JP6501835B2 - Gaming machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine which selects medals satisfying a predetermined requirement from medals inserted into an insertion slot and discharges the medals to a medal tank.

  A gaming machine such as a slot machine is provided with an insertion slot for inserting medals as gaming media, and a medal sorting unit disposed below the insertion slot for sorting medals conforming to the standard from the medals inserted. The medals sorted by the medal sorting unit flow down the medal release passage and are released to the medal tank inside the housing. In addition, medals of nonconforming standards not selected by the medal sorting unit are returned from the payout opening.

  Such a game machine generally comprises non-contact detection means for non-contact detection of medals rolling in the medal release passage and outputting a detection signal, and based on the detection signal, the medal passing through the medal release passage is It is counting. However, in recent years, by inserting an incorrect tool from the insertion slot and causing the non-contact detection means to malfunction, the same detection signal as when an appropriate medal is inserted is output without inserting a medal into the insertion slot. Misconduct is a concern. Then, as a measure against such fraudulent action, contact detection means for detecting through mechanical contact of the medal and the detection piece is disposed, and based on the detection signal of the non-contact detection means and the detection signal of the contact detection means. A configuration has been proposed in which the number of medals passing through the medal release passage is double-checked (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP, 2013-240631, A

  In the configuration of Patent Document 1, in the medal release passage, medal clogging may occur in the vicinity of the arrangement portion of the detection piece. Since the detection piece is configured to be pressed and rotated by the medal flowing down in the medal release passage, such medal clogging is considered to be caused by the deceleration of the medal when the detection piece is pressed. . If the biasing force of the biasing spring that biases the detection piece is weakened, it is possible to weaken the degree of deceleration of the medal and reduce such medal clogging, but when the biasing force of the biasing spring is weakened, the detection piece As a result of the late return of the medal, the following medal may pass before the detection piece rotated by the previous medal returns to the original position, which may cause a detection omission of the medal.

  The present invention has been made in view of the present situation, and as described above, a game comprising detection means for detecting medals passing through the medal discharge passage through mechanical contact between the medal and the detection piece An object of the present invention is to provide a configuration capable of reducing the occurrence of medal clogging without reducing the detection accuracy of medals in a game.

  The inventors investigated in detail the cause of the occurrence of the medal clogging in the vicinity of the arrangement portion of the detection piece in the above-mentioned conventional gaming machine. As a result, in the medal release passage, the medal is held upright and rolled down on the downward inclined rolling path, and when the medal presses the detection piece, the resistance of the rolling path and The medal is decelerated by the biasing force of the biasing spring, but in the game machine used for a long time, the hand-roll or dust adhering to the medal is accumulated on the rolling path and resistance increases. It has been found that the medal clogging easily occurs in the vicinity of the location where the detection piece is disposed because the combined force of the resistance and the biasing force of the biasing spring is greater than expected. Then, based on such findings, the inventors achieved the present invention through trial and error to solve the above problems.

That is, according to the present invention, a medal sorting unit which sorts medals satisfying a predetermined requirement from an insertion slot into which medals are thrown, medals inserted into the slot, and medals sorted by the medal sorting unit It has a standing condition and has a medal releasing passage for rolling down on a descending rolling path to discharge to a medal tank, and a contact detecting means for detecting the medal discharged from the medal releasing passage. The gaming machine, wherein the contact detection means is pivotally supported, is biased to a predetermined steady position by a biasing spring, and has a pressure receiving end projecting from the pivot shaft from the medal discharge passage. By being pressed against the outer periphery of the medal to be released, a detection piece arranged to rotate from the steady position to at least a predetermined retraction position against the biasing force of the biasing spring; The above of the detection piece And a detection sensor for outputting a detection signal in association with rotation from a normal position to the retracted position, the pressure receiving end being at least the detection piece until the medal reaches the end of the rolling path Is disposed above the end of the rolling path so as not to reach the retracted position, and is disposed closer to the discharge direction of the medal than the end, and in the steady position of the detection piece, the rolling path The gap with the end of the gap is an interval where the medal can not pass, and before the medal reaches the end of the rolling path, the pressure receiving end is pressed by the medal and the detection piece is removed. The detection piece starts rotating from the steady position toward the retracted position, and after the medal reaches the end of the rolling path, when the medal falls from the end of the rolling path It is configured to rotate to the retracted position Ri, the rotation sensing piece to said retracted position result, the gap between the end and the receiving end of the rolling path is the medal is a game machine characterized by comprising a passable intervals. In the present invention, “the medal reaches the end of the rolling path” means that the outer peripheral portion of the medal abuts on the end of the rolling path.

In such a configuration, the amount of elastic deformation of the biasing spring increases as the medal presses the pressure receiving end and rotates the detection piece from the steady position toward the retracted position, and the pressure receiving end adds to the medal. Although the biasing force becomes stronger, on the other hand, the resistance of the rolling path is greatly reduced before the medal turns the detection piece to the retracted position. This is because, when the medal starts to fall from the end of the rolling path, it is released from the influence of hand marks and dust accumulated on the rolling path. As described above, according to the present invention, since the resistance of the rolling path of the medal can be reduced before the detection piece rotates to the retracted position and the biasing force by the biasing spring becomes large, The resultant force of the resistance and the biasing force of the biasing spring does not increase as compared with the conventional configuration. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the medal clogging that occurs near the portion where the detection piece is provided, as compared with the above-described conventional configuration.
In addition, since the present invention does not weaken the biasing force of the biasing spring, the return of the detection piece does not become slower compared to the conventional configuration, and it takes a period until the detection piece reaches the retracted position from the steady position. Since the gap between the end of the rolling path and the pressure receiving end is an interval where medals can not pass through, the medal may slip through between the end of the rolling path and the pressure receiving end, and detection leak of medal may occur. Nor.
Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of the medal clogging which occurs near the arrangement portion of the detection piece without reducing the detection accuracy of the medal.

