The present invention relates to coin counter apparatus, and in particular to coin counters suitable for use in counting mixtures of different coin types.

Various different types of coin counter for sorting and counting coin mixtures have previously been proposed. An important feature of such machines is that they should be capable of operating at relatively high speeds in a reliable manner. In practice though the operating speed of many of these has to be limited to avoid jamming and they also require frequent adjustment to maintain the coin lift off elements of the sorting mechanism in the required positions for correct selection and sorting of different coin types from the mixture. A further drawback of known apparatus is that it requires the use of a separate counter device for each of the different coin types, and counting has to be effected downstream of the sorting mechanism. Yet another drawback is jamming of coins at the coin mixture feed to the sorting mechanism.

The present invention provides a coin counter suitable for use in counting the coins of each of a plurality of coin types with different shapes and/or sizes in a mixture thereof, said counter comprising a generally linear array of discrete light sensors extending trans- versely across a coin travel path having a guide member at one side thereof, said sensors being disposed each at a different predetermined separation from said guide member, and with light source means generally opposite said array so that a coin passing along said path will interrupt the light path between said light source means and one or more of said sensors, said array being connected to an electrical circuit means including a processor, for ^' receiving output signals from said

sensors indicating shading or otherwise thereof by a coin, at short periodic intervals substantially less that the transit time of an individual coin, said processor means being formed and arranged for comparing a coin profile reading defined by a sequence of such signals relating to the passage of a single coin with a plurality of coin profile readings corresponding to said different coin types and held in a memory means connected to said processor, thereby to identify said coin, and then incrementing a register holding the total number of coins having the same coin type identity as said coin, said processor further having output means for providing at least one of the total number of each of the different coin types in said mixture, and the total values of each of the different coin types corresponding to the total numbers multiplied by the respective values of said coin types.

With a coin counter of the present invention it is readily possible to count coins even when these are in the form of a mixture of coins of different shapes and ^• sizes, without the need for first sorting and separating them whereby only a single counter device is required to count and/or calculate the value of the coins of all the different types in the mixture. Furthermore the counter may be very readily adapted for use with coins having new shapes and/or sizes by simply changing or adding to the coin profiles stored in the memory. If desired also the angle of the array to the coin travel path may be adjusted to modify, in effect, the resolution of the array to suit the new coin shape and/or size.

In a further aspect the invention provides a coin sorter comprising a coin feed device formed and arranged for feeding serially coins of a plurality of coin types of different sizes and/or shapes to a plurality of receptacles for the different coins via a sorting device wherein said sorting device comprises a plurality of pick-off elements mounted along a pick-off support member opposite an elongate guide in decreasingly spaced therefrom relation, each of said elements having an arcuate guiding edge portion extending from an upstream end generally in the plare of a coin travel path defined on said support member between said elements and said elongate guide, progressively upwardly of said plane and laterally across said path to a downstream end for picking off a coin of a corresponding size and/or shape and diverting it from said path towards a respective one of said receptacles, each of said elements having at or towards its downstream end portion a depending support leg means, said elements being secured at their upstream ends and their support leg means to ^' said support member by releasable fasteners, said elements being made of substantially resilient ?nd formec. end arranged so that said fasteners are held against progressive release in use of the sorter by spring forces exerted by said elements.

In this way the elements are held substantially securely against progressive misalignment at substantially spaced apart positions th ^' ereby further increasing resistance to mi salignment and thus substantially reducing or eliminating the need for routine adjustment of the elements.

Advantageously the elements are disposed serially with fastener engagement means of adjacent elements at their

opposed ends in overlapping relation whereby these may be engaged by single common fasteners thereby further enhancing the spring forces exerted thereon and thereby the resistance to loosening of the fasteners and resultant rainf.lignment of the elements.

In yet another aspect the present invention provides a coin processor suitable for use in counting and/or sorting coins which processor has a coin feed hopper and a coin advance mechanism including an advance plate formed and arranged for receiving coins from said feed hopper and progressively advancing them to a processing device, wherein said plate is mounted on resilient biasing means in driven engagement with a vibrator device in the form of a fixedly mounted rotary motor having an axial drive shaft having an eccentrically mounted circular bush secured thereto for rotation thereby, said bush being rotationally supported by an annular bearing means having an outer bearing member formed and arranged for driving connection to said plate and cyclical lateral displacement thereof upon rotation of said eccentrically mounted bush, thereby to vibrate said plate.

Preferably said resilient biasing means is in the form of inclined leaf spring means having opposed ends secured to respective ones of said plate and a fixed base, whereby said plate is subjected to a generally horizontal vibration combined with a vertical component of vibration. With this arrangement randomly introduced coin mixtures are positively and reliably advanced with minimal risks of jamming, using a particularly simple and economic form of mechanism without the need for any moving linkages thereby providing good reliability.

