region 250. The inner queuing wall 170 terminates just downstream of the reject channel 212; thus, the coins no longer abut the inner queuing wall 170 at this point and the queuing channel 166 terminates. The radial position of the coins is maintained, because the coins remain under pad pressure, until the coins contact an outer wall 252 of the gauging region 252. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the sorting head 112 includes a gauging block 254 which extends the outer wall 252 beyond the outer periphery of the sorting head 112. The gauging block 254 is useful when processing larger diameter coins such as casino tokens, $1 coins, 50¢ pieces, etc. that extend beyond he outer periphery of the sorting head 112. According to the embodiment of the sorting head 112 shown in
The gauging wall 252 aligns the coins along a common radius as the coins approach a series of coin exit channels 261-268 which discharge coins of different denominations. The first exit channel 261 is dedicated to the smallest coin to be sorted (e.g., the dime in the U.S. coin set). Beyond the first exit channel 261, the sorting head 112 shown in
The innermost edges of the exit channels 261-268 are positioned so that the inner edge of a coin of only one particular denomination can enter each channel 261-268. The coins of all other denominations reaching a given exit channel extend inwardly beyond the innermost edge of that particular exit channel so that those coins cannot enter the channel and, therefore, continue on to the next exit channel under the circumferential movement imparted on them by the pad 118. To maintain a constant radial position of the coins, the pad 118 continues to exert pressure on the coins as they move between successive exit channels 261-268.
According to one embodiment of the sorting head 112, each of the exit channels 261-268 includes a coin counting sensor 271-278 for counting the coins as coins pass though and are discharged from the coin exit channels 261-268. In an embodiment of the coin processing system utilizing a discrimination sensor capable of determining the denomination of each of the coins, it is not necessary to use the coin counting sensors 271-278 because the discrimination sensor 204 provides a signal that allows the controller to determine the denomination of each of the coins. Through the use of the system controller (
Furthermore, the encoder 284 can be of a type commonly known as a dual channel encoder that utilizes two encoder sensors (not shown). The signals that are produced by the two encoder sensors and detected by the controller 280 are generally out of phase. The direction of movement of the disc 114 can be monitored by utilizing the dual channel encoder.
The controller 280 also controls the power supplied to the motor 116 which drives the rotatable disc 114. When the motor 116 is a DC motor, the controller 280 can reverse the current to the motor 116 to cause the rotatable disc 114 to decelerate. Thus, the controller 270 can control the speed of the rotatable disc 114 without the need for a braking mechanism.
If a braking mechanism 280 is used, the controller 280 also controls the braking mechanism 286. Because the amount of power applied is proportional to the braking force, the controller 280 has the ability to alter the deceleration of the disc 114 by varying the power applied to the braking mechanism 286.
According to one embodiment of the coin processing 100, the controller 280 also monitors the coin counting sensors 271-278 which are disposed in each of the coin exit channels 261-268 of the sorting head 112 (or just outside the periphery of the sorting head 112). As coins move past one of these counting sensors 271-278, the controller 280 receives a signal from the counting sensor 271-278 for the particular denomination of the passing coin and adds one to the counter for that particular denomination within the controller 280. The controller 280 maintains a counter for each denomination of coin that is to be sorted. In this way, each denomination of coin being sorted by the coin processing system 100 has a count continuously tallied and updated by the controller 280. The controller 280 is able to cause the rotatable disc 114 to quickly terminate rotation after a “n” number (i.e., a predetermined number) of coins have been discharged from an exit channel, but before the “n+1” coin has been discharged. For example, it may be necessary to stop the discharging of coins after a predetermined number of coins have been delivered to a coin receptacle, such as a coin bag, so that each bag contains a known amount of coins, or to prevent a coin receptacle from becoming overfilled. Alternatively, the controller 280 can cause the system to switch between bags in embodiments having more than one coin bag corresponding to each exit channel.
