JP7693176B2 - Conveyance error display device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a transport error display device that displays the location of a transport error that has occurred on a transport path that runs through an amusement park .

Amusement parlors are equipped with game machine islands that house multiple sets of game ball dispensing machines, which accept the insertion of paper money and dispense game balls (such as pachinko balls) to players, and game machines such as pachinko machines. Inside the game machine island, a transport device is installed along the length of the game machine island to transport paper money inserted into each game ball dispensing machine to a safe installed at the end of the game machine island.

There are multiple gaming machine islands like the ones mentioned above arranged inside the arcade, and after closing time, employees go around and collect the bills stored in the safes of each gaming machine island and place them in the main safe in the office.

The following Patent Document 1 discloses a paper sheet collection and transport system that collects paper money stored in the safes of each gaming machine island scattered throughout an amusement arcade to a main safe in the store's office. This system includes a transport pipe that is installed to leave the main safe in the office, pass through the installation location of the safes of each gaming machine island, and return to the main safe again; a take-up device that is installed near the installation location of the safes of each gaming machine island along the transport pipe and takes in paper sheets discharged from the safes into the transport pipe; and an air flow generator that generates an air flow from upstream to downstream in the transport pipe. Paper sheets that are discharged from the safes of each gaming machine island and are waiting to be taken in and transported to the main safe by a transport auxiliary body that moves under the action of the air flow, pushing them from behind. The transport auxiliary body is sent out from the main safe, goes around the amusement arcade, returns to the main safe, and is reused for the next delivery.

JP 2014-188102 A

In a system that collects bills by visiting the safes of each gaming machine island scattered throughout an amusement arcade and returning them to the store's collective safe, the transport route is quite long. For example, a transport assistant sent out from a collective safe installed in an office on the second floor of a store goes down to the gaming floor on the first floor, then visits the safes of each gaming machine island installed on the first floor in order to collect bills, and then climbs up to the second floor and returns to the collective safe, resulting in a long transport route. Therefore, it takes a long time for the transport assistant sent out from the collective safe to complete one collection operation by going around this transport route and returning. As a result, if bills are collected evenly from each gaming machine island, the safe of a gaming machine island with a high operating rate, which has many popular gaming machines installed, will be filled with bills during business hours, and players will be unable to insert bills into the game ball dispensing machines, forcing them to stop playing.

In addition, this is not limited to amusement arcades; in paper sheet collection and transport systems in which a secondary collection device collects paper sheets such as banknotes from the storage sections of multiple primary collection devices (equivalent to safes on gaming machine islands in amusement arcades), when the storage section of the primary collection device becomes full, the primary collection device will no longer be able to collect paper sheets, causing various problems.
In a transport system that travels around an amusement park, it is desirable to be able to clearly display the location of a transport error that has occurred along the transport path.

The present invention seeks to solve the above problems and aims to provide a transport error display device that can clearly display the location of a transport error that has occurred on the transport path within an amusement park .

The gist of the present invention to achieve this objective lies in the following inventions:

[1] A conveyance error display device that displays a conveyance error that occurs in a conveyance path of paper sheets circulating in an amusement facility,
A transport error display device that displays a layout diagram including the route of the transport path based on a preset layout direction in accordance with the layout of the entire game center, and when a blockage of the moving object is detected based on the detection status of a plurality of passing sensors that are distributed along the transport path and detect the passage of the moving object moving within the transport path, the section on the route diagram between the most downstream passing sensor that has detected the passage of the moving object and the passing sensor one position downstream that has not detected the passage is designated as an abnormal location, and displays the abnormal location on the layout diagram so that it can be identified as a location within the game center.

1 is a diagram showing an example of the in-store layout of an amusement arcade in which a paper sheet collection and transport system using a transport auxiliary relay device according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed. 1 is a diagram showing an overall structure of a paper sheet collection and transport system; 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a transport auxiliary body pushes a banknote in a transport tube from the rear end side of the banknote. FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a straight portion of the conveying pipe. A cross-sectional view perpendicular to the extension direction of the straight portion of the conveying pipe. 1A and 1B are plan and front views of a transport aid; 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the conveying pipe and the conveying auxiliary body in a state where the conveying auxiliary body is inserted into the conveying pipe. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a transport pipe around a collective safe and the inside of the collective safe in the paper sheet collection and transport system shown in FIG. 2 . This is an oblique view showing the rear of the collective safe. 1 is a perspective view of the banknote separation/transport auxiliary circulating device as viewed from the discharge port side of separated banknotes. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the banknote separation/transport auxiliary circulating device as seen from the connection side of the transport pipe. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of a separation operation and an insertion operation performed by the banknote separation/transport auxiliary circulating device. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a transport auxiliary body relay device. 11 is a perspective view showing a transport auxiliary body relay device with a part of an outer cover of a blower unit removed. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the inside of a relay section of the transport auxiliary body relay device. FIG. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating a state in which the rotating plate is in the middle of rotating from a first stop position to a second stop position. 13 is a diagram showing the relay unit with its front cover removed, as viewed from above. FIG. 11A to 11C are diagrams showing in chronological order the manner in which the holding section at the receiving position holds a transport auxiliary body arriving from the outgoing transport pipe. 13 is a diagram showing how the holding of the transport auxiliary body is automatically released when the holding part is rotated to the release position. FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the inside of the relay unit. FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a holding portion. FIG. 13 shows a rotating plate with four retainers at 90 degree intervals. 13 is a perspective view showing the relay box, the sub-transport pipe of the sub-transport device, and the intake device connected to its upper end. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the upper portion of the auxiliary transport pipe, the intake device, and the transport pipes 12 in front and behind the intake device. 1 is a perspective view showing an auxiliary transport device and a take-in device (and transport pipes before and after the transport device) connected to the upper end of the auxiliary transport device; 1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing an auxiliary transport device and a take-in device (and transport pipes before and after the transport device) connected to the upper end of the auxiliary transport device; 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an upper portion of the auxiliary transport pipe and a take-in device. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a banknote feeder provided at the bottom of the sub-transport pipe. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the banknote feeder with the passage cover removed, as viewed from the side facing the opening. FIG. 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating a structure of a transport unit of the take-in device. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a primary collection device installed in a gaming machine island. A front view showing a primary recovery device installed in the gaming machine island. 13 is a diagram showing the inside of the relay box (with the door removed). FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a temporary storage device provided in the relay box. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the structure of a temporary storage device. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration and operation of a temporary storage device. FIG. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing how a banknote pressed by the pressure plate slides down from the receiving plate, and how a banknote pressed by the pressure plate separates from the receiving plate to which a natural rubber sheet is attached. FIG. 37(b) is a diagram showing how a banknote pressed by a pressure plate is released from a receiving plate having a natural rubber sheet attached thereto in an improved version of the structure shown in FIG. 37(b). 13 is a diagram showing the state in which the connection part and the conveying pipes before and after it are disconnected. FIG. 1A to 1C are views showing the front, left side, right side, top and bottom of the conveying pipe connected to the connecting portion. 1A and 1B are views showing the front, left side, right side, top and bottom of a connection adapter. 13 is a diagram showing how the downstream end of the connection adapter is connected to the upstream connection port of the coupling main body. FIG. 13 is an enlarged view showing a state in which a rib on the connection adaptor side and a rib on the connection main body side are overlapped and connected. FIG. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion where a blower device is installed. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a twisting section and the parts that constitute it. 11 is a diagram showing an operation sequence when the paper sheet collecting and transporting system collects banknotes from each relay box. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing criteria for grouping according to the number of stocks. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an allocation status of the number of discharged sheets in pattern 1. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an allocation status of the number of discharged sheets in pattern 2 (when G3 is one machine). FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an allocation status of the number of discharged sheets in pattern 2 (when G3 has two machines). FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an allocation status of the number of discharged sheets in pattern 2 (when G3 has three or more machines). FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an allocation status of the number of discharged sheets in pattern 3. 1 is a front view showing an error display device of the paper sheet collection and transport system. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display of a location where a stagnation abnormality of a transport auxiliary body is detected; FIG. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a relay section of a transport auxiliary relay device before improvement and a relay section of an improved transport auxiliary relay device. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the inside of the relay section of the improved transport auxiliary relay device.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 shows an example of the layout of an amusement parlor 2 in which a paper sheet collection and transport system according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed. Inside the amusement parlor 2, multiple gaming machine islands 3 are arranged across an aisle. Each gaming machine island 3 houses multiple pairs of gaming ball dispensers 4, which receive inserted banknotes and dispense gaming balls (pachinko balls) to players, and gaming machines 5, such as pachinko machines, back-to-back on the front and back sides.

