JPH0363782B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

"Industrial Application Field" The present invention relates to a coin discrimination device. ``Prior art'' Conventionally, the authenticity and denomination of coins in coin depositing and dispensing machines have been determined based on measurement data such as the diameter, thickness, and material of the coin. As the amount of coins in circulation increases, there is an increasing need for precise identification methods, such as methods that read patterns (designs) on the surface of coins. As a conventional example of a technique for reading the surface pattern of coins, the technique described in the following document is known. ◎ Utility Model Publication No. 53-68294 (first conventional example) A coin is moved linearly along a predetermined path and changes in magnetic properties due to differences in surface shape are measured. , a technology that compares changes in magnetic properties along a measurement line (corresponding to the chord of a circle if a coin is a circle) that is inevitably obtained from the positional relationship between the movement path and the sensor with a reference value, and makes a determination. . ◎ Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 51-97496 (Second Conventional Example) An inclined surface (coin and A technology that determines authenticity based on the presence or absence of reflected light from a surface that forms part of a cone with the same center. ◎Special Publication No. 47-45039 (3rd conventional example)
A technology that determines authenticity by measuring the amount of reflected light at a number of measurement points arranged in an arc on the surface of a coin, and comparing the total amount of light with a reference value. "Problems to be Solved by the Invention" However, the above-mentioned conventional techniques have the following problems. ◎ Problems with the first conventional example Since the coins are disk-shaped, there is a possibility that they may be inserted into the coin counting device, discrimination device, etc. in various postures.
Even for coins with the same design, patterns for an infinite number of measurement lines (chords) can be detected. Therefore, it is necessary to store patterns along all strings that may be measured as reference values and sequentially compare these with detection data. The problem is that it requires a huge amount of memory. Further, if the number of reference patterns is limited in consideration of the memory capacity limitation, there will be many cases where there is no reference pattern that corresponds to the measured pattern, and there is a high possibility of misjudgment. ◎ Problems with the second conventional example: The detected pattern does not change depending on the attitude of the coin, so it is a suitable method for identifying coins. It cannot be directly applied to the discrimination of ordinary coins. ◎ Problem with the third conventional example: Since it is not possible to detect surface patterns in a strict sense, even if the patterns are different, as long as the total amount of light is the same, it may be determined to be true. be. The present invention was proposed in view of the above circumstances, and
If the coin has certain irregularities formed on its surface,
To provide a coin discriminating device that can reliably discriminate regardless of the coin's orientation during measurement and requires only a limited amount of reference data for discrimination that must be measured and stored in advance. The purpose is "Means for solving the problem" The coin discrimination device according to claim 1 includes:
It consists of a light source and a number of light emitting optical fibers whose base ends are opposed to the light source and whose tips are directed toward the surface of the coin to be measured. A light projector is configured to be arranged at the same pitch in the circumferential direction of the coin to be measured in an inclined state along a conical surface whose axis is a perpendicular line passing through the center of the coin, and a large number of light projectors that convert optical signals into electrical signals consisting of a light-receiving element and a large number of light-receiving optical fibers whose base ends face each of the plurality of light-receiving elements,
A configuration in which the tips of the light-receiving optical fibers are respectively opposed to a large number of measurement points that are continuously arranged on the surface of the coin to be measured along the entire circumference at the same pitch along an arc that is concentric with the center of the coin to be measured. and a data group of electrical signals outputted from each light receiving element of the reading device when the surface of the coin to be measured is irradiated with light by the light projecting device is arranged in the array of the measurement points. A storage means in which a reference data string is written as a correspondingly arranged measurement data string, the reference data string corresponding to the measurement data string measured on the reference coin by a device having the same configuration as the light projecting device and the reading device. , a storage means in which data is written in advance, and controlling the storage means to shift the arrangement of each data in either the reference data string or the measurement data string one by one, and to change the arrangement between the reference data string and the measurement data string. A coin discriminating device comprising a central processing unit that repeatedly performs comparison to determine the identity of a reference coin and a coin to be measured, wherein the measurement points are located along the plurality of circular arcs on the surface of the coin to be measured. They are arranged in multiple rows, and are characterized in that the light-receiving optical fiber and the light-receiving element are provided for all of these measurement points. Further, the coin discrimination device according to claim 2 includes a light source and a large number of light emitting optical fibers whose base ends are opposed to the light source and whose tips are directed toward the surface of the coin to be measured. The tips of these light emitting optical fibers are arranged at the same pitch in the circumferential direction of the coin to be measured, with the tips inclined along a conical surface whose axis is a perpendicular line passing through the center of the coin to be measured. a light projecting device, a large number of light receiving elements that convert optical signals into electrical signals, and a large number of light receiving optical fibers whose base ends face each of the plurality of light receiving elements,