The controller 280 also monitors the output of coin discrimination sensor 204 and compares information received from the discrimination sensor 204 to master information stored in a memory 288 of the coin processing system 100 including information obtained from known genuine coins. If the received information does not favorably compare to master information stored in the memory 288, the controller 280 sends a signal to the voice coil 290 causing the diverting pin 210 to move to the diverting position.
According to one embodiment of the coin processing system 100, after a coin moves past the trigger sensor 206, the coin discrimination sensor 204 begins sampling the coin. The discrimination sensor 204 begins sampling the coins within about 30 microseconds (“μs”) of a coin clearing the trigger sensor 206. The sampling ends after the coin clears a portion or all of the discrimination sensor 204. A coin's signature, which consists of the samples of the coin obtained by the discrimination sensor 204, is sent to the controller 280 after the coin clears the trigger sensor 206 or, alternatively, after the coin clears the discrimination sensor 204. As an example, when the coin processing system 100 operates as a speed of 350 r.p.m. and the sorting head 112 has a diameter of eleven inches, it takes approximately 3900 μs for a 1¢ Euro coin (having a diameter of about 0.640 inch) to clear the trigger sensor 206. A larger coin would take more time.
The controller 280 then compares the coin's signature to a library of “master” signatures obtained from known genuine coins stored in the memory 288. The time required for the controller 280 to determine whether a coin is invalid is dependant on the number of master signatures stored in the memory 288 of the coin processing system 100. According to one embodiment of the present invention, there are thirty-two master signatures stored in the memory 288, while other embodiments may include any practical number of master signatures. Generally, regardless of the number of stored signatures, the controller 280 determines whether to reject a coin in less than 250 μs.
After determining that a coin is invalid, the controller 280 sends a signal to activate the voice coil 290 for moving the diverting pin 210 to the diverting position. As shown in
Therefore, assuming an eleven inch sorting disk, an operational speed of 350 r.p.m. and a trigger sensor 206, discrimination sensor 204 and a diverting pin 210 arrangement as shown in
Once the diverting pin 210 is moved to the diverting position, the diverting pin 210 remains in the diverting position until a valid coin is encountered by the discrimination sensor 204 according to one embodiment of the present invention. This reduces wear and tear on the voice coil 190. For example, the diverting pin 210 will only be moved to the diverting position one time when three invalid coins in a row are detected, for example, in applications involving a heavy mix of valid and invalid coins. If the fourth coin is determined to be a valid coin, the diverting pin 210 is moved to its home position. Further, according to some embodiments of the coin processing system 100, the diverting pin 210 is moved to the home position if the trigger sensor 206 sensor does not detect a coin within about two seconds of the last coin that was detected by the trigger sensor 206, which can occur when a batch of coins being processed in nearing the end of the batch. This reduces wear and tear on the pad 118, which is rotating beneath the diverting pin 210, because the diverting pin 210 and the rotating pad 118 are in contact when the diverting pin 210 is in the diverting position.
Because of the spacing imparted to the coins via the L-shaped queuing channel 166, it is not necessary to slow or stop the machine to off-sort the invalid coins. Rather, the combination of the increased spacing and fast-activating voice coil 290 contribute to the ability of the coin sorter system illustrated in
The superior performance of coin processing systems according to one embodiment of the present invention is illustrated by the following example. Prior art coin sorters, such as those discussed in the Background Section where is was necessary to stop and then jog the disc to remove an invalid coin, that utilized an eleven inch sorting disc were capable of sorting a retail mix of coins at a rate of about 3000 coins per minute when operating at a speed for about 250 r.p.m. (A common retail mix of coins is about 30% dimes, 28% pennies, 16% nickels, 15% quarters, 7% half-dollar coins, and 4% dollar coins.) The ability to further increase the operating speed of these prior art devices is limited by the need to be able to quickly stop the rotation of the disc before the invalid coin is discharged as is discussed in the Background Section. According to one embodiment of the coin processing system 100 of
In one embodiment of the coin processing system 100, the coin discrimination sensor 210 determines the denomination of each of the coins as well as discriminates between valid and invalid coins, and does not include coin counting sensors 271-278. In this embodiment, as coins move past one the discrimination sensor 204, the controller 280 receives a signal from discrimination sensor 204. When the received information favorably compares to the master information, a one is added to a counter for that particular determined denomination within the controller 280. The controller 280 has a counter for each denomination of coin that is to be sorted. As each coin is moved passed the discrimination sensor 204, the controller 280 is now aware of the location of the coin and is able to track the angular movement of that coin as the controller receives encoder counts from the encoder 284. Therefore, referring back to the previous coin bag example, the controller 280 is able to determined at the precise moment at which to stop the rotating disc 114 such that the “nth” coin is discharged from a particular output channel 261-286, but the “n+1” coin is not. For example, in an application requiring one thousand dimes per coin bag, the controller counts number of dimes sensed by the discrimination sensor 204 and the precise number of encoder counts at which it should halt the rotation of the disc 114—when the 1000th dime is discharged from the coin exit channel, but not the 1001st dime.
