Coin sensing apparatus and method
US6471030B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 11, 2000 |
| Grant date | Oct 29, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 11, 2020 |
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 phaselocked 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 proper…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.