Inside the gaming machine island 3, there is a primary collection device 8 that takes in the bills discharged from the back of each gaming ball dispenser 4 and transports them to a storage section (safe) installed at one end of the gaming machine island 3 for storage. The relay box 6 at the end of the gaming machine island 3 is part of the primary collection device 8 and functions as a safe (storage section) that temporarily stores the bills transported to the end of the island.

Figure 2 shows a secondary collection device 10 that collects banknotes from relay boxes 6 of multiple gaming machine islands 3 installed in the gaming center 2 shown in Figure 1 and transports them to a collective safe 11 installed in an office or other location of the gaming center 2. The paper sheet collection and transport system according to an embodiment of the present invention is composed of multiple primary collection devices 8, a secondary collection device 10, and an auxiliary transport device 13, which will be described later.

The secondary collection device 10 includes a collective safe 11 installed in an office or the like of the amusement facility 2, a transport pipe 12 that runs from the collective safe 11, passes through the installation locations of the relay boxes 6 of each gaming machine island 3 installed in the gaming area, and returns to the collective safe 11, and a transport auxiliary relay device 17 installed midway along the transport pipe 12. The transport pipe 12 from the collective safe 11 to the transport auxiliary relay device 17 is the outbound transport pipe 12a, and the transport pipe 12 from the transport auxiliary relay device 17 back to the collective safe 11 is the return transport pipe 12b. The collective safe 11 is the destination of transport by the secondary collection device 10.

In FIG. 2, the collective safe 11 is shown installed on the same floor as the gaming area where the gaming machine island 3 is installed, but the collective safe 11 may be installed on a different floor from the gaming area. In that case, the length of the transport pipe 12 from the collective safe 11 to the gaming floor and the transport pipe 12 from the gaming floor back to the collective safe 11 will be significantly longer than that shown in FIG. 2.

The transport pipe 12 installed on the gaming floor is laid in the ceiling of the gaming floor. In the case of FIG. 2, the outgoing transport pipe 12a of the transport pipe 12 leaves the collective safe 11 installed on one end of the gaming center, bends upward, extends to the height of the ceiling, bends again, enters the ceiling, passes directly above the installation location of the relay box 6 of each gaming machine island 3, and is extended to the transport auxiliary relay device 17 installed on the other end of the gaming center. The return transport pipe 12b leaves the transport auxiliary relay device 17 and extends along the outgoing transport pipe 12a (i.e., passes directly above the installation location of the relay box 6 of each gaming machine island 3 and returns to the one end of the gaming center), bends downward to the height of the collective safe 11, bends again, becomes horizontal, and is extended to the collective safe 11.

The secondary collection device 10 of the paper sheet collection and transport system generates an air flow in the transport tube 12, and the transport auxiliary 16 (see Figure 3), which receives the air flow and moves inside the transport tube 12, pushes the banknotes P from behind and transports them downstream (in the transport direction FW). The collective safe 11 and the transport auxiliary relay device 17 each have a blower that generates an air flow. The collective safe 11 generates an air flow from the start of the outbound transport tube 12a toward the transport auxiliary relay device 17, and the transport auxiliary relay device 17 sucks in the air flow from the end of the outbound transport tube 12a. The transport auxiliary relay device 17 also generates an air flow from the start of the return transport tube 12b toward the collective safe 11, and the collective safe 11 sucks in the air flow from the end of the return transport tube 12b.

At the bend where the return transport pipe 12b heads downward from the ceiling, an auxiliary blower 18 is provided to strengthen the air flow downstream (from the transport auxiliary relay device 17 to the collective safe 11).

The paper sheet collection and transport system further includes an auxiliary transport device 13 that transports banknotes from each relay box 6 to the return transport pipe 12b that passes above it. The secondary collection device 10 includes a take-in device 14 that takes in the banknotes transported from the relay box 6 by the auxiliary transport device 13 into the return transport pipe 12b with the paper surface aligned in the extension direction of the return transport pipe 12b.

