JP6867191B2 - Medal insertion assist device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a medal insertion assist device used when a player inserts a medal acquired from a gaming machine into a medal counter.

In amusement facilities such as pachinko halls and arcades, a large number of slot machines are installed on the amusement machine island. In a slot machine, generally, a number of medals corresponding to a combination of symbols of a plurality of reels stopped on a winning line such as a row are ejected to a saucer below the gaming machine. The ejected medals are collected in the saucer of the gaming machine, transferred to the medal box (also called a dollar box) after the player finishes the game, and installed at the edge of the gaming machine island (hereinafter referred to as "island edge"). It is carried to the medal counter and counted. When the saucer is full of medals, the player transfers the medals from the saucer to the medal box even during the game, but finally carries the medal box to the Shimabata medal counter.

Since the medal box becomes a considerable amount of weight when the medals are full, the transportation is physically burdensome for the players and the employees of the amusement facility. In addition, since the number of centralized counters installed on the island edge is small, users may have to wait in line. Therefore, a "coin counter for slot machines" disclosed in Patent Document 1 below has been proposed. The counter of this document 1 is configured to be movable by itself. Therefore, the player can count medals near the gaming machine that was playing the game without carrying the medal box to the island edge, but a counting machine with a large physique can pass through in a gaming facility with a narrow passage width. It can get in the way. Even if it can be moved, it is complicated to push the counter to the vicinity of the gaming machine where the medal box is placed, and it is troublesome to return it to its original position after use.

Therefore, the following Patent Documents 2 and 3 disclose an example of a medal counter provided adjacent to each gaming machine. FIG. 1 of Patent Document 2 discloses an example of a medal lending machine and a counting machine arranged on the right side of each gaming machine. Further, Patent Document 3 below discloses a "medal counting device" as a specific example thereof. In a game facility equipped with such a counting machine for each gaming machine (hereinafter referred to as "counting machine for each machine"), the player counts the medals acquired by using the counting machine for each machine even during the game. Can be done. Therefore, in general, there are many amusement facilities where a medal counter is not installed on the island edge and a medal box is not prepared.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-76636 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-226366 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-188006

By the way, as the introduction of such counters for each machine progresses, the number of amusement facilities that abolish the use of medal boxes will increase. In a game facility where a medal box cannot be used, the player cannot put the acquired medals into the box, and therefore cannot stack the medal boxes filled with medals. Therefore, it is difficult for a player to obtain a unique sense of superiority obtained by visually showing off to other players and the like that he / she has acquired a large number of medals. That is, there is a problem that it is difficult to increase the satisfaction of the player in the game facility without the medal box as compared with the game facility with the medal box.

In addition, in gaming machines such as slot machines, various effects that visually and audibly entertain the player are realized by the display and sound effects on the game board controlled by computer, etc. The gimmicks and the like do not have to be limited to game machines.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the amount of medals acquired can be visually shown to other players and the like, and the player can visually show the amount of medals to be dropped before counting. It is to provide a medal insertion assist device that can be enjoyed in Japan.

In order to achieve the above object, the technical means of claim 1 described in the claims is adopted. According to this means, the medal insertion assist device of the present invention includes a passage portion, a cushioning portion, a gate portion, a control portion, and a receiving portion . The passage portion is provided above the medal counter adjacent to the gaming machine, and has a medal entrance into which medals obtained from the gaming machine can be inserted. In addition, the medal entered from the medal entrance extends downward so that it can be dropped, and a part or all of the medal in the middle of falling is made of a transparent member so that the player can see it. The cushioning portion is provided inside the passage portion, and the medal is ejected downward from the ejection port after preventing the medal from freely falling in at least a part of the transparent member portion. The receiving portion has a receiving port that opens in an area larger than the opening area of the medal entrance on the upstream side, and the downstream side communicates with the medal entrance, and the receiving portion opens in the opening that opens on the shelf board provided above the gaming machine. Is attached to the shelf so that they can communicate with each other. The discharge port of the buffer unit is closed or opened by the gate unit controlled by the control unit , and the medals inserted into the receiving unit enter the counting unit when the gate unit is opened and are counted.

As a result, the outlet of the shock absorber is closed by the gate portion, so that the medal inserted into the medal entrance is not discharged downward from the outlet of the buffer portion, so that the medal is stopped above the outlet. Eventually, the inserted medals are collected above the shock absorber. Since the passage portion is partially or wholly composed of transparent members, the amount of medals (equivalent to the number of medals) accumulated above the buffer portion can be visually recognized as the amount of medals acquired by the inserted player. Will be done.

Further, in the transparent member portion of the passage portion, the cushioning portion prevents the free fall of the medal at least in a part thereof. Therefore, the medal inserted at the medal entrance falls in the passage portion while moving irregularly due to the buffer portion when passing through the transparent member portion, and the state can be seen by the player. As a result, the player can see how the medals fall irregularly from the transparent member portion of the passage portion.
Further, the receiving portion that has a receiving port that opens in an area larger than the opening area of the medal entrance on the upstream side and the downstream side communicates with the medal entrance is a receiving portion that opens in the shelf plate provided above the gaming machine. Is attached to the shelf so that they can communicate with each other. As a result, the receiving port where medals can be inserted is wider than the medal entrance in the passage portion, so that the medals are less likely to spill. In addition, for example, when the player notices that the medals accumulated in the saucer of the gaming machine are full during the game, the medals are given with one free hand even while the gaming machine is being operated. Can be easily inserted into the receiving port of the receiving part.

Further, the technical means of claim 2 described in the claims is adopted. According to this means, a plurality of buffer portions are provided in the passage portion in the free fall direction of the medal. Further, the gate portion is provided so that at least the discharge port of the buffer portion closest to the counting portion can be closed and opened. As a result, the discharge port of the buffer portion closest to the counting unit, that is, the discharge port of the buffer portion located at the bottom of the passage portion is closed by the gate portion, so that the maximum amount of medals that can be stored in the passage portion is maximum. become.

Further, the technical means of claim 3 described in the claims is adopted. According to this means, the gates are provided so that their outlets can be closed and opened for all of the buffers. As a result, the load of the medals accumulated in the passage portion becomes smaller than in the case where the buffer portion without the gate portion is provided above the buffer portion provided with the gate portion. That is, when the gate portion is provided for all of the plurality of buffer portions, the load of the entire medal accumulated in the passage portion is distributed to the plurality of gate portions, so that the load applied to each gate portion is reduced. Will be possible.

Further, the technical means of claim 4 described in the claims is adopted. According to this means, the control unit has a plurality of sensor units for detecting the presence of medals at different positions above the buffer unit in which the gate unit closes and opens and in the height direction of the passage unit for each gate unit. , At least one of these sensor units is provided at a position close to the buffer unit, and one of the other sensor units is provided at a position away from the buffer unit. This makes it possible to improve the accuracy of detecting the presence of medals as compared with the case where only one sensor unit is provided in the height direction of the passage unit.

Further, the technical means of claim 5 described in the claims is adopted. According to this means, the cushioning portion includes an inclined portion having two inclined surfaces inclined in a katakana C-shape from the upper side to the lower side of the passage portion, and a discharge port is formed between the two inclined portions. As a result, the medal falls while being disturbed by such an inclined portion, and therefore, for example, the medal falls downward in an effect mode in which the medal rolls down or slides down on the inclined surface.

