JP4257316B2 - Belt conveyor equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a belt conveyor device used mainly for transporting medals, coins and the like (hereinafter referred to as medals) of gaming machines.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a game arcade, a belt conveyor device is provided that collects used medals in a gaming machine that uses medals such as a slot machine and transports them to a medal cleaning and polishing device. This belt conveyor device is usually installed horizontally below the gaming machine, but it may be necessary to incline from the horizontal depending on the height of the transfer destination and the layout with the gaming machine. As shown in FIG. 2, a conveying path is configured by using two belt conveyor devices 21. In the figure, 20 is a gaming machine, 20a is a medal discharge path, 21a is a drive unit, and 22 is a collecting device. However, this method is costly because the drive unit 21a is required for each conveyor, and there is a problem that the structure is complicated and a large installation space is required.

  On the other hand, FIG. 17 shows a plurality of gaming machines 20 arranged with their back surfaces facing each other. FIG. 17A shows an example in which a belt conveyor device 21 is installed in each of the arranged gaming machines 20 to construct an independent conveyance path. FIG. 17B is arranged at the lower center of the opposing gaming machines 20. This is an example of a structure in which the medal discharge path 20a is inclined toward one belt conveyor device 21. However, the one shown in FIG. 17 (a) requires a large number of belt conveyor devices 21 and is expensive, and the one shown in FIG. 17 (b) cannot arrange the belt conveyor device 21 on the horizontal side low. There has also been a problem that the medal m is difficult to be quickly discharged because the inclination angle θ becomes gentle.

  Therefore, in order to solve these problems, a belt conveyor apparatus shown in FIG. 18 has been proposed. In this technique, a feed frame is configured to rise with a refracting frame 23 refracted at a predetermined angle between the front and rear conveyor frames 21b, and an endless conveyor belt 24 is formed between the start and end of the conveyor frame 21b. It is characterized in that a rotatable presser roller 27 is attached to the refracting frame 23 so as to be able to move up and down by a shaft support member 26 so as to press the forward path surface of the conveyor belt 24 from above and follow the refracting shape. In the figure, m is a medal.

According to this technology, even a layout that needs to be inclined in the middle of the conveyor can be made into a single continuous and simple transport path without being divided. However, when a large number of medals m are conveyed at one time, there is a problem that the upward movement of the presser roller 27 is not in time and clogging occurs.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-35215

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to solve these conventional problems, and even in a layout where it is necessary to incline the middle of the conveyor, a continuous conveyor path can be formed by one conveyor without combining separate conveyors. Another object of the present invention is to provide a low-cost and space-saving belt conveyor device that can be configured and can pass smoothly without causing clogging even when a large amount of conveyed material is conveyed to the refracting portion of the conveyor frame.

The configuration of the present invention that solves this problem is as follows.
1) The conveyor belt is refracted at a predetermined angle so that the feed direction rises in the middle of the straight conveyor frame, and an endless conveyor belt is hung between the start and end of the conveyor frame. It is supported on the upper surface, and a rotatable presser roller is attached to the refracting part of the conveyor frame so that it can move up and down and press the forward path surface of the conveyor belt along the refracting shape . A belt conveyor device used for the conveyance, wherein a recess serving as a passing space for a conveyed product is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the pressing roller, and the conveyor belt pressed by the pressing roller in a state where the conveyed product does not pass is a conveyor frame. The upper surface of the refracting part is gently recessed downward to form a bay-shaped part so that it floats from the upper surface of the refracting part. When sandwiched between belts, the conveyor belt can be deformed in the direction of the bay, and the same deformation forms a wide gap between the presser roller and the conveyor belt so that the conveyed product can pass smoothly. The belt conveyor device 2) The left and right side walls of the refracted part of the conveyor frame are raised upward, a recess is formed in the left and right side wall, and a presser roller is pivotally supported in the recessed part. 1) The belt conveyor apparatus described in 1) above, in which a material is inserted from above so that the conveyor belt can be moved up and down to a position where the conveyor belt floats. 2) The belt conveyor device described in 2) above, wherein a spring is stretched between the conveyor frame and the shaft support member, and the conveyor belt is pressed by the return force of the spring. Unishi was the 2) a structure in which a belt conveyor device 5) shaft support according can be separated into right and left, the two) to 4) of refraction of the belt conveyor 6) conveyor frame according to any one of before and after It exists in the belt conveyor apparatus in any one of said 1) -5) made into the structure which can be separated freely by a linear part, a recessed part, and a convex part .