The transport pipe 12 of the secondary recovery device 10 is installed above the ceiling, so even if the transport pipe 12 is routed to various places in the gaming center 2, the transport pipe 12 does not interfere with the activities or movement of players. The transport pipe 12 is not limited to being installed above the ceiling, but may be extended along a high position near the ceiling, for example. In this example, the transport pipe 12 is installed at a higher position than the area in the gaming center 2 where people are active (playing or passing through). In addition, the game ball dispensing machine 4 in the gaming machine island 3 is installed at a height that matches the players who play, and the relay box 6 of the gaming machine island 3 is installed at the same height, so that the secondary transport device 13 transports the banknotes P from the relay box 6 to the return transport pipe 12b above it.

In this embodiment, the transport auxiliary 16, which moves with the air flow and pushes the banknotes P from behind, is sent from the collective safe 11, which serves as the base point, to the outward transport pipe 12a, and when it reaches the transport auxiliary relay device 17, it is temporarily held by the transport auxiliary relay device 17. The held transport auxiliary 16 is then sent from the transport auxiliary relay device 17 to the return transport pipe 12b, and moves back to the collective safe 11 while collecting the banknotes P that have been taken into the return transport pipe 12b by the take-in device 14.

Here, the transport auxiliary 16 is sent from the collective safe 11 to the outbound transport pipe 12a, and the transport auxiliary 16 is sent from the transport auxiliary relay device 17 to the inbound transport pipe 12b at the same time. The transport auxiliary relay device 17 receives and holds the transport auxiliary 16 arriving from the outbound transport pipe 12a. It then moves the held transport auxiliary 16 to the starting end of the inbound transport pipe 12b, and next time sends out this held transport auxiliary 16 to the inbound transport pipe 12b.

By using the transport auxiliary relay device 17, movement from the collective safe 11 through the outward transport pipe 12a to the transport auxiliary relay device 17 and movement from the transport auxiliary relay device 17 through the return transport pipe 12b back to the collective safe 11 are carried out simultaneously in parallel. Compared to a case in which the transport auxiliary relay device 17 is not used and the transport auxiliary 16 sent out from the base point (collective safe 11) continues to move, making a circuit of the transport pipe 12 and returning to the base point (collective safe 11), the transport auxiliary 16 can be sent out at a shorter cycle (time interval), and the banknote collection capacity per unit time can be increased.

For example, if the transport auxiliary relay device 17 is installed at the midpoint of the entire transport route, the time required for one collection operation by the transport auxiliary 16 can be reduced by half, and the collection capacity per unit time can be doubled, compared to when the transport auxiliary 16 leaves the base point and makes one full circle around the transport route before returning to the base point.

As shown in FIG. 8, an airflow generating device 21 and a bill separation/transport auxiliary circulation device 22 are provided inside the collective safe 11. The bill separation/transport auxiliary circulation device 22 has the function of a transport auxiliary insertion device 23 that sends the transport auxiliary 16 to the outward transport pipe 12a, and the function of a separation/recovery device 24 that separates the bill P from the transport auxiliary 16 that has been pushed from behind and transported and recovers each of them, and also passes the transport auxiliary 16 recovered by the separation/recovery device 24 to the transport auxiliary insertion device 23 for cyclical use. The bills P recovered by the separation/recovery device 24 are stored in the bill storage section 25 inside the collective safe 11.

The air flow generating device 21 generates an air flow by rotating the blades with a motor. The air blowing side of the air flow generating device 21 is connected to the air inlet side of the transport auxiliary body insertion device 23, and the starting end of the outward transport pipe 12a is connected to the air outlet side of the transport auxiliary body insertion device 23. The end of the return transport pipe 12b is connected to the air inlet side of the separation and recovery device 24, and the air suction side of the air flow generating device 21 is connected to the air outlet side of the separation and recovery device 24.

The transport auxiliary relay device 17 has the function of sucking in the air in the outward transport pipe 12a from the terminal side of the outward transport pipe 12a, and the function of sending an air flow toward the starting end of the return transport pipe 12b. That is, the air flow generating device 21 of the collective safe 11 sends an air flow into the outward transport pipe 12a from its starting end, and the transport auxiliary relay device 17 sucks in the air flow from the terminal side of the outward transport pipe 12a, thereby generating a strong air flow in the outward transport pipe 12a. Similarly, the transport auxiliary relay device 17 sends an air flow into the return transport pipe 12b from its starting end, and the air flow generating device 21 of the collective safe 11 sucks in the air flow from the terminal side of the return transport pipe 12b, thereby generating a strong air flow in the return transport pipe 12b.

Furthermore, an auxiliary blower 18 is provided in the return transport pipe 12b downstream of the most downstream intake device 14. The auxiliary blower 18 is a blower that blows air downstream, and plays a role in enhancing the forward air flow to ensure that the transport auxiliary body 16 reaches the collective safe 11. In the example of FIG. 2, the transport pipe 12 from the installation location of the auxiliary blower 18 to the collective safe 11 is drawn short, but for example, the collective safe 11 is often installed on a different floor from the primary collection device 8, and the transport pipe 12 downstream of the auxiliary blower 18 may be a long distance.

The collection of banknotes P by the paper sheet collection and transport system is carried out as follows.

Banknotes inserted from each gaming ball dispenser 4 on the gaming machine island 3 are transported by the primary collection device 8 to the relay box 6 at the end of the gaming machine island 3 and temporarily stored there. When the banknotes P stored in the relay box 6 are collected in the collective safe 11, the banknotes P are discharged from one or more relay boxes 6 toward the auxiliary transport device 13. The banknotes P discharged from the relay box 6 are transported upward by the auxiliary transport device 13, and then sent into the return transport pipe 12b by the intake device 14.

The intake device 14 sends out the banknote P into the return transport pipe 12b with its paper surface aligned along the extension direction of the return transport pipe 12b. Here, the intake device 14 sends out the banknote P into the return transport pipe 12b in a horizontal position with its paper surface facing up and down. The banknote P sent out into the return transport pipe 12b by the intake device 14 stays at the sending completion position. The return transport pipe 12b in the portion that passes through multiple intake devices 14 is piped horizontally and in a straight line in a horizontal position. The horizontal position is the position of the return transport pipe 12b in which the paper surface of the banknote P in the return transport pipe 12b is horizontal.