As a further aspect of the present invention, when the medal reaches the end of the rolling path, is configured to the medals comes into contact with the pressure-receiving end of the detection piece of the normal position, the medal the When reaching the end of the rolling path and falling from the end, the pressure receiving end is pressed by the medal, the detection piece rotates from the steady position toward the retracted position, and the detection piece There is also proposed a game machine characterized in that, when rotated to the retracted position, the gap between the end of the rolling path and the pressure receiving end portion is an interval through which the medal can pass . Even with this configuration, the same effects as the above invention can be obtained. With this configuration, the detection piece is rotated from the steady position to the retracted position while the medal falls from the end of the rolling path. Therefore, all the detection pieces are rotated from the steady position to the retracted position. In the process, the resistance of the rolling path can be reduced, and the effect of further reducing the medal clogging can be exhibited.

Also, as a further aspect of the present invention, after the medal reaches the end of the rolling path, is configured to the medals comes into contact with the pressure-receiving end of the detection piece of the normal position, the medal When reaching the end of the rolling path and falling from the end, the pressure receiving end is pressed by the medal and the detection piece rotates from the steady position toward the retracted position, and the detection piece There is also proposed a game machine characterized in that, when the wheel pivots to the retracted position, the gap between the end of the rolling path and the pressure receiving end becomes an interval through which the medal can pass . Even with this configuration, the same effects as the above invention can be obtained. In addition, with this configuration, the medal contacts with the pressure receiving end after the resistance of the rolling path is reduced, and therefore, the medal is vigorously contacted with the pressure receiving end compared to the conventional configuration. Therefore, the effect of reducing the medal clogging can be exhibited.

Further, in the present invention, the detection piece is pivotally supported substantially in the vertical direction on one side of the outlet of the medal discharge passage, and the pressure receiving end portion protrudes toward the other side of the outlet. Suggested.
The speed of the medals flowing down the medal release passage is not constant, and varies depending on the way of medals being thrown. While rolling on the rolling path, the locus of the medal is substantially constant, but when it is released from the medal release passage and loses the support of the rolling path, the locus of the medal goes up and down according to the speed It will vary. For this reason, as in the present invention, in the configuration in which the medal and the pressure receiving end abut each other while the medal falls from the rolling path, the detection piece is pivotally supported above the medal release passage to receive the pressure receiving end. If it is configured to hang down, depending on the flow-down speed of the medal, the medal will hit the base end side (upper side) of the pressure receiving end or hit the tip side (lower side). Since the force required for the rotation of the detection piece is largely different between when the base end side is hit and when the tip end side is hit, the reaction force applied to the medal is largely different, so the behavior of the medal tends to be unstable.
On the other hand, in such a configuration, the detection piece is pivotally supported substantially vertically, and the pressure receiving end portion is projected from one side to the other side of the outlet of the medal release passage, so that the locus of medals is vertically Even if the pressure is uneven, the position where the medal abuts on the pressure receiving end does not change, and the reaction force applied to the medal from the pressure receiving end is stabilized. Therefore, with such a configuration, the behavior of the medal can be stabilized.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a slot machine 1 according to a first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an outline of the slot machine 1 in a state in which the front door 3 is opened. FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the hopper unit 19; FIG. 5 is a front view of a medal detection device 15; 5 is a rear view of the medal detection device 15. FIG. It is an expanded sectional view showing the medal sorting passage 31 of the medal detecting device 15 longitudinally, (a) shows a state where the upper support rail 36 is in the support position, (b) does not support the upper support rail 36 Indicates the position. It is a block diagram showing a control circuit concerning management of a medal. It is an enlarged rear view of discharge part 26 circumference which shows the rolling path 34b and the case body 49 longitudinally, (a) shows the state in which the detection piece 46 exists in the steady position P, (b) shows the detection piece 46. The state of being at the retraction position Q is shown. FIG. 10 is an enlarged plan view of the vicinity of the discharge part 26 shown across the support wall 38 and the case body 49; It is explanatory drawing which shows the action | operation of a 3rd medal | token detection means, (a) shows the time of rolling down on the rolling path 34b of the medal discharge passage 32, and (b) shows a medal | token The time when X contacts the pressure receiving end 51 of the detection piece 46 at the steady position P is shown. It is explanatory drawing which shows the action | operation of a 3rd medal | token detection means, (a) shows the time of the medal X having reached the end 35 of the rolling path 34b, (b) shows the output signal of the photo sensor 47 from ON. Indicates when to switch off. It is explanatory drawing which shows the action | operation of a 3rd medal | token detection means, (a) shows the time of the detection piece 46 having rotated to the retracted position Q, (b) the time of the detection piece 46 returning to the steady position P Indicates (A) is an enlarged rear view around discharge part 26 which shows arrangement of the 3rd medal detection means 42 of Example 2, and (b) is discharge which shows arrangement of the 3rd medal detection means 42 of Example 3. It is an enlarged rear view around part 26. FIG. It is a rear view which expands and shows the discharge part 26 periphery of Example 4, (a) shows the state in which the detection piece 46a exists in the steady position P, The state which the detection piece 46a exists in the retracted position Q shows (b). Indicates It is an enlarged plan view of discharge part 26 circumference concerning Example 4 shown crossing support wall part 38a, (a) shows the state where detection piece 46a is in steady position P, (b) is a detection piece The state in which 46a is pressed by the medal X and rotated from the steady position P is shown.

