JP5374066B2 - Game ball supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game ball feeder neither occupying a large installation space in a height direction nor causing a cost increase. <P>SOLUTION: This game ball feeder includes a belt conveyance device 1A conveying game balls by the movement of a conveyance belt 12, and a rolling carrier device 1B carrying game balls by rotating them by dead weight. The belt conveyance device 1A includes a supply gutter 27 where the game balls move on a flat plate portion 28a by the movement of a lower portion 12a of the conveyance belt 12, and a plurality of supply chutes 40 provided along the longitudinal direction of the supply gutter 27 and guiding the game balls moving the supply gutter 27 to respective game machines; the rolling carrier device 1B includes a sloping gutter 80 disposed inclined in the longitudinal direction of a game island 100, and a plurality of supply chutes 40 provided along the longitudinal direction of the sloping gutter 80 and guiding the game balls rolling on the sloping gutter 80 to the respective game machines; and the sloping gutter 80 has an upstream end portion communicating with the outlet 4a of a tank 4 and the downstream end portion communicating with an inlet 27a of the supply gutter 27. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a game ball supply device that is provided on a game island and supplies game balls to game machines.

  In a conventional game hall, a plurality of gaming machines are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the gaming island, and a supply device for supplying gaming balls to each gaming machine is provided at the upper part of the gaming island.

  In general, such a supply device is provided with a basket tilted in the longitudinal direction of the game island, and a game ball is rolled by its own weight with the kite and supplied to each gaming machine.

Further, in Patent Document 1, a game ball is conveyed by rotation of an endless belt in a state where the game ball is sandwiched between an endless belt whose bottom surface is horizontal and a conveyance path disposed below the endless belt. However, a horizontal transfer device that replenishes the gaming machine is disclosed.
JP-A-2005-279711

  However, in the case of a device that rolls a game ball with its own weight and supplies the game ball to each gaming machine, it is necessary to incline the cage, so that a large installation space is required in the height direction. For this reason, there is a problem that the game hall becomes narrow or the lighting is blocked and it becomes dark.

  In the case of the horizontal conveyance device disclosed in Patent Document 1, a large installation space is not required in the height direction. However, since the number of game machines accommodated on the game island differs depending on the shape of the game hall, in the case of the horizontal transfer device disclosed in Patent Document 1, endless belts having different lengths are prepared according to the number of game machines accommodated on the game island. There must be. For this reason, there is a problem that production management becomes complicated and the cost becomes high.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a game ball supply device that does not take a large installation space in the height direction and does not cause an increase in cost.

A first invention is a gaming ball supply device that is provided on a gaming island in which a plurality of gaming machines are arranged in a longitudinal direction, and that supplies gaming balls that are lifted by a lifting device and stored in a tank to each gaming machine. A belt conveyance device that conveys a game ball by movement of an endless conveyance belt, and a rolling conveyance device that conveys a game ball by rolling with its own weight, the belt conveyance device and the rolling conveyance device, The belt conveying device is arranged continuously in the longitudinal direction of the game island, and the belt conveying device has a rotation shaft arranged at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the gaming island and extending in the short direction of the gaming island, and the conveying belt Two driving rollers, a drive source for rotating one of the rollers to rotate the conveyor belt, and a flat plate portion provided below the conveyor belt with a gap therebetween, and an inlet section Game balls that flowed in from the A replenishment rod that moves on the flat plate portion by movement of the lower portion of the belt, and a plurality of replenishment chutes that are provided along the longitudinal direction of the replenishment rod and guide a game ball that moves the replenishment cage to each gaming machine. The supply basket is configured such that a game ball moves in a loosely fitted state between the flat plate portion and the lower portion of the conveyor belt, and the conveyor belt is inclined in a short direction. The replenishing rod is inclined at the same inclination angle as that of the conveyor belt. The replenishing chute of the belt conveying device is provided on the lower side of the replenishing rod, and the flat plate portion is formed with an inclination angle on the lower side larger than that on the higher side, and the rolling The transfer device is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the game island. And a plurality of supply chutes that are provided along the longitudinal direction of the inclined rod and guide the game balls that roll on the inclined rod to each gaming machine, and the inclined rod has an upstream end portion that is It communicates with the discharge port of the tank, and the downstream end communicates with the inlet part of the replenishment tank.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the belt conveyance device has a curved portion provided at a downstream end of the conveyance belt at an interval along an outer circumference of a circular arc portion on the downstream side of the conveyance belt. A support ball that supports the upper portion of the conveyor belt from below, and an end rod that moves on the inner periphery of the curved portion by the movement of the downstream arc portion when a game ball that has not been supplied to the gaming machine flows from the supply rod And a game ball that has flowed in from the end heel is moved by the movement of the upper portion and is inclined along the longitudinal direction of the upper heel and inclined at the same inclination angle as the conveyor belt. And an auxiliary chute for guiding the game ball moving on the upper basket to the supply chute .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, gaming machines are arranged on the gaming island in a short-sided back direction, and the supply chute of the belt conveying device is adapted to move the game ball moving on the flat plate portion to the supply basket. A first supply chute to be supplied to a gaming machine located on the lower side of the second supply chute, a second supply chute to supply a game ball moving on the flat plate portion to a gaming machine located on the higher side of the supply basket, It is characterized by providing.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the replenishment chute is provided with a leveling member that leveles the game ball up and down by one stage.
In the supply chute, a joining portion of the game ball flowing in from the supply basket and the game ball flowing in from the auxiliary chute is provided on the upstream side of the leveling member.

According to the first invention, the game ball supply device includes a belt transport device that transports the game ball by the movement of the transport belt, and a rolling transport device that rolls and transports the game ball by its own weight due to the inclination of the inclined rod. Therefore, it is possible to cope with game islands with different numbers of game machines accommodated by adjusting the length of either the belt conveyance device or the rolling conveyance device. When handling game islands with different numbers of game machines accommodated by adjusting the length of the rolling conveyor, the types of transport belts with different lengths prepared according to the number of game machines accommodated on the game islands Therefore, the cost can be reduced. If the length of the rolling conveyor device is fixed and the length of the rolling conveyor device is not enough, the length of the conveyor belt can be reduced. The cost can be reduced because the expensive conveyor belt can be shortened and has a minimum necessary length.

Further, since the belt conveying device conveys the game ball by the movement of the conveying belt, it does not need to be inclined in the longitudinal direction and does not require a large installation space in the height direction. In addition, the tilting saddle of the rolling conveying device is inclined in the longitudinal direction, but the upstream end communicates with the tank outlet and the downstream end communicates with the inlet of the replenishing trough. The height can be stored within the height of the belt conveying device , and in that case , a large installation space is not required in the height direction. The replenishment basket is configured such that the game ball moves in a loosely fitted state between the flat plate portion and the lower portion of the conveyor belt, and the conveyor belt is inclined at a predetermined inclination angle in the lateral direction. And a speed imparting means for imparting a speed to the loosely-fitted game ball as it circulates, and the replenishing basket is disposed at an inclination angle identical to that of the conveyor belt, The replenishment chute is provided on the low side of the replenishment rod, and the flat plate portion is formed with a lower side inclined angle larger than that on the high side. The game balls are separated from the conveyor belt due to the large inclination and are not easily affected by the conveyor belt, and are smoothly guided to the supply chute .