The tips of the light-receiving optical fibers are opposed to a large number of measuring points that are continuously arranged on the surface of the coin to be measured along a circular arc that is concentric with the center of the coin to be measured at the same pitch over a part of the entire circumference. a reading device configured to cause the measurement point to receive a data group of electrical signals outputted from each light receiving element of the reading device when the surface of the coin to be measured is irradiated with light by the light projecting device; storage means written as a measurement data string arranged in accordance with an arrangement of the reference coins, the storage means being written as a measurement data string arranged in accordance with the arrangement of the reference coins, the reference coin being written as a measurement data string corresponding to the measurement data string measured on the reference coin by a device having the same configuration as the light projecting device and the reading device. a storage means in which a data string is written in advance; a continuous portion of the reference data string that includes the same number of data as the measurement data string; and a continuous portion of the measurement data string; A coin discriminating device comprising: a central processing unit that discriminates the identity of a reference coin and a coin to be measured by repeatedly comparing the selections while shifting one data part at a time within the entire reference data string; The measurement points are arranged in multiple rows along the plurality of circular arcs on the surface of the coin to be measured, and the light-receiving optical fiber and the light-receiving element are provided for all of these measurement points. It is characterized by "Operation" According to the coin discriminating device described in claim 1, the state of light irradiation from the light projecting device to the surface of the coin to be measured is uniform with respect to the center line of the coin to be measured. As long as the center line of the coin to be measured is placed at a predetermined position with respect to the apparatus, a certain shadow will appear at the same position on the surface of the coin, depending on the unevenness of that position, regardless of its orientation. Therefore, the electrical signal output to each light-receiving element of the reading device is the shadow of the measurement point of the coin to be measured where the tip of the optical fiber whose base end faces the light-receiving element is located, that is, the measurement corresponding to that light-receiving element. This is data on the unevenness of the points. Therefore, the reference data string and the measured data string written in the storage means are data at a plurality of measurement points arranged in an annular manner in the circumferential direction with the same pitch at the same radial position on the reference coin surface or the measured coin surface, respectively. It becomes a collection of uneven data. Moreover, these data strings are arranged in the same order as the individual data points of the corresponding measurement points, that is, data on the unevenness of adjacent measurement points on the coin surface are considered to be adjacent within the data string. . (Here, "data are adjacent" refers to a conceptual arrangement that determines how individual data correspond when comparing a reference data string and a measured data string. Specifically, (This is an arrangement that is given meaning by the number of the memory area of the storage means in which each data is stored.) Therefore, regardless of the attitude of the coin at the time of measurement (the attitude in the direction of rotation around the center line perpendicular to the surface), First, if we move (that is, shift) the arrangement of data within either data string while maintaining this adjacency relationship, then at some point, when comparing both data strings, all of the corresponding data The data pair is measured at approximately the same position on the reference coin surface or the measured coin surface. Therefore, if the coin to be measured and the reference coin have the same identity, almost all of the data will be shifted until the data shift completes one cycle when comparing the reference data string and the measured data string in the central processing unit. Since there will always be a case where the data match with a slight error, coins can be reliably identified based on whether or not the data match. Furthermore, this device is equipped with multiple rows of optical fibers for measuring the irregularities on the surface of the coin to be measured, and can obtain multiple rows of measurement data in one measurement. More reliable coin discrimination can be performed by determining whether or not the measurement points match the reference data string as described above. In addition, if one row of measurement points is selected and the above judgment is made to discriminate coins, it