Referring now to
The external diverter 300 includes an internal partition 304 that pivots about a base 306 between a first position 308a and a second position 308b wherein coins are directed down a first coin path 310a and a second coin path 310b, respectively. The internal partition 304 is coupled to a voice coil 310 for rapidly moving the internal partition 304 between the first and second positions 308a, b. In an alternative embodiment, the external diverter 300 is constructed such that the internal partition 304 moves from side-to-side (not up and down) to route coins between the two coin paths 310a, b.
According to one alternative embodiment of the coin processing system 100, the external diverters 300 are used in place of the diverting pin 210 (
According to one alternative embodiment of the coin processing system 100, the external diverters 300 are used in connection with the sorting head of
Again, the generally L-shaped queuing channel 166 imparts a spacing to the coins allowing the coin processing system 100 to utilize the external diverters 300, which are rapidly actuated by the voice coils, on the fly. Accordingly, it is not necessary to slow or stop the rotating disc 144 when off-sorting invalid coins or routing coins down an alternate coin path.
Referring now to
The programmable sorting head 350 operates in a manner similar to the sorting head 112 described in connection with
The queuing channel 374 of the programmable sorting head 350 is L-shaped for imparting a spacing to the coins as the coins are moved past the corner 376 of the L-shaped queuing channel 374. The L-shaped queuing channel 374 of
The coin discrimination sensor 382 is adapted to discriminate between valid and invalid coins and to determine the denomination of each of the coins passing under the sensor 382. The function of the trigger sensor 380 and the discrimination sensor 382 is similar to that described in connection with
In various alternative embodiments of the coin processing system 100 utilizing the programmable sorting head 350 (“the programmable processing system”), the programmable processing system operates pursuant to many predefined modes of operation and user-defined modes of operation. For example, the first exit channel 351 can operate as a reject chute for off-sorting invalid coins. In another embodiment, none of the exit channels 351-360 serve as reject chutes; rather, invalid coins are moved along wall 364 around the sorting head 350 and follow wall 364 off the sorting head at a point “C” where the coins are discharged to another off-sort area. In another application such as in the processing of coins obtained from vending machines, the first three exit channel 351-353 are used to sort nickels, dimes and quarters, respectively, until a predetermined number of coins of a denomination are delivered to the respective exit channel 351-353. Then the controller causes nickels, dimes and quarters to be off-sorted at the fourth, fifth and sixth exit channels 354-356, respectively, and so on. Accordingly, after a predetermined number of nickels have been discharged by the first exit channel 351, nickels are then off-sorted at the fourth exit channel 354, and then the by the seventh exit channel 357. No more than the predetermined number of coins are discharged from the exit channels 351-359 and the subsequent exit channel assigned to nickels, for example, is not utilized until the previous exit channel assigned to nickels has discharged a predetermined number of coins.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the programmable coin processing system operates pursuant to a mode of operation wherein the first ten coin denominations detected by the coin discrimination sensor 382 are the coin denominations assigned to the ten exit channels 351-360, respectively, and all other coins are off-sorted by following wall 364 off the sorting head 350 at point “C.” As is readily apparent, the programmable sorting system can be utilized in pursuant to a myriad of modes of operation in alternative embodiments of the system.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the programmable coin processing system is utilized to separate coins from a plurality of coin sets—British pound coins, French Franc coins, German Deutschmark coins, U.S. coins, Italian Lira coins, Canadian coins and Euro coins, for example. The programmable coin processing system causes coins of each coin set to be distributed to one of the ten exit channels 351-360, while off-sorting other “invalid” coins. The programmable coins sorter can be linked to an external network which provides currency exchange rates so that the system can calculate the real-time value of all the coins processed from the different coin sets from different countries.