Further, the technical means of claim 6 described in the claims is adopted. According to this means, a protrusion is provided above the cushioning portion so as to project from the inner wall of the passage portion toward the falling space of the medal. As a result, the medal falls while being disturbed by such a protruding portion, so that the medal falls downward in an effect mode such that the front and back sides are reversed or the falling direction changes irregularly.

In the invention of the medal insertion assist device according to claim 1, the medal inserted into the medal entrance is not ejected downward from the ejection port of the cushioning portion by closing the ejection port of the cushioning portion by the gate portion. Therefore, the medals that are stopped above the discharge port and are inserted soon are collected above the shock absorber. Since the passage portion is partially or wholly composed of transparent members, the amount (number of medals) of medals accumulated above the buffer portion is visually recognizable as the amount of medals acquired by the inserted player. To. Therefore, the player can visually show off the amount of medals acquired to other players and the like without using the medal box. In addition, the player can be shown from the transparent member of the passage portion how the medals fall irregularly. Therefore, the player can visually enjoy the counting of medals. Further, since the receiving port where medals can be inserted is wider than the medal entrance in the passage portion, the medals are less likely to spill. In addition, for example, when the player notices that the medals accumulated in the saucer of the gaming machine are full during the game, the medals are given with one free hand even while the gaming machine is being operated. Can be easily inserted into the receiving port of the receiving part. Therefore, it is possible to further suppress a decrease in the operating rate of the gaming machine and loss of medals caused by dropping medals.

In the invention of the medal insertion assist device according to claim 2, since the discharge port of the buffer portion closest to the counting unit, that is, the discharge port of the buffer portion located at the lowermost part of the passage portion is closed by the gate portion, the inside of the passage portion is closed. The amount of medals that can be accumulated is maximized. Therefore, it is possible to maximize the amount of medals that can be visually shown to other players and the like.

In the invention of the medal insertion assist device according to claim 3, since the load of the entire medal accumulated in the passage portion is distributed to the plurality of gate portions, the load applied to each gate portion can be reduced. Therefore, the mechanical strength of the gate portion can be lowered as compared with the case where the buffer portion without the gate portion is provided.

In the invention of the medal insertion assist device according to claim 4, it is possible to improve the accuracy of detecting the presence of medals as compared with the case where only one sensor unit is provided in the height direction of the passage portion. Therefore, for example, when inserting medals (collecting medals), the full state of the medals can be detected by the sensor unit on the upper side in the height direction of the passage portion. On the other hand, the sensor unit on the lower side in the height direction of the passage portion can detect the empty state of the passage portion when the medal is ejected.

In the invention of the medal insertion assist device according to claim 5, since the medal falls while being disturbed by such an inclined portion, for example, the medal falls downward in an effect manner such that the medal rolls down or slides down on the inclined surface. .. Therefore, the player can visually enjoy the various falling modes.

In the invention of the medal insertion assist device according to claim 6, since the medal falls while being obstructed by such a protruding portion, for example, the front and back sides are reversed or the falling direction is irregularly changed. Fall down. Therefore, the player can visually enjoy the various falling modes.

It is a front view which shows the configuration example of the game system provided with the medal insertion assist device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the cut surface cut by the line II-II shown in FIG. It is a top view seen from the arrow direction (above) of line III shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the medal insertion assist device of this embodiment, FIG. 4 (A) is the sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 (B) is the direction of the arrow of line IV-B shown in FIG. 4 (A). It is a front view seen from. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the medal insertion assist device, and is the top view seen from the arrow direction of the V line shown in FIG. 4A. FIG. 5 (A) is a view in which the slide shutter is in an open state, and FIG. 5 (B) is a view in which the slide shutter is in a closed state. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical configuration example of the control unit which constitutes the shutter unit of the medal insertion assist device. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the control process executed by the control unit of a shutter unit. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the subroutine included in the control process of FIG. FIG. 8 (A) is an example of the shutter closing process, and FIG. 8 (B) is an example of the shutter opening process. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation example at the time of inserting a medal into the medal insertion assist device of this embodiment, and is the figure which shows the state which the slide panel 61a is closed. 9 (A) is a front view, and FIG. 9 (B) is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation example at the time of inserting a medal into the medal insertion assist device of this embodiment, and is the figure which shows the state which the slide panels 61a, 61b are closed. 10 (A) is a front view, and FIG. 10 (B) is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation example at the time of inserting a medal into the medal insertion assist device of this embodiment, and is the figure which shows the state which the slide panels 61a to 61d are closed. 11 (A) is a front view, and FIG. 11 (B) is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation example at the time of inserting a medal into the medal insertion assist device of this embodiment, and is the figure which shows the state which the medal is full (slide panels 61a-61e are closed). Note that FIG. 12 (A) is a front view, and FIG. 12 (B) is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation example when the medal insertion assist device of this embodiment discharges a medal to a counter unit, and is the figure which shows the state which the slide panel 61a is opened. 13 (A) is a front view, and FIG. 13 (B) is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation example when the medal insertion assist device of this embodiment discharges a medal to a counter unit, and is the figure which shows the state which the slide panels 61a, 61b are opened. 14 (A) is a front view, and FIG. 14 (B) is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation example when the medal insertion assist device of this embodiment discharges a medal to a counter unit, and is the figure which shows the state which the slide panels 61a to 61d are opened. 15 (A) is a front view, and FIG. 15 (B) is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the modification 1 of the medal insertion assist device of this embodiment, and is the cross-sectional view which corresponds to FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the modification 2 of the medal insertion assist device of this embodiment, and is the cross-sectional view which corresponds to FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the modification 3 of the medal insertion assist device of this embodiment, and is the cross-sectional view which corresponds to FIG.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a game system in which the medal insertion assist device of the present invention is installed in a game facility such as a pachinko hall or an arcade will be described with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, the direction of gravity is referred to as "downward", "lower side" or "lower side", and the direction of antigravity is referred to as "upper side", "upper side" or "upper side". Further, the front direction of the slot machine 10 is referred to as "front", "front side" or "front", and the rear direction of the slot machine 10 is referred to as "rear", "rear side" or "rear". Further, the right-hand direction of the player playing the game on the slot machine 10 is referred to as "right side" or "right", and the left-hand direction of the player is referred to as "left side" or "left".

An embodiment of the medal insertion assist device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 18. First, a configuration example of a game system including the medal insertion assist device 15 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. Hereinafter, the medal insertion assist device 15 will be referred to as an assist device 15. For convenience in drawing, the inclined panel 46, the dispersion panel 47, and the guide panel 48 are colored gray in FIGS. 1, 4, 9 to 15.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the gaming machine island 1 is mainly composed of a waist frame 2, an upper frame 3, and an island pillar 4. A plurality of slot machines 10 as gaming machines are installed back to back on the gaming machine island 1, and island pillars 4 are floored at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction of the gaming machine island 1 in which these slot machines 10 are lined up. It is fixed to the surface F. The island pillar 4 is mainly composed of two square pipes or square members extending in the vertical direction, and the lower end portion 4a thereof is a slot machine 10 installed on both sides of the gaming machine island 1 in the lateral direction, that is, back to back. It is formed in a shape in which the "U" character of katakana is turned down so that it extends toward the front. Note that FIG. 2 shows half of the island pillar 4 in the width direction, and the other half is omitted.