is possible to distinguish the coins based on the unevenness at the optimum position (position where the unevenness is constant) depending on the type of coin. Coins can be easily identified without changing the position of the optical fiber even for various coins that have different parts of the surface (for example, the part showing the year of manufacture on the coin). This device indirectly measures the unevenness of the coin surface by reading the shadows on the coin surface through the optical fiber, which can be placed along any path as described above. This is the only thing that is regulated for the coin to be measured, and other components such as the light receiving element and the light source can be arranged as desired, making the configuration of the device very easy. In addition, since the device according to claim 2 is configured to measure only the measurement points arranged on a part of the entire circumference of the reference coin, it is possible to miniaturize the device or shorten the discrimination time. Even in this case, as long as the reference coin surface has irregularities that vary widely in the circumferential direction, highly reliable coin discrimination can be performed in the same way as the device described in item 1 above. "Embodiment" Hereinafter, a coin discrimination device which is a first embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIGS. 1 to 9. As shown in FIG. 1, this coin discriminating device produces a shadow on the surface of a coin C to be measured using a light projecting device 1, and a reading device 2, which includes a plurality of light receiving devices arranged in a layered manner, detects the shadow. The basic configuration is such that the signals read by each light receiving device of this reading device 2 are discriminated by a discriminating circuit 3 shown in FIG. The light projection device 1 includes a light source 4 and a light projection optical fiber 5 that guides the light beam emitted from the light source 4 to the surface of the coin C to be measured. Here, the tip of the light projecting optical fiber 5 is arranged along a conical surface whose axis is an axis passing through the center of the coin C, as shown in FIG. In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, this light emitting optical fiber 5 is used to locate n measurement points (for example, PA 1 to _{PA o} ) out of measurement points PA ₁ to _{PA 2o} arranged at a constant pitch on a circular arc ₆ , which will be described later. Alternatively, light beams are projected onto n of the measurement points _{PB 1 -PB 2o} and PC ₁ -PC _2o arranged concentrically inside the measurement points PA 1 -PA _2o . Further, each light receiving device in the reading device 2 includes light receiving arrays ΣRA, ΣRB, ΣRC, and a coin C.
The light receiving array is composed of a plurality of light-receiving optical fibers 16A, 16B, and 16C that transmit the shadows of the light to these light-receiving arrays. For example, the outermost layer light receiving device includes light receiving elements RA ₁ to
It is composed of a light receiving array ΣRA, which is a collection of RA _o , and a large number (n) of light receiving optical fibers 16A that transmit the shadow appearing on the surface of the coin C to the light receiving elements RA ₁ to RA _o , respectively. The base end 7a of the light-receiving optical fiber _16A is arranged in a _straight line as shown in FIGS. As shown in Fig. 3, they are arranged along a cylindrical surface whose axis is a straight line perpendicular to the center of the coin C to be measured, and are opposed to each of the n measurement points PA ₁ to PA _2o described above. The shadow at the measurement point is measured. Therefore, in this embodiment, the measurement is performed over half the circumference of the coin C to be measured. Note that the other light receiving devices in the reading device 2 are sequentially arranged inside the outermost layer light receiving device, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3.
Light-receiving optical fibers 16B and 16 that constitute these
C or the light receiving arrays ΣRB and ΣRC have the same configuration as the light receiving optical fiber 16A or the light receiving array ΣRA. That is, the light receiving optical fibers 16B, 16C
, the base end portions 7a of which correspond to the light receiving elements RB ₁ to RB 1 -
Measuring points PB 1 to PB 2o or PC 1 to PC _2o which are opposed to RB _o or RC ₁ to RC _o , and _{whose tip portions 7b are similarly provided in sequence inside the measurement points PA 1 to PA 2o .} They are placed opposite each other around half the circumference of the area. The signals output from each light receiving device of the reading device 2 are sent to a discriminating circuit 3 shown in FIG.
Alternatively, it is configured to be processed by a circuit similar to this. In addition, the measurement points PA ₁ -
For example, as shown in Fig. 5, PA _2o can overlap with a distinctive part of coin C of a specific denomination (500 yen coin in this example), and is engraved with the year of coin C. It is set on a circular arc 6 with a diameter that does not overlap the position (that is, the position where the engraved pattern may change). Moreover, the measurement points PB ₁ to PB _2o , PC ₁ to which the tip portion 7b of the light receiving optical fiber 16B or 16C face are
For example, the PCs _2o are arranged on a circular arc having a diameter set in the same manner as the circular arc 6 for the 500 yen coin, for example, for a 100 yen coin or a 50 yen coin. Now, when light is projected onto the coin C to be measured as shown by the arrow in FIG. In any case where the coin to be measured C is in the position shown in FIG.
The light is read by the light receiving arrays ΣRA, ΣRB, ΣRC via the light receiving optical fibers 16A, 16B, 16C. Next, the discrimination circuit 3 will be explained with reference to FIG.