  An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a slot machine will be described according to the following example. In the following embodiment, the medal sorting portion according to the present invention corresponds to the medal sorting passage 31, and the contact detecting means according to the present invention corresponds to the third medal detecting means 42, 42a. In the following embodiments, the outlet of the medal discharge port according to the present invention corresponds to the discharge portion 26, and the discharge direction of the medal corresponds to the left side (left rear in Example 4). In the following embodiment, the detection sensor according to the present invention corresponds to the photo sensor 47, and the detection signal of the detection sensor corresponds to the switching of the output signal of the photo sensor 47 from ON to OFF.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the slot machine 1 of the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the front door 3 of the slot machine 1 is opened. The slot machine 1 includes a case 2 opened forward and a front door 3 covering the case 2 from the front, and the front door 3 is pivotally supported by one side edge of the case 2. At the central portion of the front door 3, a visual recognition window 4 for visualizing the three reels 9 disposed inside the housing 2 is provided. Further, on the front side of the front door 3, various switches such as bet switches 5a and 5b, start switch 6, stop switch 7 and payout switch 8 used for the game operation are disposed below the viewing window 4. Furthermore, an insertion slot 10 for inserting medals X one by one and a credit number display 11 for displaying the number of credits are also provided. Further, at the lower part of the front door 3, a payout opening 12 from which the medal X is paid out and a medal receiving tray 14 for receiving the medal X paid out from the payout opening 12 are disposed.

  Inside the housing 2, as shown in FIG. 2, a substrate such as the main control substrate 13 is installed above the reel 9 in a state of being accommodated in the case. Further, a power supply box 18 and a hopper unit 19 are disposed below the reel 9. As shown in FIG. 3, the hopper unit 19 includes a medal tank 20 for storing the medal X and a hopper main body 21 for paying out the medal X stored in the medal tank 20. The upper part of the medal tank 20 is open, and as described later, the medal inserted into the insertion slot 10 is dropped and stored in the medal tank 20 from above the hopper unit 19. The hopper main body 21 closes the bottom opening 20a of the medal tank 20 with the disk-shaped rotor 22 and rotates the rotor 22 with a motor (not shown) to make the medals X of the medal tank 20 one by one. Play from the delivery unit 23. The medal X ejected from the medal delivery unit 23 is paid out from the payout opening 12 via the payout opening communication rod 16 described later.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, on the back side of the front door 3, a medal detection device 15 for detecting the medal X inserted from the insertion slot 10 is disposed, and below the medal detection device 15, a medal is detected. Dispensing outlet communication pipe 16 which makes X flow down to dispensing outlet 12 is arranged. The lower end portion of the payout port communication rod 16 is connected to the payout port 12, and an opening portion (not shown) for receiving an appropriate medal or the like from the medal detection device 15 is formed at the upper end portion. There is formed an opening 17 for receiving the medal X which the hopper unit 19 ejects.

  FIG. 4 is a front view of the medal detection device 15, and FIG. 5 is a rear view of the medal detection device 15. As shown in FIG. The medal detection device 15 is disposed on the back side of the front door 3 in a state of being inclined forward by about 20 ° from the posture shown in FIGS. In the upper right portion of the medal detection device 15, an inflow port 25 communicating with the insertion port 10 is opened. The insertion slot 10 has a size that allows one medal X to pass through gradually, and the medals X inserted one by one from the insertion slot 10 flow into the medal detection device 15 from the inflow port 25. A medal passage 24 for letting the medal X flow from the inflow 25 to the lower left portion of the medal detection device 15 is formed inside the medal detection device 15, and in the lower left portion of the medal detection device 15, the front door 3 is closed. A discharge unit 26 for discharging the medal X which has passed through the medal passage 24 from above the medal tank 20 is provided. That is, the medals X inserted one by one from the insertion port 10 are stored in the medal tank 20 after passing through the inside of the medal detection device 15.

  The medal passage 24 is a narrow passage whose front and rear width is slightly larger than the thickness of the medal X, and as shown in FIG. 4, the medal sorting passage 31 in which the medal return opening 28 is formed on the front side. It comprises a medal insertion passage 30 leading from the inflow port 25 to the medal sorting passage 31 and a medal discharge passage 32 for letting the medal X which has passed through the medal sorting passage 31 flow down to the discharge part 26. The medal insertion passage 30 is a passage that allows the medal X to flow down from the inflow port 25 in a substantially vertical direction. On the other hand, the medal sorting passage 31 and the medal releasing passage 32 are passages for rolling the medal X downward to the left.

  As described above, the medal detection device 15 is attached to the front door 3 in a forwardly inclined posture, and as shown in FIG. 6A, the medal sorting passage 31 has an anteversion angle of the medal detection device 15 It is tilted forward by (about 20 °). Further, although not shown, the medal release passage 32 is also inclined forward as the medal selection passage 31 is. As shown in FIG. 4, rolling paths 34 a and 34 b inclined downward to the left are formed at the bottom of the medal sorting passage 31 and the medal releasing passage 32, and in the medal sorting passage 31 and the medal releasing passage 32, medals are formed. X is held in the forwardly inclined upright state, and rolls down on the rolling paths 34 a and 34 b toward the discharge portion 26.

