Coin discriminating apparatus

Abstract

A coin discriminating apparatus includes light emitting elements for emitting light toward one surface of a coin being transported, a line sensor for photoelectrically detecting light reflected by the one surface of the coin and producing image pattern data of the one surface of the coin, a reference data memory for storing reference data of coins of each denomination, a preliminary denomination discriminator for calculating a diameter of the coin based on the image pattern data of the one surface of the coin produced by the line sensor, comparing the thus calculated diameter of the coin with reference diameter data of coins of each denomination and preliminarily determining the denomination of the coin, and a denomination discriminator for reading reference pattern data of coins of the denomination determined by the preliminary denomination discriminator from the reference data memory, comparing the thus read reference pattern data with image pattern data of the one surface of the coin and finally determining the denomination of the coin, at least 70% of the light emitting elements being disposed on straight lines connecting the center of a reference coin and points where a periphery of the reference coin crosses the line sensor and at positions equidistant from the center of the reference coin by the same distance L. According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a compact coin discriminating apparatus which can discriminate coins with high accuracy and can be manufactured at low cost.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.