The optical fibers are connected to each other via a correction circuit 10, and the correction circuit 10 corrects errors caused by non-uniformity in quality and processing accuracy of the light emitting and light receiving optical fibers. Then, the discrimination circuit 3
is a CPU 13 connected to the light receiving array ΣRA via an AD converter 11 and an interface 12.
(central processing unit) and connected to the CPU13
It is composed of RAM 14 and ROM 15 (storage means).

[Table] The ROM 15 stores reference hardness data m ₁ to m _2o at measurement points PA ₁ to _{PA 2o} (see Figure 6) over the entire circumference of the reference coin CS, and these reference data m ₁ to _m2o are read in correspondence with the addresses _A1 to _A2o of the RAM 14, respectively, as shown in the i=1 column of Table 1. Also, this RAM14
Measurement data d ₁ to _{d o} of the light receiving array ΣRA are stored in addresses other than the above-mentioned A ₁ to A _2o . Next, the operation of the discrimination circuit 3 (that is, the operation of discriminating a 500 yen coin in this embodiment) will be explained with reference to FIG. In addition, SN in the following explanation is
Let it indicate the Nth step. S1: Start S2: The light-receiving array ΣRA reads data d ₁ to d _o continuous in the circumferential direction among the measurement points PA ₁ to PA _2o of the coin C to be measured, and stores the data in the RAM 14. S3: Assign 1 to i. S4: Compare d ₁ to d _o and the data in A ₁ to _{A o} (for i=1, A ₁ = m ₁ , A ₂ = m ₂ ... A _o = m _o ), and calculate each data. Detect the degree of matching. S5: Whether or not a predetermined degree of agreement is satisfied (for example, a degree of agreement of 95% means that 95% of the data in A ₁ to _{A o} and the measured data d ₁ to _{d o} agree. If the predetermined degree of matching is satisfied, the process proceeds to S6; otherwise, the process proceeds to S7. S6: Generate an Accept signal, that is, a signal indicating that the coin can be accepted. S7: Substitute i+1 for i. S8: Determine whether or not i≦2n, that is, whether or not the discrimination operation has been performed a predetermined number of times. In other words, if the determination operation has been performed a predetermined number of times, in other words, the degree of coincidence has reached the predetermined value 2n times in a row. If it is below, the process proceeds to S9 and a Non-Accept signal, ie, a signal indicating that the coin cannot be accepted, is generated. Further, if the determination operation has not been performed a predetermined number of times, the process advances to S10. S10: As shown in Table 1, as i increases due to i=i+1, the data in address A ₁ is moved to address A _2o , and the j-th address (for example, data at address A _2o ) is moved to j-1 It sequentially moves to the th address (for example, address A _2o-1 ) and returns to S4. Below, S4, S5, S6 or
Either the operation reaches S11 via S4, S5, S7, S8, S9 and ends, or S4, S5, S7, S8, S10
Repeat the action. S11: Operation completed. Furthermore, if the above action becomes unacceptable,
Standard data m′ ₁ for other aspects of standard coin CS ~
By comparing m′ _2o and the measured data d ₁ to d _o through the operations S1 to S11, it is determined that non-
It is only necessary to exclude coins that are determined to be accepted. By the way, the authenticity of the 500 yen coin can be determined by the above processing, but other light receiving arrays ΣRB,
By performing the same process for ΣRC, 100
Authenticity can be similarly determined for yen coins and 50 yen coins, and by repeating these processes, it is also possible to determine the denomination. Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, each reference data is moved one address at a time in the RAM 14 into which the reference data is read, and each measurement data is compared with the reference data at the same address in the RAM 14 each time. , the configuration of the central processing unit of the present invention is achieved in which the comparison between the reference data string and the measured data string is repeated while shifting the data arrangement one by one. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the reference data is partially duplicated and registered in the storage means, and while the address of the storage means where each reference data is registered is kept constant, this storage is compared with the measured data. The above configuration of the invention can also be achieved by shifting the addresses of the means one by one. An example of this case will be described below as a second embodiment. The coin discriminating device of this second embodiment has a discriminating circuit.
It is assumed that the ROM has (3n-1) addresses A ₁ to _{A 3o-1 for} reference data m ₁ to m _2o , and _a second As shown in the table, reference data m ₁ to m _2o and m ₁ to _{m o-1} are stored, and the other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment. According to the coin discriminating device of the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, coin discrimination can be performed by the following operations.

