EP0004263A2 - Coin separator for coins of different value - Google Patents

Abstract

Coin separator for two types of coin of different diameter. A limiting device retains all coins whose diameter is between the coin diameter values. A coin deflector is arranged in the region of the real coin output and, in the quiescent state, is directed towards the chute for the smaller type of coin. In the case of a larger coin, the coin deflector is displaced by this in the direction of the chute for the larger type of coin. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a coin validator with a coin scale arranged downstream of the insertion slot, a coin track, a diameter limiting device, a coin checking device assigned to the coin track and a coin steering device downstream of the coin checking device for deflecting counterfeit or foreign coins into an ejection channel or for deflecting real coins a real coin exit.

Such a coin validator is known. With the help of the coin scale, a weight measurement is carried out and at the same time a diameter check, since smaller than the real coins to be assumed fall directly into the ejection channel through the coin scale. The coin checking device is usually formed by one or more permanent magnets, which magnetically acting coin disks are given a more or wan strong braking. The different braking effect affects different falling curves, which are used to separate real coins on the one hand and falsified coins and foreign coins on the other.

Coin validators have also become known who accept several coins at the same time, for example 1 DM and 2 DM pieces. The coins thrown in via a common insertion slot are directed to opposite sides of the plate of the coin validator immediately after a diameter check and are checked there separately for authenticity.

The coin proofs described above are mainly used in sales vending machines, especially in cigarette vending machines. If, in the course of time, as a result of the price increase, the goods have to be sold at a higher price, for example at DM 5, it is necessary to replace the coin validators and replace them with those that are suitable for checking and accepting 5 DM coins.

The invention is based on the object of creating a coin validator which enables the acceptance of two types of coins with the aid of a single coin checking device.

This object is achieved in that, in order to accept two types of coin with a larger and a smaller diameter, the diameter limiting device holds all disks and / or coins whose diameter lies between the diameter values, a coin diverter is arranged in the area of the real coin exit, which is located in the Idle state aligned to a shaft for the smaller coin type, but is designed so that it can be pivoted in the direction of a shaft for the larger coin type by actuating a coin with a larger diameter.

The coin validator according to the invention assumes that the structure and material properties of the two types of coin to be accepted are identical or very similar. This is the case with 2 DM and 5 DM coins, both of which contain a layer of a nickel alloy in the middle, which gives the coins a specific magnetically acting behavior, by means of which a relatively precise Coin validation becomes possible.

However, 2 DM and 5 DM coins differ in both diameter and weight. If appropriate precautions are now taken to accept only those coins that allow the diameter of one of the two types of coins to be accepted and, in addition, to sort the coins that are accepted in the case of coin acceptance, the task set out above can be achieved.

The invention accordingly provides a diameter limiting device which holds all coins or disks whose diameter values lie between the larger and the smaller coin. Coins with the correct diameter are then examined by the coin testing device for their structure and material properties, in particular by magnetic means, so that only real coins hit the coin dikes. The coin switch is now set so that it always points in the direction of the shaft for the smaller coin value in the idle state, for example in the direction of the shaft for 2 DM coins. These then fall over the Münzweicho into the 2 DM shaft.

The coins with the larger diameter now cause the coin branches to pivot by "self-triggering". The larger diameter is recorded in the area of the coin branches and converted into a mechanical signal for the purpose of adjusting the coin branches. For this purpose the larger coin has to adjust a component, which in turn causes the coin diverters to be adjusted in the direction of the other shaft.

With the help of the coin validator according to the invention, 2 DM and 5 DM coins can thus be accepted simultaneously. If such a coin validator, as known per se, is also designed to accept 1 DM coins, it can easily process a total of three coins. The coin validator according to the invention can therefore already be installed at a time when the acceptance of a 5 DM coin is not yet intended, but can be expected in the future. In this case, the coin validator according to the invention no longer needs to be converted, rather it is immediately ready to accept 5 DM coins. Despite this considerable advantage, the total outlay of the coin validator according to the invention is increased only slightly compared to conventional devices, namely by the components which belong to the coin switch. Diameter limiting devices, if somewhat different, are in any case part of the standard of known coin validators.

