JP3751233B2 - Medal lifter - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus for transporting medals, and more particularly to a lifter that transports medals from bottom to top and delivers them to a predetermined transport path or the like.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, inside the island 200 where a medal gaming machine (for example, “pachi-slot”) used in a pachinko amusement hall is installed, the medals used in each pachi-slot 210 are placed at the end of the island 200 as shown in FIG. A recovery conveyor 220 that is transported to the recovery device 300 provided in the section, and a supply conveyor 230 that supplies medals received from the recovery device 300 to each pachislot 210 are installed. The recovery conveyor 220 and the supply conveyor 230 are installed along the arrangement direction of the pachislot 210 at the lower part and the upper part of the island 200, respectively. In addition, a lifter 100 that lifts medals received from the recovery device 300 from below to the supply conveyor 230 is provided inside the island 200 on the side where the recovery device 300 is provided.
[0003]
Next, the collection device 300 includes a medal tank 310 that stores medals, a cleaning unit 320 that cleans the collected medals, and small conveyors (so-called minicomputers) 330 and 340 that convey medals between the devices. Yes.
Then, in the pachinko amusement hall having the above-described facilities, when the medals are used in the pachislot 210, the medals are transported toward the recovery device 300 by the recovery conveyor 220, and then transferred to the medal tank 310 by the minicomputer 330. It is thrown into it. The medals placed in the medal tank 310 are further transported to the cleaning unit 320 by the minicomputer 340 and cleaned, and then lifted by the lifter 100 and transferred to the supply conveyor 230. When it is supplied and used again in the pachislot 210, it is recovered by the recovery conveyor 220, and thereafter travels around the island 200 and the recovery device 300 as described above.
[0004]
Among the devices for circulating medals in this way, the lifter 100 will be described. The lifter 100 mainly includes a belt conveyor 110, a medal reservoir 120, and an insertion rod 130 as shown in FIG. Among these, the belt conveyor 110 includes a pair of belt wheels 112 and 114 arranged on the upper and lower sides, and an annular belt 116 having a plurality of medallions 118 on the surface is attached to the belt wheels 112 and 114. It is constituted by.
[0005]
Next, the medal reservoir 120 is disposed further below the lower belt wheel 114. The medal reservoir 120 has a circular arc shape centered on a position above the rotation axis when the medal storage surface 120a on the belt wheel 114 side surface is viewed in a cross section perpendicular to the rotation axis of the lower belt wheel 114. It is formed to become. Then, as shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 6, the lower belt wheel 114 is arranged so that the crosspiece 118 moved by the rotation of the belt wheel 114 is closest to the medal storage surface 120a and picks up the medal. The medal reservoir 120 is arranged.
[0006]
Next, one end of the insertion rod 130 is attached to the medal reservoir 120 so that the medal can be inserted from the side where the annular belt 116 moves upward by the rotation of the belt wheels 112 and 114 with respect to the medal reservoir 120. Yes. Then, the medals discharged from the cleaning unit 320 and inserted into the insertion basket 130 are slid along the insertion basket 130 and inserted into the medal pool 120.
[0007]
As described above, the conventional lifter 100 is transported upward toward the supply conveyor 230 by picking up the medals discharged from the cleaning unit 320 and inserted into the medal reservoir 120 via the insertion rod 130 by the crosspiece 118. .
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, when the crosspiece 118 approaches the lowest point of the medal storage surface 120a, the lifter 100 described above sandwiches a medal between the medal storage surface 120a and the crosspiece 118, and cannot smoothly pick up the medal. There was a thing. In some cases, the lifter 100 stops.
[0009]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a lifter that can smoothly pick up medals accumulated in a medal pool without sandwiching medals between a crosspiece and a medal storage surface.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention]
The invention according to claim 1, which achieves this object, is a belt conveyor in which an annular belt is attached to a pair of upper and lower belt wheels, and a plurality of medals are provided on the surface of the annular belt, Of the pair of belt wheels, a medal reservoir that is disposed further below a belt wheel disposed below and stores medals on a medal storage surface that is a surface of the belt belt on the lower side, and rotation of the belt wheel From the side on which the annular belt moves upward, and a means for inserting the medals into the medal pool. The belt conveyor is operated to pick up the medals accumulated in the medal pool with the bars. In the lifter for transporting the medal from the bottom to the top, the medal reservoir is seen in a cross section perpendicular to the rotating shaft of the lower belt wheel, and the medal storage surface surrounds the lower belt wheel. Is formed so as to be arcuate, the lower sheave, rather than the lowest point of the medal accumulating surface, on the side where the annular belt is moved downward, so that the crosspiece is closest to the medal accumulating surface, The rotating shaft is disposed at a position eccentric to the side where the annular belt moves downward from the arc center of the medal storage surface .
