Coin sorting mechanism.

摘要

A coin sorter for sorting coins by their diameter comprises a rotatably mounted coin carrying disc (13) having a resilient top surface (16) onto which coins may be fed; means (14) for rotating the disc; an annular guide plate (12) having a surface positioned over and closely adjacent the disc and including an inner recess (20) within which coins are able to move radially in response to rotation of the disc; an entry area adjacent the inner periphery of the guide plate for allowing coins to enter between the disc and the plate; a referencing area (30) configured in the surface of the guide plate for engaging the radially outer edges of coins as the coins are moved circumferentially between the disc and the plate to position the radially outer edges of the coins at a common radial location, whereby the radially inner edges of the coins are positioned at different radial locations determined by the diameters of the respective coins; and a series of circumferentially spaced ejection recesses (40-45) formed in the guide plate with the radially inner edges of successive ejection recesses located at different radial positions for receiving the inner portions of coins of progressively increasing diameter, the width of each ejection recess being smaller than the diameter of the coin to be received by that recess and the surface of the guide plate adjacent the radially outer edge of each ejection recess pressing the outer portions of the coins into the resilient top surface of the disc so that the inner edges of the coins received by each respective ejection recess are tilted upwardly into that recess, the ejection recesses extending outwardly to the periphery of the guide plate so that the inner edges of the recesses guide the tilted coins outwardly and eject those coins from between the disc and the guide plate.