In
The sorting head 400 is similar to that of
The radial position of the queuing channel 402 is moved outward a distance such that the diameter of the smallest coin to be processed (e.g., the dime in the U.S. coin set) is moved beyond the outer periphery 404 of the sorting head 400 to obtain optical information from the coin. According to one embodiment, the coins must extend beyond the outer periphery 404 of the sorting head 400 at least about 0.010 inch (approximately 0.25 mm) for obtaining the optical information from the coin. A controller of the coin processing system 100 then processes the optical information obtained from each coin by the optical sensor 404. As the pad continues to rotate, the coin is brought back within the outer periphery 404 of the sorting head 400 as the coin moves past a diverting pin 408 and reject channel 410 similar to that described in connection with
Turning now to
It should be noted that the while underside of the guide plate 502 is shown in
Referring also to
As the belt 522 continues to rotate, coins are moved past a coin discrimination sensor 540 for discriminating between invalid and valid coins and for determining the denomination of the coins. A plurality of coin exit channels 551-555 are disposed in the rail 520 downstream of the coin discrimination sensor 540. While five exit channels 551-555 are shown in the embodiment of the rail system 500 shown in
An encoder (not shown) is coupled to one of the two pulleys 524, 526 and is interface with a controller of the rail system 500 for tracking the linear movement of the coins along the rail 510. As discussed above in connection with
Similar to the sorting head depicted in
Referring also to
The rail system 500 provides the advantage of presenting the coin bags 580 in a substantially liner fashion. Put another way, the exit channels 551-555 output coins in the same direction which facilities a substantially linear bag presentation. Therefore, an operator of the rail system 500 can easily access the coins bags 580 from the same side of the cabinet. In alternative embodiment of the rail sorter 500, dual coin bag holders for holding two coins bags can be attached to the end of each coin tube. Dual bag holders allow the rail system 500 to route coins of a single denomination to two different bags; thus, once a predetermined number of coins have been routed to a first bag the coins of that denomination are routed to a second bag.
In an alternative embodiment of the rail system 500, the guide plate 502 includes a discrimination region having a discrimination sensor and a reject channel as does the sorting head 112 of
In yet another alternative embodiment of the rail system, the rail and guide plate are formed from the same piece of material such that they are integral components. The rotating pad and endless belt are disposed on the same side of the integral rail and pad—either the top-side or the bottom-side. Alternatively still, a large rotating pad can impart movement to the coins along the integral guide plate and pad.
