This invention relates to a vending machine and, more particularly, to a coin receiving apparatus for a vending machine.
The coin receiving apparatus for a vending machine must serve to detect whether inserted coins are true or false and to then accurately receive only true coins. There has already been proposed a differential transformer type electronic coin detector for detecting inserted coins in the machine, but this differential transformer type coin detector sometimes erroneously receives a false coin having a slightly larger diameter than a true coin and being made of lead. Accordingly, it has been desired to provide a coin receiving apparatus which can accurately judge or detect the diameter of the inserted coin in addition of other characteristics of the inserted coin such as its material, surface incuse pattern and shape, as functions for detecting the inserted coins in high accuracy. Heretofore, examination of diameter of the inserted coins has been conducted by means of a simple mechanical classifying mechanism, but such mechanical device for detecting the inserted coin diameter requires a complicated and large coin receiving apparatus and also are highly susceptible to troubles.