  In the present invention, depending on the angle of refraction of the conveyor frame, the forward path of the suspended conveyor belt is lifted from the conveyor frame, but this can be held by the rotatable pressing roller attached to the refracting part so as to follow the refractive shape. Therefore, even a layout that needs to be inclined in the middle of the conveyor can be formed into a single continuous conveyance path without being divided. Also, when the conveyor belt is deformed in the direction of the bay due to the transported object sandwiched between the presser roller and the conveyor belt, a wide space is formed between the presser roller and the conveyor belt. However, it can be transported smoothly and stably without clogging.

  The presser roller of the present invention includes a presser that is pressed by its own weight, a presser that is pressed by the weight of a weight, and a presser that is pressed by the return force of a tensioned spring, and is arbitrarily selected according to the rigidity and refraction angle of the conveyor belt. It is desirable to form a recess in the outer peripheral surface of the press roller so that the conveyed product can smoothly pass through the press roller. If the conveyor frame has a structure in which the refracting part can be separated from the straight part and a large number of parts of the refracting part are prepared in accordance with the refraction angle, the parts can be shared and the conveyance paths of various layouts can be configured at low cost. Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

  The first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 7 is an example in which the belt conveyor device of the present invention is applied to the medal collection of a slot machine in a game hall. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing an installation state of the belt conveyor device of the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of the belt conveyor device of the first embodiment, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a refracting portion of the belt conveyor device of the first embodiment. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the refracting portion of the belt conveyor device of the first embodiment, FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the refracting portion of the belt conveyor device of the first embodiment, and FIGS. 6 and 7 are operations of the pressing roller of the first embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows a deformation | transformation of a conveyor belt.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the belt conveyor device 1 according to the first embodiment is provided with a refracting frame 3 that inclines the conveyance path at a predetermined angle from the middle between two linear conveyor frames 2. A motor 5 is attached to the end portion of the conveyor frame 2, and a drive chain 5 d is suspended between a gear 5 a that is attached to the output shaft of the motor 5 and a gear 5 b that is attached to the drive shaft 5 c at the end portion of the conveyor frame 2. The endless conveyor belt 4 is hung between the drive shaft 5c and the driven shaft 5e of the right conveyor frame 2.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the refracting frame 3 is configured by abutting right and left contrasting members, and a box-shaped fitting convex portion 3 a to be fitted into the fitting concave portion 2 a of the conveyor frame 2 is arranged in the front and rear. The bolt holes 2b and 3b are formed so as to communicate with both side surfaces of the fitting recess 2a of the conveyor frame 2 and both side surfaces of the fitting projection 3a. Yes. The left and right side walls are greatly raised upward, and a recess 3c into which the shaft support member 6 is inserted from above is formed at the rising portion, and a guide 3d is formed on the vertical side inside the recess 3c. The upper surface of the refracting portion is gently recessed downward to form a bay portion 3e so that the forward path 4a of the conveyor belt 4 floats at the refracting portion.

  A guide groove 6a that fits with the guide 3d of the refracting frame 3 is formed in the shaft support member 6 in the vertical direction, a shaft hole 6b into which the shaft 7a is inserted is formed in the lower portion, and the press roller 7 is inserted into the shaft hole 6b. It is supported by a fixture 7c via a spacer 7b, a weight 8, and a bearing 8a. Reference numeral 7d denotes a passing space formed for passing the medal m that is a conveyed product.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the belt conveyor apparatus 1 is installed below the slot machines 10 arranged side by side so that the right conveyor frame 2 is horizontal and the left conveyor frame 2 is inclined upward. Then, a medal discharge path 10a for discharging the medal m of the slot machine 10 to the belt conveyor device 1 is suspended, and a collecting device 11 is installed below the conveyance destination.

  In addition, a medal cleaning and polishing device 12 for cleaning and polishing the medal m collected by the recovery device 11 is installed, a lifter 13 for transporting the medal m cleaned and polished by the medal cleaning and polishing device 12 is installed, and transported by the lifter 13. A belt conveyor device 14 is provided for supplying the medals m above the slot machine 10, and a medal delivery path 14 a for sending the medals m supplied by the belt conveyor device 14 to the slot machine 10 is provided vertically.

  In the belt conveyor apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, when the motor 5 is operated, the forward path 4a of the conveyor belt 4 is rotated from the right side to the left side, and the presser roller 7 has a weight 8 as shown in FIGS. The forward path 4a of the conveyor belt 4 is pressed against the front and rear conveyor frames 2 by weight and rotates by friction with the forward path 4a. In a state where the medals m do not pass, the conveyor belt 4 floats from the bay portion 3e. When the medal m is ejected from the slot machine 10 through the medal ejection path 10a, the medal m falls on the forward path 4a of the conveyor belt 4 and is transported to the left side, and is transported upward through the refractive frame 3 on the way and collected. It is collected in the device 11. 4b is a return path of the conveyor belt 4.