The waist frame 2 is a vertically long rectangular plate material having a thick plate thickness, and is fixed to a lower end portion 4a of each island pillar 4 and a top plate 5 is attached to the upper end portion thereof. The top plate 5 is a long plate member bridged in the longitudinal direction of the gaming machine island 1, and the slot machine 10 is installed on the top plate 5. The waist frame 2 is covered with a waist plate 7 so that the lower end portion 4a of the island pillar 4 and the like cannot be seen from the player side.

In the upper frame 3, for example, the cross-sectional shape of the gaming machine island 1 in the lateral direction is formed in an L shape, the vertical portion thereof is fixed to the upper end portion 4b of the island pillar 4, and the lower portion is the top plate. The upper part of the slot machine 10 mounted on the 5 is covered like the eaves of the roof. A shelf board 6 is attached to the upper side of the lower portion (corresponding to the eaves) of the upper frame 3. The shelf plate 6 is also a long plate member that is bridged in the longitudinal direction of the gaming machine island 1 like the top plate 5. The vertical portion of the upper frame 3 is covered with a back plate 8 so as not to be seen from the player side.

A medal lending machine 11 and an assist device 15 are provided on the right side of each of the plurality of slot machines 10 installed on the gaming machine island 1. A stud 9 is interposed between the assist device 15 and the slot machine 10 adjacent thereto. The stud 9 is, for example, a strip-shaped elongated plate, and is a blank panel that closes a gap between a sandwich between pedestals such as a medal lending machine 11 and an assist device 15 and a slot machine 10.

The medal lending machine 11 has a lending function of renting a fixed number of medals M for a predetermined amount paid by the player. FIG. 1 shows a bill insertion slot 11a, a card insertion slot 11b, and a payout slot 11c, which constitute the main appearance of the medal lending machine 11. In the present embodiment, the counter unit 30 that functions as a medal counter is built in below the assist device 15 (inside the medal chute 20) (see FIG. 2). Further, in FIG. 1, the tip of the payout port 11c is directed to the saucer 10a of the slot machine 10.

In the present embodiment, the opening 6a is formed in a part of the shelf board 6. The opening 6a is a rectangular hole (see FIG. 3) and penetrates the shelf board 6. The medal chute 20 of the assist device 15 is attached to the opening 6a. Further, in the present embodiment, the upper frame 3 is also located below the shelf board 6. Therefore, the upper frame 3 is also formed with a square hole similar to the opening 6a of the shelf board 6. A medal box 19 or the like is placed on the shelf board 6 as needed by the player (see FIG. 1). Although not shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a chair fixed to the floor surface F is installed in front of the slot machine 10, and the player sits on this chair to operate the slot machine 10. That is, the game is played.

The length of the square hole such as the opening 6a provided in the shelf board 6 or the upper frame 3 in the lateral direction is set to be equal to or slightly larger than the lateral width of the medal box 19, for example. This facilitates the insertion of the medal M from the medal box 19 into the opening 6a. The length of the square hole such as the opening 6a in the lateral direction is set to be less than the width in the lateral direction of the shelf board 6. Further, the length of the square holes such as the openings 6a in the longitudinal direction does not exceed the separation distance between the studs 9 on both sides of the slot machine 10 provided below the shelf plate 6 at the maximum. This is to avoid a conflict with an opening 6a or the like similarly provided in the shelf board 6 of the adjacent slot machine 10.

The assist device 15 is provided between the medal lending machine 11 and the stud 9, and is composed of a medal chute 20, a counter unit 30, an effect unit 40, and a shutter unit 60.

The medal chute 20 is provided with a hopper-shaped receiving port 20a located above the effect unit 40, and is attached to the opening 6a of the shelf board 6. In the present embodiment, the medal chute 20 is composed of four panels so that the opening shape of the receiving port 20a forms a rectangle slightly smaller than the rectangle of the opening 6a (see FIGS. 2 and 3). .. Specifically, the medal chute 20 is composed of, for example, a front panel 21, a back panel 22, a slope panel 23, and a hanging panel 24. The hopper shape referred to here is a hollow truncated cone shape, but as another example of the shape, a hollow truncated cone shape may be used.

The receiving port 20a of the medal chute 20 is opened with an opening area larger than that of the medal entrance 40a of the effect unit 40 described later. Therefore, the downstream side of the medal M connected to the production unit 40 (hereinafter referred to as the “downstream side of the medal”) is more than the upstream side of the medal M into which the medal M is inserted by the player (hereinafter referred to as the “upstream side of the medal”). It forms a rectangular shape with a small opening area. In the present embodiment, the medal chute 20 is configured in a hopper shape in which the difference in size between the upstream and downstream openings can be absorbed by the slope panel 23.

That is, the slope panel 23 has an inclined surface that inclines downward from the upstream side of the medal toward the downstream side of the medal, a vertical panel 23a that rises from the inclined surface toward the upstream side of the medal, and an inclined surface toward the downstream side of the medal. It is composed of a hanging panel that hangs down. As a result, the medal chute 20 forms a rectangle in which the opening shape of the receiving port 20a is slightly smaller than the rectangle of the opening 6a on the upstream side of the medal, and is a rectangle that can be connected to the medal entrance 40a of the effect unit 40 on the downstream side of the medal. It is configured to form the opening shape of. The upstream side of the medal is upward, and the downstream side of the medal is downward.

The counter unit 30 is mainly composed of a hopper unit 31 and a counter unit 33, and medals M entered in the hopper unit 31 are counted (counted) by the counter unit 33 and discharged to the outside of the counter unit 30. In the present embodiment, a discharge unit 35 is provided behind the counter unit 30, from which the counted medal M is discharged.

In the present embodiment, the counter unit 30 is housed in the lower end space of the guide panel 48 so that the medal M guided by the guide panel 48 of the effect unit 40 can enter the hopper portion 31. The count data of the medals M counted by the counter unit 33 is output to a display unit of a diagram provided above the slot machine 10, the count number is displayed on the display unit, or is output to the computer of the game system. Used for predetermined information processing.

The effect unit 40 is a main component of an assist device 15 provided between the upper frame 3 and the top plate 5 as an inter-table sand, and includes a front panel 41, side panels 42, 43, an inclined panel 46, and a dispersion panel 47. It is composed of a guide panel 48. Of these, the front panel 41 and the side panels 42, 43 can correspond to the "passage portion" described in the claims. Since a configuration example of the effect unit 40 is illustrated in FIG. 4, the effect unit 40 will be described from here with reference to FIG.

The front panel 41 is a strip-shaped elongated plate member that closes up to the boundary of the lower end space in which the counter unit 30 is housed, and is, for example, a visually colorless and transparent acrylic plate. The front panel 41 may be colored transparent such as smoke gray as long as it is visually transparent. The length of the front panel 41 in the width direction (longitudinal direction of the gaming machine island 1) is set to be larger than twice the diameter of the medal M, for example. That is, the facing distance between the side panels 42 and 43 is set to be larger than twice the diameter Dm of the medal M. Preferably, the width direction length of the front panel 41 (opposite distance between the side panels 42 and 43) is added by twice the diameter Dm of the medal M and twice the thickness Tm of the medal M (= Dm ×). It may be set larger than 2 + Tm × 2). As a result, even if the two medals M are positioned parallel to the front panel 41 in the radial direction thereof, they can pass between the facing side panels 42 and 43, so that the two medals M can pass between the facing side panels 42 and 43. The flow of the medal M can be made smooth. The facing distance between the side panels 42 and 43 may be set to three times the diameter Dm of the medal M.

