According to one embodiment, an optical inspection apparatus including: an imaging optical system; one or more light sources; a light guide which extends cylindrically along an optical axis of the imaging optical system and whose end face is opposed to the one or more light sources; a total reflecting surface formed on an inner surface of the light guide to totally internally reflect light struck into the light guide from the end face; a mirror surface formed on an outer surface of the light guide to reflect light struck into the light guide from the one or more light sources, toward the inspection target; and a transmission surface formed on the inner surface of the light guide to transmit the light reflected by the mirror surface, toward the inspection target.

A coin processing device, comprising a coin processing module including an inlet for receiving coins to be processed and at least one coin output location, including an elongated sleeve for receiving the coins from the at least one outlet, wherein the elongated sleeve is operable to receive, in a first mode of operation of the coin processing device, a first flexible walled coin receptacle about the elongated sleeve, and wherein, in the first mode of operation, the coins are delivered by the elongated sleeve into the first flexible walled coin receptacle, and receive, in a second mode of operation of the coin processing device, a second coin receptacle within the elongated sleeve, wherein the second coin receptacle is a generally rigid container, and wherein, in the second mode of operation, the coins are delivered from the at least one outlet into the second coin receptacle positioned within the elongated sleeve.

A coin handling apparatus comprises an inlet section that is provided on customer side of the coin handling apparatus and from which the coins are put in, a recognition unit that recognizes the coins put in from the inlet section, and a first ejection section that is provided on attendant side of the coin handling apparatus and to which the coins recognized as rejected coins by the recognition unit are ejected.

An image processing apparatus includes a conversion unit configured to convert an image in a first color space into an image in a second color space in such a manner that the image in the second color space has a bit depth smaller than a bit depth of the image in the first color space, a first recognition unit configured to perform first recognition processing using the image in the second color space, and a second recognition unit configured to perform second recognition processing on an image area that is determined to be the image area in which the second recognition processing is performed on the image in the first color space based on a result of the first recognition processing.

An inspection system inspects gaming chips, each having a color or a display indicating a value on an outer surface and having an embedded radio tag storing gaming chip information, while the gaming chips are stored in a case in which a maximum number of gaming chips to be stored is limited. The case is capable of containing a row of gaming chips stacked in a thickness direction. The inspection system includes a reading device that reads the radio tag of the gaming chip in the case and acquires gaming chip information of the gaming chip; and a determining unit that compares the gaming chip information with a maximum number of gaming chips storable in the case and determines an abnormality of the gaming chip in the case when the number of gaming chips obtained from the gaming chip information is different from a maximum number of storable gaming chips.

A method as well as an inspection device are provided for automatically checking the authenticity of objects, such as coins. The method includes carrying out an X-ray fluorescence analysis, XRFA, of an object which is to be checked, and carrying out a first comparison in which one or more properties of at least one fluorescence spectrum generated during the course of the XRFA are compared with an associated first body of reference information; carrying out a second analysis of the object on the basis of a corresponding second inspection method other than XRFA, as well as a second comparison in which an examination result obtained during the course of the second analysis is compared with an associated second body of reference information; and determining an analysis result relating to the authenticity of the object in dependence upon the results of the first comparison as well as the second comparison.

One object is to efficiently identify number of transactions that can be performed by using an inventory amount of money inside a change machine and to improve the business efficiency. A POS register (290) transmits a total amount request to a change machine (200) connected thereto (Step S11). Upon receiving the total amount request from the POS register (290), a change machine (200) transmits to the POS register (290) a total amount of money that can be dispensed as change and that is calculated based on an inventory amount of one or more predetermined denominations (Step S12). The POS register (290) receives the total amount from the change machine (200) (Step S13) and calculates number of transactions for which the change can be dispensed by calculating how many times is the total amount of the maximum change amount (JPY9, 999) for one transaction (Step S14). The POS register (290) informs the salesclerk of the calculated number of transactions by displaying and the like. Therefore, the salesclerk can confirm the number of transactions and can use this information as a factor to determine a timing of replenishing the change.

An apparatus for discrimination and conveyance of coins achieves downsizing of this apparatus itself with a simple and low-cost structure compared with conventional ones. The apparatus includes a coin separation unit, a coin discrimination unit, and a coin conveyance and distribution unit. Coins separated in the coin separation unit are moved in a first direction through a first delivering region and delivered to the coin discrimination unit. The coins whose denomination and authenticity are discriminated in the coin discrimination unit are moved in a second direction approximately perpendicular to the first direction in a plan view through a second delivering region and delivered to the coin conveyance and distribution unit. In the second delivering region, a conveying direction of the coins is changed from the first direction to the second direction. The coins are distributed while being conveyed in the second direction in the coin conveyance and distribution unit.

The present invention provides a coin handling device that enables a simple and easy change of a way of handling a coin of which a type is difficult to determine according to the user needs. The coin handling device includes a detector that detects a feature of a coin, a determiner that determines a type of the coin based on the feature of the coin detected by the detector, a reception unit that receives from an operating person handling settings that designate a way of handling the coin that is an indeterminate coin of which the type is not determined and for which multiple options of the type are extracted by the determiner, and a handling unit that handles the indeterminate coin based on the handling settings received by the reception unit.

An inspection system inspects gaming chips each having a color or a display indicating a value on an outer surface in a state where the gaming chips are stored in a case in which a maximum number of gaming chips to be stored is limited, and a radio tag storing gaming chip information is embedded in each of the gaming chips. The gaming chips are stored in the case capable of containing a row of gaming chips stacked in a thickness direction, and the inspection system includes a reading device that reads the radio tag of the gaming chip in the case and acquires gaming chip information of the gaming chip and a determining unit that compares the gaming chip information with a maximum number of gaming chips storable in the case and determines an abnormality of the gaming chip in the case when the number of gaming chips obtained from the gaming chip information is different from a maximum number of storable gaming chips.