When the ingestion of the banknotes P into the return transport pipe 12b is completed, the transport auxiliary body 16 is sent from the transport auxiliary body relay device 17 into the outward transport pipe 12a to transport the banknotes P staying in the return transport pipe 12b to the collective safe 11 and collect them. At the same time, the transport auxiliary body 16 is sent from the collective safe 11 into the outward transport pipe 12a. The transport auxiliary body 16 sent into the outward transport pipe 12a moves within the outward transport pipe 12a under the action of the air flow, reaches the transport auxiliary body relay device 17, and is received and held by the transport auxiliary body relay device 17. Meanwhile, the transport auxiliary body 16 sent from the transport auxiliary body relay device 17 into the return transport pipe 12b moves within the return transport pipe 12b under the action of the air flow, and returns to the collective safe 11 while collecting the banknotes P. At that time, as shown in FIG. 3, the transport auxiliary body 16 pushes the banknote P from its rear end side to transport it (in the transport direction FW in the figure).

In this way, the transport auxiliary body 16 moves in response to the action of the air flow, and the banknote P is pushed and transported from its rear end by this transport auxiliary body 16, so the banknote P itself does not need to obtain propulsive force from the air flow. Therefore, the banknote P can be transported by the air flow without taking measures such as folding the banknote P to receive the air flow. Also, since the transport auxiliary body 16 can obtain propulsive force from the air flow more efficiently than the banknote P, the banknote P can be transported efficiently.

As shown in FIG. 2, the transport pipe 12 of the secondary collection device 10 of the paper sheet collection and transport system is composed of multiple transport pipes connected by a connection section 15. The connection section 15 plays a role in absorbing the change in the length of the transport pipe 12 so that the overall installation state is not distorted even if the length of the transport pipe 12 changes due to temperature changes, etc. The intake device 14 also functions to connect the transport pipes 12 before and after it.

The paper sheet collection and transport system also includes a control unit 27 (see FIG. 8) whose main components include a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), and RAM (Random Access Memory). The control unit 27 controls the operation of each component, such as the airflow generating device 21, the banknote separation and transport auxiliary circulation device 22, the auxiliary transport device 13, the intake device 14, the transport auxiliary relay device 17, the auxiliary blower 18, the auxiliary transport device 13, the primary collection device 8, and the relay box 6.

Next, we will explain in detail the shape of the conveying tube 12 and the conveying aid 16.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the conveying tube 12 in a straight portion, and Figure 5 is a diagram showing the cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the extension direction FW of the conveying tube 12 in the same portion (= conveying direction FW of banknotes P = air flow direction). The conveying tube 12 is made of resin with a thickness of about 1.5 mm. The conveying tube 12 is formed, for example, by extrusion molding.

The cross-sectional shape of the straight portion of the conveying tube 12 perpendicular to the extension direction FW of the conveying tube 12 is a rectangular shape with the central portion of the long side of the rectangle expanding outward. In detail, the conveying tube 12 has a wall portion 31 that forms the short side of the rectangle in cross-section, a side wall portion 32 that forms the long side of the rectangle in cross-section, and an expansion portion 33 that protrudes outward in a rectangular shape at the central portion of the side wall portion 32. Note that the short side direction of the approximately rectangular cross-section perpendicular to the extension direction (conveying direction FW) of the conveying tube 12 is the X direction, and the long side direction is the Y direction. In the X direction and Y direction, the direction toward the center of the conveying tube 12 is called the inside, and the direction from the center toward the inner wall is called the outside.

The expansion section 33 is divided into two sections by a separation wall 34 that stands upright toward the inside of the conveying pipe 12. The separation wall 34 is formed by attaching a T-shaped member to the inner wall of the expansion section 33.

The side wall portion 32 has multiple ribs 35 extending in the conveying direction and protruding toward the inside of the conveying tube 12. In this example, the ribs 35 protruding inward of the conveying tube 12 are formed along the conveying direction FW at the boundary between the side wall portion 32 and the expansion portion 33. The separation wall 34 is at the same height as the ribs 35, and the top of the separation wall 34 functions as a rib. Hereinafter, the separation wall 34 will also be referred to as the rib 34.

The side walls 32 are a pair of inner walls that face the paper surface of the transported banknote P. The banknote P is rectangular and is transported inside the transport tube 12 with its long side oriented in the transport direction FW. In other words, the paper surface P faces the side walls 32 of the transport tube 12, and the banknote P is transported with one short side facing the leading edge of the transport direction FW and the other short side facing the trailing edge.

The distance Dy between a pair of opposing wall portions 31 of the transport tube 12 is slightly longer than the short side of the banknote P. The distance Dx between a pair of opposing side wall portions 32 (portions (reference plane portions) where the ribs 35, extension portions 33, and separation walls 34 are not formed) is set to about 21 mm. The extension portions 33 provided on each side wall portion 32 extend outward from the side wall portion 32 (reference plane portion) by about 6 mm. The tops of the ribs 35 and separation walls 34 are about 2 mm high inward from the side wall portion 32 (reference plane portion). The height of the ribs 35 may be set appropriately.

The transport tube 12 can be installed and used with its longitudinal direction tilted vertically, horizontally, or at any other angle, and the transport auxiliary body 16 can move smoothly inside the transport tube 12 at any angle. For example, the banknotes P and the transport auxiliary body 16 can be transported smoothly even in the twisting section 51 (see Figure 9) described below. Figure 5 shows the transport tube 12 in a vertical position, with the long side of the rectangular cross section vertical.

Figure 6 shows the top and front views of the transport auxiliary 16. The transport auxiliary 16 is a columnar shape with a circular cross section and different diameters at each part. The transport auxiliary 16 is inserted into the transport tube 12 so that the central axis of the cylinder is in the Y direction of the transport tube 12. The transport auxiliary 16 is symmetrical about its center in the longitudinal direction, and is composed of, in order from one end, a head 16a, a neck 16b with a slightly smaller diameter than the head, a large diameter part 16c with a larger diameter than the head 16a, a constricted part 16d with the same diameter as the neck 16b and located in the center in the longitudinal direction, the large diameter part 16c, the neck 16b, and the head 16a. The transport auxiliary 16 is lightweight and strong, and is formed with a hollow interior from, for example, plastic. It may be formed from polystyrene foam or extruded polystyrene foam if it is lightweight and strong.

Figure 7 shows a cross section of the conveying auxiliary 16 inserted into the conveying tube 12. This figure shows a cross section perpendicular to the extension direction FW and passing through the central axis of the conveying auxiliary 16. The diameters of each part of the conveying auxiliary 16 correspond to the inner edge shape of the conveying tube 12. In other words, the cross-sectional shape passing through the central axis of the conveying auxiliary 16 corresponds to the inner edge shape of the conveying tube 12 in a cross section perpendicular to the extension direction FW, and is shaped to almost completely block the inside of the conveying tube 12 with a specified clearance between it and the inner wall.