  In the medal sorting passage 31, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 (a), only the upper end portion and the lower end portion of the medal X are supported from the front by the upper support rail 36 and the lower support rail 37. The distance between the upper support rail 36 and the lower support rail 37 is set to be slightly smaller than the diameter of the appropriate medal X. Therefore, in the medal sorting passage 31, the medal X satisfying the prescribed diameter is supported at the upper end and the lower end, but the inappropriate medal X1 less than the prescribed diameter is not supported at the upper end, As shown to (a), it falls to the opening part 28 for medal return ahead. The improper medal X1 which has fallen from the medal return opening 28 is returned from the payout opening 12 via the above-described payout opening communication rod 16 (see FIG. 2). In this manner, the medal sorting passage 31 sorts and passes only the medal X satisfying the prescribed diameter from the medals inserted into the insertion slot 10. That is, the medal sorting passage 31 corresponds to the medal sorting unit according to the present invention.

  In addition, the medal sorting passage 31 can be switched to a state in which all the inserted medals X are returned to the payout opening 12. Specifically, the upper support rail 36 can be converted into a support position where the upper end portion of the medal X is supported by the passage switching solenoid 39 and a non-support position where the upper support rail 36 is not supported. In the condition of FIG. 6A, as shown in FIG. 6A, the appropriate medal X is supported at the upper end and can pass the medal sorting passage 31, but when the upper support rail 36 is in the non-supporting position, As shown in FIG. 6 (b), even if the medal X is of the appropriate size, all of the medals inserted in order to lose the support of the upper end portion in the medal sorting passage 31 and fall to the medal return opening 28 in front. The medal X is returned to the payout opening 12.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the medal release passage 32 is a passage that is continuous with the downstream side of the medal sorting passage 31, and the lower end portion of the medal release passage 32 releases the medal X to the medal tank 20. It has become. In the medal release passage 32, the medal X which has passed through the medal sorting passage 31 is supported by the support wall portion 38 formed on the front side in a forwardly inclined upright state, and rolls over the rolling path 34b downward to the left. Flow down. The back side of the medal release passage 32 is open. The rolling path 34a of the medal sorting passage 31 is formed of a metal plate, while the rolling path 34b of the medal releasing passage 32 is formed of a lower left base member 48 made of resin attached to the lower left portion of the medal detecting device 15. Be done. The end 35 of the rolling path 34b of the medal release passage 32 is located at the release portion 26, and the medal X of the medal release passage 32 is rolled down to the end 35 and then released leftward, Fall into the medal tank 20

  As shown in FIG. 4, the medal detection device 15 is provided with three types of medal detection means 40 to 42 for detecting the inserted medal X. The first medal detecting means 40 is for detecting the medal X passing through the medal insertion passage 30, and for detecting the piece 44 rotated by the medal X passing through the medal insertion passage 30, and for turning the detection piece 44. Along with this, a photo sensor (not shown) for fluctuating an output signal is provided. The second medal detecting means 41 detects the medal X which has passed through the medal sorting passage 31, and is disposed on the downstream side of the medal sorting passage 31 and detects the medal X passing through the position in a noncontact manner. A sensor 45 is provided. The third medal detecting means 42 is for detecting the medal X discharged from the discharge part 26, and the detection piece 46 rotated by the medal X discharged from the discharge part 26 and the rotation of the detection piece 46. Accordingly, the photo sensor 47 is provided to fluctuate the output signal.

Next, a control circuit related to medal management in the slot machine 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
The main control board 13 rotates the reel 9 by the operation of the start switch 6 to variably display the symbol, and then stops the reel 9 by the operation of the stop switch 7 and performs a process according to the stop aspect of the symbol It executes control repeatedly. The bet switches 5a and 5b, the start switch 6, the stop switch 7, the payout switch 8 and the like are connected to input ports of the main control board 13. Further, the reel 9, the number-of-credits display 11, the hopper unit 19 and the like are connected to the output port of the main control board 13. In the medal detection device 15, the passage switching solenoid 39 is connected to the output port of the main control board 13, and the photosensors of the medal detection means 40, 41, 42 are connected to the input port of the main control board 13.

  The number of credits of medals is stored in the RAM of the main control board 13. The main control board 13 increases or decreases the number of credits according to the situation, and updates the display value of the number-of-credits display 11. Specifically, when the bet switches 5a and 5b are operated, the main control board 13 reduces the number of credits by the number of bets. When the player wins a game, the payout number corresponding to the winning combination is added to the credit number, and when the credit number reaches the upper limit, the hopper unit 19 is operated to pay out the medals to be paid out 12 Pay out from. When the payout switch 8 is operated, the hopper unit 19 is operated to pay out the credited medals from the payout opening 12.

  In addition, when the medal X is inserted, the main control board 13 counts the number of inserted medals X based on the second medal detecting means 41, and adds the inserted number to the credit number. Specifically, when the medal X is inserted, the main control board 13 counts the number of inserted medals X based on the output signal from the photo sensor 45 of the second medal detecting means 41, and the credit The value of the number display 11 is updated. Further, the main control board 13 counts the number of inserted medals X based on the output signal from the photo sensor 45 of the second medal detecting means 41, and at the same time, the main control board 13 receives the signal from the photo sensor 47 of the third medal detecting means 42. The number of medals inserted is counted based on the output signal. Then, when the two inserted numbers counted based on the output signals of the medal detection means 41 and 42 do not match, predetermined error processing is executed as a medal insertion error. Here, as a predetermined error process, in order to notify the store clerk of the game arcade of the occurrence of the medal insertion error, displaying that the medal insertion error has occurred on the display such as the credit number display 11 or the error occurrence It is conceivable to output special sounds and lights that are sometimes used, and also to interrupt game control until a predetermined error release operation is performed by a game store clerk, in order to prevent the spread of damage caused by cheating. Conceivable. As described above, in the present embodiment, since the number of medals inserted is double-checked based on the two medal detectors 41 and 42, the medal detector is erroneously operated, and the number of credits is not inserted without medals. Certainly prevent the increase of fraud. In addition, when the number of inserted sheets is added to the number of credits, the number of inserted sheets counted based on the second medal detecting means 41 is compared with the number of inserted sheets counted based on the third medal detecting means 42, and both are consistent. The number of credits may be added to the number of credits only in a case where the number of credits is incorrectly added by fraudulent acts.