With the help of the invention, however, it is also possible in a simple manner to convert conventional coin acceptors in such a way that they are suitable for accepting both 2 DM and 5 DM coins.

As mentioned, the coin switch has to be designed in such a way that, triggered by the coin with the larger diameter, it can be adjusted into a position aligned with the second shaft.

This can be done in a number of ways. A particularly advantageous embodiment according to the invention is that the coin switch has a guide channel into which a movable deflecting element engaging on the coin switch protrudes so far that the coins with the smaller diameter fall freely through the guide channel, coins with the larger diameter deflect the deflecting element to the side and the deflecting element with a stationary one Deflection surface of the coin validator interacts so that when the deflection element is laterally deflected, the coin diverter is simultaneously deflected towards the shaft for the larger coin type. It is easily conceivable to also arrange the deflection element in front of the actual coin switch, so that the larger coin first hits the deflection element, which then adjusts the coin switch. The Auslcnkelement expediently cooperates with a stop, so that only when the coin diverters have been deflected can the coin with the larger diameter pass further and fall over the coin diverters into the assigned shaft. In the advantageous embodiment, however, the deflection element interacts with a guide channel of the coin switch, so that the coin switch is also directly adjusted by adjusting the deflection element. In this case, the guide channel itself forms a boundary for the coin with the larger diameter, so that it is ensured that the coin with the larger diameter is only released when the deflecting element and the coin switch are fully deflected.

The training of the deflector can in turn take place in an appropriate ^manner. In a particularly advantageous embodiment it is provided according to the invention that the deflection element is designed as a pendulum with one into the guide channel standing projection and a ramp-shaped section lying outside the guide channel, which abuts against a stationary oblique deflection surface. The protrusion protruding into the guide channel preferably itself has an inclined surface, so that the pendulum is increasingly deflected as the coin with the larger diameter enters the guide channel. The ramp-shaped section slides with the deflection of the pendulum on the oblique deflection surface of the coin validator, which is preferably formed on the track carrier. In the opposite direction, the pendulum is advantageously at a stop, so that the distance over which the projection protrudes into the guide channel is defined.

In a further embodiment of the invention it is provided that the coin switch is biased in the rest position by means of a spring and rests against a stop. In the rest position, the coin branch is expediently against the carrier. It also returns to the rest position when the coin branches have been deflected. The deflection element or the pendulum is designed so that it in turn falls back into the starting position thanks to the action of gravity.

The coin gate is pivoted against gravity. If a return spring is used, work must also be carried out against its force. Finally, the adjustment of the deflection element requires a certain frictional force. The forces described are now expediently so great that the coin diverters are not deflected when a coin with the smaller diameter is open the deflecting element falls. There is normally enough space between the deflection element and the opposite side of the coin channel for the coin with the smaller diameter to be able to pass through unhindered. It can nevertheless happen that a coin of smaller diameter falls against the deflecting element. However, since it is lighter in weight than the larger diameter coin, it is unable to overcome the forces described above.

As is known per se, the coin checking device preferably works with the aid of a permanent magnet. An embodiment of the invention provides for this that the coin checking device contains two permanent magnets assigned to the coin track, one of which is arranged at the end of the coin track so that a rolling magnetic coin is flung around the magnet and the second one is arranged above the coin track, that its field lines essentially penetrate only the edge region of the rolling coin. Only those coins that have the desired material composition are flung around in a specific manner and thus brought to a specific trajectory, which can then be used for coin separation. The second permanent magnet is intended to separate out false certificates which are formed by the fact that the material properties of the coins are to be simulated by laterally applied parts. With the help of the second permanent magnet, such false certificates were distinguished from coins that contain a central, magnetically acting layer.

Coins or disks whose diameter values lie between the diameter values for the real coins are retained in the diameter limiting device. In this context, a further embodiment of the invention provides that the diameter limiting device has a lever which is pivotably mounted on the raceway carrier transversely to the raceway carrier, the lever has an upper stop having an inclined surface, the distance to the coin raceway roughly corresponding to the diameter of the larger coin type, and the lever has a lower stop, the lower edge of which is at a distance from the coin track which is slightly larger than the diameter of the smaller coin type and which extends upwards in the direction of the upper stop.