A maintenance panel 44 is provided below the front panel 41. That is, a strip-shaped maintenance panel 44 is provided between the lower end of the front panel 41 and the top plate 5. The maintenance panel 44 closes the front side of the space below the guide panel 48 in which the counter unit 30 is housed. The maintenance panel 44 is provided with a lock mechanism portion 45 to prevent the maintenance panel 44 from being opened at the time of locking. The maintenance panel 44 is also, for example, a visually colorless and transparent acrylic plate.

The side panels 42 and 43 are slightly wide strip-shaped long plate members extending from the upper frame 3 to the top plate 5, and sandwich the front panel 41, the inclined panel 46, the dispersion panel 47, and the guide panel 48 so as to sandwich them from both sides. It is something to do. For example, it is an acrylic plate having the same quality as the front panel 41. The color is, for example, colorless and transparent. The length of the side panels 42 and 43 in the depth direction (front-back direction) is set so as to slightly protrude from the top plate 5, for example. This length is set according to, for example, the length in the depth direction (front-back direction) of the adjacent medal lending machine 11 or the slot machine 10, or the depth direction (front-back direction) of the accessory unit that can be accommodated in the empty space S below. It may be set slightly larger than the length of the direction). Although the side panel 42 is shown and the side panel 43 is not shown in FIG. 4, the side panel 43 on the opposite side is also configured in the same manner as the side panel 42.

The inclined panel 46 is a buffer plate that prevents the medal M from freely falling from the medal M entered from the medal entrance 40a of the effect unit 40 and can collect the medals M in one place below. For example, visually colorless and transparent acrylic. It is composed of boards. In this embodiment, two pieces having the same shape are used as a set. The two tilted panels 46 can correspond to the "buffer" described in the claims. As will be described later, these inclined panels 46 have a role of causing the medal M to move and behave irregularly, and the medal M is stopped in the effect unit 40 in cooperation with the slide panel 61 of the shutter unit 60. It also has a role to make. These inclined panels 46 are strip-shaped elongated plate members whose width direction (longitudinal direction of the gaming machine island 1) is set in the same manner as the front panel 41. All of these are fixed to the side panels 42 and 43 so as to be sandwiched by the side panels 42 and 43 as described above (see FIGS. 4A and 4B).

In the present embodiment, the two inclined panels 46 are inclined from both ends of the side panels 42 and 43 in the depth direction (front-back direction) toward substantially the center and downward (the falling direction of the medal M) in the same direction. .. That is, the two inclined panels 46 are positioned so as to form a "C" shape of katakana in the falling direction of the medal M (from the upstream side of the medal to the downstream side of the medal). In the present embodiment, the two inclined panels 46 arranged in a C shape downward in this way are substantially evenly spaced from the upper side to the lower side (from the upstream side of the medal to the downstream side of the medal) of the effect unit 40. It is provided in 4 places.

The position where the tips of the two inclined panels 46 face each other is set substantially at the center of the effect unit 40 in the depth direction (front-back direction). Therefore, the medals M that fall in the effect unit 40 are collected by the two inclined panels 46 in the substantially center of the effect unit 40, and then the tips of the inclined panels 46 face each other at the tip facing gap (exhaust port) 49. Is discharged downward from. The distance Da of the tip facing gap 49 is set to be larger than twice the diameter of the medal M, for example.

Preferably, the interval Da of the tip facing gap 49 is set to a value (= Dm × 2 + Tm × 2) obtained by adding twice the diameter Dm of the medal M and twice the thickness Tm of the medal M. As a result, even if the two medals M are positioned parallel to the side panels 42 and 43 in the radial direction, they can pass through this interval Da, so that the medals can be moved downstream from the inclined panel 46. The flow of the medal M can be made smooth. The interval Da may be set to three times the diameter Dm of the medal M.

On the other hand, the dispersion panel 47 formed in the shape of a "he" has the tip facing gap (discharge port) 49 of the two inclined panels 46 so that the top thereof faces upward (upstream side of the medal). It is provided in the lower part. That is, the dispersion panel 47 is located directly below the two inclined panels 46 arranged in a V shape, and the medals M collected in the substantially center of the depth direction (front-back direction) of the effect unit 40 are placed in the same depth direction. The falling direction of the medal M is controlled so as to divide it into two (front-back direction). The dispersion panels 47 are also provided at four locations at substantially equal intervals from the upper side to the lower side (from the upstream side of the medal to the downstream side of the medal) of the effect unit 40.

The dispersion panel 47 provided above the guide panel 48 is located above the counter unit 30 (upstream side of the medal), and divides the medals M collected in the center of the effect unit 40 in the depth direction into two halves in the same direction. The falling direction of the medal M is controlled so as to be performed. This makes it easier to guide the medal M to the hopper portion 31 of the counter unit 30 together with the guide panel 48.

In the present embodiment, four sets of a combination of two inclined panels 46 and a distributed panel 47 are provided from the upper side to the lower side of the effect unit 40. A guide panel 48 having a structure substantially similar to that of the inclined panel 46 is provided at the lowermost portion on the downstream side of the medal. That is, the two guide panels 48 are positioned so as to form a katakana "C" shape in the direction of falling of the medal M (from the upstream side of the medal to the downstream side of the medal).

The tip facing gaps 49 of the two guide panels 48 are set to be smaller than the entrance opening width of the hopper portion 31 of the counter unit 30 located below them. This makes it easier for the medal M to enter the hopper portion 31 in cooperation with the dispersion panel 47 described above.

The tilt angles of the tilt panel 46, the dispersion panel 47, and the guide panel 48 are such that the medal M rolls down or slides down the tilt panel 46, so that the slide panels 61a to 61e with the medal M 60, the counter unit 30 and the like. The hopper portion 31 is set to a value that does not damage it. Further, except when the medal M is intentionally stopped by the shutter unit 60 described later, the angle is such that the medal M does not stagnate or cause medal clogging in the middle of the inclined panel 46, the dispersion panel 47, and the guide panel 48. The inclined panel 46, the dispersion panel 47, and the guide panel 48 are set at an angle such that the sliding speed of the medal M falls within the range of the entry speed into the counter unit 30 where the medal M can be discharged satisfactorily with respect to the counter unit 30. The tilt angle of is set. These are set based on the results of individual specific experiments and computer simulations.

In this way, the plurality of medals M inserted from the medal entrance 40a of the effect unit 40 are collected by the two inclined panels 46, dispersed by the dispersion panel 47, and collected by the two inclined panels 46 below the medals M. It falls downward while repeating concentration and dispersion four times, such as being dispersed by the loose dispersion panel 47. Therefore, for example, the player can visually enjoy the medal M by repeatedly concentrating and dispersing while rolling down or sliding down the inclined surface of the inclined panel 46 or the distributed panel 47. Become.

When the effect unit 40 is configured in this way, the medal M entered from the medal entrance 40a is guided by the guide panel 48 after sliding down the inclined panel 46 and the dispersion panel 47, and is guided by the guide panel 48. Enter the hopper section 31. As a result, the medal M is counted by the counter unit 33 and discharged to the outside.

The shutter unit 60 includes slide panels 61a to 61e, a frame 62, a guide rail 63, a motor unit 65a to 65e, a control unit 70, a switch 81, a medal sensor 82a to 82h, a full LED 83, an error LED 85, and the like. Since the configuration examples of the shutter unit 60 are also illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, they will be described from here with reference to these figures as well.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the shutter unit 60 has a function of closing and opening the tip facing gap 49 of the inclined panel 46 by the slide panels 61a to 61e. In the present embodiment, the slide panels 61a to 61e are moved so that a part of the slide panels 61a to 61e exists directly below or near the tip facing gap 49 so that the medal M passes through the tip facing gap 49. Stop. In the present embodiment, a part of the shutter unit 60 is housed in a case 69 attached to the rear of the effect unit 40.