  At this time, when the medal m passes through the refracting frame 3, as shown in FIG. 6A, the presser roller 7 rotates and rotates upwardly on the shaft support member 6 by the thickness of the medal m and below the conveyor belt 4. With a slight deformation, the medals m are transported smoothly without obstructing the passage. In addition, the presser roller 7 that has moved upward still presses the forward path 4a of the conveyor belt 4 through the tokens m with the weight 8, and the conveyor belt 4 does not rise significantly.

  Further, even when a large number of medals m are conveyed at a time, as shown in FIG. 6B, the conveyor belt 4 is greatly deformed downward so as to come into contact with the bay-shaped portion 3e, and the medals m pass without clogging. it can. In the case of a larger amount, as shown in FIGS. 6C and 7B, the shaft support member 6 slides further upward to form a wide space between the presser roller 7 and the conveyor belt 4. Pass smoothly.

  Thereafter, the recovered medals m are cleaned and polished by the medal cleaning and polishing device 12, and then transported upward by the lifter 13 and supplied again to the upper portion of the slot machine 10 by the belt conveyor device 14, and then the slot machine by the medal delivery path 14a. 10 is sent.

  The second embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 to 10 is an example in which the conveyor belt is pressed by the return force of the tension spring. FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of a refracting portion of the belt conveyor device of the second embodiment, FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a refracting portion of the belt conveyor device of the second embodiment, and FIG. 10 is an operation of the pressing roller and the conveyor belt of the second embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the deformation | transformation. In the figure, 3f and 6c are latching projections, and 9 is a spring.

  In the second embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the latch protrusions 3 f and 6 c that latch both ends of the spring 9 on the lower side surface of the refracting frame 3 and the upper side surface of the shaft support member 6 are the length of the normal spring 9. The shaft support member 6 is inserted into the recess 3c of the refracting frame 3, and the spring 9 is extended between the hooking protrusions 3f and 6c.

  As shown in FIG. 10A, the shaft support member 6 is pulled downward by the return force of the spring 9, and the forward path 4 a of the conveyor belt 4 is pressed against the front and rear conveyor frames 2 by the pressing roller 7. When the medal m passes, the presser roller 7 moves upward while rotating as shown in FIG. 10B, and the conveyor belt 4 is deformed in the direction of the bay portion 3e, and the presser 9 is pressed by the return force of the spring 9. The roller 7 passes the medal m while pressing the forward path 4a of the conveyor belt 4 downward through the medal m. Other reference numerals and configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  11 and 12 show other examples of the shaft support member of the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a shaft support member of another example of the first embodiment, and FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the shaft support member of another example of the first embodiment. In the figure, 6d is a retaining piece, 6e is a retaining hole, 7e is a bearing, and 7f is a key.

  The shaft support member 6 shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 is composed of two bodies on the left and right sides so that the shaft support member 6 can be divided by a latching piece 6d and a latching hole 6e formed at opposing positions on the upper surface. A key 7f is formed at both ends of the shaft 7a, and a bearing 7e that engages with the key 7f is formed inside each of the divided shaft supporting members 6, and the shaft 7a is fixedly attached. In this example, the weight 8 is used. However, a hooking projection 6c for hooking the spring 9 may be provided on the shaft support member 6 so that both the weight 8 and the spring 9 can be used. Other reference numerals and configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 13 shows another example of the pressing roller of the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a pressing roller according to another example of the first embodiment. The pressing roller 7 shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B shows various shapes of the passage space 7d for the medal m formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof. FIG. 13A shows an example in which the cross section is formed in a rectangular shape and the passage space 7d is made larger. FIG. 13B shows the passage space 7d when the conveyor belt 4 is wide. Two places are formed, and the forward path 4a of the conveyor belt 4 is pressed at three places. Other reference numerals and configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 14 shows another example of the belt conveyor device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of another example of the belt conveyor device according to the first embodiment. The belt conveyor apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 14 combines five conveyor frames 2 and two refracting frames 3 so as to be U-shaped as a whole. In the figure, reference numeral 15 denotes a guide roller disposed on the convex curve portion. As described above, even in a layout in which an obstacle or the like needs to be detoured when a conveyance path is assembled, one continuous belt conveyor device 1 can be freely configured by one motor 5. Other reference numerals and configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 15 shows another example of the arrangement of the belt conveyor device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 15 is an explanatory view showing the installation state of the belt conveyor device of another example of the first embodiment, and shows the state in which the slot machines 10 are arranged with their back surfaces facing each other from the lateral direction. The belt conveyor device 1 is installed at the lower center of the opposing slot machine 10, and the medal discharge path 10 a of the slot machine 10 is inclined toward the belt conveyor device 1.