Further preferred features and advantages of the present invention will appear from the following detailed

description given by way of example of a preferred embodiment illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the coin sorting mechanism of a coin sorter apparatus, in an inclined plane parallel to the turntable thereof;

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional elevation through the sensor means of the sorter of Fig. 1 on an enlarged scale; Fig ^" . 3 is a plan view on an enlarged scale of one coin lift-off element of the sorting mechanism of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the element of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a coin advance mechanism suitable for use with the sorting mechanism of Fig. 1; and Fig. 6 is a detail plan view of the eccentric bush mounting of the advance mechanism of Fig. 5.

Fig. 1 shows part of a coin counting apparatus 1 comprising part of a coin feed apparatus 2, part of a coin counting mechanism 3, coin sorting means 4 and coin collecting boxes 5. Other parts of the coin counter apparatus are shown in the other drawings which will be further described hereinbelow.

The coin feed means 2 shown in Fig. 1 comprises a rapidly rotating turntable 6 having an outer annular portion 7 provided with circumferentially spaced shallow entrainment bosses 8 which engage the outer edges 9 of coins 10 to carry them round towards a coin pick off plate 11 which diverts flat-laying coins 10 along a tangential path 12 towards the coin counter means 3 whilst passing bent or damaged coins over the plate 11 back on to the turntable into a mixture 13α-o coin? 10 fed into the turntable 6.

The coin counter means 3 comprises a linear array 13 of light sensors 14, which array extends obliquely across the

coin travel path 12 which in turn extends alongside an elongate guide member 15. The light sensor 14 are disposed behind small bores 16 in a support plate 17 along which the coin travel path 12 extends. The bores 16 are provided with small lenses 18 for focussing light 19 from a suitable overhead light source 20, onto the light sensor 14. As may be seen in Fig. 2, when a coin 10 passes over the array 13, it will occlude one or more of the bores 16 thereby shading the respective sensors from the light source 20 depending on the diameter of the coin 10. As a result, a processor jP connected to the sensor will during the transit of the coin 10 receive a particular combination of signals corresponding to detection of light at only certain of the sensors- 14. The processor is moreover formed and arranged so as to sample the signals from the light sensor 14 at a relatively high frequency e.g. MHz such that several e.g. 20 readings will be taken during the transit of a single coin across the array 13. The processor is further formed and arranged for comparing a coin profile reading defined by a sequence of such signal samples from the sensor 14 with a variety of coin profile readings corresponding to all the different coin types expected to be found in the mixture ^13α These coin profile readings are held in a memorymeans M connected to the processor.^ In this way the identity of the coin lOpassing across the array 13 can be rapidly determined and a corresponding register R holding the total number of coins having the same coin type identity will then be incremented by the processor J?. The processor is further provided with output means in the form of a visual display unit VDU for displaying either of the total number of each of the different coin types in the mixture originally fed into the coin counter or the total values of the different coin types (corresponding to the total numbers multiplied by the respective values of the coin types) . The VDU can be in any suitable form including for example

a liquid crystal display or a printer. Conveniently, other data such as the total number of all the coins 10 counted and the total value of all the coins may also be displayed either simultaneously with the other data or by selection of the data to be displayed from a suitable control panel C .

It will of course be appreciated that in the case of non-circular coins e.g. those having a curved pentagon shape, the profile as read by the sensor 14 will differ slightly depending upon the attitude of the coin 10 as it passes across the array 13. In this case, the memory U will be provided with a range of profile readings for that particular coin type corresponding to slightly different attitudes of transit.

After the coins 10 have transversed the coin counter means 3, they enter a coin pick off zone 21 provided with a longitudinally extending serial array of coin pick off elements 22. As may be seen in more detail from Figs. 3 and 4, the pick off elements 22 are in the form of small plates having a narrow upstream end portion 23 provided with a bore 24 for use in securing of the element 22 to the support plate 17, and curved upwardly out of the plane of the support plate 17 towards a downstream end portion 25 which is provided with a support leg 26 at the lower end of which is provided a small fixing flange 27 in which is provided a slot 28 for receiving there¬ through fastener means 29 in the form of a screw or the like. The plate 22 broadens towards it downstream end portion 25 with an outwardly curved side edge 30 which engages an outer edge portion .9 of a coin 10 of a corresponding diameter and then progessively lift.s that edge up out of the plane of the support plate 17 as the coin 10 passes along the pick off element 22 eventually flipping the coin 10 off the support plate 17 down a respective chute 32 into the corresponding coin bin 5.