If a real coin with the larger diameter hits the inclined surface of the upper stop, the lever is laterally deflected by the coin itself to allow it to pass through. Coins with the smaller diameter are left unhindered. Intermediate sizes, on the other hand, hit the stop between the upper and lower values and are recorded.

The lever can be shaped and attached in a suitable manner. One embodiment of the invention provides that the lever is formed from flat material, has a tab bent at right angles at the upper end, which runs approximately parallel to the coin path, has an inclined surface at the front end and a stop section bent downward at the rear end. Such a lever is easy to manufacture and assemble and nevertheless ensures a relatively precise diameter limitation.

The lever provided to limit the diameter is pivoted relative to the raceway support. A particularly simple storage according to the invention is that the lever is loosely mounted on the raceway support by means of two pins and is biased towards the raceway support by means of a spring.

It has already been mentioned that the coin validator according to the invention can also be used in cases in which acceptance of the coin with the larger diameter is only intended at a later point in time. In order to prevent coins with the larger diameter from being inserted, a further embodiment of the invention provides that the insertion slot is laterally delimited by two screws, the heads of which are at a distance from one another which is slightly larger than the diameter of the smaller ones The type of coin and its shafts are at a distance from each other that is slightly larger than the diameter of the larger type of coin. If the screws are arranged so that their heads are inside the slot, coins that are larger than those with the smaller diameter are held. If the coin validator according to the invention is now switched over to accept the larger coin type as well, the two screws only need to be inserted the other way round, so that their shafts, which are preferably smooth, now limit the insertion slot.

It is also conceivable to drill four threaded holes and screw in two screws each from the same side and let shafts protrude into the insertion slot, around the top to obtain the described diameter limitation. It is understood that the manufacturing effort in this case is somewhat higher.

The invention will be explained in more detail below using an exemplary embodiment.

• 1 shows a front view of the track carrier for a coin validator according to the invention,
• FIG. 2 shows the top view of the track carrier according to FIG. 1.
• Fig. 3 shows the side view of a coin switch of a coin validator according to the invention.
• FIG. 4 shows a first section through the coin switch according to FIG. 3.
• FIG. 5 shows a second section through the coin switch according to FIG. 3.
• Fig. 6 shows the same view as Fig. 5, but in a different position of the coin switch.
• Fig. 7 shows a section through part of the coin branch according to Fi ^g . 3rd
• Fig. 8 shows the side view of a diameter limiting lever of a coin validator according to the invention.
• FIG. 9 shows another side view of the lever according to FIG. 8.
• FIG. 10 shows a top view of the lever according to FIG. 8.
• FIG. 11 also shows the front view of a track carrier with a lever according to FIG. 8.
• Fig. 12 shows a front view of a coin slot for a coin validator according to the invention.
• FIG. 13 shows a section through the insertion slot according to FIG. 12.
• 14 shows a detail of the representation according to FIGS. 12 and 13.

The track carrier plate 10 shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 11 is essentially conventional. It has an insertion slot 11 at the top left, including a recess 12 for the ends of the coin balance arms, a track 13, openings 14, 15 for a permanent magnet.

Coins recognized as genuine fall downward in the direction of arrow 18 after they have left coin path 13 and are steered by the separating device (not shown) according to their falling curve.

FIGS. 3 to 7 show a coin diverter 20 pivotably mounted on a plate 19. It is channel-shaped in section and consists of a front wall 21, a rear wall 22 and a lateral stop 23. The walls 21 and 22 can be connected to one another with the aid of screws, as indicated at 16 and 17. They are preferably made of a suitable plastic material. The storage of the coin branches 20 is clearly shown in FIGS. 4 to 6. Two protruding bearing brackets 24, 25 are formed on the plate and cooperate with bearing projections 26, 27, a bearing pin being passed through the openings 28 of the bearing projections. A spring, not shown, biases the coin switch 20 in the direction of the plate 19 so that it rests on the plate 19 in the rest position.