Turning to
Similar to the generally L-shaped queuing regions described above in connection with
As the pad continues to rotate, the coins are moved past a discrimination sensor 620 disposed along the queuing channel 604 for discriminating between valid and invalid coins and/or identifying the denomination of coins. The coins continue along the inner queuing channel wall 606 until the pad rotation causes the coins to be discharged from the single exit station 602. Note that that all coins entering the coin processing system described in connection with
An external diverter 300 actuated by a voice coil 310, such as described in connection with
The coin processing system described in connection with
Turning now to
As the pad 118 continues to rotate, the coins are moved from the discrimination sensor 700 past the diverting pin 710 and the reject channel 714. The diverting pin 710 moves from a home position to a diverting position for diverting coins from the queuing wall 770 into the reject channel 714, as described above, in response to a coin being determined to be an invalid coin. Those coins not diverted from the queuing wall 770—wherein the diverting pin 710 is maintained in the home position—continue along the queuing wall 770 and eventually past the plurality of exit channels 761-766 as discussed above in connection with
The optical coin discrimination sensor includes a light source 802, a first light guide 804, a second light guide 806, and a light detector 808. Generally, the first and second light guides 802, 804 receive light from the light source 802 and guide the received light to the light detector 808. As a coin moves along the queuing channel 760 and past the first light guide 804, the opaque nature of the coins (shown in dashed lines in
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the first light guide 804 is constructed of sapphire and is about 0.010 inch wide and about 0.150 inch deep. The first light guide may be constructed of another substantially optically clear material such as plastic or acrylic, for example, in alternative embodiments of the present invention. While only the bottom portion (as viewed in
The second light guide 806 is constructed of a substantially optically clear material such as plastic, acrylic, sapphire, etc. according to alternative embodiments of the present invention. The second light guide has an angled back surface 812 for directing light received from the first light guide 804 toward the light detector 808 as illustrated in
The light path is shown in
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the light source comprises a laser diode. The inventors have found a laser diode module commercially available from Optima Precision Inc. of West Linn, Oreg., Part No. DLM 2103-636, to be suitable for use in one embodiment of the present invention. This laser diode outputs light having a wavelength of about 623 nm. Other types of light sources may be used in alternative embodiments of the present invention such as, for example, semiconductive lamps, incandescent lamps, gas arc lamps, fluorescent lamps, or electrochemical lamps.
An aperture 810 in the sorting head 702 adjacent the first light guide 804 directs forced air from a nozzle (not shown) across the face of the first light guide 804 for removing debris that has accumulated during the processing of coins (e.g., dust, coin dust, oil, etc.) from the coin-contacting face of the first light guide 804. Additionally, the contact of the coins against the face of the first light guide 804 also removes, or at least loosens, any debris.
Referring also to
The controller 850 is also coupled to the encoder 284, the light detector 808, and the light source 802. The controller activates the light source 802 when activating the motor 116 for processing the coins according to one embodiment of the present invention. The light detector 808 generates a light-detection signal indicative of receiving the light beam output by the light source 802. The controller 850 receives the light-detection signal from the light detector 808. A plurality of different types of optical light detectors can be used in alternative embodiments of the present including photodetectors, CCD arrays, etc. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the light detector is a phototransistor commercially available from Optek Technology, Inc. of Carrollton, Tex. (Part No. OP805SL).
In the operation of the coin processing system 100, the controller's 850 receipt of the light-detection signal from the detector 808 informs the controller 850 that the first light guide 804 is not being covered by a passing coin. When a coin to be discriminated is moved passed the first light guide 804, the coin covers the first light guide and, thus, prevents light from the light source 802 from illuminating the light detector 808 during which the detector 808 does not output a light-detection signal indicating the detector 808 is detecting light.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the light detector 808 outputs a voltage corresponding to the level of received light. If the signal drops blow a predetermined threshold voltage, the controller 850 determines that the light detector 808 is blocked by a passing coin. When the signal rises above the predetermined threshold, the controller 850 determines that the light detector 808 is not being blocked by a passing coin. A voltage comparator (not shown) electrically disposed between the light detector 808 and the controller 850 can be used to compare the signal generated by the light detector 808 to the predetermined threshold.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the detector 808 outputs an analog light-detection signal that is digitized by an analog-to-digital converter prior to being sent to the controller 850. The controller 850 samples this digitized signal at a rate on the order of tens of thousands of times per second depending on the resolution of the encoder 284 and the rotational speed of the disc 114. The sampled digitized signal is then compared by the controller 850 to a predetermined threshold value to determine whether a coin is blocking the light detector.
