Coin chute with optical coin discrimination
AssigneeEllenby Technologies, Inc.
InventorsBob M. Dobbins, Christian F. Dungan, Aaron H. Dobbins
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems and techniques for providing an improved coin acceptor are described. In one aspect, an electronic coin acceptor exaggerates relatively small differences in coin diameters. A coin deposited into the coin acceptor passes along a coin path through two sensing beams, with at least one of the beams positioned at a nonperpendicular angle to the coin path. Timing information relating to the coin's passage through the beams is recorded and utilized to identify the coin. In another aspect, the thickness of the coin is determined as the coin passes through the sensing beams.
Claims18
An electronic coin acceptor for testing coins comprising:
- a coin chute defining a plane of coin travel, the coin chute having a corn track on which a coin to be tested rolls on its edge;
- two optical transmitter and receiver pairs disposed relative to the coin chute to create two sensing beams in the plane of coin travel for sensing the coin to be tested as the coin passes through said beams as it rolls along the coin track, at least one of said pairs of transmitters and receivers being disposed so that at least one of said beams is angled at a nonperpendicular angle to the coin track to cause exaggeration of a diameter measurement of the coin to be tested.
An electronic coin acceptor for testing coins comprising:
- a coin chute defining a plane of coin travel, the coin chute having a coin track on which a coin to be tested rolls on its edge;
- at least two optical transmitter and receiver pairs disposed relative to the coin chute to create at least two sensing beams in the plane of coin travel for sensing the coin to be tested as the coin passes through said beams as it rolls along the coin track, at least one of said pairs of transmitters and receivers being disposed so that at least one of said beams is angled at a nonperpendicular angle to the corn track to cause exaggeration of a diameter measurement of the coin to be tested;
- and
- means for identifying the coin by timing the traversing of one of said beams by the coin and determining a time period during which the coin rolls from a position relative to a first sensing beam to a position relative a second sensing beam.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.