In this way, the transport auxiliary body 16 has a shape that corresponds to the inner edge shape of the transport pipe 12 (almost the same shape with some clearance) and blocks almost the entire cross section of the transport pipe 12, so it can move efficiently under the action of the air flow. Furthermore, the transport auxiliary body 16 prevents the air flow from upstream from reaching the downstream side of the transport auxiliary body 16, and plays a role in suppressing turbulence of the air flow on the downstream side.

When acted upon by the air flow inside the transport tube 12, the banknote P tends to stick to the side wall 32. In other words, the distance between one side of the banknote P and the opposing side wall 32 and the distance between the other side of the banknote P and the opposing side wall 32 are rarely equal, and one of the distances is narrower than the other. Because the air flow speed is faster on the narrower side than on the wider side, the air pressure on the narrower side is lower than that on the wider side, and this air pressure difference causes the banknote P to be attracted to and pressed against the side wall 32 on the narrower side. When this happens, the distance on the narrower side becomes even narrower, causing the banknote P to stick to and be attracted to the side wall 32.

If the banknotes P stick too tightly to the side wall 32, it becomes difficult for the transport aid 16 to push and transport the banknotes P. However, as described above, the transport aid 16 acts to block (reduce) the air flow downstream, so the force with which the banknotes P stick and adhere is reduced, allowing for smooth transport.

The two large diameter portions 16c of the transport auxiliary 16 engage with two expansion portions 33 separated by a separation wall 34 of the transport tube 12. In this example, the expansion portion 33 is separated into two by the separation wall 34, and these expansion portions 33 are provided toward the center of the transport tube 12 in the Y direction, so that the transport auxiliary 16 can be moved while maintaining a stable posture. In addition, because the posture of the transport auxiliary 16 is stable, the large diameter portion 16c of the transport auxiliary 16 can be appropriately abutted against the rear end of the banknote P to provide a stable transport force. In addition, the banknote P is less likely to become entangled between the transport tube 12 and the transport auxiliary 16.

In addition, by providing the large diameter portion 16c, the area of the portion of the transport auxiliary body 16 that is affected by the air flow is increased, and the force required for movement can be received efficiently. Also, since the large diameter portion 16c is provided to efficiently receive the action of the air flow, the diameter of the head portion 16a can be reduced accordingly. By reducing the diameter of the head portion, the distance (width (Dx)) between a pair of opposing side wall portions 32 inside the transport tube 12 can be narrowed, and banknotes P can be prevented from falling over.

Furthermore, the presence of multiple ribs 35 on the side wall portion 32 prevents the banknote P from sticking tightly to the side wall portion 32. In other words, the contact area between the banknote P and the side wall portion 32 is reduced, reducing friction and suppressing the generation of static electricity. Even if the banknote P sticks to the side wall portion 32, the banknote P is supported by the tip portion of the ribs 35, so a gap is secured between the side wall portion 32 and the banknote P around the ribs 35, and the sticking force is kept small. In addition, because the banknote P is supported by the separation wall 34, the banknote P is prevented from falling into the recess of the expansion portion 33.

The multiple ribs 35 protruding inward from the side wall 32 and the tops of the separation walls 34 serve to make the effective passage width W of the banknote P in the width direction (X direction) of the transport tube 12 narrower than the distance Dx between the reference flat surfaces. This makes it difficult for the banknote P to fall toward one of the side wall portions 32 inside the transport tube 12, and the posture of the banknote 6 is maintained along the Y direction. In particular, by providing multiple ribs 35, the banknote P is appropriately prevented from falling as described above, and the banknote P is effectively prevented from sticking to the side wall portion 32. Note that Dx can be increased by the amount of the ribs 35 provided, which increases the cross-sectional area of the transport tube 12 and makes the transport auxiliary body 16 more susceptible to the action of airflow.

In the case of the transport aid 16 according to this embodiment, the diameter of the large diameter portion 16c is the largest, so as shown in FIG. 3, this large diameter portion 16c comes into contact with the rear end of the banknote 6 and pushes it.

Next, we will explain the internal structure of the collective safe 11 in more detail.

Figure 8 shows the collective safe 11 with its front cover removed and the nearby transport pipes 12, and Figure 9 shows the rear side of the collective safe 11. At the connection position with the collective safe 11, as shown in Figure 9, the outbound transport pipe 12a and the inbound transport pipe 12b are both in a vertical position.

The collective safe 11 has a vertically long rectangular shape, with an airflow generating device 21 located at the bottom inside and a banknote separation/transport auxiliary circulation device 22 attached to the top. In addition, the inside of the collective safe 11 houses a banknote storage section 25 that stores banknotes P, a banknote transport section 26 that transports banknotes P separated and collected by the separation and collection device 24 to the banknote storage section 25, a control section 27 that controls the operation of the entire paper sheet collection and transport system, a power supply section, etc.

The banknotes P discharged from the rear end of the separation and recovery device 24 travel along the path indicated by arrow B in FIG. 8, are delivered to the banknote transport unit 26 provided next to it, and are transported by the banknote transport unit 26 to the banknote storage unit 25.

Figures 10 and 11 show an overview of the banknote separation/transport auxiliary circulation device 22. Figure 10 is a perspective view of the banknote separation/transport auxiliary circulation device 22 as seen from the discharge port side of the separated banknotes, and Figure 11 is a perspective view of the banknote separation/transport auxiliary circulation device 22 as seen from the connection side of the transport tube 12.

The banknote separation/transport auxiliary circulation device 22 is composed of a transport auxiliary insertion device 23 that sends the transport auxiliary 16 into the transport tube 12 (the beginning end of the outward transport tube 12a), and a separation and recovery device 24 that is stacked above the transport auxiliary insertion device 23 and is connected to the end of the return transport tube 12b, and separates and recovers the banknotes P arriving from the return transport tube 12b and the transport auxiliary 16 that has pushed it from behind.

The transport auxiliary body 16 that has been separated from the banknotes P and collected by the separation and collection device 24 falls downward from the separation and collection device 24 through the guide passage 28 (see FIG. 11) and is delivered to a waiting area 29 in the transport auxiliary body insertion device 23. As a result, the collected transport auxiliary body 16 is used as the next transport auxiliary body 16 to be sent into the outbound transport pipe 12a, and the transport auxiliary body 16 is used repeatedly.

