JP4705617B2 - Paper piece conveyor - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a device for transporting paper pieces such as banknotes, and more particularly to a paper piece transport device capable of making a transport path curved.

  In pachinko parlors, game centers, and the like, game islands are formed in which a plurality of pachinko machines and game machines (hereinafter referred to as game machines) are arranged. In this amusement island, game media lending machines that lend out pachinko balls and medals together with a game stand are arranged. In many cases, one game medium lending machine is arranged for one game machine. The game island is provided with a paper piece conveying device for sending the bills inserted into the game medium lending machine belonging to the game island to a collection device provided at the end of the game island.

  Amusement islands generally have game machines arranged in a straight line, but may be arranged in a curved line such as an arc depending on the in-store layout requirements. In such a case, the bill conveyance path is also curved in accordance with the arrangement of the game tables. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 11-263467 discloses a paper piece transport device for forming such a curved game island. In the paper piece conveying apparatus described in this publication, a plurality of boxes called conveyance direction adjusting bodies having openings are arranged so that the openings are connected to form a path through which bills are conveyed. Moreover, the conveyance direction adjustment bodies are connected to each other so as to be able to bend, with the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction in the plane formed by the conveyed banknotes as an axis. The conveyance path becomes a curve as a whole due to the bending of the adjacent conveyance direction adjusting bodies.

  Each of the transport direction adjusting bodies is provided with a roller, and a belt is stretched around these rollers. A banknote is pinched by this belt, and a banknote is conveyed by the belt rotated by the drive of a drive part.

In the paper piece conveying apparatus described in the above-mentioned publication, a curved path is formed by connecting a number of conveying direction adjusting bodies. However, rollers are provided on each conveying direction adjusting body, or these belts are passed between them. As a result, the structure is complicated and the assembly is troublesome, and accordingly, the cost becomes high and the maintainability is not good.
Furthermore, when a curvilinear path is formed by connecting a large number of conveyance direction adjusting bodies, a gap is generated, and foreign matters such as dust and dirt enter from the gap. It had an adverse effect on the transport (cause of failure such as banknote jam).

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and can be applied to a game island configured by arranging game machines in a curved shape, and is also an obstacle in arranging a game island in a building. An object of the present invention is to provide a paper piece conveyance device capable of avoiding obstacles such as pillars.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a paper piece conveying apparatus according to the present invention is configured such that a gaming table is configured by connecting a plurality of banknote conveying apparatuses each having a curved curved conveying path and a banknote conveying apparatus having a linear conveying path. In a paper piece conveying apparatus that can form a curved conveying path on a curved gaming island, the paper piece conveying apparatus having a curved conveying path includes a drive unit that forms a conveying mechanism for nipping and conveying the paper piece, and a piece of paper A connecting passage formed by connecting a plurality of connecting segments each having an opening to pass through, an arc-shaped wall surface formed around the curved center of the connecting passage, and a connecting direction of each connecting segment forming the connecting passage. and the elongated member engaged, consists, when the curved articulating passage formed concatenated segments and multiple coupling, connecting passage by the elasticity of the elongated member Overall, characterized in that it is formed in one of a substantially circular arc path as.

In this way, by connecting a plurality of unit-type paper piece conveyance devices having curved curved paths and unit-type paper piece conveyance devices having linear paths, game islands in which game machines are arranged in a curved shape, etc. It is possible to form a curved conveyance path.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a part of a game island 12 in which game machines 10 such as pachinko machines are arranged in a curved shape. The illustrated portion of the game island 12 is a portion in which the gaming tables 10 are arranged in a substantially arc shape, and the outside of the arc is a surface facing the player. A game medium lending machine 14 that lends pachinko balls and the like is provided on the right side of each game table 10 from the player.
The game media lending machine 14 lends pachinko balls and the like according to the amount of bills inserted by the player. The inserted banknotes are sent from the game medium lending machine 14 to a paper piece conveying device 16 provided on the inner back side of the arranged game machines 10. The paper piece conveyance device 16 is arranged along the arrangement on the back side of the game table 10 and reaches a collection device 18 provided at the end of the game island. The paper piece conveyance device 16 (unit-type paper piece conveyance device) is configured in a curved shape along the shape of the game island 12 as a whole by alternately connecting the linear conveyance device 20 and the curved conveyance device 22.

