Patent ID: 7743902

Claim:
A coin processing system, comprising: a continuously rotatable disc for imparting motion to a plurality of coins of mixed denominations, wherein a rate of rotation is adjustable; an encoder attached to the rotatable disc for producing an encoder pulse for each incremental movement of the rotatable disc; a memory adapted to store master denominating characteristic information including a plurality of predetermined numbers of encoder pulses, each predetermined number of encoder pulses corresponding to the size of a particular coin denomination the coin processing system is adapted to process; a stationary sorting head having a lower surface generally parallel to and spaced slightly away from the rotatable disc, the lower surface forming a coin path for directing the movement of each of the coins and a coin exit region for sorting and discharging coins of particular denominations; a light source for outputting a light beam along a first axis that traverses the coin path in substantially the same plane as the coin path; a light detector for receiving the light beam along a second axis substantially perpendicular to the first axis, the light detector being adapted to generate a light-detection signal indicative of detecting the light beam, each coin moving along the coin path passing through the light beam resulting in the suspension of the generation of the light-detection signal; and a controller adapted to receive the encoder pulses from the encoder, the controller adapted to receive the light-detection signal from the light detector, the controller being adapted to determine the number of encoder pulses received during a period of non-receipt of the light-detection signal caused by each coin passing through the light beam, the controller being adapted to compare the determined number of encoder counts to the stored master denominating characteristic information upon resuming to receive the light-detection signal from the light detector.