That is, the rear end of the frame 62 forming a rectangular frame, the rear ends of the two guide rails 63 attached to both sides of the frame 62 in the lateral direction, and the motor units 65a to 65e are inside the case 69. Is housed in. On the other hand, the front ends of the frame 62 and the guide rail 63 are fixed to the side panels 42 and 43 of the effect unit 40 to guide the movement of the slide panels 61a to 61e.

In the present embodiment, the tip facing gap 49 of the inclined panel 46 and the guide panel 48 can be closed by the slide panels 61a to 61e, and the frame 62, the guide rail 63, the motor unit 65a, etc. correspond to the respective tip facing gap 49. It is provided. That is, the tip facing gaps 49 of the inclined panels 46 and the tip facing gaps 49 of the guide panels 48 provided at the four locations can be closed and opened by the five slide panels 61a to 61e, respectively (FIG. 5 (FIG. 5). A) is in the open state, and Fig. 5 (B) is in the closed state).

The slide panels 61a to 61e are strip-shaped elongated plate members that are slightly smaller (narrower) than the width in the lateral direction of the inclined panel 46 and are set. Similar to the tilted panel 46, it is composed of, for example, a visually colorless and transparent acrylic plate. In order to increase the mechanical strength as compared with the acrylic plate, it may be composed of, for example, an aluminum plate. Note that in FIG. 5, in order to clarify the range of the slide panels 61a to 61e, the portions of the slide panels 61a to 61e are colored gray. Further, since it is necessary to clarify the range of the tip facing gap 49, cross-hatching is drawn in this range in the figure.

The lengths of the slide panels 61a to 61e in the longitudinal direction are set as follows. For example, the tip of the slide panel 61a moved toward the front panel 41 overlaps below the inclined panel 46 attached to the front panel 41 side, and the rear end of the slide panel 61a is attached to the case 69 side. The length is set so that it can overlap below the inclined panel 46, and the motor unit 65a can move the slide panel 61a forward and backward. The slide panels 61b to 61e are also set to such a length.

The forward and backward movements of the slide panels 61a to 61e include, for example, a mechanism (rack and pinion) in which a rack gear provided on the slide panels 61a to 61e and a pinion gear attached to the motor and rotating are combined with the motor unit 65a to the motor unit 65a. This can be achieved by providing it at 65e. A linear motor using a magnet may be provided in the motor units 65a to 65e to project or retract (accommodate) the slide panels 61a to 61e. The drive of the motor units 65a to 65e is controlled by the control unit 70. Therefore, the motor units 65a to 65e and the control unit 70 are connected in a controllable manner by the electrical wiring shown in the figure.

The case 69 is also provided with a medal sensor 82 capable of detecting the presence of the medal M. In the present embodiment, two medal sensors 82 are provided at different positions in the vertical direction between the two inclined panels 46 and the two guide panels 48 located at four locations in the vertical direction of the effect unit 40. , A total of eight medal sensors 82a to 82h are provided. The medal sensors 82a to 82h are detection means (Hall element, reflective infrared sensor, etc.) capable of detecting that the medal M has passed near the front of the sensor by detecting, for example, a change in magnetism or reflection of infrared rays. Can be mentioned. These medal sensors 82a to 82h are connected to the control unit 70 by electrical wiring (not shown), and are configured to be able to output sensor signals to the control unit 70.

That is, the medal sensors 82h and 82g are provided between the two inclined panels 46 located at the uppermost part and the two inclined panels 46 located immediately below (second from the top) (upper). Medal sensor 82h, medal sensor 82g below). Further, medal sensors 82f and 82e are provided between the two inclined panels 46 located second from the top and the two inclined panels 46 located immediately below (third from the top). (Medal sensor 82f above, medal sensor 82e below). Further, medal sensors 82d and 82c are provided between the two inclined panels 46 located third from the top and the two inclined panels 46 located at the bottom (medal sensors 82d and 82c above). 82d, medal sensor 82c below. A medal sensor 82b, 82a is provided between the two inclined panels 46 located at the lowermost portion and the two guide panels 48 below the inclined panel 46 (the medal sensor 82b above and the medal below). Sensor 82a).

Note that FIG. 4 shows a full LED 83 and an error LED 85, which will be described later. These LEDs utilize the side panels 42 and 43, which are visually colorless and transparent acrylic plates, as the light guide plate. That is, the light emitted from these LEDs 83 and 85 is incident on the rear end faces of the side panels 42 and 43, so that the front end faces of the side panels 42 and 43 are illuminated by the emitted light of the LEDs 83 and 85.

As a result, for example, when the full LED 83 repeatedly emits seven colors over time (for example, red → orange → yellow → green → blue → indigo → purple → red → orange…), the front end faces of the side panels 42 and 43 are lined. It glows with a rainbow color that changes over time. Further, as the error LED 85 repeatedly turns on and off in red, the front end faces of the side panels 42 and 43 near the maintenance panel 44 blink in a red line.

As shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 70 includes an MPU 71, a memory 72, a system bus 73, an input / output interface 74, an A / D converter 75, a motor driver 76, an LED driver 77, and the like. The control unit 70 is housed below, for example, in the case 69 of the shutter unit 60. Therefore, it is not shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 because it is hidden and invisible.

The MPU 71 is an arithmetic processing unit that controls the motor units 65a to 65e described above. The MPU 71 is connected to the memory 72, the input / output interface 74, and the like via the system bus 73, and executes the control program stored in the memory 72. As a result, for example, the motor units 65a to 65e are driven to move the slide panels 61a to 61e to bring the above-mentioned tip facing gap 49 into a closed state or an open state.

The memory 72 is a semiconductor storage device that constitutes the main storage space used by the MPU 71. For example, the memory 72 is composed of a ROM that is responsible for a program area and a RAM that is allocated to a work area or a data area. A control program or the like for driving the motor units 65a to 65e is stored in the ROM. ROM includes EEPROM and flash memory.

The input / output interface 74 is an interface device that mediates the exchange of data between the A / D converter 75, the motor driver 76, the LED driver 77, and the like and the MPU 71 or the memory 72 by serial or parallel communication. The on / off information of the switch 81 touched or pressed by the player or the like is also input to the MPU 71 via the input / output interface 74. The switch 81 is, for example, a touch type or push type switch, and is turned on by a player or the like when it is necessary to eject the medals M accumulated in the effect unit 40 and have the counter unit 30 count the medals M. ..

The A / D converter 75 is a data conversion device that converts an analog value sensor signal input from the medal sensors 82a to 82h into a digital value having a predetermined number of bits. The predetermined number of bits is determined by the calculation unit of the MPU 71 and the information storage unit of the memory 72 to a size that facilitates information processing.

The motor driver 76 is a motor drive device that receives a motor control command output from the MPU 71, converts it into control information necessary for driving the motor units 65a to 65e, and outputs the control information. For example, when the motor units 65a to 65e have a stepping motor, a pulse signal suitable for the stepping motor is generated and output to the motor units 65a to 65e.