[0011]
In the first aspect of the invention, the point at which the crosspiece approaches the medal storage surface is shifted to the non-input side, and when the crosspiece passes over the lowest point of the medal storage surface, the crosspiece moves away from the medal storage surface. Therefore, the medal is effectively prevented from being sandwiched between the crosspiece and the medal storage surface. Therefore, when the lifter to which the invention of claim 1 is applied is used, the medals accumulated in the medal pool can be smoothly scooped up without interposing the medals between the crosspiece and the medal storage surface.
[0012]
Next, as described in claim 2, the medal reservoir is preferably formed so that the medal storage surface has an arc shape when viewed in a cross section perpendicular to the rotating shaft of the lower belt wheel. This is because a medal pool can be easily manufactured with such a shape .
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described below.
Here, FIG. 1 is a structural block diagram of the lifter according to the present embodiment as viewed from the side, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA ′ in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB ′ in FIG. It is a perspective view of the lower part of a lifter.
[0014]
The lifter 1 of the present embodiment is similar to the lifter 100 described in the section of the prior art (see FIG. 5), and lifts the medals washed by the washing unit 320 from below to the supply conveyor 230. . In addition, since each apparatus around the lifter 1 uses the same apparatus as the apparatus described in the column of the prior art, description of each of these apparatuses is omitted.
[0015]
As shown in FIG. 1, the lifter 1 of the present embodiment includes a belt conveyor 10 that is housed in a housing 3 and in which an annular belt 16 is attached to a pair of belt wheels 12 and 14 that are arranged vertically. . On the surface of the annular belt 16, a plurality of crosspieces 18 attached perpendicularly to the surface are attached in the length direction of the annular belt 16. The crosspiece 18 is formed in a shape having a stopper 18a formed in a J-shaped cross section at the tip of a main body portion formed in a flat plate shape.
[0016]
The lifter 1 includes a medal reservoir 20 that is disposed further below the lower belt wheel 14 and is connected to the housing 3. The medal reservoir 20 has a lower belt wheel 14 side surface (medal storage surface 20a) centered on a position above the rotation axis of the belt wheel 14 when viewed in a cross section perpendicular to the rotation axis of the lower belt wheel 14. Further, the belt wheel 14 is formed in a circular arc shape surrounding the belt wheel 14.
[0017]
As shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 1, the lower belt wheel 14 described above with respect to the medal reservoir 20 is arranged on the side where the annular belt 16 moves downward from the lowest point of the medal storage surface 20a. The rotation shaft is disposed at a position eccentric to the side where the annular belt 16 moves downward from the center of the arc of the medal storage surface 20a so that 18 is closest to the medal storage surface 20a. More specifically, in this lower belt wheel 14, the closest approach point α at which the crosspiece 18 approaches the medal reservoir 20, and the next crosspiece 18 passes after the previous crosspiece 18 passes the medal reservoir 20. In the meantime, it is installed so as to coincide with the maximum height position of medals accumulated in the medal reservoir 20.
[0018]
Further, the lifter 1 includes an insertion rod 30 for inserting a medal into the medal reservoir 20, and this insertion rod 30 is connected to the medal reservoir 20 on the side where the annular belt 16 moves upward. The insertion rod 30 has an inclined bottom surface 30 a that is inclined downward toward the medal reservoir 20. This throwing bar 30 corresponds to the throwing means of the present invention.
[0019]
Furthermore, the lifter 1 includes a motor (see FIG. 3) on the side surface of the medal reservoir 20 and on one side surface perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotation shaft of the belt wheel 14. In the lifter 1, the lower belt wheel 14 is rotated by this motor to operate the belt conveyor 10.
[0020]
In addition, in this embodiment, the housing | casing 3 of the part surrounding the cyclic | annular belt 16 shown with the symbol XY in FIG. 1 is the front-end | tip of the column-shaped support | pillar materials 3a and 3a as shown in FIG. The annular belt 16 is configured to slide and move on both side surfaces of the butted portion, and the plates 3c and 3c surround the space 3b in which the annular belt 16 moves. It is welded to 3a. The housing 3 in this portion is welded to the housing 3 that encloses the belt wheels 12 and 14. Therefore, this part can be processed very easily.
[0021]
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a fitting groove 14a is provided in a portion where the belt wheel 14 is provided below the medal reservoir 20, and the belt wheel 14 is fitted in the fitting groove 14a. In this state, it is pivotally supported. This is because it is possible to prevent the medal from being sandwiched between the axial side surface of the belt wheel 14 and the side plate 20b of the medal reservoir 20. Although only the fitting groove 14a for the lower belt wheel 14 has been described in the present embodiment, it is needless to say that a similar fitting groove may be provided for the upper belt wheel 12 as well.
[0022]
Furthermore, in this embodiment, the transfer for transferring the medals transported from the bottom to the top by the lifter 1 to the supply conveyor 230 is performed on the non-insert side surface of the portion where the belt wheel 14 above the housing 3 is attached. A fence 5 is provided. Since the transfer rod 5 is a well-known technique, its description is omitted.
[0023]
In the lifter 1 described above, as shown in FIG. 4, when the medal M cleaned by the cleaning unit 320 and discharged from the discharge port 320 a is inserted into the insertion rod 30, the medal M is inclined to the bottom surface of the insertion rod 30. It is transported by sliding on 30 a and inserted into the medal reservoir 20. Then, the cross 18 picks up the medal M inserted into the medal reservoir 20 and conveys it from the bottom to the top. At this time, in this embodiment, the point at which the crosspiece 18 and the medal storage surface 20a re-approach (the closest approach point α) is closer to the side where the annular belt 16 moves downward than the lowest point of the medal reservoir 20. When the crosspiece 18 is shifted and passes over the lowest point of the medal reservoir 20, the crosspiece 18 is configured to move away from the medal reservoir 20, so that the medal M is sandwiched between the crosspiece 18 and the medal storage surface 20a. Is effectively prevented.
[0024]
Therefore, when the lifter 1 of the present embodiment is used, the medals M accumulated in the medal pool 20 can be smoothly picked up without the medals M being sandwiched between the crosspiece 18 and the medal storage surface 20a.
In addition, in the lifter 1 of the present embodiment, the medal M accumulates in the medal reservoir 20 at the closest point α described above until the next crosspiece 18 passes after the previous crosspiece 18 passes the medal reservoir 20. Since it is installed so as to coincide with the maximum height position, the medal M can be efficiently picked up.
[0025]
Further, when the lifter 1 of the present embodiment is used, the medal reservoir 20 can be easily manufactured because the medal reservoir surface 20a has an arc shape.
The embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that various forms can be adopted as long as it belongs to the technical scope of the present invention.
[0026]
For example, in the present embodiment, the medal stopper 18a at the tip of the crosspiece 18 has been described as having a J-shape, but any shape may be used as long as the medal M is hooked. For example, it may be L-shaped.
In addition, the cross-sectional shape of the medal storage surface 20a of the present embodiment is an arc shape for easy production, but any shape may be used as long as it is a bow shape, for example, a shape obtained by cutting a part of an ellipse. May be.
[0027]
Furthermore, the medal M is placed in the medal reservoir 20 at the point of closest approach α where the crosspiece 18 again approaches the bottom surface of the medal reservoir 20 until the next crosspiece 18 passes after the previous crosspiece 18 passes the medal reservoir 20. The height is set so as to match the height at which it accumulates, but this is not restrictive.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side structural view of a lifter according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA ′ in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB ′ in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a lower part of the lifter according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 5 is an arrangement block diagram of each device installed on the island and the collection device.
FIG. 6 is a side view of a conventional lifter.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Lifter, 10 ... Belt conveyor, 12, 14 ... Belt wheel, 16 ... Ring belt, 18 ... Crosspiece, 20 ... Medal storage, 20a ... Medal storage surface, 30 ... Loading rod

Claims (2)

A belt conveyor in which an annular belt is attached to a pair of upper and lower belt wheels, and a plurality of crosspieces for conveying medals are provided on the surface of the annular belt;
A medal reservoir for storing medals on a medal storage surface, which is disposed on a lower belt wheel side of the pair of belt wheels;
And an insertion means for inserting the medals into the medal pool from the side where the annular belt moves upward by the rotation of the belt wheel, and operating the belt conveyor so that the medals accumulated in the medal pool are In the lifter that picks up at the cross and transports the medal from the bottom to the top,
The medal pool is formed so that the medal storage surface has an arcuate shape surrounding the lower belt wheel when viewed in a cross section perpendicular to the rotation axis of the lower belt wheel,
The lower belt wheel is located on the side where the annular belt moves downward from the lowest point of the medal storage surface so that the crosspiece is closest to the medal storage surface from the arc center of the medal storage surface. A medal transporting lifter , wherein the rotary belt is disposed at a position eccentric to the side where the annular belt moves downward . 2. The medal transport lifter according to claim 1, wherein the medal reservoir is formed so that the medal reservoir surface has an arc shape when viewed in a cross section perpendicular to the rotation axis of the lower belt wheel .

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