Coin sorting device

A coin sorting device is disclosed having a coin sorting passage defined between a stationary side plate and a movable side plate openably connected at the upper side thereof to and spaced sidewardly from the stationary side plate, the coin sorting passage is provided with a track movable sidewardly to open the passage downwardly. There is at least one set of coin material detector coils including transmitting and receiving coils positioned in alignment with each other at the opposite sides of the coin sorting passage, respectively for detecting a load impedance of a coin running on the track. Both of the transmitting coils and the receiving coils are opposedly fixed in a stationary retainer fixed in predetermined position relative to the track. This track is adapted for retracting out of the coin sorting passage sidewardly to open the passage downwardly and is positioned in the predetermined position in the passage by a positioning device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to coin sorting devices. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
In general, as described in Japanese patent application laid-open 
publication No. 157,085/1980, a coin sorting device includes a coin 
sorting passage adapted for running a coin or a token on a track between a 
stationary side plate and a movable side plate opennably connected to and 
spaced to the stationary side plate. In Japanese patent application 
publication No. 16/527/1971 there is described a coin sorting device which 
comprises at least one set of transmitting and receiving coils positioned 
in alignment with each other at the opposite sides of the coin sorting 
passage, respectively, for detecting the load impedance of a coin passing 
between the transmitting and receiving coils to detect the type of 
material of the coin. 
In the known coin sorting device of the type as mentioned above, the coin 
running track in the coin sorting passage is usually fixed to or 
integrally formed with the movable side plate hinged to the stationary 
side plate so that when a coin is stopped in the coin sorting passage due 
to the coin being deformed, distorted or non-acceptable because it has a 
diameter larger than that of an acceptable coin, the movable side plate 
must be moved away from the stationary side plate by operating a return 
lever or a push button to withdraw the coin running track from the coin 
sorting passage thereby opening it in a downward direction in order to 
allow the coin stopped therein to fall into a return chute. 
Particularly, in the coin sorting device of the type as mentioned above 
which comprises a set of transmitting and receiving coils positioned at 
opposite sides of the coin sorting passage, respectively, so as to detect 
the load impedance of the coin passing therebetween, the tendency for the 
coin to stop increases as the sorting accuracy of the coin sorting device 
is increased. This is because the coils are arranged in predetermined 
positions corresponding to the specific portion of the coin, such as the 
peripheral edge or center and therefor the dimension in the vertical 
direction or the height of the coin sorting passage is restricted to a 
dimension slightly greater than the diameter of the acceptable coin. These 
restricted dimensions will prevent the coin from coming out of the 
predetermined course due to the coin jumping out of the track. Also the 
distance between the coils is restricted to a dimension slightly greater 
than the thickness of the acceptable coin to provide high sorting 
accuracy. 
Accordingly, the prior coin sorting devices, discussed above, have serious 
disadvantages in that the distance between the coils is changed some times 
because the transmitting coil and the receiving coil are mounted on the 
stationary side plate and the movable side plate, respectively, so that 
when the movable side plate is frequently moved away from the stationary 
side plate to remove a stopped coin from the coin sorting passage between 
the coils a change in the distance between the coils results. The sorting 
accuracy of the coin sorting device of the type as mentioned above is 
greatly affected by changes in the distance between the coils, such that 
when the standard distance is set to 3.5 mm, a change from the standard 
distance of 0.25-0.75 mm will result in an impedance difference of 10%. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved coin sorting 
device comprising a stationary retainer frame for mounting both of the 
detecting coils, the transmitting coil and the receiving coil, in a fixed 
relationship therebetween. In this way a predetermined distance between 
the coils and the track for running a coin through the coin sorting 
passage between said coils is maintained. Also, the coin sorting passage 
can be retracted to the side to downwardly open the passage so that a coin 
stopped in the passage between the coils will fall therefrom in order to 
remove the coin stopped therein. The invention also makes it possible to 
restrict the distance between the coils to a minimum dimension and to 
maintain it constantly.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
The present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying 
drawings. 
In the drawings, the reference numeral 1 designates a front plate which 
includes an opening 2 in which a coin can be inserted, a returning lever 3 
and a return opening 4. A stationary side plate 5 is fixed, at the front 
side thereof, to the back surface of the front plate 1 by means of bolts 
or the like. A movable side plate 6 is openably connected, at the upper 
side thereof, to the upper side of the stationary side plate by a hinge 
connector means 7. This arrangement allows plate 6 to be moved away from 
the stationary side plate to open the coin sorting passage 24 in a 
downward direction by the cooperation of a driven face 10 with a driving 
face shaped by an involute curve of a pusher plate 9 fixed to a shaft 8 of 
the returning lever 3 as described in Japanese patent application 
laid-open publication No. 157,085/1980 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 
4,376,480). 