The LED driver 77 is an LED drive device that receives a control command of the LED output from the MPU 71, converts it into control information necessary for lighting the full LED 83 and the error LED 85, and outputs the control information. For example, when the LED to be emitted has a color specification, an RGB lighting signal combined according to the emission color is generated, and the lighting signal is output to the full LED 83 and the error LED 85.

The assist device 15 configured in this way controls the shutter unit 60 by the control unit 70 as follows. From here on, it will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 15. FIG. 7 shows a flowchart showing the flow of the control process (control program) executed by the control unit 70 of the shutter unit 60. This process is realized by the MPU 71 executing the control program stored in the memory 72. The timing for starting this process is, for example, immediately after the power of the assist device 15 is turned on.

As shown in FIG. 7, in the control process, a predetermined initialization process is first performed in step S101, and then a sensor data acquisition process is performed in step S103. In the initialization process (S101), for example, the work area of the memory 72, predetermined flag information, and the like are cleared. In the sensor data acquisition process (S103), sensor information based on the sensor signals input from the medal sensors 82a to 82h, that is, binary (on / off) information of whether or not the medal M is detected (on) or not (off) is acquired. ..

In the next step S105, it is determined whether or not all the sensor information of the medal sensors 82a to 82h is off, that is, whether or not the medal M is detected, based on the on / off information of the medal sensors 82a to 82h. That is, immediately after the power of the assist device 15 is turned on, since the medal M does not normally exist in the effect unit 40, all the sensor information of the medal sensors 82a to 82h is turned off. Therefore, as a result of the determination process in step S105, if any of the sensor information of the medal sensors 82a to 82h is in the ON state (S105; No), the process proceeds to step S106 and an error occurs. The process of turning on the LED 85 is performed. As a result, for example, the error LED 85 repeatedly turns on and off in red, so that the front end faces of the side panels 42 and 43 near the maintenance panel 44 blink in a red line. Therefore, the staff of the amusement facility can recognize that the assist device 15 has a failure or the like.

On the other hand, when all the sensor information of the medal sensors 82a to 82h is in the off state (S105; Yes), the lowermost shutter (hereinafter referred to as "shutter A") is closed by the next step S107, the shutter A. Closing process is performed. That is, the medal inserted from the medal chute 20 is closed by the slide panel 61a to close the tip facing gap 49 (to be exact, below it (the same applies hereinafter)) of the guide panel 48 located at the bottom of the effect unit 40. The tip facing gap 49 at the bottom of the effect unit 40 is closed so that M does not enter the hopper portion 31 of the counter unit 30. As a result, for example, when the medal M is inserted from the receiving port 20a of the medal chute 20, as shown in FIG. 9, the medal M rolls down or slides down on the inclined surface of the inclined panel 46 or the dispersion panel 47. While falling, it stops in the vicinity of the guide panel 48 which is closed by the slide panel 61a. In this state, the medal M is accumulated in the space in the effect unit 40 above the slide panel 61a and below the slide panel 61b.

In the following step S109, the sensor data acquisition process is performed again. In this state, since the player may throw the medal M into the medal shoot 20, the presence / absence of the medal M, that is, the binary information (on / off) of whether or not the medal M is detected (on) or not (off) is used. Detected in step S109. Then, in the next step S111, it is determined whether or not only one of the sensor information of the medal sensors 82a to 82h is on based on the on / off information of the medal sensors 82a to 82h. When only one of the eight medal sensors 82a to 82h is on, for example, when the medal M is present near the guide panel 48 in which the slide panel 61a is closed (the medal sensor 82a is on), or Alternatively, it is highly probable that the medal sensors 82b to 82h detect the medal M while it is falling (moving) in the effect unit 40. Therefore, in these cases (S111; Yes), the sensor data acquisition process is performed again in step S109.

On the other hand, when only one is not on, that is, when two or more medal sensors 82a to 82h are in the on state (S111; No), for example, the accumulated amount of medals M inserted by the player is There is a possibility that the medal sensors 82a and 82b are turned on (see FIG. 9). Therefore, in such a case, the process proceeds to step S113 to perform the shutter closing process. Since the flowchart of the shutter closing process is illustrated in FIG. 8 (A), it will be described from here with reference to FIG. 8 (A).

As shown in FIG. 8A, the shutter closing process starts with the sensor state determination process in step S201. In this process, the branch destinations (S203, S205, S207, S209) are determined based on the on / off states of the medal sensors 82a to 82h. For example, when the medal sensors 82a and 82b are on and the medal sensors 82c to 82h are off, they are in the state shown in FIG. 9 above. Therefore, in such a case, the process shifts to step S203, and the shutter directly above the shutter A (hereinafter referred to as “shutter B”), that is, the slide panel 61b closes the tip facing gap 49 of the inclined panel 46. B Closing process is performed.

Further, for example, when the medal sensors 82a to 82d are in the on state and the medal sensors 82e to 82h are in the off state, they are in the state shown in FIG. Therefore, in such a case, the process shifts to step S205, and the shutter directly above the shutter B (hereinafter referred to as “shutter C”), that is, the slide panel 61c closes the tip facing gap 49 of the inclined panel 46. C Closing process is performed.

Further, for example, when the medal sensors 82a to 82f are in the on state and the medal sensors 82g and 82h are in the off state, although not shown, the inclined panel 46 closed by the slide panel 61a and above the inclined panel 46 are closed. The medals M are accumulated in the space between the inclined panel 46 and the inclined panel 46. Therefore, in such a case, the process shifts to step S207, and the shutter directly above the shutter C (hereinafter referred to as “shutter D”), that is, the shutter that closes the tip facing gap 49 of the inclined panel 46 by the slide panel 61d. D Closing process is performed.

Furthermore, for example, when the medal sensors 82a to 82h are in the ON state, that is, when all the medal sensors 82a to 82h are in the ON state, the state is as shown in FIG. Therefore, in such a case, the process shifts to step S209, and the shutter directly above the shutter D (hereinafter referred to as “shutter E”), that is, the shutter that closes the tip facing gap 49 of the inclined panel 46 by the slide panel 61e. E Closing process is performed. As a result, as shown in FIG. 12, all the slide panels 61a to 61e are closed.

When the shutter E closing process in step S209 is completed, the communication between the medal entrance 40a and the space below the uppermost inclined panel 46 (the space inside the effect unit 40) is cut off by the slide panel 61e. Therefore, the medal M cannot be further inserted into the space below the uppermost inclined panel 46 (it becomes full), so that the process of setting the full flag to ON in the following step S211 (full flag on) is performed. It is said.

When the shutter closing process in step S113 is completed, the process returns to the control process shown in FIG. 7, and the full flag determination process in step S115 is performed. This process determines whether or not the full flag is set to ON in step S211 described above. That is, it is determined whether or not the medal M cannot be inserted in the effect unit 40 (it is full). Then, when the full flag is set to ON (S115; Yes), the process of turning on the full LED 83 is performed in the subsequent step S117. As a result, as described above, for example, when the full LED 83 repeatedly emits seven colors over time (for example, red → orange → yellow → green → blue → indigo → purple → red → orange ...), the side panels 42, 43 The front end face of is shining in a linear rainbow color that changes with time. The player can recognize that the medal M in the effect unit 40 is full by seeing the emission color of the side panels 42 and 43 shining linearly in the rainbow color.

On the other hand, if the full flag is not set to ON (S115; No), the subsequent step S117 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S119. In step S119, a process of acquiring the switch information of the switch 81 is performed, and in a subsequent step S121, a process of determining whether or not the switch 81 is in the ON state is performed. That is, when the player touches or presses the switch 81 (S121; Yes), the shutter release process according to the next step S123 is performed. On the other hand, when the switch 81 is not turned on (S121; No), the sensor data acquisition process is performed again in step S109.

