Patent ID: 9704323
Date: 2017-07-11
CPC Classifications: G07D

Claim:
1. A coin discrimination apparatus comprising: a base having a carrying path on which coins are carried, wherein one surface of each coin that is moved on the carrying path is supported by the base; a rotator configured to be rotatable around a rotation axis perpendicular to the base, wherein the rotator has pushing members by which coins are carried on the carrying path one by one due to rotation of the rotator; a guide formed outside a rotation area of the rotator so as to extend along the carrying path, wherein a coin that is moved on the carrying path is guided by contacting a peripheral face of the coin with the guide having an upwardly inclined linear contact surface wherein the coin is pushed by the rotator pushing members along the linear contact surface; and a coin detector for detecting physical characteristics of a coin that is moved on the carrying path, wherein the coin detector is located along the carrying path; wherein the coin detector comprises a first coin detection sensor, a second coin detection sensor, a third coin detection sensor, and a fourth coin detection sensor; the first coin detection sensor, which is located near the guide, has a function of obtaining a physical characteristic about a peripheral part of a coin that is moved on the carrying path; the second coin detection sensor, which is located apart from the guide at a predetermined interval, has a function of obtaining a physical characteristic about a central part of the coin that is moved on the carrying path; the third coin detection sensor, which is located on a downstream side of the carrying path at a predetermined interval with respect to the first coin detection sensor and which is located near the guide, has a function of obtaining a physical characteristic about the peripheral part of the coin that is moved on the carrying path; the fourth coin detection sensor, which is located on the downstream side of the carrying path at a predetermined interval with respect to the second coin detection sensor and which is located apart from the guide at a predetermined interval, has a function of obtaining a physical characteristic about the central part of the coin that is moved on the carrying path; and an additional physical characteristic about the peripheral part of the coin that is moved on the carrying path is obtained by cooperation of the second coin detection sensor and the third coin detection sensor when the coin that is moved on the carrying path reaches the third coin detection sensor, wherein the physical characteristic about the peripheral part of the coin obtained by the first coin detection sensor is a physical characteristic about a thickness of the peripheral part of the coin; the physical characteristic about the central part of the coin obtained by the second coin detection sensor is a physical characteristic about a material of the central part of the coin; the physical characteristic about the peripheral part of the coin obtained by the third coin detection sensor is a physical characteristic about a material of the peripheral part of the coin; the physical characteristic about the central part of the coin obtained by the fourth coin detection sensor is a physical characteristic about a thickness of the central part of the coin; and the additional physical characteristic about the peripheral part of the coin obtained by cooperation of the second and third coin detection sensors is a physical characteristic about the material and a diameter of the peripheral part of the coin, wherein the coin detector further comprises fifth, sixth, and seventh coin detection sensors; the fifth coin detection sensor is located at a further position from the guide than the second and fourth coin detection sensors; the sixth coin detection sensor is located at a further position from the guide than the fifth coin detection sensor; the seventh coin detection sensor is located on the downstream side of the carrying path with respect to the fifth and sixth coin detection sensors; and each of the fifth to seventh coin detection sensors has a function of obtaining a physical characteristic about a diameter of the coin that is moved on the carrying path.