In detail, as shown in FIG. 12, the separation and recovery device 24 is equipped with a holding section 41 that passes banknotes P pushed and transported by the transport auxiliary 16 downstream, and the transport auxiliary 16 abuts and stops the banknotes. The holding section 41 has an arm that rotates within a predetermined angle range around one end, and at the tip of the arm, has a receiving section 42 with a U-shaped cross section for receiving the transport auxiliary 16. A slit 43 is provided in the center of the receiving section 42 to allow banknotes P to pass through. In addition, an outlet is provided in the bottom surface of the receiving section 42 to allow the transport auxiliary 16 to fall.

Normally, the holding section 41 is in a position (position shown by solid line in FIG. 12) where the tip where the receiving section 42 is located faces the end of the conveying tube 12 (returning conveying tube 12b). When the banknote P pushed by the conveying auxiliary 16 passes through the slit 43 of the receiving section 42 and the conveying auxiliary 16 is received by the receiving section 42, the holding section 41 is driven by the motor to rotate, and the receiving section 42 is moved to a position (position shown by dashed line in FIG. 12) off to the side of the extension of the conveying tube 12 (returning conveying tube 12b). In this position, the opening at the bottom of the receiving section 42 communicates with the guide passage 28, and the conveying auxiliary 16 falls downward through the guide passage 28.

The banknotes P that pass through the slit 43 are transported by a transport belt (not shown) and discharged from the discharge port at the rear end of the separation and recovery device 24. As described above, the discharged banknotes P are transported to the banknote transport section 26 and sent to the banknote storage section 25.

The transport aid 16 that falls down the guide passage 28 enters the waiting area 29 provided in the transport aid insertion device 23 and is received.

The transport aid insertion device 23 has a movable arm 46 that rotates around one end and has a U-shaped cross-section delivery section 45 that holds the transport aid 16 at the other end. The delivery section 45 has a large opening to allow the airflow from the airflow generating device 21 to flow smoothly.

The movable arm 46 is driven by a motor to rotate between a standby position (position shown by a dashed line in FIG. 12) where the delivery section 45 fits into the standby area 29, and a sending position (position shown by a solid line in FIG. 12) where the delivery section 45 is an extension of the beginning of the conveying pipe 12 (the forward conveying pipe 12a). The movable arm 46 is usually in the standby position, and the delivery section 45 receives the conveying auxiliary body 16 that has fallen from the separation and recovery device 24 through the guide passage 28. When the conveying auxiliary body 16 is to be sent into the conveying pipe 12 (the forward conveying pipe 12a), the movable arm 46 is rotated to move the delivery section 45 to the sending position. Then, the conveying auxiliary body 16 is released from the delivery section 45 by the air flow from the air flow generating device 21 and sent into the conveying pipe 12 (the forward conveying pipe 12a).

In this way, the transport auxiliary body 16 that returns while pushing the banknote P from behind is separated from the banknote P and collected by the separation and collection device 24, and is handed over to the transport auxiliary body insertion device 23 and reused for the next transfer.

Next, we will explain the posture of each part of the conveying tube 12.

Here, as shown in FIG. 1, four gaming machine islands 3 are arranged next to each other with an open passageway, and in order to collect banknotes P from the relay boxes 6 of these gaming machine islands 3, a conveying pipe 12 is installed as shown in FIG. 2.

As shown in Figures 9 and 2, the outbound transport pipe 12a is in a vertical position when it exits the rear of the collective safe 11, but then passes through the twisted section 51 to assume a horizontal position before changing course to a vertically upward position. When it reaches the ceiling, it returns to a horizontal position and passes through the twisted section 51 again to assume a vertical position, and is extended in this vertical position through the ceiling to the transport auxiliary relay device 17. The end of the outbound transport pipe 12a is connected to the transport auxiliary relay device 17 in a vertical position.

The return transport pipe 12b is in a vertical position at the beginning where it is connected to the transport auxiliary relay device 17, but then, before reaching the first intake device 14, it passes through a twisted section 51 and is put into a horizontal position. The return transport pipe 12b continues in a horizontal position as it extends straight above the relay box 6 of each gaming machine island 3, passing through multiple intake devices 14 on the way. When the return transport pipe 12b reaches the end of the section passing through the ceiling, it changes course vertically downward while remaining in a horizontal position, and when it descends to the height of the collective safe 11, it returns to a horizontal course, passes through a twisted section 51 and is put into a vertical position, and is connected in a vertical position to the connection port on the back of the collective safe 11 (see Figure 9).

When the transport tube 12 (return transport tube 12b) in the portion through which the banknote P is transported is curved to change course, if the face of the banknote P faces inward or outward in the arc, the banknote P can pass through the curved portion without difficulty. For this reason, as shown in Figure 2, the transport tube 12 (return transport tube 12b) is in a horizontal position before and after the point where the course of the transport tube 12 (return transport tube 12b) changes from horizontal to vertical.

Even when the transport auxiliary 16 is moving by itself without transporting banknotes P, the axis of the transport auxiliary 16 can be made perpendicular to the radial direction of the curved section to allow smooth movement around the curved section even with a small radius. In other words, it is preferable for the outgoing transport tube 12a to be in a horizontal position before and after the point where the path of the transport tube 12 changes from horizontal to vertical as shown in FIG. 2.

When the conveying pipe 12 is extended through a thin wall, it is preferable that the longitudinal direction of the cross section of the conveying pipe 12 be along the wall surface (the short side direction of the cross section is the thickness direction of the wall). Therefore, the portion of the conveying pipe 12 that extends vertically through the wall is oriented in the above-mentioned direction.

By providing a twisted section 51 midway along the transport tube 12, the transport direction of the banknotes P can be mixed between vertical and horizontal directions, and the path of the transport tube 12 can be freely set within a flat space such as the ceiling.

Next, the configuration of the transport auxiliary relay device 17 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 13, the transport auxiliary relay device 17 includes a relay section 61 having a rectangular thin box shape to which the outward transport pipe 12a and the return transport pipe 12b are connected, and a blower section 62 that functions to suck air from the end of the outward transport pipe 12a and to blow air to the beginning of the return transport pipe 12b. FIG. 14 shows the blower section 62 with a part of the outer cover removed. Inside the blower section 62, a fan 63 driven by a motor and a control device 64 that controls the operation of the transport auxiliary relay device 17 are provided. The suction duct 65 connected to the suction port of the fan 63 is connected to the suction duct connection port 71a (see FIG. 15 and FIG. 16) that opens on the back of the relay section 61, and the air supply duct 66 connected to the air supply port of the fan 63 is connected to the air supply duct connection port 71b (see FIG. 15 and FIG. 16) that opens on the back of the relay section 61.