  Further, the main control board 13 controls the medal detection device 15 in a state of temporarily not accepting the insertion of the medal X by switching the operation state of the passage switching solenoid 39. Specifically, when the number of credits is the upper limit value, or during the rotation of the reel 9, the control is performed so as not to accept the insertion of the medal X. In addition, also when the slot machine 1 is powered off, the passage switching solenoid 39 is stopped and the upper support rail 36 is in the non-supporting position, so that the medal detection device 15 does not receive the insertion of the medal X.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the third medal detecting means 42 according to the main part of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 10 to 12 are enlarged rear views of the medal detecting device 15 as viewed obliquely from the upper side by the anteversion angle (about 20 °), and FIG. 9 is an oblique front by the anteversion angle It is the enlarged plan view seen from. In the following description, the “left” corresponds to the right in FIGS.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the third medal detecting means 42 is configured by housing the detection piece 46 and the photo sensor 47 in the case body 49. The case body 49 constitutes a part of the lower left base member 48 fixed to the back side of the support wall 38, and is disposed to the left of the discharge portion 26.

  The detection piece 46 is a resin piece formed of a pivot shaft 50, a pressure receiving end 51 projecting from the pivot shaft 50, and a sensor detection end 52 projecting leftward from the pivot shaft 50, and is a case. The rotary shaft 50 is supported by the body 49 in the width direction of the medal release passage 32 at the upper left of the end 35 of the rolling path 34b. The pressure receiving end 51 projects downward of the pivot shaft 50 on the back side of the case body 49, and can be pivoted to the left and right around the pivot shaft 50 at the upper left of the end 35 of the rolling path 34 ing. On the other hand, the sensor detection end 52 protrudes to the left of the pivot shaft 50 inside the case 49, and the tip end of the sensor detection end 52 can be pivoted up and down inside the case 49.

  The photo sensor 47 is a general sensor in which a detection unit 47c is provided between the light emitting unit 47a and the light receiving unit 47b, and an output signal is obtained in a state in which light reaches the light receiving unit 47b from the light emitting unit 47a. Is turned off and the light from the light emitting unit 47a to the light receiving unit 47b is blocked, the output signal is turned on. The photosensor 47 is fixed inside the case body 49, and the output signal thereof is output to the main control board 13.

  A biasing spring 54, which is a torsion coil spring, is attached to the rotation shaft 50 of the detection piece 46, and the biasing force of the biasing spring 54 causes the detection piece 46 to rotate clockwise in FIG. It is urged to turn to the On the other hand, the stopper 55 is disposed inside the case body 49, and as shown in FIG. 8A, when the detection piece 46 is in the predetermined steady position P, the stopper 55 is at the sensor detection end 52 And the clockwise rotation is restricted. Therefore, the detection piece 46 is normally biased to the steady position P by the biasing force of the biasing spring 54.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, at the steady position P of the detection piece 46, the gap S between the end 35 of the rolling path 34 and the pressure receiving end 51 is smaller than the diameter D of the medal X which the medal X can not pass. Interval. Further, at the steady position P of the detection piece 46, the tip of the sensor detection end 52 is inserted into the detection unit 47c of the photosensor 47, and the output signal from the photosensor 47 to the main control board 13 is It is ON.

  Further, the detection piece 46 is released from the steady position P in a direction opposite to the clockwise direction against the biasing force of the biasing spring 54, so that the pressure receiving end 51 is released as shown in FIG. 8B. By retracting in the direction, the gap S between the pressure receiving end 51 of the detection piece 46 and the end 35 of the rolling path 34 can be pivoted to the retracted position Q where the distance is equal to the diameter D of the medal X. When the detection piece 46 rotates to the retracted position Q, the medal X can pass through the gap S between the pressure receiving end 51 of the detection piece 46 and the end 35 of the rolling path 34. At the retraction position Q, the tip of the sensor detection end 52 is retracted above the detection portion 47c of the photosensor 47, and the output signal from the photosensor 47 to the main control board 13 is turned off. ing.

The operation of detecting the medal X by the third medal detecting means 42 will be described below.
First, as shown in FIG. 10A, the medal X which has passed through the medal sorting passage 31 is held substantially upright by the support wall portion 38 in the medal releasing passage 32, and is rolled over the rolling path 34b. Flow down. Then, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10B, the pressure receiving end of the detection piece 46 of the steady position P immediately before the medal X reaches the end 35 of the rolling path 34b. It abuts on the portion 51 and flows down the medal discharge passage 32 while pressing the pressure receiving end 51. As a result, the detection piece 46 presses the pressure receiving end 51 leftward to start pivoting in the direction of the retracted position Q, and along with this, the sensor sensing end 52 starts pivoting upward .