  Therefore, since the belt conveyor device 1 of the present invention can be installed low with a structure not limited to the layout, the inclination angle θ of the medal discharge path 10a can be made larger than the horizontal to make it steep, and the medal m can be added to the belt conveyor device 1. It becomes possible to discharge quickly. Other reference numerals and configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  The belt conveyor apparatus of the present invention is mainly used for transporting game media of gaming machines such as medals and coins, but can also be applied to general-purpose belt conveyors for various transported objects transported by conventional belt conveyors.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the installation state of the belt conveyor apparatus of Example 1. FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a belt conveyor device according to a first embodiment. It is an expansion perspective view of the refracting part of the belt conveyor apparatus of Example 1. It is a disassembled perspective view of the refractive part of the belt conveyor apparatus of Example 1. FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the refractive part of the belt conveyor apparatus of Example 1. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation | movement of the pressing roller of Example 1, and a deformation | transformation of a conveyor belt. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation | movement of the pressing roller of Example 1, and a deformation | transformation of a conveyor belt. It is an expansion perspective view of the refracting part of the belt conveyor apparatus of Example 2. It is a disassembled perspective view of the refractive part of the belt conveyor apparatus of Example 2. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation | movement of the pressing roller of Example 2, and a deformation | transformation of a conveyor belt. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another example of a shaft support member according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of another example of a shaft support member according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a pressing roller according to another example of Embodiment 1. It is explanatory drawing of the belt conveyor apparatus of the other example of Example 1. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the installation state of the belt conveyor apparatus of the other example of Example 1. FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the conventional belt conveyor apparatus. It is explanatory drawing of the conventional belt conveyor apparatus. It is explanatory drawing of the conventional belt conveyor apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Belt conveyor apparatus 2 Conveyor frame 2a Fitting recess 2b Bolt hole 3 Refraction frame 3a Fitting protrusion 3b Bolt hole 3c Recess 3d Guide 3e Bay part 3f Latching protrusion 4 Conveyor belt 4a Outbound path 4b Return path 5 Motor 5a, 5b Gear 5c Drive shaft 5d Drive chain 5e Drive shaft 6 Shaft support member 6a Guide groove 6b Shaft hole 6c Locking protrusion 6d Locking piece 6e Locking hole 7 Pressing roller 7a Shaft 7b Spacer 7c Fixing tool 7d Passing space 7f Bearing 7e 8 Weight 8a Bearing 9 Spring 10 Slot Machine 10a Medal Discharge Path 11 Collection Device 12 Medal Washing Polishing Device 13 Lifter 14 Belt Conveyor Device 14a Medal Delivery Route 15 Guide Roller 20 Game Machine 20a Medal Discharge Route 21 Belt Conveyor Device 21a Drive Unit 21b Con Ya frame 22 recovery device 23 refractive frame 24 the conveyor belt 26 the shaft support member 27 pressing roller m medals

Claims (6)

The conveyor belt is refracted at a predetermined angle so that the feed direction rises in the middle of the straight conveyor frame, and an endless conveyor belt is hung between the start and end of the conveyor frame. so as to be supported, it mounted a rotatable pressing roller which along with the refractive shape bent portion presses the outward surface of the conveyor belt from above the conveyor frame vertically movably, the medal game machine and the conveyed object, the conveyor In addition, a recess is formed in the outer peripheral surface of the presser roller as a passing space for the conveyed product, and the conveyor belt that is pressed by the presser roller when the conveyed product does not pass is refracted by the conveyor frame. The upper surface of the refracting part is gently recessed downward so that it floats from the upper part of the part, forming a bay-shaped part, and the conveyed product is a presser roller and a conveyor bell. The conveyor belt can be deformed in the direction of the bay when it is sandwiched between the belt and a wide gap between the presser roller and the conveyor belt so that the conveyed product can pass smoothly. A belt conveyor device.   The left and right side walls of the refracted part of the conveyor frame are raised upward, and recesses are formed in the raised left and right side walls. A shaft support member that pivotally supports a presser roller is inserted into the recess and the conveyor belt floats. The belt conveyor device according to claim 1, wherein the belt conveyor device can move up and down to a position.   The belt conveyor apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a weight of a predetermined weight is provided on the shaft support member or the pressing roller, and the conveyor belt is pressed by the weight of the weight.   The belt conveyor apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a spring is suspended in a tension state between the conveyor frame and the shaft support member, and the conveyor belt is pressed by a return force of the spring.   The belt conveyor apparatus in any one of Claims 2-4 made into the structure which can isolate | separate a shaft support member into right and left. The belt conveyor device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the refracting portion of the conveyor frame is structured to be separable so as to be freely fitted at the front and rear straight portions and the concave and convex portions .

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