During the operation of the coin processing system 100, the controller 850 is also receiving pulses (e.g., encoder counts) from the encoder 284. As discussed above, each pulse from the encoder represents an incremental movement of the disc 114 (
Using the number of encoder pulses during which the controller 850 is not receiving the light-detection signal from the detector 808, the controller 850 determines the diameter of each passing coin, which can be used to discriminate the denomination of the coin. For example, in the U.S. coin set, each of the coins—pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, half-dollar coins, and dollar coins—have a different diameter. Because the encoder has a high resolution according to one embodiment of the present invention, the controller 850 is capable of distinguishing between different denominations of coins that have a difference in diameter of at least about 0.0014 inch.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the memory 288 of the coin processing system 100 has stored therein a master denominating characteristic information that includes the number of encoder pulses and the corresponding coin denominations that the system 100 is designed to process. The number of encoder pulses for each coin denomination corresponding to the size (e.g., the diameter) of each coin. This information maybe stored in the form of a look-up table (LUT). The master denominating information may also include an acceptable range of encoder counts, depending on the desired sensitivity, within which each coin denomination to be processed falls. During the processing of coins, the controller 850 compares the counted number of encoder pulses during which a light-detection signal from the light detector 808 is not received by the controller 850 and, then, compares that number to the stored numbers in the look up table to determine the denomination of each coin. If the counted number of encoder pulses does not favorably compare to a number, or a range of numbers, in the stored look up table, the coin is considered an invalid coin, and the controller 850 rejects the coin as described above.
Turning to
At step 904, the light source 802 illuminates the light detection optics, which includes the first and second light guides 804, 806 and the light detector 808 according to one embodiment of the present invention. In other embodiments, a light detector may directly receive light emitted by a light source. In yet other alternative embodiments, one or a plurality of light directing members (e.g., light guides, optical fibers, etc.) may direct light to a light detector. The light detector 804 outputs, to the controller 850, a light-detection signal indicating that it is detecting light emitted by the light source 802 at step 906. To ensure the light detector is not receiving light from some other source (e.g., ambient light), the light detector may only detect light having a wavelength within a specific range, wherein the light source outputs light within that wavelength range, according to one embodiment of the present invention.
The controller 850 monitors the detector 804 for the light-detection signal at step 906. If there is no interruption in the light-detection signal (output by the detector 808) received by the controller 850 at step 910, the controller 850 continues to monitor the light-detection signal output by the detector 808 for an interruption in that signal at step 908. If, at step 910, an interruption in the light-detection signal output by the detector 880 is detected by the controller 850, the controller 850 determines the number of encoder pulses received from the encoder 284 (
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the controller 850 maintains a running count of the denominations of the accepted coins that are transported to and discharged by the coin exit channels 761-766 of the sorting head 702. In other embodiments, the optional coin counting sensors 271-278 (
In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the time period in which a light-detection signal is not received by the controller 850 from the detector 808 is used to discriminate the coins (rather than the number of encoder counts counted when the light-detection signal is not received). Put another way, the diameter of each coin is measured in time rather than encoder counts. The determined time period is then compared to master-denomination characteristic information stored in the memory 288, which include time periods obtained using known authentic coins. In such an embodiment, the rotational speed of the disc 114 at the time the master-denomination characteristic information is obtained should be substantially the same as that during the discriminating of coins.
Referring back to
While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A coin processing system, comprising:
- a continuously rotatable disc for imparting motion to a plurality of coins of mixed denominations, wherein a rate of rotation is adjustable;
- an encoder attached to the rotatable disc for producing an encoder pulse for each incremental movement of the rotatable disc;
- a memory adapted to store master denominating characteristic information including a plurality of predetermined numbers of encoder pulses, each predetermined number of encoder pulses corresponding to the size of a particular coin denomination the coin processing system is adapted to process;
- a stationary sorting head having a lower surface generally parallel to and spaced slightly away from the rotatable disc, the lower surface forming a coin path for directing the movement of each of the coins and a coin exit region for sorting and discharging coins of particular denominations;
- a light source for outputting a light beam along a first axis that traverses the coin path in substantially the same plane as the coin path;
- a light detector for receiving the light beam along a second axis substantially perpendicular to the first axis, the light detector being adapted to generate a light-detection signal indicative of detecting the light beam, each coin moving along the coin path passing through the light beam resulting in the suspension of the generation of the light-detection signal; and
- a controller adapted to receive the encoder pulses from the encoder, the controller adapted to receive the light-detection signal from the light detector, the controller being adapted to determine the number of encoder pulses received during a period of non-receipt of the light-detection signal caused by each coin passing through the light beam, the controller being adapted to compare the determined number of encoder counts to the stored master denominating characteristic information upon resuming to receive the light-detection signal from the light detector.