The channel 29 formed in the coin branch 20 is delimited on the left-hand end in FIG. 3 by a pendulum 30 which is pivotably mounted in the upper region between the forests 21, 22 of the coin branch 20. The pendulum 30 is preferably a one-piece plastic part with molded-on bearing pins at the upper end, which are mounted in corresponding bearing openings in the walls 21, 22. At the lower end of the pendulum 30, projections 31, 32 are formed on opposite sides, of which the projection 32 projects into the channel 29. The projection 32 has a stop surface 33 which extends obliquely from top to bottom into the channel 29. The projection 32 is at a distance from the opposite end wall 23 which corresponds to the diameter of a 2 DM coin, for example, or is somewhat larger than its diameter.

Suitable sling means ensure that the pendulum 30 cannot pivot further than the position shown in FIG. 3 in the direction of the channel 29.

7, which shows a section through the channel 29, the projection 31 has a deflection surface 34 which interacts with a deflection surface 35 which runs parallel to it. The deflection surface 35 is provided on a component 36 which is fastened to the plate 19 with the aid of a screw 37. Component 36 is preferably molded from plastic.

A 2 DM coin can pass unhindered between the projection 32 of the pendulum 30 and the opposite end wall 23 in order to slide into an acceptance slot 38 for 2 DM coins, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6. It can be seen from this, in particular in FIGS. 5 and 6, that an acceptance shaft 39 is also provided for 1 DM coins, which are checked on the opposite side of the raceway support plate 10. However, this is state of the art.

A 5 DM coin, as denoted by 40 in FIG. 3, strikes the inclined surface 33 as a result of its larger diameter and pivots the pendulum 30 clockwise, so that the inclined surface 34 of the projection 31 along the inclined surface 35 slides, thereby inevitably pivoting the coin switch 20 from the position shown in FIG. 5 into that shown in FIG. 6. Only then can the coin continue on its way. However, since the coin branches 20 now turn into a shaft 41 for 5 DM coins the 5 DM coin falls into the slot assigned to it. When the coin has left the coin diverter 20, it returns to the position shown in FIG. 5 due to gravity and the return spring.

It can be seen that the channel 29 of the coin switch 20 is triangular and tapers from top to bottom. This has the advantage that if a 5 DM coin is accepted, the inside of the wall 21 is aligned with the corresponding wall of the shaft 41, so that the 5 DM coin enters the shaft 41 straight and not at an angle, which may result in jamming could cause. The coin 40 performs a tilting movement within the coin diverter 20 in that the upper part moves in the clockwise direction in the direction of the wall 21.

In Fig. 11 it can be seen that a lever 50 is mounted on the raceway support plate 10 above the coin track 13. The lever 50 has two axially spaced openings 51, 52, 3n, the loose bearing pins of the carrier plate 10 are inserted. A guide pin extends through the opening 53, while a spring, not shown, surrounds the guide pin and presses the lever 50 in the direction of the track carrier 10. Due to the type of mounting, the lever 50 can be pivoted upwards from the plane of the drawing when a force acts on the upper end. The structure of the lever 50 can be seen more clearly from the illustration according to FIGS. 8 to 10.

The lever 50 is formed from flat material and has a tab 54 bent at right angles at the upper end, which in the installed position runs parallel to the coin track 13. The flap 54 has an inclined surface 55 at the front end and a downwardly bent stop section 56 at the rear end. The mounting of the lever 50 on the carrier plate 10 and its dimensions are selected so that only one coin, the diameter of which is equal to that of the largest coin to be accepted is, runs against the inclined surface 55 and lifts the lever 50 from the raceway support plate 10 so that it can continue on the raceway 30. Smaller coins run against the underside of tab 54 and are retained. On the other hand, the distance between the lower end of the stop section 56 and the track 13 is dimensioned such that coins with an even smaller diameter, for example 2 DM coins, can pass through.

A dirk diameter limitation for coins larger than DM 5 is shown in FIGS. 12 to 14. The coin slot 11 is limited by the track carrier 10 and another plate 60. The carrier plate 10 has two threaded bores into which screws 61, 62 can be screwed. A screw 61 is shown in FIG. 14. It has a head 63 with a screwdriver slot, a threaded section 64 immediately following the head 63 and a smooth shaft 65, the diameter of which corresponds approximately to the core diameter of the threaded section 64. The threaded bores in the plate 10 are dimensioned at a distance or the diameter of the shaft section 65 is selected such that their distance a in the insertion slot 11 is slightly larger than that Diameter of the largest coin to be accepted, i.e. around the 5 DM coin.