  When the medal X flows down the medal release passage 32 while pressing the pressure receiving end 51 from the state shown in FIG. 10B, as shown in FIG. 11A, the medal X ends 35 of the rolling path 34b. , And while pressing the pressure receiving end 51, it begins to fall from the end 35 of the rolling path 34b. After this time point, the medal X only contacts the end 35 of the rolling path 34b and is released from the influence of the hand and dust accumulated on the rolling path 34b. The resistance will be greatly reduced.

  When the medal X starts to fall from the end 35 of the rolling path 34b from the state shown in FIG. 11 (a), the detection piece 46 pressed against the pressure receiving end 51 further pivots, as shown in FIG. 11 (b). At the time shown, the sensor detection end 52 drops out of the detection unit 42 of the photosensor 47, and the output signal of the photosensor 47 switches from ON to OFF. In the present embodiment, the switching from ON to OFF of the output signal of the photo sensor 47 is processed as a detection signal of the medal X in the main control board 13. That is, at this time, the main control board 13 detects the medal X emitted from the discharge unit 26.

  When the medal X falls further downward from the state shown in FIG. 11 (b), as shown in FIG. 12 (a), the detection piece 46 pressed by the pressure receiving end 51 is further rotated to retract position Q To reach. At this time, the distance S between the end 35 of the rolling path 34b and the pressure receiving end 51 is equal to the diameter D of the medal X, and the largest diameter portion of the medal X passes through the space S. Thereafter, the medal X falls downward without rotating the detection piece 46 in the opposite direction to the clockwise direction, and the detection piece 46 rotates clockwise with the fall of the medal X. Therefore, when the medal X falls further from the state shown in FIG. 12A, as shown in FIG. 12B, the detection piece 46 is returned to the steady position P by the biasing spring 54, and the next medal is obtained. It becomes possible to detect X.

  Thus, in the third medal detecting means 42, when the medal X is released from the medal release passage 32, the pressure receiving end 51 is pressed against the outer periphery of the medal X, so that the detection piece 46 is at the steady position P. From the position to the retracted position Q, and with the rotation of the detection piece 46, the photo sensor 47 switches the output signal from ON to OFF. Then, the main control board 13 detects the switching of the output signal, whereby the release of the medal X from the release unit 26 is detected.

  In the third medal detecting means 42 of this embodiment, the amount of elastic deformation of the biasing spring 54 becomes larger as the medal X presses the pressure receiving end 51 and the detection piece 46 gets closer to the retracted position Q from the steady position P. Thus, the repulsive force applied to the medal X from the pressure receiving end 51 becomes strong. However, in the present embodiment, the pressure receiving end 51 is disposed such that the medal X reaches the end 35 of the rolling path 34b before the detection piece 46 pressed by the medal X reaches the retracted position Q. When the medal X reaches the end 35 of the rolling path 34b (see FIG. 11A), the resistance of the rolling path 34b to the medal X is greatly reduced. As described above, in this embodiment, the resistance of the rolling path 34b of the medal X is reduced before the detection piece 46 rotates to the retracted position Q and the biasing force by the biasing spring 54 becomes strong. The combined force of the resistance of the moving path 34b and the biasing force of the biasing spring 54 does not increase, and there is an advantage that it is difficult for the discharge portion 26 to be clogged with the medal.

  The above effect is caused by the arrangement of the end 35 of the rolling path 34b of the medal discharge passage 32 and the pressure receiving end 51 of the detection piece 46, and does not weaken the biasing force of the biasing spring 54. The return of the detection piece 46 from the retracted position Q is not delayed as compared with the conventional configuration. In addition, since the gap S between the end 35 of the rolling path 34b and the pressure receiving end 51 is an interval where the medal X can not pass until the detection piece 46 reaches the retracted position Q from the steady position P, There is also no possibility that the medal X passes through between the end 35 of the rolling path 34b and the pressure receiving end portion 51 and a detection leak of the medal X occurs. Therefore, in the third medal detection means 42 according to the present embodiment, detection accuracy comparable to that of the conventional configuration can be realized. Further, in the present embodiment, since the case body 49 holding the detection piece 46 and the end 35 of the rolling path 34b are formed of the same resin member (lower left base member 48), the pressure receiving end of the detection piece 46 There is an advantage that the positional relationship between the portion 51 and the end 35 of the rolling path 34b is unlikely to be deviated.

In the present embodiment, the arrangement of the third medal detecting means 42 is changed from the first embodiment. Since the other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description of the common configuration will be omitted using the same reference numerals as the first embodiment in the text and the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 13A, in the present embodiment, the third medal detecting means 42 is disposed on the discharge direction side (closer to the right in the figure) of the medal X than the first embodiment. Here, the alternate long and two short dashes line in FIG. 13A indicates the position of the medal X when it reaches the end 35 of the rolling path 34b. In the present embodiment, the medal X abuts on the pressure receiving end 51 of the detection piece 46 at the same time as reaching the end 35 of the rolling path 34b. For this reason, according to the present embodiment, the resistance of the rolling path 34b to the medal X can be reduced in the entire process of rotating the detection piece 46 from the steady position P to the retracted position Q. It is possible to reduce further.

