US Patent 7967125 Deformed-coin detector

A deformed-coin detector accurately detecting a deformed coin without being affected by a variation in transporting speed of a coin. A coin transported along a coin transporting face comes into contact with detecting elements of coin-thickness detecting bodies, the detecting elements move by a distance corresponding to the dimension of the coin in its thickness direction and simultaneously, light shielding portions of the coin-thickness detecting bodies move. A light detecting portion detects a light shielding amount that varies due to movement of the light shielding portions. A coin denomination determining unit determines a denomination of the coin transported along the coin transporting face and reads a reference light-shielding amount pre-stored in a reference light shielding amount storing unit regarding the denomination. The light shielding amount detected by the light detecting portion is compared with the reference light shielding amount, and when the detected light shielding amount is out of a predetermined range with respect to the reference light shielding amount, the coin is judged to be a deformed coin.