Referring to FIG. 3, a counter-balanced cradle 11 for sorting the diameter 
and weight of a coin is pivoted at a pin 12 to the movable side plate 6 
and is provided with two engaging lugs which extend into the coin sorting 
passage 24 through openings 13 and 14, respectively, formed in the movable 
side plate 6. An engaging lever 15 is also pivoted at a pin 16 to the 
movable side plate 6 and has an engaging arm 17 extending from the upper 
end of the lever 15 into the coin sorting passage so as to prevent a coin 
inserted from the coin inserting opening 2 from engaging inadequately with 
the lugs of the cradle 11. A T-shaped stationary side plate having a 
vertical coin chute side plate portion 18a and a coin return chute side 
plate portion 18b is secured, at the same side of the movable side plate 
6, to the stationary side plate 5 so as to define a coin chute and a 
return chute therebetween, respectively. 
Two sets of transmitting coils 20 and 21 and receiving coils 22 and 23 for 
detecting the coin material as described in Japanese utility model 
application No. 117,667/1981 (Japanese utility model application laid-open 
publication No. 24,870/1983) are positioned at the opposite sides of the 
coin sorting passage 24. A deflecting gate plate 25 as described in 
Japanese utility model application No. 148,657/1981 (Japanese utility 
model application laid-open publication No. 54,768/1983) is arranged at 
the branching point in the coin passage for effecting the separation of 
acceptable coins from non-acceptable or spurious coins. A gate actuating 
means 26 energized as a result of the detection by means of the detecting 
coils directs coins to the coin chute or return chute, respectively. An 
anti-stringing lever 27 has an engaging end 28 protruding into the coin 
chute and pivoted at a pin 29 to the chute side plate 18a and the lower 
end of the chute side plate is provided with a coin counting sensor 30 at 
the outlet of chute. 
A coin inserted into the coin sorting passage through the coin inserting 
opening 2 in the front plate 1 is sorted by its diameter and weight by the 
cradle 11 such that non-acceptable coins having smaller or larger 
diameters than that of an acceptable coin passes the cradle 11 between the 
lugs thereof to drop downwardly into the return chute or is retained on 
the cradle and stopped in the coin sorting passage. The coin rotated by 
and freed from the cradle 11 then rolls on the track to pass the coin 
sorting passage between the transmitting coil 20 and receiving coil 22 and 
then between the transmitting coil 21 and receiving coil 23 to be given a 
materials check. If the material of the coin is non-acceptable, the 
non-acceptable coin is deflected to the return chute by the deflecting 
gate plate 25. If the material of the coin is acceptable, the deflecting 
gate plate 25 is opened by the gate actuator 26 and the acceptable coin 
passes downwardly into the coin chute and out the coin chute through the 
outlet at the lower end thereof to fall into a convenient cash box after 
having been sensed by the counter sensor 30. 
Referring to FIG. 5, according to the present invention, at the opposite 
sides of the coin sorting passage, the transmitting coils 20 and 21 and 
the receiving coils 22 and 23 are opposedly fixed in a stationary retainer 
31 in predetermined positions relative to the track 38. The retainer 31 is 
secured to the stationary side plate 5 in a fixed position by means of 
screws 32. 
A movable track supporting plate 33 is hinged at the lower end thereof to 
the stationary side plate 5 by means of hinge pins 34. A support rod 35 
fixed to the stationary side plate 5 is extended through an opening formed 
in the track supporting plate and has a compression spring 36 interposed 
between the track supporting plate 33 and a seat 37 fixed on the support 
rod 35 at the outer end thereof to urge the movable track supporting plate 
33 against the stationary side plate. The movable track supporting plate 
33 is provided with a track portion 38 which is extended laterally from 
the upper end of the plate 33. The track portion 38 is normally protruded 
through a slot 42 formed in the stationary side plate 5 into the lower 
portion of the coin sorting passage 24 between the transmitting coils 20, 
21 and receiving coils 22, 23 by the urging action of the spring 36 and is 
positioned by fitting a tapered shoulder 39, formed in the track portion 
38, into a tapered set 40 formed in the stationary side plate 5. For the 
purpose of providing additional positioning means, the track portion 38 is 
provided with a tapered outer end 38a, while the movable side plate 6 is 
provided with a recess 41 for receiving the tapered outer end to thereby 
position the movable track 38 in the predetermined position relative to 
the movable side plate 6. 
The movable track supporting plate 33 is engaged with a pusher plate 42 on 
the shaft 8 of the returning lever 3 such that when the returning lever is 
operated, the pusher plate 42 pushes the movable track supporting plate 33 
outwardly against the spring force to rotate it about the hinge pins 34 
outwardly thereby to retracting the movable track 38 from the coin sorting 
passage 24 in a sideways direction. This allows the coin stopped in the 
coin sorting passage 24 to fall into the return chute, while the detector 
coils 20, 22 and 21, 23 are stationary thereby maintaining the 
predetermined distance therebetween and making it possible to provide high 
detecting accuracy.