In the present embodiment, the arrangement of the third medal detecting means 42 is changed from the first embodiment. Since the other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description of the common configuration will be omitted using the same reference numerals as the first embodiment in the text and the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 13 (b), in the present embodiment, the third medal detecting means 42 is disposed on the medal X discharge direction side more than the second embodiment. Here, the dashed-two dotted line in FIG.13 (b) has shown the position of the medal X at the time of reaching the terminal end 35 of the rolling path 34b. In the present embodiment, when the medal X reaches the end 35 of the rolling path 34b, it does not contact the pressure receiving end 51, and the pressure receiving end 51 contacts the pressure receiving end 51 while falling from the end 35 of the rolling path 34b. It will be in contact with you. For this reason, in the present embodiment, since the pressure receiving end portion 51 can be strongly pressed by using the momentum when the medal X falls, it becomes possible to further reduce the medal clogging in the discharge portion 26.

The present embodiment is a modification of the configuration of the medal release passage 32 and the third medal detecting means 42 of the first embodiment. Since the other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description of the common configuration will be omitted using the same reference numerals as the first embodiment in the text and the drawings.
In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the rolling path 34c and the support wall 38a of the medal discharge passage 32a are curved toward the rear side, and the medal X which rolls down the medal discharge passage 32a. Is discharged backward from the discharge portion 26 to the left rear, changing the flow-down direction to the rear along the medal release passage 32a. As described above, the medal X can be dropped near the central portion of the medal tank 20 by releasing the medal X to the rear than the first embodiment. Further, in the present embodiment, a support wall 38b supporting the medal X from the back side is also provided upright on the back side of the medal release passage 32a.

  As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the third medal detecting means 42a according to the present embodiment is not accommodated in the case body, and the detecting piece 46a and the photosensor 47 are disposed on the back side of the lower left base member 48. . The detection piece 46a is axially supported substantially in the vertical direction on the front side of the discharge portion 26 of the medal discharge passage 32a, and the pressure receiving end portion 51 protrudes toward the back side of the discharge portion 26. As shown in FIGS. 14 (a) and 15 (a), the detection piece 46a of this embodiment is biased to the steady position P by the biasing spring 54 in the same manner as in the first embodiment. positioned. In this steady position P, the gap between the end 35 of the rolling path 34c and the pressure receiving end 51 is narrower than the diameter of the medal X, and the tip of the sensor detection end 52 is the detection portion 47c of the photosensor 47. It is inserted.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 14B, as in the first embodiment, the detection piece 46a of the present embodiment is rotated against the urging force of the urging spring 54, thereby providing The clearance between the end 35 and the pressure receiving end 51 can be rotated to the retracted position Q where the distance between the end 35 and the pressure receiving end 51 is equal to the diameter of the medal X. It is configured to be evacuated from 47c. Then, as shown in FIG. 15B, in the present embodiment, as in the other embodiments, when the medal X falls from the end 35 of the rolling path 34c, the detection piece 46a receives the pressure receiving end by the medal X. The portion 51 is pressed and turned from the steady position P toward the retracted position Q, and accordingly, the output signal of the photo sensor 47 changes from ON to OFF.

  In the present embodiment, as in the second embodiment, when the medal X reaches the end 35 of the rolling path 34c, the outer peripheral portion of the medal X is at the pressure receiving end 51 of the detection piece 46a at the steady position P. It is designed to abut. In addition, the dashed-two dotted line in Fig.14 (a) has shown the position of the medal X at the time of arriving at the terminal end 35 of the rolling path 34c. Therefore, even in the present embodiment, the resistance of the rolling path 34c to the medal X is reduced in all processes of rotating the detection piece 46a from the steady position P to the retracted position Q, and the medal jamming in the discharge portion 26 Can be reduced.

  As in the present embodiment, the present invention is also applicable to a configuration in which the medal discharge passage is curved. The axial support direction of the detection piece according to the present invention is not particularly limited, and may be the width direction of the medal release passage or the height direction of the medal release passage. In the configuration in which the detection piece 46a is axially supported in the height direction of the medal release passage 32a and the pressure receiving end 51 is protruded in the width direction of the medal release passage 32a as in the present embodiment, from the medal release passage 32a There is an advantage that the behavior of the releasing medal X can be stabilized. More specifically, the flow-down speed of the medal X passing through the medal discharge passage 32a is not constant, and the medal X having a high flow-down speed rolls down while rolling on the rolling path 34b. The medals X with high flow-down speed will hit the base end side of the pressure receiving end 51, and the medals X with low flow-down speed will hit the tip side of the pressure receiving end 51, and the reaction force applied to the medal X from the pressure receiving end 51 will vary. The behavior of the medal X tends to be unstable. On the other hand, when passing through the medal discharge passage 32a, the medal X follows the wall surface of the support wall 38a on the front side by the centrifugal force when curving to the back side and the forward inclination of the passage 32a. When the pressure receiving end 51 projects in the width direction of the medal release passage 32a as in the present embodiment, the position at which the medal X abuts on the pressure receiving end 51 is constant, and the pressure is received. The reaction force applied to the medal X from the end 51 can be stabilized.

  The gaming machine of the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention is applicable not only to slot machines but also to other gaming machines that use medals. In the above embodiment, the second medal detecting means 41 and the third medal detecting means 42 double check the number of inserted medals X. However, according to the present invention, these two types of medal detecting means It is not essential, as long as the medal detection means (third detection means 42) according to the present invention is provided.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the medal X is held in an upright state inclined at about 20 ° from the vertical direction and rolled down, but the medal release passage according to the present invention is orthogonal to the flow down direction as in the above embodiment. The invention is not limited to the one in which the medal is inclined in the direction to roll down, and the one in which the medal is kept in an upright state and is made to roll down on the rolling path.

