AUTOMATED SORTING OF MALAYSIAN AND SINGAPOREAN COINS: A LOW COST SOLUTION.

Abstract

Several organizations in Singapore, such as the bus service companies, require in their coin sorting centers, machines capable of distinguishing between Malaysian and Singaporean coins of identical denomination. As the coins are identical in size, weight and material content and as methods based on recognizing the symbols or characters appearing on randomly oriented coins are slow and expensive, a low cost alternative using a photo emitter detector pair as a relief pattern sensor is described. A serrated relief pattern present on both sides of Malaysian coins generates a characteristic signal, which is digitized and identified by software running on a microcomputer. Sorting rates of ten coins per second may be achieved.