US 5,494,146 AGranted

Coin selector

AssigneeSanden Corporation

InventorsHironobu Kurosawa, Toshitomo Kuwabara, Kazuo Shimizu

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Abstract

A coin selector for use in a coin mechanism of vending machines and the like is disclosed. The coin selector includes a device which determines whether a deposited coin is real or fake, and a movable gate which selectively conducts the deposited coin into a real coin chute or a fake coin chute in response to an operational result of the determining device. A detector is positioned upstream of the entrances to the real coin chute and the fake coin chute, and outputs an electrical signal which is dependent upon the position of the gate and the moving condition of the coin as it passes by the detector. The coin selector further includes a judging circuit which receives the output from the detector and determines whether the gate is in position to conduct the coin into the real coin chute or the fake coin chute. The judging circuit independently determines, based on the assumption that the gate is position to conduct the coin into the real coin chute, whether it can be concluded that the coin was in position to go into the real coin chute. If it is determined both that the gate was in position to conduct the coin into the real coin chute and that the coin was in position to be so conducted, the judging circuit outputs a signal indicating that the coin went into the real coin chute.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A coin selector including:

a coin chute into which coins deposited into said coin selector are initially conducted at an entry portion, said coin chute divided at a location below said entry portion into a real coin chute and a fake coin chute;
discriminating means for discriminating between real coins and fake coins which are deposited into said coin selector and for outputting an operational result indicating whether the deposited coin is real or fake;
conducting means for conducting the coin into either the real coin chute or the fake coin chute, said conducting means located at a position above the location where the real coin chute and the fake coin chute are divided, said conducting means movable between a first position in which the coin is conducted into the real coin chute and a second position in which the coin is conducted into the fake coin chute in dependence upon the operational result of said discriminating means;
detecting means for detecting an operational condition of said conducting means and a moving condition of the deposited coin at a time when the deposited coin passes by the location where the coin chute is divided, said detecting means outputting a signal indicative of the operation condition and the moving condition;
first comparing means for comparing a predetermined first reference condition with the operational condition of the conducting means and outputting an operational result of the comparison;
second comparing means for comparing a predetermined second reference condition with the moving condition of the deposited coin and outputting an operation result of the comparison;
and
judging means functioning when a real coin is deposited, said judging means for receiving the operational result of said first comparing means and the operational result of said second comparing means, said judging means outputting a signal indicating whether the deposited real coin is conducted into the real coin chute based upon the moving condition of the coin and the operational condition of the conducting means.

5 more elements

A coin selector comprising:

a coin chute having an entry portion into which coins deposited into said coin selector are initially conducted, said coin chute divided at a predetermined location at the lower end of said entry portion into a real coin path and a fake coin path;
determining means for determining whether a deposited coin is a real coin or a fake coin;
a gate member located at a position above the predetermined location, said gate member movable between a first position which causes coin to be conducted to the real coin path and a second position which causes coins to be conducted to the fake coin path;
and
judging means coupled to said determining means for ascertaining whether a deposited real coin is conducted into the real coin path, and providing an output signal in accordance therewith, said judging means includes:
a magnetic detector disposed above the predetermined location for detecting the passing of an inserted coin;
a first comparator linked to an output of said magnetic detector;
a second comparator linked to an output of said magnetic detector;
a flip-flop circuit linked to an output of said first comparator;
and
an AND circuit linked to the output of both said second comparator and said flip-flop circuit.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.