2. The coin processing system of claim 1 wherein the controller is adapted to determine the denomination of the coin passing through the light beam when the determined number of encoder pulses favorably compares to the stored master denominating characteristic information.
3. The coin processing system of claim 1 wherein the light beam comprises a laser beam.
4. The coin processing system of claim 3 wherein the light source is a single laser diode.
5. The coin processing system of claim 1 wherein the light detector is a photodetector.
6. The coin processing system of claim 1 further comprising at least one light guide for guiding light received from the light source to the light detector.
7. The coin processing system of claim 6 wherein the light guide has an inlet disposed along the coin path opposite the light source.
8. The coin processing system of claim 1 further comprising a diverter disposed along the coin path beyond the light source, the diverter being moveable between a first position for permitting coins to proceed to a plurality of exit channels and a second position for diverting coins to a reject region.
9. The coin processing system of claim 8 wherein the controller causes the diverter to move from the first position to the second position when the number of encoder pulses determined when a coin passes through the light beam does not favorably compare to the stored master denominating characteristic information.
10. The coin processing system of claim 1, wherein the stationary sorting head lower surface forms a common coin path which directs the movement of all coins prior to sorting of coins having different denominations into separate coin paths for discharge from an exit region associated with a particular denomination, and wherein said light source is disposed to output a light beam that traverses the coin path at a point along such common coin path.
11. A method for processing coins with a coin processing system including at least one coin path and a plurality of coin exit regions for sorting and discharging coins of particular denominations, the system including a light source, disposed on one side of the coin path, comprising:
- moving a coin along the coin path defined by a stationary sorting head of a high-speed coin processing machine at a rate that can be adjusted;
- emitting a light beam along a first axis across the coin path in substantially the same plane as the coin path to a light detector disposed on another side of the coin path configured to receive the light beam along a second axis substantially perpendicular to the first axis;
- interrupting, with the coin moving along a portion of the coin path between the light source and the light detector, the light beam traversing the coin path such that the light beam is not incident on the light detector;
- counting, with the a controller, the number of encoder pulses generated by an encoder during the interruption of the light beam; and
- comparing the counted number of encoder pulses to a plurality of stored numbers of encoder pulses corresponding to the particular coin denominations.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein the light beam comprises a laser beam.
13. The method of claim 11 comprising determining the denomination of the coin when the counted number of encoder pulses favorably compares to one or more of a plurality of stored numbers of encoder pulses corresponding to the particular coin denominations.
14. The method of claim 11 comprising determining the coin to be an invalid coin when the counted number of encoder pulses does not favorably compare to a number of encoder pulses corresponding to a particular coin denomination.
15. The method of claim 14 comprising diverting the coin from the coin path when the coin is determined to be an invalid coin.
16. The method of claim 11 further comprising receiving the light beam with at least one light guide and directing the received light to the light detector.
17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:
- generating at least a first signal event corresponding to an interruption of the light beam by a leading edge of the coin moving along the coin path;
- generating at least a second signal event when the light beam is incident to the light detector following the act of the generating at least a first signal event;
- counting a number of encoder pulses occurring between the acts of generating at least the first signal event and generating at least the second signal event; and
- comparing at least the counted number of encoder pulses to a plurality of stored numbers of encoder pulses corresponding to the particular coin denominations.
18. The method of claim 17 comprising determining the denomination of the coin when the counted number of encoder pulses favorably compares to a plurality of stored numbers of encoder pulses corresponding to the particular coin denominations.
19. The method of claim 17 comprising determining the coin to be an invalid coin when the counted number of encoder pulses does not favorably compare to a plurality of stored numbers of encoder pulses corresponding to the particular coin denominations.
20. The method of claim 19 comprising diverting the coin from the coin path when the coin is determined to be an invalid coin.