According to the second invention, the game ball moving on the upper basket is supplied to the game machine through the auxiliary chute, so that the game ball can be stably supplied to the game machine.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the supply chute is provided on the low side of the supply basket, and the game balls that move the supply basket are distributed in the short direction from the low side and are arranged in a back-facing state. Supplied to. Therefore, it is possible to evenly distribute the game balls to the gaming machines arranged in the back-facing state.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the game ball merging portion in the supply chute is provided on the upstream side of the leveling member, so that the ball of the game ball at the outlet portion of the supply chute is prevented.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  First, with reference to FIG. 1, the game island 100 provided with the game ball supply device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the game island 100.

  The amusement island 100 is installed in a game arcade, and is provided with a plurality of gaming machines (not shown) and incidental facilities.

  The gaming island 100 has a plurality of gaming machine installation openings 5 arranged in two rows in the longitudinal direction. A gaming machine is installed in the gaming machine installation opening 5. Thereby, the gaming machines are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the gaming island 100, and are arranged in the back direction in which the respective back surfaces are combined in the short direction.

  Below the gaming machine on the gaming island 100, a lower tank 2 for storing gaming balls used for gaming is provided. The game balls in the lower tank 2 are guided to the lifting device 3 provided at the approximate center in the longitudinal direction of the game island 100.

  The lifting device 3 is a device that lifts the game ball upward while polishing the game ball, and the game ball lifted by the lifting device 3 is guided to the upper tank 4 installed at the upper part of the lifting device 3. It is written.

  A game for supplying game balls to the left and right sides of the upper tank 4 to each game machine and a ball lending machine (not shown) that lends the game balls to each game machine. A ball supply device 1 is connected. In FIG. 1, only the game ball supply device 1 connected to one side of the upper tank 4 is shown. In the following, left and right refer to the longitudinal direction of the game island 100, and front and rear refer to the short direction of the game island 100.

  The gaming balls supplied from the gaming ball supply device 1 to the gaming machine are paid out to the player as prize balls from the gaming machine, and the paid gaming balls are set in a ball counter installed on the gaming island 100. (Not shown) and collected in the lower tank 2.

  The game balls supplied from the game ball supply device 1 to the ball lending machine are used for games in the game machines, and the game balls discharged from the game machines are collected in the lower tank 2. In the present embodiment, the lower tank 2 is provided with a storage function for the collection basket that collects the game balls discharged from the gaming machine and guides it to the lifting device 3, and is located downstream of the collection basket. An opening / closing member (not shown) is provided.

  As described above, the game balls in the game island 100 circulate in the game island 100.

  Next, the game ball supply device 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the game ball supply device 1 is disposed between a belt transport device 1A for transporting game balls by movement of an endless transport belt 12, and between the upper tank 4 and the belt transport device 1A. A rolling conveyance device 1B that rolls and conveys the ball by its own weight. The belt conveyance device 1 </ b> A and the rolling conveyance device 1 </ b> B are continuously arranged in the longitudinal direction of the game island 100. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the game ball supply device 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram in the case where the game ball supply device 1 is configured only by the belt conveyance device 1A.

  First, the belt conveyance device 1A of the game ball supply device 1 will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 3 is a perspective view of the upstream end (upper tank 4 side) of the belt conveyance device 1A, FIGS. 4 and 5 are perspective views of the downstream end of the belt conveyance device 1A, and FIG. 6 is an upstream view of the belt conveyance device 1A. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the upstream end of the belt conveying apparatus 1A, FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of the downstream end of the belt conveying apparatus 1A, and FIGS. 9 and 10 are belts. It is a transversal direction sectional view in 1 A of conveying apparatuses.

  The belt conveyance device 1A rotationally drives an endless conveyance belt 12 wound around two rollers 10 and 11 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) provided on the upstream side and the downstream side, and a roller 11 on the downstream side. And a drive motor 13 (see FIGS. 4 to 6) as a drive source for rotating the conveyor belt 12.

  The conveyor belt 12 is horizontally disposed in the longitudinal direction of the game island 100, and as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the lower portion 12a and the upper portion 12b on the flat plate, the arc-shaped upstream arc portion 12c and the downstream side It is comprised from the circular arc part 12d.

  1 A of belt conveying apparatuses are provided with the supporting member 15 which supports the conveying belt 12, and the supporting member 15 is extended in the longitudinal direction of the game island 100, and is attached to the upper part of the game island 100, and is fixed. .

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the support member 15 is formed so as to stand on both sides of the bottom portion 16 a and the bottom portion 16 a disposed along the lower surface of the upper portion 12 b of the conveyor belt 12. A supporting portion 16 having a U-shaped cross section having a standing wall 16b surrounding the vertical wall 16b, and a flange portion 17 extending horizontally from each of the front and rear standing walls 16b and attached to the upper part of the game island 100.

  As described above, the support member 15 is attached and fixed to the upper portion of the game island 100 via the flange portion 17, and supports the upper portion 12 b of the transport belt 12 by the support portion 16.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the drive motor 13 is supported by a motor support member 18 fixed to the game island 100. The output shaft 13 a of the drive motor 13 is connected to the first pulley 19, the shaft 11 a of the roller 11 is connected to the second pulley 20, and the first pulley 19 and the second pulley 20 are linked via a belt 21. A bearing 22 (see FIG. 4) that supports the shaft 11 a of the roller 11 is supported by a downstream support member 23 attached to the downstream end of the support member 15.

  The roller 11 is rotationally driven by rotationally driving the drive motor 13, and the conveyor belt 12 circulates between the roller 11 and the roller 10. Thus, the roller 11 is the main drive side, and the roller 10 is the driven side.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the bearing 24 that supports the shaft 10 a of the driven roller 10 is supported by an upstream support member 25 attached to the upstream end of the support member 15.

  Directly below the lower portion 12a of the conveyor belt 12, as shown in FIG. 7 to FIG. 10, a supply rod defining member 28 that forms a supply rod 27 in which a game ball moves between the lower portion 12a and the lower portion 12a. Extending along the line.

  The supply rod defining member 28 is attached and fixed to the upstream support member 25 and the downstream support member 23 at both ends.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the replenishing bowl defining member 28 includes a flat plate portion 28 a disposed at a predetermined interval from the lower portion 12 a of the conveyor belt 12, and both sides of the flat plate portion 28 a. It is a U-shaped member having a U-shaped cross section composed of an upright wall 28b for preventing a game ball that is standingly formed and moves on the supply basket 27 from falling.

