Coin sensing apparatus and method
US6047808A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 25, 1997 |
| Grant date | Apr 11, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 25, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG07D9/008
- WIPO fieldControl
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A coin discrimination apparatus and method is provided in which an oscillating electromagnetic field is generated on a single sensing core. The oscillating electromagnetic field is composed on one or more frequency components. The electromagnetic field interacts with a coin, and these interactions are monitored and used to classify the coin according to its physical properties. All frequency components of the magnetic field are phase-locked to a common reference frequency. The phase relationships between the various frequencies are fixed, and the interaction of each frequency component with the coin can be accurately determined without the need for complicated electrical filters or special geometric shaping of the sensing core. In one embodiment, a sensor having a core, preferably ferrite, which is curved, such as in a U-shape or in the shape of a section of a torus, and defining a gap, is provided with a wire winding for excitation and/or detection. The sensor can be used for simultaneously obtaining data relating to two or more parameters of a coin or other object, such as size and conductivity of the object. Two or more frequencies can be used to sense core and/or cladding prope…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.