21. The method of claim 17 further comprising receiving the light beam with at least one light guide and directing the received light to the light detector.
22. The method of claim 11, further comprising:
- generating a first light-detection output when the light beam traversing the coin path is incident upon the light detector; and
- generating a second light-detection output when the light beam traversing the coin path is not incident upon the light detector.
23. A method for determining the denomination of a coin with a disk-type coin processing system, comprising:
- moving a plurality of coins along a coin path with a continuously rotatable disk, wherein a rate of rotation is adjustable;
- generating an encoder pulse for each incremental movement of the continuously rotatable disk;
- directing a light beam along a first axis to traverse the coin path in substantially the same plane as the coin path and toward a light detector configured to receive the light beam along a second axis substantially perpendicular to the first axis;
- interrupting the light beam traversing the coin path for a period in which a coin of the plurality of coins is moving through the light beam traversing the coin path;
- counting a number of encoder pulses occurring during the period; and
- comparing the counted number of encoder pulses to a plurality of stored numbers of encoder pulses corresponding to the particular coin denominations.
24. A method for determining the denomination of a coin with a disk-type coin processing system, comprising:
- moving a plurality of coins along a coin path with a continuously rotatable disk, wherein a rate of rotation is adjustable;
- generating an encoder pulse for each incremental movement of the continuously rotatable disk;
- directing a light beam along a first axis to traverse the coin path in substantially the same plane as the coin path;
- detecting the light beam with a light detector configured to receive the light beam along a second axis substantially perpendicular to the first axis;
- developing a signal at the light detector indicating the presence of a coin of the plurality of coins in the coin path;
- counting a number of encoder pulses occurring while developing the signal at the light detector; and
- comparing the counted number of encoder pulses to a plurality of stored numbers of encoder pulses corresponding to the particular coin denominations.
25. The method of claim 24 wherein developing further comprises:
- generating a signal at the light detector that is proportional to the amount of detected light;
- comparing the generated signal to a threshold value stored in memory; and
- determining the signal to be a signal indicating the presence of a coin in the coin path when the generated signal is below the threshold value.
26. The method of claim 25 wherein the generated signal is a voltage signal.
27. The method of claim 25, further comprising:
- interrupting the light beam traversing the coin path for a period in which the coin is moving through the light beam traversing the coin path.
28. The coin processing system of claim 1, wherein the light source is configured to output light within a predetermined range of wavelengths, and wherein the light detector is configured to only detect light having a wavelength within the predetermined range of wavelengths output by the light source.
29. The coin processing system of claim 1, further comprising an analog-to-digital converter configured to receive, as an input, an analog signal output by the light detector and configured to output, to the controller, a digitized light-detection signal.
30. The coin processing system of claim 1, wherein the encoder has a resolution of about 20,000 pulses per revolution of the rotatable disc.
31. The coin processing system of claim 1, wherein the stationary sorting head has a diameter of about 11 inches.
32. The coin processing system of claim 1, wherein the memory storing the master denominating characteristic information further comprises an acceptable range of encoder pulses for each coin denomination.
33. The coin processing system of claim 4, wherein the laser diode outputs light having a wavelength of about 623 nm.
34. The coin processing system of claim 6, further comprising:
- an aperture in the sorting head adjacent the light guide;
- a nozzle disposed in the aperture and directed toward the light guide; and
- a pressurized air source connected to the nozzle,
- wherein the nozzle is configured to discharge air onto the light guide.
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Type: Grant
Filed: Jun 29, 2012
Date of Patent: Jan 7, 2014
Assignee: Cummins-Allison Corp. (Mt. Prospect, IL)
Inventors: David J. Wendell (Willow Springs, IL), John R. Blake (St. Charles, IL), Joseph J. Geib (The Villages, FL), John C. Peklo (Lombard, IL), Richard A. Mazur (Palatine, IL), David J. Mecklenburg (Glendale Heights, IL)
Primary Examiner: Mark Beauchaine
Application Number: 13/538,512
International Classification: G07D 7/00 (20060101);