Since the flowchart of the shutter release process is shown in FIG. 8 (B), it will be described from here with reference to FIG. 8 (B). As shown in FIG. 8B, the shutter release process starts with the sensor state determination process in step S301. In this process, the branch destinations (S303, S305, S307, S309) are determined based on the on / off states of the medal sensors 82a to 82h. For example, when all of the medal sensors 82a to 82h are in the ON state, it is in the state shown in FIG. 12 described above. Therefore, in such a case, the process shifts to step S303, and the shutter A opening process is performed in which the shutter A, that is, the slide panel 61a is opened to open the tip facing gap 49 of the guide panel 48. This enables the counter unit 30 to count medals M.

Further, for example, when the medal sensors 82c to 82h are in the on state and the medal sensors 82a and 82b are in the off state, the state shown in FIG. 13 progresses to the space below the inclined panel 46 in which the slide panel 61b is closed. The medal M does not exist. Therefore, in such a case, the process shifts to step S305, and the shutter B opening process is performed in which the shutter B, that is, the slide panel 61b is opened to open the tip facing gap 49 of the inclined panel 46. The medal M'is ejected from the counter unit 30 after the counting process. The same applies to FIGS. 14 and 15.

Further, for example, when the medal sensors 82e to 82h are on and the medal sensors 82a to 82d are off, the state shown in FIG. 14 advances to the space below the inclined panel 46 in which the slide panel 61c is closed. The medal M does not exist. Therefore, in such a case, the process shifts to step S307, and the shutter C release process is performed in which the shutter C, that is, the slide panel 61c is opened to open the tip facing gap 49 of the inclined panel 46.

Furthermore, for example, when the medal sensors 82g and 82h are in the on state and the medal sensors 82a to 82f are in the off state, the space below the inclined panel 46 closed by the slide panel 61d, although not shown, is shown. There is no medal M in. Therefore, in such a case, the process shifts to step S309, and the shutter D, that is, the shutter D opening process of opening the slide panel 61d to open the tip facing gap 49 of the inclined panel 46 is performed (see FIG. 15). ..

When the shutter D opening process in step S309 is completed, all the medals M existing in the space below the medal entrance 40a and the uppermost inclined panel 46 (the space in the effect unit 40) enter the counter unit 30, and the effect unit 40 The medal M does not exist in the space inside. Therefore, since all the medals M in the effect unit 40 are discharged and emptied, a process of setting the full flag to off (full flag off) is performed in the following step S311.

When the shutter release process in step S123 is completed, the process returns to the control process shown in FIG. 7, and the full flag determination process in step S125 is performed. This process determines whether or not the full flag is set to off in step S311 described above. That is, it is determined whether or not all the medals M in the effect unit 40 have been discharged (empty). Then, when the full flag is set to off (S125; Yes), the shutter E release process is performed in the subsequent step S127. That is, when the inside of the effect unit 40 is empty, the uppermost shutter, that is, the slide panel 61e is opened, and the assist device 15 is returned to the initial state (see FIG. 2). Finish the control process.

It should be noted that it was determined in step S121 whether or not the switch 81 was in the on state, and when the switch 81 was in the on state (S121; Yes), the process shifted to the shutter release process in step S123. When the medal sensor 82h located at the upper part shifts to the on state, the configuration of the above control process may be changed so as to forcibly shift to the shutter release process (S123) regardless of whether the switch 81 is turned on or off. As a result, the player can have the counter unit 30 automatically count the medals M without being aware of whether or not the medals M in the effect unit 40 are full.

As described above, according to the assist device 15 of the present embodiment, the slide panels 61a to 61e of the shutter unit 60 close the front facing gaps 49 of the two inclined panels 46, so that the medals are inserted into the medal entrance 40a. The medal M is not ejected downward from the tip facing gap 49 of the inclined panel 46. Therefore, the inserted medal M stays above the tip facing gap 49 and eventually accumulates above the inclined panel 46. Since the front panel 41 and the side panels 42, 43 of the effect unit 40 are partially or wholly composed of transparent members, the amount of medals M (equivalent to the number of medals) accumulated above the inclined panel 46 is the amount of the inserted player. It is visually recognizable as the amount of medal M earned. Therefore, the player can visually show off the amount of medals M acquired to other players and the like without using the medal box 19.

Further, in the portion of the transparent member of the effect unit 40, the inclined panel 46 prevents the medal M from freely falling in at least a part thereof. Therefore, the medal M inserted into the medal entrance 40a falls in the effect unit 40 while making irregular movements by the inclined panel 46, the distributed panel 47, etc. when passing through the transparent member portion, and the state is a game. Seen from the person. As a result, the player is shown from the transparent member portion of the effect unit 40 how the medal M falls irregularly. Therefore, the player can visually enjoy the counting of medals M.

As a modification of the assist device 15 described above, various configuration examples can be considered. Here, another configuration example of the effect unit 40 of the assist device 15 will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 to 18. In these figures, the same components as those of the effect unit 40 of the assist device 15 described above are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 16, the effect unit 140x of the assist device 15x of the modified example 1 is a medal from the inner walls of the side panels 42 and 43 of the effect unit 140x instead of the dispersion panel 47 of the effect unit 40 described above as a buffer. A pole 51 projecting toward the falling space of M is provided. When a plurality of poles 51 are provided, for example, they are erected at equal intervals at the same intervals as the above-mentioned Da. This interval may be set to three times the diameter Dm of the medal M.

By configuring the effect unit 140x of the assist device 15x in this way, the medal M entered from the medal entrance 40a falls downward in an effect mode in which the front and back sides are reversed or the falling direction changes irregularly. .. As a result, the above-mentioned effect unit 40 falls downward in an effect mode in which the medal M rolls down or slides down the inclined surface of the inclined panel 46, whereas the medal M is awarded in a completely different effect mode. Fall down. Therefore, the player can visually enjoy the various falling modes. These poles 51 also play a role in reducing the falling speed of the medal M and preventing damage to the slide panels 61a to 61e of the shutter unit 60 described above.

As shown in FIG. 17, the effect unit 140y of the assist device 15y of the modified example 2 is fixed to the inner walls of the side panels 42 and 43 of the effect unit 140y as a buffer instead of the dispersion panel 47 of the effect unit 40 described above. Seesaws 53 that are inclined toward the drop direction side of the medal M are provided at a plurality of locations around the support shaft 54. The seesaw 53 is composed of a plate portion 53a and a bearing portion 53b. A bearing portion 53b capable of receiving the support shaft 54 is attached to the center of the lower surface of the plate portion 53a in the longitudinal direction. In order to limit the inclination of the seesaw 53 by a predetermined amount, stoppers 55 are provided on both lower sides of the seesaw 53.

By configuring the effect unit 140y of the assist device 15y in this way, the medal M entered from the medal entrance 40a falls while operating the seesaw 53, so that the fall of the medal M operates the seesaw 53 to produce various effects. do. For example, the production mode of the plurality of seesaws 53 by tilting according to the position and the number of medals M touching the seesaw 53 provides the player with visual enjoyment and fun. Therefore, the player can visually enjoy the effect of the operation of the plurality of seesaws 53. These seesaws 53 also play a role of reducing the falling speed of the medal M to prevent damage to the slide panels 61a to 61e of the shutter unit 60.