  In the present embodiment, a piece of paper (hereinafter referred to as a banknote) is transported in such a posture that the normal line of the paper surface is in the horizontal plane and the long side coincides with the transport direction. Therefore, the direction orthogonal to both the banknote conveyance direction and the banknote normal direction, that is, the direction crossing the plane of the banknote to be conveyed coincides with the vertical direction when the apparatus is installed. This direction, that is, the direction crossing the sheet to be transported will be described hereinafter simply as the vertical direction.

  2 to 4 show a schematic configuration of the curved conveyance device 22. 2 is an external perspective view, FIG. 3 is a sectional view, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view. The curve conveyance device 22 includes a drive unit 24 and a bending unit 26, and the drive unit 24 is provided with a drive mechanism for conveying banknotes. The bent portion 26 has a structure that can be bent in a range of about 90 ° with an axis extending in the vertical direction as an axis, and a plurality of connecting segments 28 are arranged in a line inside the adjacent connecting segments 28. A connecting passage 30 formed to be bendable is provided. By bending the connecting segments 28, the entire connecting passage 30 is curved to form a curved path.

  The drive unit 24 includes a motor 32, a gear case 40 that houses gears 36 and 38 that constitute a gear train that transmits the power of the motor to a drive shaft 34 that extends in the vertical direction, and a drive unit guide 42 that guides bills therein. 4 and a maintenance cover 46 that detachably covers the upper part of the main body case 44 in FIG. An in-cover guide 48 is provided in the maintenance cover 46 in correspondence with the drive unit guide 42. The main body case 44 is shorter than the length of the banknote in the transverse direction, and when the maintenance cover 46 is removed, a part of the banknote is exposed. Therefore, when a banknote is jammed, the jammed banknote can be easily taken out without being damaged by removing the maintenance cover 46.

  In addition to the motor 32, the drive shaft 34, and the gears 36 and 38, the drive mechanism in the drive unit 24 includes a driven shaft 50 that is arranged in parallel with the drive shaft 34 in the conveying direction, and the drive shaft 34 to the driven shaft. 50 includes pulleys 52 and 54 for transmitting driving force to the belt 50 and a belt 56. Further, the two shafts 34 and 50 are provided with driving rollers 58 and 60, respectively. Opposing rollers 62 and 64 are held by opposing roller holders 66 and 68 at positions facing these driving rollers 58 and 60. The opposing rollers 62 and 64 are urged toward the corresponding driving rollers 58 and 60, respectively, and hold the bills passing between them together with the driving rollers 58 and 60. The driving force of the motor 32 is transmitted to the banknotes from the driving rollers 58 and 60 by the operation of the above driving mechanism, and the banknotes are sent out toward the connecting passage 30.

As shown in FIG. 4, the main body case 44 (upstream housing) is composed of a main body lower case 44a and a main body upper case 44b, and these cases extend in the rear left direction in FIG. 26 is configured. An annular ring ridge 70 having an axial line in the vertical direction is provided at a portion located at the bent portion 26 of the main body upper case 44b. The main body lower case 44a is also provided with an annular protrusion on the same axis (not shown). In addition to the main body case 44, the bent portion 26 includes a turning head 72 that turns around an axis extending in the vertical direction relative to the main body case 44. The swivel head 72 includes a lower swivel head 72a and an upper swivel head 72b that are divided into upper and lower parts, each of which has a holder portion 76 having an engagement hole 74 that engages with two annular protrusions 70 of the main body case. Is provided. The holder portion 76 side is referred to as a downstream casing, and the upstream casing is configured separately around the bend center. The upstream housing is provided with two openings 26a that are substantially similar to the cross-sectional shape of two arcuate wall surfaces 84a described later.
The upper and lower turning heads 72a and 72b are each provided with a coupling plate 78 for coupling with the adjacent linear conveyance device 22. The upper and lower turning heads 72 a and 72 b are coupled by a joint 80.