  The conveyor belt 12 is a known magnetic belt having a magnetic body (not shown) provided on the belt surface (see JP-A-3-46942). The magnetic bodies are formed so as to extend in the belt longitudinal direction, and are arranged at predetermined intervals in the belt lateral direction. Further, the S pole and the N pole are alternately arranged in the short direction of the belt. The replenishing bowl defining member 28 is made of a nonmagnetic material.

  As shown in FIG. 7, an inclined rod 80 of a rolling and conveying apparatus 1 </ b> B, which will be described later, communicates with the upstream end of the replenishing rod 27, and a game ball guided from the upper tank 4 through the inclined rod 80 is from the inlet portion 27 a. It flows into the supply tank 27.

  Since the distance between the lower portion 12a of the conveyor belt 12 and the flat plate portion 28a of the replenishing bowl defining member 28 is set slightly larger than the diameter of the gaming ball, the gaming ball guided from the inclined basket 80 The portion 27a smoothly flows into the replenishment rod 27 and is guided onto the flat plate portion 28a. There is a slight gap between the upper end of the game ball that has flowed into the supply basket 27 and the lower surface of the lower portion 12a. In this way, the game ball flowing into the replenishing basket 27 is guided onto the flat plate portion 28a in a loosely fitted state without being sandwiched between the flat plate portion 28a and the lower portion 12a of the conveyor belt 12.

  The game ball that has flowed into the replenishment basket 27 is subjected to the action of the magnetic body provided on the transport belt 12, and moves on the flat plate portion 28a at a speed in the belt longitudinal direction as the lower portion 12a moves. As described above, the magnetic force of the magnetic material of the transport belt 12 is set to such a magnitude that the game ball is not attracted to the transport belt 12 but moves on the flat plate portion 28 a by the movement of the transport belt 12.

  The magnetic body provided on the conveyor belt 12 corresponds to speed imparting means for imparting a speed to the loosely-fitted game ball between the lower portion 12a and the flat plate portion 28a as the conveyor belt 12 circulates. . The game ball is given a speed by the action of the magnetic body and moves the replenishment rod 27 in a loosely fitted state. Since the game ball is nipped by the conveyor belt 12 and conveyed without being pumped, the load on the drive motor 13 increases. There is nothing.

  Here, the loosely-fitted game ball is a state in which there is a gap between the upper end of the game ball and the lower part 12a as described above, and since the tension of the conveyor belt 12 is small, the lower part 12a This includes a state where the ball is bent downward and is in contact with the upper end of the game ball.

  The game ball moving on the supply basket 27 is guided from the supply chute 40 shown in FIG. The replenishment chute 40 will be described in detail later.

  As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 8, an arcuate curved member 31 is disposed at the downstream end of the conveyor belt 12 along the outer periphery of the downstream arc portion 12 d of the conveyor belt 12. The bending member 31 forms an end rod 30 to which the game ball moves with the downstream arc portion 12d.

  The bending member 31 is provided with a predetermined interval from an arcuate body 31a attached and fixed to the downstream support member 23, and a downstream arc 12d of the conveyor belt 12 provided on the inner periphery of the body 31a. And a curved portion 31b.

  The curved portion 31b is formed of urethane resin, and the interval between the curved portion 31b and the downstream arcuate portion 12d is set slightly smaller than the diameter of the game ball. Accordingly, among the game balls that move on the supply basket 27, the game balls that have not been supplied from the supply chute 40 to the gaming machine and the ball rental machine reach the downstream end of the conveyor belt 12 and flow into the end cage 30. To do. The game ball that has flowed into the end cage 30 is sandwiched between the curved portion 31b and the downstream arc portion 12d, and moves on the inner circumference of the downstream arc portion 12d by the movement of the downstream arc portion 12d of the conveyor belt 12. Then, it is guided onto the upper portion 12 b of the conveyor belt 12.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the upper part 12b is surrounded by the standing wall 16b of the support member 15 and the weight of the game ball guided on the upper part 12b is arranged below the upper part 12b. Is supported by the bottom 16a. As described above, the upper portion 12b and the support portion 16 form the upper basket 35 in which the game ball moves on the upper portion 12b by the movement of the upper portion 12b.

  In the upper basket 35, the direction in which the game ball moves is opposite to that of the supply basket 27, that is, upstream and downstream of the supply basket 27 are reversed. The game ball of the upper basket 35 moves in a direction toward the upper tank 4.

  The game ball moving on the upper basket 35 is guided to the supply chute 40 from the auxiliary chute 41 shown in FIG. The auxiliary chute 41 will be described in detail later.

  Among the game balls that move on the upper basket 35, the game balls that are not led from the auxiliary chute 41 to the supply chute 40 reach the downstream end of the upper basket 35, and the inclined basket of the rolling conveying device 1B from the upper basket 35. Fall to 80. The game ball that has fallen onto the inclined rod 80 flows again into the supply rod 27 through the inlet portion 27a.

  Thus, out of the game balls guided from the upper tank 4 to the replenishment rod 27, it is not guided to any of the replenishment chute 40 provided on the replenishment rod 27 and the auxiliary chute 41 provided on the upper reed 35. The game balls that have not been supplied to the gaming machine and the ball lending machine do not circulate in the game island 100 but return to the supply cage 27 and circulate in the belt conveyance device 1A along the conveyance belt 12.

  Next, the supply chute 40 provided on the supply rod 27 and the auxiliary chute 41 provided on the upper rod 35 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 9, 11, and 12. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the supply chute 40 and the auxiliary chute 41, and FIG. 12 is an enlarged perspective view of the supply chute 40 and the auxiliary chute 41.

  The supply chute 40 includes a gaming machine supply chute 40A (40a) for supplying gaming balls to a gaming machine and a ball rental machine supply chute 40B (40b) for supplying gaming balls to a ball rental machine. The supply chute 40A and the ball lending machine supply chute 40B are provided along the longitudinal direction of the supply rod 27. A gaming machine supply chute 40A is provided for each gaming machine, and a ball lending machine supply chute 40B is provided for each ball lending machine. Hereinafter, the replenishment chute 40A (40a) for the gaming machine and the replenishment chute 40B (40b) for the ball lending machine are collectively referred to as the “replenishment chute 40”.

  The auxiliary chutes 41 are provided corresponding to all the replenishing chutes 40 along the longitudinal direction of the upper flange 35. That is, the same number of auxiliary chutes 41 as the replenishing chutes 40 are provided on the upper rod 35.

  As shown in FIGS. 6, 9, and 10, the conveyance belt 12 is disposed to be inclined at a predetermined inclination angle in the lateral direction. Specifically, the front side shown in FIG. 1 is high and the back side is low. Thereby, the upper collar 35 is formed to be inclined in the lateral direction. Further, since the flat plate portion 28a of the replenishing rod defining member 28 is also inclined and arranged at the same inclination angle as the conveyor belt 12, the replenishing rod 27 is also inclined and formed in the short direction.

  As described above, the transport belt 12, the replenishing rod 27, and the upper collar 35 are disposed horizontally while being inclined in the lateral direction, while being horizontal in the longitudinal direction.

  Since the supply basket 27 and the upper basket 35 are formed to be inclined in the short direction, the supply chute 40 and the auxiliary chute 41 are provided so that the game balls can be supplied to the gaming machine and the ball lending machine by their own weight. Provided on the lower side of the replenishment rod 27 and the upper rod 35.

  In other words, the game balls moving on the replenishment rod 27 and the upper reed 35 move in a state where the game balls approach the low place due to their own weight, and the game is played through the supply chute 40 and the auxiliary chute 41 disposed on the low place side. Supplied to machines and ball lending machines.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 6, 9, and 10, the replenishing rod 27 is formed such that the inclination angle on the low side of the flat plate portion 28 a of the replenishing rod defining member 28 is larger than that on the high side. Specifically, the lower end portion 28c of the flat plate portion 28a is bent to have a large inclination angle. Therefore, the game ball which has moved the replenishment rod 27 and moved to the lower side by its own weight is guided toward the replenishment chute 40 by the large inclination of the end portion 28c, and has a large distance from the magnetic conveying belt 12. Therefore, it is less likely to be affected by the magnetic force from the conveyor belt 12, so that it is smoothly guided to the supply chute 40. Note that the shape of the end portion 28c is not limited to a flat plate shape as illustrated, and may be a curved surface shape.

  The gaming machines are arranged in the short direction of the gaming island 100 in a back-facing state in which the respective back surfaces are combined. For this reason, one of the pair of gaming machines arranged in the back-facing state is positioned on the low side of the replenishment rod 27 and the other is positioned on the high side.

  Since the replenishment chute 40 is provided on the lower side of the replenishment basket 27, the game balls and ball lending machines located on the lower side of the replenishment basket 27 are supplied with game balls as they are through the replenishment chute 40. On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 11, for the gaming machine and the ball lending machine located on the high side of the supply basket 27, the supply basket is defined by being connected to the outlet portion 42 of the supply chute 40. A game ball is supplied through a communication rod 49 disposed across the lower portion of the flat plate portion 28a of the member 28.

  In this way, the game balls moving on the supply rod 27 are distributed from the low side of the supply rod 27 in the front-rear direction through the supply chute 40 provided on the low side of the supply rod 27, and arranged in a back-facing state. Supplied to the game machines and ball lending machines. Therefore, it is possible to evenly distribute gaming balls to gaming machines and ball lending machines arranged in a back-facing state.

  As described above, a pair of gaming machines and ball lending machines arranged in a back-facing state are as shown in FIG. 11 with respect to gaming machines and ball lending machines located on the lower side of the supply basket 27. A replenishment chute 40A and a ball lending machine replenishment chute 40B for supplying balls, and a replenishment chute 40a for a gaming machine for supplying gaming balls to the gaming machines and ball lending machines located on the high side of the replenishment basket 27 In addition, a total of four supply chutes 40 including a ball lending machine supply chute 40b are provided.

  Since the auxiliary chutes 41 are provided corresponding to all the replenishing chutes 40, a total of four auxiliary chutes 41 are provided in a pair of gaming machines and ball lending machines arranged in a back-facing state, like the replenishing chutes 40.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the replenishment chute 40 includes a housing 43 attached to the standing wall 28 b on the lower side of the replenishing rod defining member 28, and a cover 44 that seals the housing 43. Note that the gaming machine supply chutes 40A and 40a in FIG. 11 are views with the cover 44 removed.

  The housing 43 is formed with an inlet 45 that communicates with an opening formed in the standing wall 28 b on the lower side of the supply basket defining member 28 and receives a game ball from the supply basket 27.

  The bottom surface of the housing 43 is formed so as to incline downward, and is configured as a guide path 46 that guides the game ball flowing in from the inlet portion 45 to the outlet portion 42 provided at the downstream end.

  The inlet portion 45 is formed such that the longitudinal dimension of the replenishing basket 27 is such that a plurality of game balls can pass therethrough. The outlet portion 42 is formed to a size that allows one game ball to pass through. In addition, the guide path 46 is formed with a width that allows the game ball to roll with one line.

  In the middle of the guide path 46, a leveling member 47 is provided for leveling the game balls rolling on the guide path 46 up and down. Accordingly, the game balls that have flowed into the housing 43 from the inlet 45 fall onto the guide path 46 and roll on the guide path 46, and are leveled up and down one level by the leveling member 47. It is discharged from the part 42. The game ball discharged from the outlet 42 is supplied to a game machine or a ball lending machine.

  The upper portion of the housing 43 is formed by being opened without being sealed by the cover 44, and the outlet portion 42 of the auxiliary chute 41 communicates with the opening.

  Immediately below the outlet portion 42 of the auxiliary chute 41 in the housing 43 of the replenishment chute 40, a guide path 48 that guides the game ball discharged from the outlet portion 42 of the auxiliary chute 41 to the guide path 46 is inclined downward. Established.

  Therefore, the game ball discharged from the outlet portion 42 of the auxiliary chute 41 and flowing into the housing 43 of the supply chute 40 is guided from the guide path 48 to the guide path 46 and discharged from the outlet section 42.

  Thus, in the housing 43 of the replenishment chute 40, the game ball that has flowed from the inlet 45 of the replenishment chute 40 and the game ball that is guided from the guide path 48 merge. However, since the merge portion where the game balls merge is provided on the upstream side of the leveling member 47, the game balls are prevented from being clogged at the outlet portion 42 of the supply chute 40.

  The supply chute 40 is configured as described above, and the gaming machine supply chute 40A and the ball lending machine supply chute 40B are similarly configured.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the auxiliary chute 41 has an inlet portion 45 that receives a game ball from the upper basket 35, and the inlet portion 45 communicates with an opening formed in the standing wall 16 b on the lower side of the support portion 16. Formed. Other configurations of the auxiliary chute 41 are the same as those of the supply chute 40, and the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations as the supply chute 40. In addition, about the auxiliary | assistant chute 41 in FIG. 12, it is a figure of the state which removed the cover 44. FIG.

  Since the auxiliary chute 41 is provided on the lower side of the upper basket 35, the game ball moving on the upper basket 35 is guided to the supply chute 40 from the lower side. Therefore, the game balls moving on the upper basket 35 are evenly distributed to the replenishment shoots 40.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the housing 43 of the auxiliary chute 41 is fastened to the standing wall 16 b on the lower side of the support portion 16 by a screw 70 as a fastening member. Specifically, the auxiliary chute 41 is fastened so that the inlet 45 communicates with the opening 71 formed in the standing wall 16b. In this way, the game ball moving on the upper basket 35 is guided to the auxiliary chute 41 through the opening 71 of the standing wall 16b.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the screw 70 is inserted through the housing 43 and the standing wall 16 b, and the body portion 70 a protrudes from the upstream edge of the opening 71 into the flow path of the upper flange 35.

  By providing the body part 70a of the screw 70 so as to protrude from the upper basket 35, the body part 70a comes into contact with the game ball moving on the upper bowl 35 and reduces the movement momentum of the game ball. Since the moving speed of the game ball decelerated by the trunk portion 70a is reduced, the game ball easily flows into the opening 71 and is easily guided to the auxiliary chute 41.

  Thus, the screw 70 has a function of fastening the housing 43 and the standing wall 16b, and also has a function of reducing the momentum of the game ball by contacting the game ball moving on the upper basket 35. The screw 70 corresponds to a reducing member for reducing the momentum of the game ball.

  The belt conveyance device 1A is configured as described above, and among the game balls that circulate in the belt conveyance device 1A along the conveyance belt 12, the game ball that moves through the supply basket 27 is guided to the low side by its own weight. A game ball that is supplied from the replenishment chute 40 to the gaming machine or ball lending machine and moves through the upper basket 35 is also guided to the low side by its own weight and led to the replenishment chute 40 through the auxiliary chute 41, and the gaming machine or ball Supplied to a lending machine.

  Next, the rolling and conveying device 1B of the game ball supply device 1 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the connecting portion between the belt conveying device 1A and the rolling conveying device 1B, and FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the connecting portion between the belt conveying device 1A and the rolling conveying device 1B. FIG. 15A is a sectional view on the low side, and FIG. 15B is a sectional view on the high side.

  The rolling conveyance device 1B extends continuously from the belt conveyance device 1A in the longitudinal direction of the game island 100, and is connected between the upper tank 4 and the replenishment rod 27 of the belt conveyance device 1A. The belt conveyance device 1A is horizontal in the longitudinal direction, while the rolling conveyance device 1B is arranged to be inclined in the longitudinal direction, and is a device that conveys the game ball by rolling it with its own weight.

  The rolling conveyance device 1 </ b> B includes an inclined rod 80 having an inclined path 80 a inclined in the longitudinal direction of the game island 100. The inclined ridge 80 is fixed to the upper part of the game island 100.

  The inclined path 80a is formed to be inclined downward from the upper tank 4 toward the belt conveying device 1A. On both sides of the ramp 80a, standing walls 80b for preventing a game ball rolling on the ramp 80a from falling are formed upright.

  The inclined rod 80 communicates with the discharge port 4a of the upper tank 4 at the upstream end, and receives game balls discharged from the upper tank 4. Further, the downstream end portion communicates with the inlet portion 27 a of the replenishing rod 27 and guides the game ball to the replenishing rod 27. Specifically, the downstream end portion of the inclined path 80 a is connected to the end portion of the flat plate portion 28 a of the replenishing rod defining member 28.

  The height of the upstream end portion of the inclined path 80a of the inclined rod 80 is set to be equal to or lower than the height of the upper portion 12b of the conveyor belt 12, and the height of the downstream end portion of the inclined path 80a is the flat plate portion 28a of the supply rod 27. It is set to a height higher than. That is, the inclination angle of the inclined rod 80 is set so that the height of the rolling conveyance device 1B is within the height of the belt conveyance device 1A. Therefore, the rolling conveyor 1B does not take a large installation space in the height direction even though the inclined rod 80 is disposed to be inclined in the longitudinal direction of the game island 100.

  The inlet 27a of the replenishing rod 27 falls from the upper reed 35 to the inclined reed 80 and a game ball that flows into the replenishing reed 27 again, and a game that is discharged from the upper tank 4 and rolls on the inclined reed 80 and flows into the replenished reed 27 It becomes a confluence with the sphere.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the opening area of the inlet portion 27 a becomes smaller toward the low side due to the inclination of the replenishment basket and the conveyor belt in the short direction. That is, the distance between the rolling surface of the inclined path 80a and the lower portion 12a of the conveyor belt 12 decreases toward the low side.

  Here, the game ball that moves on the upper cage 35 moves in a state of approaching the low side, so when it falls from the upper cage 35 to the inclined cage 80 as it is, It will flow into the replenishment rod 27 from the low side. For this reason, in the vicinity of the entrance 27a of the replenishing bowl 27, there is a possibility that the game balls are jammed and the balls are clogged.

  In order to avoid this, as shown in FIGS. 3, 6, and 14, a game ball approaching the low side of the upper basket 35 is placed at a high place on the low side of the downstream end of the upper basket 35. A guide plate 36 is provided for guiding to the inlet 27a of the replenishing rod 27. The guide plate 36 is attached to the standing wall 16 b of the support portion 16 and is formed to extend obliquely toward the center of the upper flange 35.

  By providing the guide plate 36 on the lower side of the downstream end of the upper rod 35, the game ball moving on the upper rod 35 is guided to the high side by the guide plate 36 and falls to the inclined rod 80. Therefore, the game ball that flows from the upper rod 35 to the supply rod 27 and the game ball that rolls on the inclined rod 80 and flows into the supply rod 27 merge on the high side of the entrance portion 27a having a large opening area. Become. Accordingly, the retention of the game balls at the entrance 27a is suppressed, and the game balls are smoothly supplied to the supply basket 27.

  The reed chute 80 is provided with a replenishment chute 40 along the longitudinal direction that guides a game ball rolling on the slant path 80a to a game machine and a ball lending machine. Since the inclined rod 80 is horizontal in the lateral direction, the replenishment chute 40 of the rolling conveying device 1B is different from the replenishment chute 40 of the belt conveying device 1A so as to correspond to a gaming machine arranged in a back-facing state. Are provided on both sides of the inclined rod 80. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, a gaming machine replenishment chute 40A and a ball lending machine replenishment chute 40B are provided on one side of the inclined rod 80, and a gaming machine replenishment chute 40a and a ball lending machine are provided on the other side. A supply chute 40b is provided. Note that the replenishment chute 40 of the rolling conveyance device 1B is the same as the configuration of the replenishment chute 40 of the belt conveyance device 1A, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  The rolling conveyance device 1B is configured as described above, and the game ball discharged from the upper tank 4 rolls on the inclined rod 80 arranged to be inclined downward, and the gaming machine is supplied from the supply chute 40 of the inclined rod 80. Or it is supplied to a ball lending machine. In addition, the game ball that has not been supplied from the replenishment chute 40 of the inclined rod 80 to the game machine or the ball lending machine rolls to the downstream end of the inclined rod 80 and flows into the supply rod 27 from the inlet 27a.

  As described above, since the game ball supply device 1 is configured by the combination of the belt conveyance device 1A and the rolling conveyance device 1B, the length of the game ball supply device 1 is adjusted to accommodate the game islands 100 having different numbers of game machines. If it is performed by adjusting the length of the rolling and conveying apparatus 1B, that is, if the length adjustment of the rolling and conveying apparatus 1B is performed with priority, the types of the conveying belts 12 having different lengths are used. Can be reduced, production can be easily managed, and costs can be reduced.

  In addition, since the conveyor belt 12 is expensive, in the case of corresponding to the gaming island 100 in which the number of the accommodated gaming machines is different by shortening the length of the conveyor belt 12 without changing the length of the rolling conveyor device 1B, Since the belt conveyance device 1A compensates for the length that the rolling conveyance device 1B is insufficient, the conveyance belt 12 has the minimum necessary length, and the cost can be reduced.

  Here, when the operation of the gaming machines arranged on the gaming island 100 is small, the number of game balls circulating in the belt conveyance device 1A increases, which may become excessive. As a countermeasure against this, the upper basket 35 is provided with an overflow chute 50 that guides excess game balls moving on the upper basket 35 to the lower tank 2.

  The overflow chute 50 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 10 and 16 to 18. 16 is a perspective view of the overflow chute 50 in the belt conveyance device 1A, FIG. 17 is a block diagram of a conveyance control device 55 that controls the operation of the conveyance belt 12, and FIG. 18 shows the flow of control by the conveyance control device 55. It is a flowchart to show.

  About one or two overflow chutes 50 are provided on the high side of the upper flange 35.

  The casing 43 of the overflow chute 50 is formed with an inlet 45 that communicates with an opening formed in the upright wall 16 b of the support 16 and receives a game ball from the upper basket 35.

  The game ball discharged from the outlet portion 42 of the overflow chute 50 is guided to the lower tank 2. The outlet portion 42 is provided with a sensor 51 (game ball detecting means) that detects a game ball passing therethrough.

  In the present embodiment, the game balls discharged from the outlet portion 42 of the overflow chute 50 are guided to the lower tank 2 in which the collection basket has a storage function, but are guided to the collection basket having no storage function. You may be allowed to be. In addition, the game balls discharged from the gaming machine are discharged to a collection basket that does not have a storage function, guided to the lifting device 3 through the collection basket, while the game balls discharged from the outlet portion 42 of the overflow chute 50 are Alternatively, the tank may be led to a tank that does not have the function of a recovery tank. In addition, if it is a tank which does not have a function of a collection tank, it is not necessary to provide in the lower part of the game island 100, For example, you may provide in the circumference | surroundings of the lifting apparatus 3. FIG.

  Other configurations of the overflow chute 50 are the same as those of the replenishment chute 40, and the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations as the replenishment chute 40.

  When the gaming machines arranged on the game island 100 are frequently operated, there are relatively few game balls circulating in the belt conveyance device 1A, and the supply cage 27 and the upper cage 35 are moved toward the low side. To do. However, when the number of game machines is low, the number of game balls circulating in the belt conveyance device 1A increases, which may become excessive. In that case, the game balls in the replenishment basket 27 and the upper basket 35 are filled up to the high place side, and are led from the overflow chute 50 provided on the high place side of the upper bowl 35 to the lower tank 2.

  A transport control device 55 is mounted on the game island 100, and the transport control device 55 operates the drive motor 13 that drives the transport belt 12 according to the number of game balls guided to the lower tank 2 through the overflow chute 50. Control. Next, the conveyance control device 55 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the conveyance control device 55 includes a state determination unit 56 that determines an excess degree in the upper rod 35 based on a signal output from the sensor 51, and a drive motor 13 based on the determination result of the state determination unit. Drive signal output means 57 for outputting a drive signal to control the rotational speed of the drive motor 13. The state determination unit 56 and the drive signal output unit 57 correspond to the control unit.

  Next, the flow of control by the transport control device 55 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 18A is a flowchart showing the flow of state determination processing by the state determination means 56, and FIG. 18B is a flowchart showing the flow of drive signal output processing by the drive signal output means 57.

  First, the flow of state determination processing by the state determination unit 56 will be described with reference to FIG.

  When the state determination process is started, the power is turned on in step 101, and the transport control device 55 is initialized in step 102.

  In step 103, the timer is turned on and elapsed time counting is started.

  In step 104, the previous data counted based on the detection result detected by the sensor 51 is cleared.

  In step 105, the number of game balls passing through the outlet portion 42 is counted based on the detection result detected by the sensor 51 provided at the outlet portion 42 of the overflow chute 50.

  In step 106, it is determined whether or not the elapsed time of the timer has reached a predetermined time. If it is determined that the predetermined time has not been reached, the counting of the number of game balls in step 105 is continued.

  If it is determined in step 106 that the elapsed time of the timer has reached the predetermined time, the process proceeds to step 107, and the counting of the number of game balls in step 105 is ended. According to the above procedure, the number of game balls that have passed through the outlet portion 42 of the overflow chute 50 within a predetermined time is counted.

  In step 108, the number of game balls counted in step 105 is compared with a predetermined reference value.

  In step 108, if the counted number of game balls is equal to or greater than the reference value, the process proceeds to step 109, where it is determined that the game balls in the upper basket 35 are in an overflow state, and the overflow state is set.

  If the counted number of game balls is less than the reference value in step 108, the process proceeds to step 110, where it is determined that the game balls in the upper basket 35 are not in an overflow state, and the overflow state is canceled. .

  Next, the flow of drive signal output processing by the drive signal output means 57 will be described with reference to FIG.

  When the drive signal output process is started, power is turned on in step 201.

  In step 202, it is determined whether or not the game ball in the upper basket 35 is in an overflow state. If an overflow state is set in step 109 in the state determination process by the state determination unit 56, the process proceeds to step 203 and a slow drive signal is output to the drive motor 13. Thereby, the rotational speed of the drive motor 13 is controlled to be low.

  Further, when it is set in step 110 in the state determination process by the state determination means 56 that the overflow state is cancelled, the process proceeds to step 204 and a normal drive signal is output to the drive motor 13. Thereby, the rotational speed of the drive motor 13 is controlled to a normal rotational speed.

  As described above, the rotational speed of the drive motor 13 is controlled by the excess degree of the game balls in the upper basket 35. That is, when the operating rate of the gaming machine on the gaming island 100 is high and the excess degree of the game balls in the upper basket 35 is not high, the rotation speed of the drive motor 13 is set to a normal rotation speed. On the other hand, when the operating rate of the gaming machines on the gaming island 100 is low and the excessive degree of gaming balls in the upper basket 35 is high, the rotational speed of the drive motor 13 is set low.

  Thus, since the rotational speed of the drive motor 13 is set according to the operating rate of the gaming machines on the gaming island 100, the useless operation of the belt conveyance device 1A can be suppressed. That is, when the operating rate of the gaming machine on the game island 100 is low, the conveyor belt 12 is operated in the energy saving mode.

  According to the above embodiment, the following operational effects are obtained.

  1 A of belt conveying apparatuses convey a game ball by the movement of the conveyance belt 12, and since the conveyance belt 12 is horizontal in the longitudinal direction of the game island 100, a large installation space is not required in the height direction.

  Further, the game ball moving on the replenishing rod 27 moves in a loosely fitted state between the lower portion 12a of the conveying belt 12 and the flat plate portion 28a by the action of the magnetic body provided on the conveying belt 12, and the replenishing chute 40 Supplied to gaming machines and ball lending machines. As described above, the game ball moving on the replenishing basket 27 is transported without being pinched by the transport belt 12, so that the load applied to the drive motor 13 is suppressed and the cost is not increased.

  The game ball supply device 1 includes a belt transport device 1A that transports game balls by the movement of the transport belt 12, and a rolling transport device 1B that rolls and transports game balls by its own weight due to the inclination of the inclined rod 80. Since it is configured by a combination, it is possible to cope with the gaming island 100 having a different number of game machines accommodated by adjusting the length of the rolling conveyance device 1B that is easy to adjust the length of the belt conveyance device 1A. The length type of the conveyor belt 12 can be reduced. Moreover, since the length of the conveying belt 12 can be shortened, the cost can be suppressed.

  Further, the inclined rod 80 of the rolling conveying device 1B is inclined in the longitudinal direction, but the inclination angle of the inclined rod 80 is such that the height of the rolling conveying device 1B is within the height of the belt conveying device 1A. Therefore, the rolling conveyance device 1B does not take a large installation space in the height direction.

  In addition, the entrance 27 a, which is a junction between the game ball that flows from the upper rod 35 into the supply rod 27 and the game ball that rolls on the inclined rod 80 and flows into the supply rod 27, is short of the supply rod 27 and the conveyor belt 12. Due to the inclination in the hand direction, the opening area becomes smaller toward the lower side. However, since the guide plate 36 that guides the game ball to the high place side and guides it to the inlet portion 27a of the supply rod 27 is provided on the lower side of the downstream end portion of the upper rod 35, the upper rod 35 to the supply rod 27 is provided. The game ball that flows in and the game ball that flows from the inclined rod 80 to the supply rod 27 join together at the high side of the entrance portion 27a having a large opening area. Therefore, the retention of the game ball at the entrance 27a is suppressed, and the game ball is smoothly supplied to the supply basket.

  In addition, since the game ball moving on the upper basket 35 is supplied to the game machine and the ball rental machine through the auxiliary chute 41, the game ball can be stably supplied to the game machine and the ball rental machine.

  Further, since the conveyor belt 12, the replenishing rod 27, and the upper collar 35 are formed to be inclined in the lateral direction, it is not necessary to level the conveyor belt 12, the supplemental collar 27, and the upper collar 35 in the lateral direction. Further, the conveyor belt 12, the replenishing rod 27, and the upper rod 35 can be easily arranged.

  In addition, since the replenishment chute 40 and the auxiliary chute 41 of the belt conveying device 1A are provided on the lower side of the replenishment rod 27 and the lower side of the upper reed 35, respectively, , Distributed from the low side to the front-rear direction and supplied to gaming machines and ball lending machines arranged in a back-facing state. Therefore, it is possible to evenly distribute gaming balls to gaming machines and ball lending machines arranged in a back-facing state.

  Further, in the replenishment rod 27, the game ball tends to flow into the replenishment chute 40 provided on the upstream side, and the game ball tends to hardly flow into the replenishment chute 40 provided on the downstream side. Similarly, in the upper basket 35, the game ball tends to easily flow into the auxiliary chute 41 provided on the upstream side, and the game ball tends to hardly flow into the auxiliary chute 41 provided on the downstream side. Since the supply rod 27 and the upper rod 35 are opposite to each other upstream and downstream, the game ball from the auxiliary chute 41 hardly flows into the upstream supply chute 40 that easily flows into the supply rod 27. The game balls from the auxiliary chute 41 easily flow into the supply chute 40 on the downstream side that is difficult to flow in. Therefore, the game balls are evenly distributed to the supply chute 40 arranged in the longitudinal direction.

  Further, when the game balls moving on the upper basket 35 are led to the lower tank 2 through the overflow chute 50, the excess degree of the game balls on the upper basket 35 is determined according to the number of overflowed game balls, Since the rotational speed of the drive motor 13 is controlled based on the determination result, the rotational speed of the drive motor 13 can be set according to the operating rate of the gaming machine on the gaming island 100. Therefore, since the useless operation of the belt conveyance device 1A can be suppressed, the running cost of the belt conveyance device 1A can be suppressed low.

  Next, another form of the present embodiment, specifically, another form of speed imparting means for imparting speed to the game ball moving the supply basket 27 in the belt conveying apparatus 1A will be described.

  (1) Instead of providing a magnetic body on the conveyor belt 12, as shown in FIG. 19, a protruding wall 60 erected on the belt surface of the conveyor belt 12 in the belt transverse direction is spaced at a predetermined interval in the belt longitudinal direction. You may make it open and provide.

  The height of the protruding wall 60 is formed to be about 2 mm, and the predetermined interval between the adjacent protruding walls 60 is formed for several game balls, specifically, for about 4 or 5 game balls.

  By providing the protruding wall 60 on the conveyor belt 12, the protruding wall 60 comes into contact with the upper part of the loosely-fitted game ball between the lower portion 12a and the flat plate portion 28a as the conveyor belt 12 circulates. As a result, a speed in the belt longitudinal direction is given to the game ball on the flat plate portion 28 a, and the game ball moves on the supply basket 27.

  As described above, the game ball moving on the replenishing basket 27 is transported without being pinched by the transport belt 12, so that the load applied to the drive motor 13 is suppressed and the cost is not increased.

  (2) Instead of providing a magnetic body on the conveyor belt 12, as shown in FIG. 20, a plurality of bowl-shaped hemispheres 61 protruding from the belt surface of the conveyor belt 12 may be formed. The radius of the hemisphere 61 is about 2 mm.

  As the arrangement of the hemispheres 61, it is desirable to arrange them in a staggered manner as shown in FIG. Specifically, the hemisphere 61 forms a hemisphere row arranged at a predetermined interval in the short direction, and the hemisphere row is adjacent to the hemisphere row at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction. Each hemisphere is arranged in a staggered pattern. The predetermined interval in the short direction of the hemisphere 61 and the predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction of the hemisphere row are formed to be about one or two game balls.

  By providing the hemispherical body 61 on the conveyor belt 12, the hemispherical body 61 comes into contact with the upper part of the loosely-fitted game ball between the lower portion 12a and the flat plate portion 28a as the conveyor belt 12 circulates. As a result, a speed in the belt longitudinal direction is given to the game ball on the flat plate portion 28 a, and the game ball moves on the supply basket 27.

  As described above, the game ball moving on the replenishing basket 27 is transported without being pinched by the transport belt 12, so that the load applied to the drive motor 13 is suppressed and the cost is not increased.

  Further, when a protrusion is provided on the conveyor belt 12, there is a possibility that a game ball may be clogged between the protrusion and the flat plate portion 28a in the vicinity of the inlet portion 27a of the replenishing rod 27. However, since the hemispheres 61 are arranged at intervals in the short direction, the game balls can escape into the gaps between the hemispheres 61 adjacent in the short direction, and the occurrence of clogging of the balls is prevented. Further, since the hemispheres of adjacent hemisphere rows are arranged in a zigzag pattern, the hemisphere 61 of the subsequent hemisphere row is in contact with the game balls that have escaped into the gap, and the longitudinal direction of the belt Speed is granted.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is obvious that various modifications can be made within the scope of the technical idea.

  For example, in the above embodiment, out of the game balls guided from the inclined rod 80 to the supply rod 27, it is not guided to the supply chute 40 provided on the supply rod 27, but is supplied to the gaming machine and the ball lending machine. It was explained that the game balls that were not present were led from the end cage 30 to the upper cage 35 and circulated in the game ball supply device 1. However, the game balls that have not been guided to the supply chute 40 among the game balls that move on the supply basket 27 are dropped from the downstream end of the supply basket 27 to the lower tank 2 and circulated in the game island 100. May be. Alternatively, the game balls that have not been guided to the auxiliary chute 41 among the game balls that move on the upper basket 35 are dropped from the downstream end of the upper basket 35 to the lower tank 2 and circulated in the game island 100. May be.

  The game ball supply device of the present invention can be applied as a device for supplying game balls to game machines. Note that the gaming machine is not limited to the pachinko gaming machine as shown in the above embodiment, and for example, other pachinko gaming machines, arrange ball gaming machines, sparrow ball gaming machines, etc. are used. Applicable to all gaming machines.

It is a perspective view which shows the internal structure of amusement island. It is a side view which shows the game ball supply apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the upstream end in the belt conveyance apparatus of the game ball supply apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the downstream end in the belt conveyance apparatus of the game ball supply apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the downstream end in the belt conveyance apparatus of the game ball supply apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the upstream end in the belt conveyance apparatus of the game ball supply apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is longitudinal direction sectional drawing of the upstream end in the belt conveyance apparatus of the game ball supply apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is longitudinal direction sectional drawing of the downstream end in the belt conveying apparatus of the game ball supply apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view in the short-side direction of the belt conveying device of the game ball supply device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view of a portion provided with a supply chute and an auxiliary chute. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view in the short-side direction of the belt conveying device of the game ball supply device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view of a portion provided with an overflow chute. It is a perspective view of a supply chute and an auxiliary chute in a belt conveyance device of a game ball supply device concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is an expansion perspective view of the supply chute and auxiliary chute in the belt conveyance device of the game ball supply device concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a perspective view of the upper eyelid which shows the opening part vicinity which communicates with an auxiliary chute. It is a perspective view of the connection part vicinity of a belt conveying apparatus and a rolling conveying apparatus. It is sectional drawing of the connection part vicinity of a belt conveying apparatus and a rolling conveying apparatus. It is a perspective view of the overflow chute in the belt conveyance device of the game ball supply device concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a block diagram of the conveyance control apparatus which controls operation | movement of a conveyance belt. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of control by a conveyance control apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the other form of a speed provision means. It is a perspective view which shows the other form of a speed provision means.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Game ball supply apparatus 1A Belt conveying apparatus 1B Rolling conveying apparatus 2 Lower tank 3 Lifting apparatus 4 Upper tank 4a Discharge port 10, 11 Roller 12 Conveying belt 12a Lower part 12b Upper part 12c Upstream arc part 12d Downstream arc part 13 drive motor 15 support member 16 support portion 27 supply rod 27a inlet portion 28 supply rod defining member 28a flat plate portion 30 end rod 31 bending member 35 upper rod 36 guide plate 40 supply chute 40A, 40a supply chute 40B for gaming machine, 40b Replenishment chute 41 for ball lending machine Auxiliary chute 42 Outlet portion 45 Inlet portion 47 Leveling member 49 Contact rod 50 Overflow chute 51 Sensor 55 Transport control device 56 State determination means 57 Drive signal output means 60 Protruding wall 61 Hemisphere 70 Screw 80 Inclined ridge 80a Ramp 100 Amusement Island

Claims (4)

In a gaming ball supply device that is provided on a gaming island in which a plurality of gaming machines are arranged in the longitudinal direction, and that supplies the gaming balls that are lifted by a lifting device and stored in a tank to each gaming machine,
A belt conveyance device for conveying a game ball by movement of an endless conveyance belt;
A rolling and conveying device that conveys the game ball by rolling it with its own weight,
The belt conveyance device and the rolling conveyance device are continuously arranged in the longitudinal direction of the game island,
The belt conveying device is:
Two rollers arranged at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the game island and having a rotation shaft extending in a short direction of the game island, and the conveyor belt is wound around,
A drive source for rotationally driving one of the rollers and rotating the conveyor belt;
A replenishment basket that has a flat plate portion provided at an interval below the conveyor belt, and a game ball that has flowed in from an inlet portion moves on the flat plate portion by movement of a lower portion of the conveyor belt;
A plurality of replenishment chutes provided along the longitudinal direction of the replenishment cage and guiding the game balls moving the replenishment cage to each gaming machine ,
The supply basket is configured such that a game ball moves between the flat plate portion and the lower portion of the transport belt in a loosely fitted state,
The conveyor belt is disposed at a predetermined inclination angle in the short direction, and has a speed imparting unit that imparts a speed to the game ball in a loose fit state as it goes around.
The replenishment trough is disposed inclined at the same inclination angle as the conveyor belt,
The replenishment chute of the belt conveying device is provided on the low side of the replenishment trough;
The flat plate portion is formed such that the inclination angle on the low side is larger than that on the high side,
The rolling conveying device is
Inclined ridges that are inclined in the longitudinal direction of the game island,
A plurality of replenishment chutes provided along the longitudinal direction of the inclined rod and guiding the game balls rolling the inclined rod to each gaming machine,
The game ball supply device according to claim 1, wherein the inclined basket has an upstream end communicating with the discharge port of the tank, and a downstream end communicating with the inlet of the supply basket. The belt conveying device is:
A game ball that has a curved portion provided at an interval along the outer periphery of the downstream-side arc portion of the conveyor belt at the downstream end of the conveyor belt and that has not been replenished to the gaming machine by the replenishment chute is the replenishment An end ridge that flows in from the ridge and moves on the inner circumference of the curved portion by the movement of the downstream arc portion;
An upper basket that has a support part that supports the upper part of the conveyor belt from below, and that the game ball that has flowed in from the end cage moves by the movement of the upper part and is inclined at the same inclination angle as the conveyor belt; ,
The game ball supply device according to claim 1, further comprising: an auxiliary chute provided along the longitudinal direction of the upper kite and guiding the game ball moving on the upper kite to the supply chute . In the gaming island, gaming machines are arranged in a back-facing state in the short direction,
The replenishment chute of the belt conveying device is
A first supply chute for supplying a game ball moving on the flat plate portion to a gaming machine located on a lower side of the supply basket;
A second supply chute for supplying a game ball moving on the flat plate portion to a gaming machine located on the high side of the supply basket;
The game ball supply device according to claim 2, further comprising: The replenishment chute is provided with a leveling member for leveling the game ball up and down one stage,
The joining part of the game ball which flowed in from the said replenishment basket in the said supply chute and the game ball which flowed in from the said auxiliary | assistant chute is provided in the upstream of the said leveling member, The Claim 2 or 3 characterized by the above-mentioned. Game ball supply device.

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