However, the screws 61, 62 can also be screwed into the plate 10 from the opposite side. The screw heads 63 are now chosen in diameter so that the distance b between them is slightly larger than the diameter of the smaller of the coins to be accepted, that is, about the 2 DM coin. As long as the machine equipped with the coin validator shown is only suitable for accepting 2 DM coins, the screws 61, 62 are therefore inserted so that their heads are located within the slot 11. To convert the coin validator to accept 5 DM coins, it is therefore only necessary to unscrew the screws 61, 62 and vice versa.

Claims (10)

1.Coin validator with a coin scale arranged downstream of the insertion slot, a coin track, a diameter limiting device, a coin checking device assigned to the coin track and a coin steering device downstream of the coin checking device for deflecting false certificates or foreign coins into an ejection channel or for deflecting real coins to a real coin exit, thereby identified as a real coin outlet that in order to accept two coins with a larger and a smaller diameter, the diameter limiting device (50) holds all coins and / or disks whose diameter lies between the diameter values, a coin separator (20) is arranged in the area of the real coin exit,
the at rest to a shaft (38) for the
smaller coin type aligned, but is designed so that it can be adjusted by actuating a coin with a larger diameter in the direction of a shaft (41) for the larger coin type. 2. Coin validator according to claim 1, characterized in that the coin diverter has a guide channel (29) into which a movable deflecting element (30) which engages on the coin diverter extends so far that the coins with the smaller diameter freely pass through the guide channel ( 29) fall, coins with the larger diameter deflect the deflecting element (30) to the side and the deflecting element interacts with a stationary deflecting surface (35) of the coin validator so that when the deflecting element (30) is deflected laterally, the coin diverter (20) towards the shaft (41) is deflected for the larger coin type. 3. Coin validator according to claim 2, characterized in that the deflecting element is designed as a pendulum (30) with a projection (32) projecting into the guide channel (29) and a ramp-shaped section (31) lying outside the guide channel (29), which counteracts a stationary oblique deflection surface (35) is present. 4. Coin validator according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the coin branch (20) is biased into the rest position by means of a spring and bears against a stop. 5. Coin validator according to one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the guide channel (29) is triangular in cross section such that in the idle state of the coin diverter (20) a wall (22) of the guide channel (22) to the first shaft (39) and in the deflected state the coin gate (20) the opposite wall (21) of the guide channel (29) is aligned with the second shaft (41). 6. Coin validator according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the coin checking device contains two permanent magnets assigned to the coin track, one of which is arranged at the end of the coin track (13) so that a rolling magnetic coin is flung around the magnet and the second one is arranged above the coin track (13) in such a way that its field lines essentially only penetrate the edge region of the rolling coin. 7. Coin validator according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the diameter limiting device has a lever (50) which is mounted transversely to the raceway carrier (10) so that it can be pivoted thereon, the lever (50) has an upper surface having an inclined surface (55) Has stop, the distance to the coin track (13) corresponds approximately to the diameter of the larger coin type and the lever has a lower stop (54, 56), the lower edge of the coin track (13) has a distance which is slightly larger than the diameter of the smaller coin type and which extends upwards towards the upper stop. 8. Coin validator according to claim 7, characterized in that the lever (50) is formed from flat material and has at the upper end a right-angled tab (54) which runs approximately parallel to the coin path (13), at the front end an inclined surface (55 ) and at the rear end a downward bent stop section (56). 9. Coin validator according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the lever (50) by means of two pins is loosely mounted on the track carrier (10) and is biased by a spring in the direction of the track carrier (10). 10. Coin validator according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the insertion slot (11) is laterally limited by two screws (61, 62), the heads (63) of which are at a distance from one another which is slightly larger than the diameter of the smaller coin type and their shafts (65) have a distance from each other that is slightly larger than the diameter of the larger coin type.

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