[Table] S21: Start S22: Measurement point of coin C by light receiving array ΣRA
Among PA ₁ to _{PA 2o} , data d ₁ to d _o consecutive in the circumferential direction are read and stored in the RAM 14. S23: Substitute i=0. S24: Measured data d ₁ ~ d _o and address A _1+i ~ _{A o+i}
standard data (for example, when i=1, m ₁ to _{m o} )
Determine the degree of matching. S25: Determine whether or not a predetermined degree of matching (for example, 95%) is satisfied, and if satisfied, proceed to S26; otherwise, proceed to S27. S26: Generates an Accept signal. S27: Substitute i+1 for i. S28: Determine whether or not i<2n, that is, whether or not a predetermined number of determination operations have been performed, and if NO, proceed to S29 and generate a Non-Accept signal,
If YES, return to S24. Then, while adding i one by one, address
The comparison between the reference data and the measured data within A _1+i to _{A o+i} is repeated. S29: If the determination operation is performed 2n times without satisfying the predetermined degree of coincidence, a Non-Accept signal is generated. S30: Operation completed. Furthermore, if this behavior becomes unacceptable,
As explained in the first embodiment above, the standard coin
Compare the reference data and measured data for other sides of the CS in the same way, and determine whether Non-Accept is found for both sides of the coin.
It is only necessary to exclude those that are determined to be. Note that the coin discriminating device or the discriminating device method using the same according to the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and, for example, the following embodiments are also possible. In the above embodiment, the light-receiving optical fibers were arranged for half the circumference of the measurement points arranged along the arc on the surface of the coin to be measured. Alternatively, they may be arranged all around the circumference, and in either case, coin discrimination can be performed by the same process as in the above embodiment. Furthermore, even if the light-receiving optical fibers are provided all around the circumference, there is no need to perform the above processing on the data of all the light-receiving optical fibers, and it is possible to measure any part of the arc and use this data. Similarly, coin discrimination may be performed. In other words, the number (range) of measurement points for which surface shading is detected and processed by the light-receiving optical fiber in each array of measurement points arranged concentrically is determined by the discrimination accuracy depending on the degree of unevenness on the coin surface. The configuration of the central processing unit or the like may be appropriately set in consideration of the above. In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which a plurality of light receiving devices constituting the reading device are operated for each corresponding type of coin, and coin discrimination is performed for each type of coin, but a plurality of light receiving devices are operated simultaneously, It is also possible to measure coins of one denomination at measurement points along multiple types of circular arcs to improve discrimination accuracy. In the above embodiment, a light-receiving array in which light-receiving elements are arranged linearly is used.
The proximal end of the receiving optical fiber can be placed in any position due to the flexibility of the optical fiber.
The arrangement of the light-receiving elements in the light-receiving array is completely free, and light-receiving arrays of various shapes can be used. "Effects of the Invention" As is clear from the above explanation, according to the coin discriminating device recited in claim 1, if a coin has certain irregularities formed on its surface, the attitude of the coin at the time of measurement will change. This has the effect that it can be reliably determined regardless of the situation. Moreover, this device has multiple rows of optical fibers for measuring the unevenness on the surface of the coin to be measured, so it is possible to obtain data groups of unevenness at multiple locations on the coin surface in one measurement. Based on this, it is possible to identify coins with extremely high reliability. In addition, if one of the optical fibers in one row is selected for processing, coins can be distinguished based on the unevenness in the optimal position depending on the type of coin, and various types of coins can be treated with light. This can be easily done without changing the fiber position. Additionally, since this device measures the unevenness of the coin surface via an optical fiber that can be placed along any path as described above, only the placement of the tip of the optical fiber is restricted for the coin being measured. Since other parts such as light receiving elements and light sources can be arbitrarily arranged, the configuration of the device becomes very easy. Furthermore, since the device according to claim 2 is configured to measure the reference coin only at measurement points arranged on a part of the entire circumference, it is possible to downsize the device or shorten the discrimination time. Even in this case, as long as the reference coin surface has irregularities that vary widely in the circumferential direction, highly reliable coin discrimination can be performed in the same way as the apparatus described in item 1 above.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 9 show a first embodiment of a coin discrimination device to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 1 is a side view of a light projecting device and a reading device, and FIG. A view along the arrows, Figure 3 is - of Figure 1.
Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of the light emitting optical fiber and the outermost layer of the light emitting optical fiber, Fig. 5 is an explanatory view of the measurement location of the coin to be measured, and Fig. 6 is a view taken along the line. 7A and 7B are explanatory diagrams of the operation of the light projecting device, FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the discrimination circuit, and FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the discrimination circuit. Further, FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the discrimination circuit according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 1...Lighting device, 2...Reading device, 4...
Light source, 5...Optical fiber for light projection, 16A, 16
B, 16C... Optical fiber for light reception, 7a... Base end portion, 7b... Tip portion, 13... Central processing unit (CPU), 14, 15... Storage means (14...
RAM, 15...ROM), C...Coin to be measured, CS
...Reference coin, d ₁ ~ d _o ... Measurement data, m ₁ ~ _{m 2o}
...Reference data, PA ₁ ~ PA _2o , PB ₁ ~ _{PB 2o} , PC ₁
~ _PC2o ...Measurement point, _RA1 ~ _RAo , _RB1 ~ _RBo ,
RC ₁ ~ RC _o ... Light receiving element.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Consists of a light source and a number of light emitting optical fibers whose base ends face the light source and whose tips are directed toward the surface of the coin to be measured. A light projecting device configured to be arranged at the same pitch in the circumferential direction of a coin to be measured with its tip end inclined along a conical surface whose axis is a perpendicular line passing through the center of the coin to be measured, and an optical signal. It consists of a large number of light-receiving elements that convert into electrical signals, and a large number of light-receiving optical fibers whose base ends face each of the plurality of light-receiving elements,
A configuration in which the tips of the light-receiving optical fibers are respectively opposed to a large number of measurement points that are continuously arranged on the surface of the coin to be measured along the entire circumference at the same pitch along an arc that is concentric with the center of the coin to be measured. and a data group of electrical signals outputted from each light receiving element of the reading device when the surface of the coin to be measured is irradiated with light by the light projecting device is arranged in the array of the measurement points. A storage means in which a reference data string is written as a correspondingly arranged measurement data string, the reference data string corresponding to the measurement data string measured on the reference coin by a device having the same configuration as the light projecting device and the reading device. , a storage means in which data is written in advance, and controlling the storage means to shift the arrangement of each data in either the reference data string or the measurement data string one by one, and to change the arrangement between the reference data string and the measurement data string. A coin discriminating device comprising a central processing unit that repeatedly performs comparison to determine the identity of a reference coin and a coin to be measured, wherein the measurement points are located along the plurality of circular arcs on the surface of the coin to be measured. A coin discriminating device, characterized in that the coin discriminating device is arranged in a plurality of rows, and the light-receiving optical fiber and the light-receiving element are provided for all of these measurement points. 2 Consists of a light source and a number of light emitting optical fibers whose base ends are opposed to the light source and whose tips are directed toward the surface of the coin to be measured; A light projector configured to be arranged at the same pitch in the circumferential direction of the coin to be measured in an inclined state along a conical surface whose axis is a perpendicular line passing through the center of the coin, and a plurality of light projectors that convert optical signals into electrical signals. a light-receiving element, and a large number of light-receiving optical fibers whose base ends face each of the plurality of light-receiving elements,
The tips of the light-receiving optical fibers are opposed to a large number of measuring points that are continuously arranged on the surface of the coin to be measured along a circular arc that is concentric with the center of the coin to be measured at the same pitch over a part of the entire circumference. a reading device configured to cause the measurement point to receive a data group of electrical signals outputted from each light receiving element of the reading device when the surface of the coin to be measured is irradiated with light by the light projecting device; storage means that is written as a measurement data string arranged in correspondence with the arrangement of the measurement data string, which corresponds to the measurement data string measured on the reference coin by a device having the same configuration as the light projecting device and the reading device. a storage means in which a reference data string to be measured is written in advance; a continuous part of the reference data string consisting of the same number of data as the measurement data string; and the measurement data string by controlling the storage means. A coin discrimination device comprising a central processing unit that discriminates the identity of a reference coin and a coin to be measured by repeatedly selecting a portion of the entire reference data string while shifting it by one data and then repeatedly comparing the selected portions. In the apparatus, the measurement points are arranged in multiple rows along the plurality of circular arcs on the surface of the coin to be measured, and the light receiving optical fiber and the light receiving element are provided for all of these measurement points. A coin discriminating device characterized by: