JP3961645B2 - Medal counting machine - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a medal counting machine for counting medals used in gaming machines such as slot machines.
[0002]
[Prior art]
There is a medal counting machine as a device for quickly counting medals used in a gaming machine such as a slot machine. Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 4, this type of medal counting machine has a rotating disk 3 that is horizontally arranged to receive a medal 1, a discharge port 5 provided near the outer periphery of the disk, and one end connected to the discharge port 5. A conveyance path 7 and a counting sensor 9 provided at the other end of the conveyance path 7 are provided.
[0003]
The conveyance path 7 includes a guide unit 11 that aligns the medals 1 in a row and a belt conveyance unit 13 that moves the medals 1 in contact with the upper surface of the aligned medals 1. Further, the guide means 11 is configured to place the medal 1 on the step portions 11a on both sides and move it. Here, the conveyance path width W1 above the step 11a is set to be approximately the same as the diameter φ of the medal 1 to be counted, and the width W2 below the step 11a is the diameter φ of the medal 1 to be counted. It is set smaller.
[0004]
Accordingly, when a plurality of medals 1 are inserted on the rotating disk 3, the medals 1 are moved radially outward by centrifugal force, and one by one from the discharge port 5 to the transport path 7 by a height regulating member (not shown). Sent out. The medal 1 sent out to the transport path 7 was counted by passing the counting sensor 9 only when the medal 1 with a small diameter was removed from the step 11a and dropped downward.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above-described conventional medal counting machine, when the medal 1 with dust is inserted or when a plurality of medals 1 are moved on the rotating disk 3, the medals 1 and the medals 1 collide with the peripheral wall. When dust is generated, the dust or dust adheres to each part in the apparatus. For example, if the dust adheres or accumulates on the counting sensor 9 or the like, the counting function of the counting sensor 9 is deteriorated. .
On the other hand, the medal 1 was counted by the medal counter and then stored in a tank or the like, and the tank where the medal storage amount became a constant amount was set in a polishing machine installed in another place and cleaned. Every time the medal storage amount reaches a certain level, it is necessary to carry a heavy tank to the polishing machine, which regularly requires time-consuming work.
In order to eliminate such transportation work, it is conceivable to install an automatic medal polishing apparatus. However, there are disadvantages in that it is expensive and a large installation space must be secured.
The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, paying attention to a mechanism in which medals are transported one by one in a medal counting machine, and is simply the same size as a conventional medal counting machine in a medal counting machine. It is an object of the present invention to provide a medal counter capable of purifying medals and to reduce the labor of medal cleaning work inexpensively and without requiring a new installation space.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the medal counter according to the present invention is configured such that a medal supplied onto a rotating disk is discharged from a discharge port near the outer periphery of the disk by centrifugal force, and the discharged medal is flattened through a conveyance path. In the medal counter that counts the medals that pass through the counting sensor after being aligned in a line, a part of the peripheral circuit surface is brought into contact with the outer peripheral part of at least one of the diametrically aligned medals by providing a pair of belt conveying means for conveying the medal to the conveying path, the circuit plane facing the pair of belt conveying means is configured to pass the conveying path diametrically opposite ends of the medal is sandwiched, the sliding contact abrasive on the front and back surfaces of the medals to be conveyed by the pair of belt conveying means provided in the conveying path, the diameter direction across the peripheral edge of the count object medals is placed, a small non-diameter The number subject medals a guide member to a distance falling without being placed between the counting sensor and the end of the abrasive, the pair of belt conveying means, so that the moving speed of each of the circuit plane are different It is characterized by being driven by
[0007]
In this medal counter, the belt conveying means contacts at least one end in the diameter direction of the medal in the conveyance path, and the medal rotates and advances along the conveyance path with both ends in the diameter direction being sandwiched, so that it slides on the front and back of the medal. The medal is simply polished in the medal counting machine by the abrasive material in contact therewith. In addition, since the non-counting target medal having a small diameter falls off the guide member, the counting sensor only counts the counting target medal sent from the conveyance path.
Further, in the medal counter, a pair of belt conveying means driven so that the moving speeds of the respective peripheral circuit surfaces are different hold and convey both ends in the diameter direction of the medal. Therefore, in this medal counting machine, the rotational speeds of the pair of belt conveying means are asynchronous, so that the medals can be conveyed while rotating, and thereby the rim of the medals can be cleaned without being left unpolished.
[0008]
The medal counter may be characterized in that the abrasive is detachably attached to the transport path.
[0009]
In this medal counting machine, the abrasive is detachably provided in the conveyance path, and when the abrasive becomes dirty due to a certain amount of polishing, it can be easily replaced with a new abrasive.
[0010]
Further, the medal counting machine is characterized in that a dust collecting device for sucking or adsorbing dust adhering to the medal is provided in the conveyance path between the terminal portion of the abrasive and the counting sensor. There may be.
[0011]
In this medal counter, a dust collecting device is provided at the end of the conveyance path, and dust attached to the medal is removed by polishing, so that the dust is not conveyed together with the medal. Dust will not adhere or accumulate.
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a medal counting machine according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a main part of a medal counter according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a view taken along the line BB in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a view taken along the line CC in FIG.
A discharge port 23 is provided in the vicinity of the outer periphery of the horizontally disposed rotating disk 21 into which the medal 1 is inserted. One end of a conveyance path 25 is connected to the discharge port 23.
[0013]
A pair of parallel guide rails 27 are provided in the transport path 25, and the guide rails 27 support the peripheral edges of the medal 1 in the diameter direction from the medal lower surface side. Therefore, the medals 1 placed on the guide rail 27 are aligned in a line in a plane and proceed on the transport path 25. The medal 1 whose lower surface is supported by the guide rail 27 is configured such that the outer circumferences at both ends in the diameter direction slightly protrude from the guide rail 27.
[0014]
The guide rail 27 is configured to place a medal 1 having a diameter φ to be counted, and to drop a non-counting target medal 1 having a smaller diameter between the guide rails 27.
[0015]
A pair of belt conveying means 29 and 31 are provided outside the pair of guide rails 27. Each belt conveying means 29, 31 has a pair of rollers 35 that rotate about a vertical axis 33 arranged in the conveying direction, and an endless belt 37 is stretched around the pair of rollers 35. Accordingly, the pair of belt conveying means 29 and 31 are arranged so that a part of the peripheral circuit surface in the vertical direction is opposed in parallel with the guide rail 27 interposed therebetween.
[0016]
The opposing surfaces (a part of the circumferential circuit surface) of the pair of belt conveying means 29 and 31 are in contact with both ends in the diameter direction of the medal 1 placed on the guide rail 27. The pair of belt conveying means 29 and 31 are driven so that the circumferential speeds of the belts 37 are different. Therefore, the medal 1 placed on the guide rail 27 travels along the transport path 25 along the guide rail 27 while rotating.
[0017]
Between the pair of belt conveying means 29 and 31, a pair of abrasives 39 that are in contact with the front and back surfaces of the medal 1 placed on the guide rail 27 are provided up and down. The abrasive 39 is formed of a cloth such as canvas (backing canvas) lined with an elastic material such as sponge, or a brush. The abrasive 39 is detachably attached to the transport path 25 and can be replaced with a new one when it becomes dirty after being used for a certain period of time.
[0018]
The abrasive 39 is terminated at a position before the other end of the transport path 25. The medal drop space 41 is formed between the guide rails 27 where the abrasive 39 is not present. As a result, the medal 1 to be counted which has a small diameter passes through the abrasive 39 and then comes off the guide rail 27 and falls into the medal drop space 41.
[0019]
A dust collector 43 is provided above the medal drop space 41. The dust collector 43 collects dust generated by the contact of the abrasive 39 by vacuum suction, an adhesive, or electrostatic adsorption.
[0020]
A count sensor 45 is provided downstream of the end of the conveyance path 25. The counting sensor 45 counts only the medal 1 to be counted sent from the transport path 25 without falling into the medal drop space 41.
[0021]
The operation of the medal counter 47 configured as described above will be described.
When a plurality of medals 1 are inserted on the rotating disk 21, the medals 1 are moved radially outward of the rotating disk 21 by centrifugal force, and are conveyed one by one from the discharge port 23 by a height regulating member (not shown). To be sent to. The medal 1 sent out to the conveyance path 25 is placed on the guide rail 27, the both ends in the diameter direction are sandwiched between the pair of belt conveyance means 29 and 31, and proceed along the conveyance path 25 along the guide rail 27.
[0022]
At this time, the medals 1 advance on the guide rail 27 while rotating because the peripheral speeds of the pair of belt conveying means 29 and 31 are different. As a result, the entire upper and lower surfaces of the medal come into sliding contact with the abrasive 39, and no dirt remains on the front and back edges.
[0023]
The medal 1 cleaned by the abrasive 39 passes through the end of the abrasive 39 and reaches the dust collector 43. The medal 1 that has reached the dust collecting device 43 is adsorbed and removed by the dust collecting device 43 such as adhering dust.
[0024]
At this time, since the medal drop space 41 is provided below the dust collecting device 43, the medal 1 having a small diameter that is not counted is removed from the guide rail 27 and dropped from the transport path 25. It becomes.
[0025]
The medal 1 to be counted continues to be placed on the guide rail 27 and is sent out from the transport path 25 to the counting sensor 45 by the belt transport means 29 and 31. The counting sensor 45 counts the number of the medals 1 that have been sent out.
[0026]
By repeating the above operation, the medals 1 placed on the rotating disk 21 are counted while all are cleaned.
[0027]
As described above, according to the medal counter 47 described above, the peripheral edges of the medals 1 in the diameter direction are placed on the guide rail 27 in the transport path 25, and the diametrical ends of the medals 1 are transported as a pair of belts. Since the means 29 and 31 are nipped and conveyed, the medal 1 can be cleaned by sliding the abrasive 39 on the front and back surfaces of the medal 1. As a result, medals can be easily cleaned in a medal counting machine of the same size as a conventional medal counting machine, and transportation work for cleaning medals can be carried out at low cost and without providing a new installation space. It can be made unnecessary.
[0028]
Since the circumferential speeds of the pair of belt conveying means 29 and 31 are made asynchronous, the medal 1 can be conveyed while rotating, and thereby the peripheral edge of the medal 1 can be cleaned without being left unpolished. .
[0029]
Further, since the abrasive 39 is detachably provided in the transport path 25, the dirty abrasive 39 can be easily replaced by a certain amount of polishing, and the cleaning ability can be always kept constant.
[0030]
Further, since the dust collecting device 43 is provided at the end of the conveying path 25, dust attached to the medal 1 after passing through the abrasive can be surely removed by the dust collecting device 43, and the device configuration downstream in the conveying direction It is possible to reliably prevent dust from adhering and accumulating on parts such as the counting sensor 45.
[0032]
【The invention's effect】
As described in detail above, according to the medal counting machine of claim 1 of the present invention , a pair of belt conveying means is brought into contact with both ends in the diameter direction of the medal in the conveying path, and the abrasive is applied to the front and back surfaces of the medal. Since the medals are transported in sliding contact, the medals can be easily cleaned in a medal counting machine of the same size as the conventional medal counting machine, and no transportation work is required for cleaning the medals. Can be. In addition, since only the counting target medal is conveyed to the counting sensor, in addition to cleaning the medal, the counting target medal and the non-counting target medal can be selected. In addition, the pair of belt conveying means having asynchronous circulatory speeds convey the medals by holding both ends in the diameter direction, so that the medals can be conveyed while rotating, thereby cleaning the peripheral edges of the medals without polishing them. Can be
According to the medal counting machine of claim 2 , since the abrasive is detachably provided in the conveyance path, the dirty abrasive can be easily replaced by a certain amount of polishing, and the cleaning ability is always kept constant. be able to.
According to the medal counting machine of the third aspect , since the dust collecting device is provided at the end of the conveyance path, the dust adhered to the medal can be removed, and the adhesion of the dust to the apparatus components on the downstream side in the conveyance direction Accumulation can be prevented.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a main part of a medal counting machine according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a view taken along arrow BB in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a view taken along the line CC in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a plan view of a conventional medal counting machine.
FIG. 5 is a view taken along arrow AA in FIG. 4;
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Medal, 21 ... Rotary disk, 23 ... Discharge port, 25 ... Conveyance path, 29, 31 ... Belt conveying means, 39 ... Abrasive material, 43 ... Dust collector, 45 ... Count sensor, 47 ... Medal counter

Claims (3)

The medals supplied on the rotating disk are discharged from the discharge port near the outer periphery of the disk by centrifugal force, and the discharged medals are aligned in a plane via the transfer path and transferred to the counting sensor, and pass through the counting sensor. In a medal counting machine that counts medals,
Provided a pair of belt conveying means said the outer peripheral portion of at least the diameter direction end of medals aligned with planar contacting a portion of the circuit plane carrying the medal to the transport path, opposite the pair of belt conveying means It is configured such that both ends in the diameter direction of the medal are sandwiched by the circumferential circuit surface and advance along the conveyance path,
An abrasive that is in sliding contact with the front and back surfaces of the medal conveyed by the pair of belt conveying means is provided in the conveying path,
The peripheral edges in the diameter direction of the counting object medal are placed, and a guide member is provided between the terminal portion of the abrasive and the counting sensor at an interval where the non-counting object medal with a small diameter falls without being placed ,
The pair of belt conveying means is driven so that the moving speeds of the respective peripheral circuit surfaces are different from each other . Medal counting apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that attached to the conveying path detachably the abrasive. 3. The medal counting device according to claim 1, wherein a dust collecting device for sucking or adsorbing dust adhering to the medal is provided in the conveyance path between the terminal portion of the abrasive and the counting sensor. Machine.

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