1 Slot machine (game machine)
12 Payouts 13 Main Control Board 15 Medal Detection Device 16 Payout Communication 樋 20 Medals Tank 24 Medals Passage 26 Release Part 31 Medals Sorting Passage (Medal Sorting Part)
32, 32a medal discharge passage 34a, 34b, 34c rolling path 35 end of rolling path 38, 38a, 38b support wall 42, 42a third medal detecting means (contact detecting means)
45 Photo sensor (detection sensor)
46, 46a Detection piece 47 Photo sensor (detection sensor)
48 lower left base member 49 case 50 rotation shaft 51 pressure receiving end 52 sensor detection end 54 biasing spring 55 stopper D medal diameter P steady position Q retracted position X medal

Claims (4)

An insertion slot for inserting medals,
A medal sorting unit that sorts medals that satisfy predetermined requirements from the medals inserted into the slot;
A medal discharge passage for holding the medals sorted by the medal sorting unit in a substantially standing state, rolling down on the downward rolling rolling path, and discharging the medals to a medal tank;
And a touch detection unit that detects the medals discharged from the medal release passage, the game machine comprising:
The contact detection means is
A pivotally supported shaft is biased to a predetermined steady position by a biasing spring, and a pressure receiving end projecting from the pivot shaft is pressed against the outer peripheral portion of the medal discharged from the medal discharge passage. A detection piece arranged to rotate from the steady position to at least a predetermined retraction position against the biasing force of the biasing spring;
And a detection sensor that outputs a detection signal as the detection piece rotates from the steady position to the retracted position.
The pressure receiving end portion is located above the end of the rolling path so as to prevent the detection piece from reaching the retracted position at least until the medal reaches the end of the rolling path, and the pressure receiving end portion is more than the end The medal is disposed closer to the discharge direction, and at the steady position of the detection piece, a gap from the end of the rolling path is an interval at which the medal can not pass.
Before the medal reaches the end of the rolling path, and the detection piece the pressure-supporting end portion is pressed by the medal toward the retracted position from the normal position to start turning, the rolling path After the medal reaches the end, the detection piece is configured to rotate to the retracted position when the medal falls from the end of the rolling path .
When the detection piece is rotated to the retracted position , the gap between the end of the rolling path and the pressure receiving end portion is an interval through which the medal can pass. An insertion slot for inserting medals,
A medal sorting unit that sorts medals that satisfy predetermined requirements from the medals inserted into the slot;
A medal discharge passage for holding the medals sorted by the medal sorting unit in a substantially standing state, rolling down on the downward rolling rolling path, and discharging the medals to a medal tank;
And a touch detection unit that detects the medals discharged from the medal release passage, the game machine comprising:
The contact detection means is
A pivotally supported shaft is biased to a predetermined steady position by a biasing spring, and a pressure receiving end projecting from the pivot shaft is pressed against the outer peripheral portion of the medal discharged from the medal discharge passage. A detection piece arranged to rotate from the steady position to at least a predetermined retraction position against the biasing force of the biasing spring;
And a detection sensor that outputs a detection signal as the detection piece rotates from the steady position to the retracted position.
The pressure receiving end portion is located above the end of the rolling path so as to prevent the detection piece from reaching the retracted position at least until the medal reaches the end of the rolling path, and the pressure receiving end portion is more than the end The medal is disposed closer to the discharge direction, and at the steady position of the detection piece, a gap from the end of the rolling path is an interval at which the medal can not pass.
Furthermore, when the medal reaches the end of the rolling path, the medal is configured to contact the pressure receiving end of the detection piece at the steady position;
When the medal reaches the end of the rolling path and falls from the end, the pressure receiving end is pressed by the medal and the detection piece rotates from the steady position toward the retracted position. When the detection piece is rotated to the retracted position, the gap between the end of the rolling path and the pressure receiving end portion is an interval through which the medal can pass. An insertion slot for inserting medals,
A medal sorting unit that sorts medals that satisfy predetermined requirements from the medals inserted into the slot;
A medal discharge passage for holding the medals sorted by the medal sorting unit in a substantially standing state, rolling down on the downward rolling rolling path, and discharging the medals to a medal tank;
And a touch detection unit that detects the medals discharged from the medal release passage, the game machine comprising:
The contact detection means is
A pivotally supported shaft is biased to a predetermined steady position by a biasing spring, and a pressure receiving end projecting from the pivot shaft is pressed against the outer peripheral portion of the medal discharged from the medal discharge passage. A detection piece arranged to rotate from the steady position to at least a predetermined retraction position against the biasing force of the biasing spring;
And a detection sensor that outputs a detection signal as the detection piece rotates from the steady position to the retracted position.
The pressure receiving end portion is located above the end of the rolling path so as to prevent the detection piece from reaching the retracted position at least until the medal reaches the end of the rolling path, and the pressure receiving end portion is more than the end The medal is disposed closer to the discharge direction, and at the steady position of the detection piece, a gap from the end of the rolling path is an interval at which the medal can not pass.
Furthermore, after the medal reaches the end of the rolling path, the medal is configured to contact the pressure receiving end of the detection piece at the steady position.
When the medal reaches the end of the rolling path and falls from the end, the pressure receiving end is pressed by the medal and the detection piece rotates from the steady position toward the retracted position. When the detection piece is rotated to the retracted position, the gap between the end of the rolling path and the pressure receiving end portion is an interval through which the medal can pass.   The detection piece is pivotally supported in a substantially vertical direction on one side of an outlet of the medal discharge passage, and a pressure receiving end portion is protruded toward the other side of the outlet. The gaming machine according to any one of Items 3.