The pick off elements are made of a highly resilient material such as spring steel and are secured to the support plate 17 with their opposite ends 23,2.5 in overlapping relation so that a single fastener 29 passes through the bore 24 and slot 28 of adjoining pick off elements ² thereby providing a particularly high degree of resistance to loosening of the fastener 29 and consequential misalignment of the respective pick off elements 22 during extended use of the apparatus. With this arrangement, even in the unlikely event that one fastener should become loosened, all the elements will .still be held securely by at least one fastenex and their correct position maintained.

Fig. 5 is a partly cut-away elevation of the upstream end ^* of the coin counter apparatus 1 and shows various parts of the coin feed means 2. In more detail, there is shown an inlet funnel 33 into which a mixture of coins 13a may be fed through into a transfer chute 34 which is mounted on a support member 35 having inclined resiliently deformable support legs 36 mounted in turn on a motor housing 37 for a rotary drive motor 38. The motor spindle 39 is secured to an eccentric camming disc 40 (See Fig. 6) which is mounted in an annular bearing 41 which is engaged against a downwardly projecting lug 42 depending from the support member 35 of the chute 34. Thus as the spindle 39 rotates, the depending lug 42 is subjected to a reciprocating horizontal displacement. Due to the inclined form of the resilient support legs 36, the chute will be subjected to a reciprocating horizontal displacement as well as a minor reciprocating vertical component of displacement. In this way, the transfer chute is subjected to a vibratorary movement which is particularly effective in advancing the coins onto the turntable device 6, the drive means for the chute having a particularly simple and thus reliable form of constructions.

In order to prevent overflow of coins from the coin feed apparatus 2, there are provided first and second circumferentially spaced apart control pins 40, 41 which project generally radially inwardly from a retaining 5 side wall 42 which extends generally normally up from the inclined turntable 6 to define together therewith a coin holding bowl 43. The first control pin 40 is disposed below the outlet 44 of the transfer chute 34 (see Fig.5) , some 2 to 3 cms above the turntable 6 ^' so

10 as to be deflected when several coins 10 have been delivered into the bowl 43 to actuate a first microswitch 45 for activating a second microswitch 46. When a relatively large build up of coins" extending across to the second pin 41, also some 3 cms above the

15 turntable, sufficient to deflect the second pin 41, arises, the second microswitch 46 is then actuated to trip a relay 47 which switches off the vibrator feed drive motor 38. The build up of coins 10 is then gradually reduced by removal of the coins on the

20 turntable 6 initially to clear the second pin 41 and then the first pin 40. When the latter has returned to its non-active position deactivating the second microswitch 41, the relay 47 is tripped back to restart the drive motor. 38 In this way switching off and on of the

25 drive motor°is reduced to a minimum while at the same ttiimmee pprroovviidd,ing a safe and effective bowl 43overload protection.

Thus in another aspect the invention provides a coin bowl overload protection device for a coin sorting

30 apparatus having,' a turntable formed and arranged for entraining coins from a coin bowl defined by the turntable and an, at least partly circumferentially extending, side wall, and directing them to a coin sorting device, which device comprises first and

35 _. second switch means mounted in said side wall in circumferentially spaced apart relation, so that said

first switch means is actuatable, in use of the device, by engagement with a first plurality of coins fed into said bowl so as to activate the second switch which is disposed more remotely from the coin entry into said bowl, said second switch being actuable by engagement with part of an overload level plurality of coins fed into said bowl to trip a relay for switching off a coin feed drive motor, said first and second switch means being formed and arranged for resetting said relay to switch on said drive motor only when both said first and second switches are clear of engagement with coins.

Yet another device for enhancing the operating reliability of the coin feed apparatus of the invention comprises a resiliently biased coin engagement lever 48 which is formed and arranged to engage 'passenger' coins which exit the turntable 7 onto the pick-off support plate' 17 e.g. in overlapping or side-by-side relation with a properly disposed coin in engagement with the guide member 15, to deflect them back into the coin bowl for re-entrainment by the turntable until they exit it in the correct attitude.

Thus the present invention provides a coin counting apparatus having particularly reliable coin feeding, coin counting, and coin sorting arrangements requiring little or no adjustment over extended periods of operation.

As indicated above the coin counter may be used with various different coin sets (e.g. from different countries) by using different coin profile reading sets held in the memory means. These may conveniently all be held simultaneously in the memory means, and selector means provided for selecting a desired set for use in counting of coins from a particular set. Alternatively

there could be used a pluarlity of detachable memory means (e.g. in the form of memory cards) for the different coin sets, and a selected one of said memory means corresponding to the coin set being counted inserted into the coin counter.