As shown in FIG. 14, the front side of the relay section 61 of the transport auxiliary relay device 17 has an inlet side connection port 67 to which the outward transport pipe 12a is connected and an outlet side connection port 68 to which the return transport pipe 12b is connected, which protrude forward. The inlet side connection port 67 and the outlet side connection port 68 each have an inner edge shape that corresponds to the outer edge shape of the transport pipe 12, and the end of the outward transport pipe 12a is tightly inserted into the inlet side connection port 67, and the beginning of the return transport pipe 12b is tightly inserted into the outlet side connection port 68.

Figure 15 shows the relay unit 61 with the front cover removed. The relay unit 61 has a rectangular base plate 71 that forms the back surface of the relay unit 61, and a rotating plate 72 that is rotatably supported by a support shaft 73 on the base plate 71. The rotating plate 72 has a pair of holding parts 74 at symmetrical positions with the support shaft 73 as the center. The holding parts 74 function to temporarily hold the transport auxiliary body 16.

The rotating plate 72 can stop at two locations: a first stop position shown in FIG. 15, and a second stop position rotated 180 degrees from the first stop position. FIG. 16 shows the state of the rotating plate 72 as it rotates from the first stop position to the second stop position. A transmission type optical sensor 76 is provided to detect whether the rotating plate 72 is at the first stop position or the second stop position.

When the rotating plate 72 stops at one of the stopping positions, one of the holding parts 74 is located just behind the inlet side connection port 67 and is in a position where it is connected to the inlet side connection port 67 (referred to as the receiving position), and the other holding part 74 is located just behind the outlet side connection port 68 and is in a position where it is connected to the outlet side connection port 68 (referred to as the discharge position).

The rotating plate 72 has ventilation holes 72a at positions corresponding to the center of each holding portion 74. When the rotating plate 72 stops at the stop position, the suction duct 65 and the inlet side connection port 67 communicate via the suction duct connection port 71a provided on the base plate 71 and the ventilation holes 72a provided on the rotating plate 72, and the air supply duct 66 and the outlet side connection port 68 communicate via the air supply duct connection port 71b provided on the base plate 71 and the ventilation holes 72a provided on the rotating plate 72.

Figure 17 is a view of the relay unit 61 from above with the front cover removed. The holding unit 74 has a receiving portion 81 that abuts against and receives the transport auxiliary 16 arriving from the outbound transport pipe 12a, and a pair of holding rollers 82 that sandwich the transport auxiliary 16 abutted against the receiving portion 81 from the left and right sides. The transport auxiliary 16 is sandwiched and held between the pair of holding rollers 82 and the receiving portion 81. The receiving portion 81 is made of an impact absorbing material that absorbs the impact when it receives the transport auxiliary 16.

The pair of holding rollers 82 are spaced apart from each other on the left and right so that the transport auxiliary 16 can pass between them. The holding rollers 82 are attached to the inside of the tips of a pair of holding arms 83 whose longitudinal direction is the direction of travel of the transport auxiliary 16. The rear end of the holding arm 83 is supported by a shaft and rotates between a closed position where the gap between the pair of holding rollers 82 attached to the tip is slightly narrower than the diameter of the transport auxiliary 16, and an open position where the gap between the pair of holding rollers 82 is sufficiently wider than the diameter of the transport auxiliary 16, and is biased toward the closed position by a spring or the like.

Of the pair of holding arms 83, a release plate 84 that is parallel to the rotating plate 72 and protrudes outward is attached to the outer side of the outer holding arm 83. As shown in FIG. 15, the release plate 84 is a rectangular metal plate whose longitudinal direction is the tangent direction of the circle on which the rotating plate 72 rotates, and both ends in the longitudinal direction are bent obliquely in a direction away from the rotating plate 72. A release roller 85 is attached to the base plate 71, which abuts against the release plate 84 of the holding part 74 that has reached the release position when the rotating plate 72 rotates and the holding part 74 reaches the release position, and pushes the holding arm 83 to which the release plate 84 is attached to an open position where the tip opens outward. A sensor 75 is provided on the base plate 71 to detect whether the holding part 74 in the first stop position or the second stop position is holding the transport auxiliary body 16. The sensor 75 is a transmission type optical sensor.

Figure 18 shows how the holding section 74 at the receiving position holds the transport auxiliary 16 arriving from the outward transport pipe 12a. As shown in FIG. 18(a), the holding section 74 is waiting in the closed position where the gap between the pair of holding rollers 82 is slightly narrower than the diameter of the transport auxiliary 16. As shown in FIG. 18(b), the transport auxiliary 16 arriving from the end of the outward transport pipe 12a passes through a location of the holding rollers 82 while widening the gap between the pair of holding rollers 82, and comes into contact with the receiving section 81, as shown in FIG. 18(c). At the position where the transport auxiliary 16 comes into contact with the receiving section 81, its center is slightly closer to the receiving section 81 than the line C1 connecting the centers of the pair of holding rollers 82, and it is held by the receiving section 81 and the pair of holding rollers 82.

Figure 19 shows the state when the holding part 74 reaches the release position. When it reaches the release position, the release plate 84 comes into contact with the release roller 85, so that the outer holding arm 83 to which the release plate 84 is attached rotates in the opening direction, and the gap between the pair of holding rollers 82 becomes wider than the diameter of the transport auxiliary body 16, and the holding of the transport auxiliary body 16 by the receiving part 81 and the holding roller 82 is released.

As shown in Figures 20 and 21, various ribs 91, 92, and 93 that regulate the position and posture of the transport auxiliary 16 are provided on the inside of the inlet connection port 67 and the outlet connection port 68, and on the inside of the holding portion 74. The ribs 91 and 92 are provided on the inside of the inlet connection port 67 and the outlet connection port 68, and the rib 93 is provided on the inside of the holding portion 74. The side rib 91 that abuts the outer peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 16c of the transport auxiliary 16 is set so that the passage width of the part through which the large diameter portion 16c of the transport auxiliary 16 passes gradually narrows as it moves from the entrance side of the connection port to the back, and then suddenly widens. The side rib 91 prevents the transport auxiliary 16 from wobbling left and right.