The upper and lower turning heads 72 a and 72 b are coupled so as to sandwich the main body case 44 from above and below so that the annular protrusion 70 and the engagement hole 74 are engaged, and the turning head 72 is connected to the annular protrusion 70. It is possible to turn (bend) within a range of about 90 ° about the axis.
Further, the turning head 72 is provided with a cylindrical cover 84 that surrounds the internal structure of the bent portion 26 together with the main body case 44. The cylindrical cover 84 is formed with two substantially semicircular arcuate wall surfaces 84a so as to penetrate the opening 26a described above. The arc-shaped wall surface 84a is formed in such a length that it can be kept penetrating even when bent, so that there is no gap, and dust, dirt, etc. to the connecting passage 30 inside the conveyance (internal structure), etc. Prevents foreign objects from entering. The substantially semicircular arc-shaped wall surface 84a is integrally formed of a resin material (for example, an ABS resin material).

FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 are diagrams showing a state in which the turning head 72 is turned leftward in the conveyance direction (FIG. 3) and a neutral position (FIG. 5). It can be seen that the internal connecting passage 30 is curved in accordance with the turning of the turning head 72. A substantially semicircular arc-shaped wall surface 84a formed in the cylindrical cover 84 shown in FIG. 3 is inserted into the opening 26a on one side in the main body cover 44 at the end of the turning range, and covers the internal structure. It is shown that. Even when bent in this way (maximum position), there is no gap between the tip of the main body cover 44 and the rear end of the arcuate wall surface 84a.
In addition, since it will be symmetrical with FIG. 3 when turning right, illustration is abbreviate | omitted here.
Further, the paper piece conveying device 16 here is provided with a curved conveying device 22 at the end of the linear conveying device 20 and is alternately connected to form a curved shape along the shape of the game island 12 as a whole. You may employ | adopt for the structure which provided the curve conveyance apparatus 22 which can be bent in the substantially middle vicinity of the apparatus 20. FIG.

  The joint 80 also functions as a holder that holds the coupling pawl 82. The coupling claw 82 is provided with a coupling claw 82 a, and the coupling claw 82 a passes through a hole formed in the bonding plate 78 b and projects to the opposite surface of the bonding plate 78. The coupling claw engages with a coupling hole (not shown) provided in a coupling surface (not shown) of the adjacent linear conveyance device 22 to engage the conveyance devices.

  6 to 9 are views showing details of the connecting passage 30. FIG. 6 and 7 show a state in which the connecting passage 30 is linear, FIG. 6 (a) is a view seen from above, FIG. 6 (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. It is the figure seen in the horizontal direction. 8 and 9 show a state in which the communication path 30 is curved, FIG. 8 (a) is a view seen from above, FIG. 8 (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. It is the figure seen in the horizontal direction.

  The connecting segment 28 is formed of three types of segments. That is, they are the introduction segment 28a arranged on the most upstream side in the bill conveyance direction, the discharge segment 28b arranged on the most downstream side, and the intermediate segment 28c connecting these segments 28a, 28b. Four intermediate segments 28c are used in the present embodiment, and these four shapes are exactly the same. The individual connecting segments 28 will be described in detail later.

  As shown in FIG. 6A and the like, a pair of protrusions 88 that sandwich the piano wire 86 are provided on the upper surfaces of the introduction segment 28a and the intermediate segment 28c. The piano wire 86 is straight when not constrained, and when the connecting passage 30 is bent and the piano wire 86 is bent, the elastic force acts to return the connecting passage 30 to a straight state. Further, the elastic force of the piano wire 86 acts so that the connecting passage is not formed into an S-shape when the connecting passage 30 is bent, or almost one arc is drawn. In addition to a linear member such as a piano wire, an elongated plate-like leaf spring, and a long member such as a columnar member can be used.

10 and 11 show details of the introduction segment 28a. Fig.10 (a) is a perspective view, FIG.10 (b) is the figure seen from the upstream of the conveyance direction of a banknote. 11 is a cross-sectional view, (a) is a cross-sectional view of a central plane extending in the vertical direction, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA shown in FIG. The introduction segment 28a has a substantially rectangular frame shape as a schematic shape, and a substantially rectangular opening 90 is formed therein.
At the upper and lower ends of the frame 92 that forms the opening 90, connecting pieces 94 that extend toward the downstream side in the transport direction are provided. The connecting piece 94 is provided with a connecting hole 96 for engaging with the intermediate segment 28c. In addition, seven pairs of guide pieces 98 are arranged along the long side of the frame 92, and each guide piece 98 extends toward the downstream in the transport direction. Each of the guide pieces 98 has a surface on the side of the conveyance path of the banknote formed in an arc that is slightly concave inward along the conveyance direction. 9 is a cross section including the guide piece 98. As shown in FIG. In addition, about the number of induction | guidance | derivation pieces, it can change suitably.

  The introduction segment 28 a is fixed to the main body case 44 with the flange 100 provided on the frame 92 being held by a substantially L-shaped holding protrusion 102 (see FIG. 3) formed on the main body case 44.

  12 and 13 show details of the discharge segment 28b. FIG. 12A is a perspective view, and FIG. 12B is a diagram viewed from the upstream side in the banknote transport direction. 13 is a cross-sectional view, (a) is a cross-sectional view of a central plane extending in the vertical direction, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA shown in FIG. The discharge segment 28b has a substantially rectangular frame shape as a schematic shape, and a substantially rectangular opening 104 is formed therein. At the upper and lower ends of the frame 106 that forms the opening 104, connecting projections 108 for engaging with the intermediate segment 28c are provided. The frame 106 is provided with a slit 110. The slit 110 is provided to prevent interference between the guide piece of the intermediate segment 28c described later and the frame 106. As shown in the figure, the slits 110 may be provided in one-to-one correspondence with the guide pieces, or one slit may be provided for several guide pieces. Further, a pair of guide plates 112 extending from the long side of the frame 106 toward the downstream side in the transport direction are provided. As shown in FIG. 3 and the like, the guide plate 112 is inserted before the coupling plate 78 of the swivel head 72, that is, into the adjacent linear transport device, and functions to smoothly feed bills. The frame 106 of the discharge segment 28 b is held by the cylindrical cover 84 and swivels together with the swivel head 72.

  14 and 15 are views showing details of the intermediate segment 28c. FIG. 14A is a perspective view, and FIG. 14B is a diagram viewed from the upstream side in the banknote conveyance direction. 15 is a cross-sectional view, (a) is a cross-sectional view of a central plane extending in the vertical direction, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA shown in FIG. The intermediate segment 28c has a substantially rectangular frame shape as a schematic shape, and a substantially rectangular opening 114 is formed therein. Connecting protrusions 118 are provided on the upper and lower ends of the frame 116 that forms the opening 114. Further, at the upper end and the lower end of the frame 116, a connecting piece 122 having a connecting hole 120 and extending toward the downstream in the transport direction is provided.

  The connection protrusion 118 engages with the connection holes 96 and 120 of the adjacent intermediate segment 28c or introduction segment 28a. The connection hole 120 of the intermediate segment 28c adjacent to the discharge segment 28b engages with the connection protrusion 108 of the discharge segment 28b. As a result, the substantially rectangular openings 90, 104, 114 of each connecting segment 28 are connected to form one transport path. Also, the adjacent connecting segments 28 can be bent by the engagement of the connecting holes 96, 120 and the connecting protrusions 108, 118, and the connecting path 30 can be curved as a whole, and the conveying path can be curved. I can do it.

  Further, seven pairs of guide pieces 124 are arranged along the long side of the frame 116, and each guide piece 124 extends downstream in the transport direction. Each of these guide pieces 124 has a surface on the side of the banknote conveyance path formed in a concave arc slightly inward along the conveyance direction. Further, the wall surface of the frame 116 with which the bills are in contact is also formed in an arc that is slightly concave inward along the transport direction, similar to the guide piece 124. 9 is a cross-section including the guide piece 124. As shown in FIG. In addition, a slit 126 is provided in the frame 116 in order to prevent interference between the guide pieces 124 and 98 of the adjacent connecting segments 28 and the frame 116. The guide pieces 98 and 124 and the slits 110 and 126 are inserted into the slits of adjacent segments as shown in FIG. The number of the guide pieces 124 and the slits 126 can be changed as appropriate, and the slits may extend over several guide pieces instead of one to one with respect to the guide pieces.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the frames 92, 106, 116 of each connecting segment 28 are configured to narrow the width of the opening toward the downstream side in the transport direction in the horizontal cross section, and downstream in the adjacent portions of the frames. A downward step is formed. This is the same when the connecting passage 30 is curved as shown in FIG. 8, and the leading edge of the banknote abuts against a rising step and prevents a paper jam. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the guide pieces 98 and 124 bridge between the connecting segment frames 92, 106, and 116, and the bills are smoothly guided.

  In addition, the guide pieces 98 and 124 provided in each connecting segment are provided so as to be continuously arranged in the transport direction, that is, aligned in the vertical direction, and on the inner wall surface outside the curved transport path, The surfaces of the continuous guide pieces 98 and 124 form a substantially arc shape as a whole. Further, as described above, the inner wall surfaces of the guide pieces 98 and 124 are formed in a concave arc shape inside, and the surface formed by each guide piece is formed into a smoother surface. Furthermore, the curved inner side wall surfaces of the guide pieces 98 and 124 and the frames 92, 106, and 116 are continuously and smoothly connected as a whole, thereby preventing the conveyance of banknotes. As described above, a concave arc is formed on the surface of the frame 116 that contacts the banknote, and a smooth surface as a whole is formed. Moreover, the guide pieces 98 and 124 on the inner wall surface on the inner side of the transport path have a downward step, and the banknote is prevented from being bumped by the upward step. When a curved path is transported, the bill, particularly its tip, moves mainly along the outer inner wall surface, so that it is necessary to make the outer inner plane sufficiently smooth. On the other hand, even if there is a downward step on the inner inner wall surface, it does not matter so much. The shape of the details of the connecting passage 30 of this embodiment is determined so that the above is achieved. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the turning head 72 is turned to the maximum. When the paper piece conveying device 16 of the present embodiment is actually installed, the curvature may be smaller than this, Some down steps are also formed on the outer inner wall surface.

  FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a state in which the linear conveyance device 20 and the curved conveyance device 22 located on the upstream side thereof are connected. On the upstream side of the linear conveyance device 20, a portion that is coupled to the curved conveyance device 22 is provided with a banknote receiving unit 128 that receives a banknote from the game medium lending machine 14. The banknote receiving unit 128 has receiving heads 130 on the left and right sides of the banknote transport path. The receiving head 130 has a base 132 fixed to the linear transport device 20 and a receiving opening 134 for receiving banknotes. On the other hand, a swinging portion 136 that swings the head around the vertical axis is provided.

  FIG. 17 is a view of the banknote receiving portion 128 and its periphery as viewed from above, and the two receiving heads 130 show a state where the swinging portion 136 is fixed at different angles. In FIG. 17, the swinging portion 136 of the receiving head 130 shown below is fixed at the neutral position, and the swinging portion 136 of the one shown above is swung to the right. The head swing portion 136 is pivotally supported so that it can swing in the same direction in the opposite direction. By swinging the head in this way, as shown in FIG. 1, when the angles of the game medium lending machine 14 and the linear transport device 20 are not orthogonal, these adaptations are achieved.

  As described above, in the curvilinear conveying device 22 of the present embodiment, the inner wall surface of the connecting passage 30, particularly the outer inner plane when curved, is smoothly or at least not formed ascending steps with respect to the bill conveying direction. Thus, it can be pushed by the drive mechanism provided on the upstream side, can pass through the connecting passage 30, and can be sent to the downstream linear conveyance device 20. There is no need to provide a drive mechanism inside the bent connecting passage 30 and the structure is simplified.

  In addition, since each connecting segment 28 of the connecting passage 30 is engaged with the common piano wire 86, the direction in which the connecting passage bends like an S-shape is not changed by the elastic force of the piano wire 86. A smooth curve is drawn. Thereby, banknote jam is prevented.

  Further, the connecting passage 30 is covered with an arcuate wall surface 84a formed in the main body cover 44 and the cylindrical cover 84 to prevent foreign matter such as dust and dirt from entering from the outside, and the inner wall surface is always clean and smooth. Is maintained.

  Moreover, when a banknote is jammed in the curved conveying device 22, if the maintenance cover 46 is removed, the upper side of the banknote is exposed and can be eliminated. Since the maintenance cover 46 is provided above, it can be handled from either the left or right side of the transport path. In other words, both can be used in common in the layout of the game island, for example, when sending banknotes to the right from the player and when sending them to the left.

  In the present embodiment, the bill to be transported is a bill, but it is also possible to transport a piece of paper having a predetermined size (for example, a card).

It is a figure which shows the outline of the game island which arranged the game stand. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the curve conveying apparatus of this embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the curved conveyance apparatus of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view of the curve conveyance apparatus of FIG. It is the figure which made the curve conveyance apparatus of FIG. 2 the linear state. It is a figure which shows the detail of the connection path of a linear state. It is a figure which shows the detail of the connection path of a linear state. It is a figure which shows the detail of the connection path | route of a curve state. It is a figure which shows the detail of the connection path | route of a curve state. It is a figure which shows the detail of the introduction segment which forms a connection channel | path. It is a figure which shows the detail of the introduction segment which forms a connection channel | path. It is a figure which shows the detail of the discharge segment which forms a connection channel | path. It is a figure which shows the detail of the discharge segment which forms a connection channel | path. It is a figure which shows the detail of the intermediate segment which forms a connection channel | path. It is a figure which shows the detail of the intermediate segment which forms a connection channel | path. It is a perspective view which shows a banknote acceptance part and its periphery. It is a figure which shows a banknote acceptance part and the upper surface of the circumference | surroundings.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Game stand 12 Game island 16 Paper piece conveyance apparatus 20 Linear conveyance apparatus 22 Curve conveyance apparatus 24 Drive part 26 Bending part 26a Opening part 84 Cylindrical cover 84a Arc-shaped wall surface

Claims (1)

By connecting a plurality of banknote transport apparatuses having curved curved transport paths and banknote transport apparatuses having linear transport paths, it is possible to form a curvilinear transport path on a game island in which game machines are arranged in a curvilinear shape. In the paper piece transport device,
A paper piece conveying device having a curved conveying path is:
A drive unit having a conveyance mechanism for nipping and conveying a piece of paper;
A connecting passage formed by connecting a plurality of connecting segments each having an opening through which a piece of paper passes;
An arcuate wall formed around the curved center of the connecting passage;
A long member engaged with each connecting segment in a direction in which each connecting segment forming the connecting passage is connected ;
Consisting of
When a connecting passage formed by connecting a plurality of connecting segments is curved,
The paper piece transporting apparatus, wherein the continuous passage is formed in a substantially arcuate path as a whole by the elasticity of the long member .

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