As shown in FIG. 18, the effect unit 140z of the assist device 15z of the modified example 3 is fixed to the inner walls of the side panels 42 and 43 of the effect unit 140z as a buffer instead of the dispersion panel 47 of the effect unit 40 described above. A wind turbine 55 that rotates around the support shaft 56 is provided. The wind turbine 55 is composed of a disk portion 55a and a vane portion 55b. In the disk portion 55a, a plurality of (for example, four) wing portions 55b are erected radially around a hole passing through a support shaft 56.

By configuring the effect unit 140z of the assist device 15z in this way, the medal M entered from the medal entrance 40a falls while rotating the windmill 55, so that the fall of the medal M rotates the windmill 55 to produce various effects. do. For example, the effect mode of the windmill 55 by rotating in the clockwise direction or the counterclockwise direction according to the position of the medal M touching the windmill 55 provides the player with visual enjoyment and fun. Therefore, the player can visually enjoy the effect of the rotation of the plurality of wind turbines 55. These wind turbines 55 also play a role of reducing the falling speed of the medal M to prevent damage to the slide panels 61a to 61e of the shutter unit 60.

The inclined panel 46 of the effect unit 40, the pole 51 of the effect unit 140x, the seesaw 53 of the effect unit 140y, and the wind turbine 55 of the effect unit 140z may be provided in various combinations. As a result, the medal M behaves in various production modes by the inclined panel 46, the pole 51, the seesaw 53, and the windmill 55, so that the player can visually enjoy the various falling modes.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the medal sensors 82 are located at different positions in the vertical direction between the two inclined panels 46 and the two guide panels 48 located at four positions in the vertical direction of the effect unit 40. A total of eight medal sensors 82a to 82h are provided, but three or more such medal sensors 82a and the like may be provided at different positions in the vertical direction. This makes it possible to improve the detection accuracy of the medal M by the medal sensor 82a or the like.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the inclined panel 46 is used as the inclined portion having the inclined surface, but the present invention is not limited to such a plate-shaped member. As long as it is an inclined portion having an inclined surface, for example, a block-shaped member having a triangular prism shape or a trapezoidal shape may be used. This makes it possible to increase the mechanical strength.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the shutter unit 60 is provided for each of the inclined panel 46 and the guide panel 48, but the shutter unit 60 is provided only for the guide panel 48 located at the lowermost portion to close the tip facing gap 49. It may be configured to be in a state or an open state. As a result, the required number of shutter units 60 is reduced, so that the cost can be reduced and the configuration can be simplified. Further, the number of inclined panels 46 may be reduced or increased. Further, the inclined panel 46 may be abolished and only the guide panel may be used.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the inclined panel 46 is configured to have a shape in which the katakana "H" character is turned upside down, but if the shape is such that the medal M can be collected downward, the Roman character "U" is used. The tilted panel may be configured to form a letter, a "V", a "W" or a "Y". The portion where the medals M are gathered below is not limited to one location, and may be a plurality of locations. In the case of the "U" shape, a gap corresponding to the tip facing gap 49 is formed at the tip of the bent portion of the shape. Further, in the case of the "V" shape, a gap corresponding to the tip facing gap 49 is formed at the tip of the refracting portion of the shape. Further, in the case of the "W" shape, gaps corresponding to the tip facing gaps 49 are formed at the tips of the refracting portions existing at the two locations of the shape. Furthermore, in the case of the "Y" shape, a part of the inclined panel is formed in a hanging shape in the vertical portion having no inclination, and a gap corresponding to the tip facing gap 49 is formed at the tip of the lower end portion thereof.

Although specific examples of the present invention have been described in detail above, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of claims. The techniques described in the claims include various modifications or modifications of the above-mentioned specific examples. In addition, the technical elements described in the present specification or the drawings exhibit technical usefulness alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. Furthermore, the techniques illustrated in this specification or drawings achieve a plurality of objectives at the same time, and achieving one of the objectives itself has technical usefulness. The description in parentheses in the [Explanation of Code] column can clearly indicate the correspondence between the terms used in each of the above-described embodiments and the terms described in the claims.

1 ... Game machine island 5 ... Top plate 6 ... Shelf plate 6a ... Opening 10 ... Slot machine (game machine)
10a ... Recipient 11 ... Medal lending machine 11a ... Banknote insertion slot 11b ... Card insertion slot 11c ... Payout slot 15 ... Assist device (medal insertion assist device)
19 ... Medal box 20 ... Medal shoot (acceptance section)
20a ... Inlet 30 ... Counter unit 31 ... Hopper unit 33 ... Counter unit (counting unit)
35 ... Discharge unit 40 ... Production unit (passage unit, cushioning unit)
40a ... Medal entrance 41 ... Front panel (passage)
42, 43 ... Side panel (passage)
46 ... Inclined panel (buffer, inclined part)
47 ... Dispersion panel 48 ... Guide panel 49 ... Tip facing gap (exhaust port)
51 ... Pole (buffer)
53 ... Seesaw (buffer)
57 ... Windmill (buffer)
60 ... Shutter unit (gate part)
61a, 61b, 61c, 61d, 61e ... Slide panel (gate part)
62 ... Frame 63 ... Guide rails 65a, 65b, 65c, 65d, 65e ... Motor unit 69 ... Case 70 ... Control unit (control unit)
81 ... Switch 82a, 82b, 82c, 82d, 82e, 82f, 82g, 82h ... Medal sensor (sensor unit)
83 ... Full LED
85 ... Error LED
F ... Floor M ... Medal

Claims (6)

It is a medal insertion assist device installed adjacent to the gaming machine.
A counting unit that counts the number of medals,
It has a medal entrance that is provided above the counting unit and allows the medal to be inserted. Or a passage part made entirely of transparent members,
A cushioning portion provided inside the passage portion to prevent the medal from freely falling in at least a part of the transparent member portion and then discharge the medal downward from the discharge port.
A gate that closes and opens the outlet,
A control unit that controls the closing operation and opening operation of the gate unit,
The inlet has an inlet on the upstream side that opens in an area larger than the opening area of the medal inlet, and the downstream side communicates with the medal inlet and opens in a shelf plate provided above the gaming machine. And the receiving part attached to the shelf board so that
Wherein the medal inserted into the receiving portion, medal assist device according to claim Rukoto count contained in the counter and the gate portion is opened. A plurality of the cushioning portions are provided in the passage portion in the free fall direction of the medal.
The medal insertion assist device according to claim 1, wherein the gate portion is provided so that at least the discharge port of the buffer portion closest to the counting portion can be closed and opened. The medal insertion assist device according to claim 2, wherein the gate portion is provided so that its discharge port can be closed and opened with respect to all of the plurality of buffer portions. The control unit has a plurality of sensor units for detecting the presence of the medal at different positions above the buffer unit in which the gate unit closes and opens for each gate unit and in the height direction of the passage unit. The present invention is characterized in that at least one of these sensor units is provided at a position close to the buffer unit, and one of the other sensor units is provided at a position away from the buffer unit. The medal insertion assist device according to any one of 1 to 3. The cushioning portion is provided with an inclined portion having two inclined surfaces inclined in a katakana C-shape from the upper side to the lower side of the passage portion, and the discharge port is formed between the two inclined portions. The medal insertion assist device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The medal insertion assist according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a protruding portion is provided above the buffer portion so as to project from the inner wall of the passage portion toward the falling space of the medal. apparatus.

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