Guide ribs 92 provided inside the inlet connection port 67 and the outlet connection port 68 at positions corresponding to the upper, middle and lower constrictions 16d of the transport auxiliary 16 regulate the axial position and posture of the transport auxiliary 16. Similarly, a pair of upper and lower guide ribs 93 provided inside the holding portion 74 at positions corresponding to the upper and lower constrictions 16d of the transport auxiliary 16 regulate the axial position of the transport auxiliary 16.

The upper and lower guide ribs 92 have a taper in which the distance between them increases from the connection ports 67, 68 toward the holding portion 74. A pair of upper and lower guide ribs 93, which are connected to the rear side of the upper and lower guide ribs 92, have a taper in which the distance between them increases toward the connection ports 67, 68 (the opposite taper to the guide ribs 92).

The transport auxiliary relay device 17 operates as follows:

By driving the fan 63 of the blower section 62, air is sucked in from the end of the forward conveying pipe 12a and an air flow is sent to the beginning of the return conveying pipe 12b. This generates and strengthens an air flow from the beginning to the end of the forward conveying pipe 12a and an air flow from the beginning to the end of the return conveying pipe 12b.

The holding section 74 in the receiving position receives and holds the transport auxiliary body 16 arriving from the outward transport pipe 12a. At this time, the position and posture of the transport auxiliary body 16 arriving from the outward transport pipe 12a is regulated by the side rib 91 and guide ribs 92, 93 as it passes through the inlet side connection port 67, and the transport auxiliary body 16 is held in the predetermined correct position and posture by the holding section 74 in the receiving position.

Then, when the rotating plate 72 rotates 180 degrees, the holding portion 74, which was in the receiving position, moves to the discharge position. When it moves to the discharge position, the release plate 84 comes into contact with the release roller 85, releasing the hold of the transport auxiliary body 16. When the fan 63 of the blower section 62 is operated in the released state, the transport auxiliary body 16 receives air from the air duct 66 and is sent out through the outlet side connection port 68 to the return transport pipe 12b. At this time, the position and posture of the transport auxiliary body 16 are regulated by the side rib 91 and guide ribs 92 and 93, and it is sent out in the correct posture into the return transport pipe 12b.

In this embodiment, the transport auxiliary 16 is controlled to be sent from the transport auxiliary relay device 17 to the return transport pipe 12b and sent from the transport auxiliary insertion device 23 of the collective safe 11 to the outward transport pipe 12a simultaneously. This allows the first movement of the transport auxiliary 16 from the transport auxiliary insertion device 23 of the collective safe 11 through the outward transport pipe 12a to the transport auxiliary relay device 17, and the second movement of the transport auxiliary 16 from the transport auxiliary relay device 17 through the return transport pipe 12b to the separation and recovery device 24 of the collective safe 11 to be performed in parallel.

As a result, the collection operation of the banknotes P by the transport auxiliary 16 can be performed in a shorter cycle than in a case where the transport auxiliary 16 sent from the collective safe 11 to the outward transport pipe 12a goes around the entire transport pipe 12 and returns to the collective safe 11 before sending out the next transport auxiliary 16 without providing a transport auxiliary relay device 17, and the collection capacity of the secondary collection device 10 per unit time can be increased.

The sending of the transport auxiliary 16 from the transport auxiliary relay device 17 to the return transport pipe 12b and the sending of the transport auxiliary 16 from the transport auxiliary insertion device 23 of the collective safe 11 to the outward transport pipe 12a do not have to be performed simultaneously. It is sufficient that at least a part of the first movement in which the transport auxiliary 16 sent out by the transport auxiliary insertion device 23 moves through the outward transport pipe 12a and the second movement in which the transport auxiliary 16 sent out by the transport auxiliary relay device 17 moves through the return transport pipe 12b are performed in parallel. If the first movement and the second movement are performed in parallel even in part, the sending cycle can be shortened and the collection capacity can be increased.

For example, if the second return movement from the transport auxiliary relay device 17 to the collective safe 11 takes longer than the first outward movement from the collective safe 11 to the transport auxiliary relay device 17, the transport auxiliary 16 may be sent first to the return movement (return movement pipe 12b) which has a longer movement time, and then to the outward movement (outward movement pipe 12a) which has a shorter movement time. It is desirable to control the sending out so that the first outward movement ends simultaneously with or before the second movement on the return movement is completed.

As shown in FIG. 13, in the transport auxiliary relay device 17, the inlet connection port 67 and the outlet connection port 68 are arranged so that the longitudinal direction of the cross section of the outward transport pipe 12a and the longitudinal direction of the cross section of the return transport pipe 12b are parallel (coincident) at the connection point between the inlet connection port 67 and the end of the outward transport pipe 12a, and at the connection point between the outlet connection port 68 and the start of the return transport pipe 12b.

In the installation example of FIG. 2, the transport auxiliary relay device 17 is disposed on the extension line of the outgoing transport pipe 12a and the return transport pipe 12b that are extended along the upper part of the relay box 6 of each game machine island 3. However, for example, if the transport auxiliary relay device 17 must be bent from the above extension line, it becomes necessary to bend the outgoing transport pipe 12a and the return transport pipe 12b. In this case, if the longitudinal direction of the cross section of the outgoing transport pipe 12a and the return transport pipe 12b is parallel at the connection point to the transport auxiliary relay device 17, it is possible to correspond by connecting a curved connecting member of the same structure to the curved part of the outgoing transport pipe 12a and the return transport pipe 12b.

However, if the longitudinal directions of the cross sections of the outward conveying pipe 12a and the return conveying pipe 12b are not parallel at the connection point to the conveying auxiliary relay device 17, it becomes necessary to use curved connecting members with different curvatures at the curved points of the outward conveying pipe 12a and the return conveying pipe 12b. This not only requires the effort of designing and manufacturing them individually, but also makes maintenance difficult because they are individually manufactured. As in the conveying auxiliary relay device 17 of this embodiment, by making the outward conveying pipe 12a and the return conveying pipe 12b both vertically oriented and parallel in the longitudinal directions of their cross sections at the connection point to the conveying auxiliary relay device 17, the above problem is solved and the freedom of installation location of the conveying auxiliary relay device 17 can be increased.

In the secondary recovery device 10 shown in FIG. 2, the return transport pipe 12b needs to be in a horizontal position in the section passing over the relay box 6, so the return transport pipe 12b connected to the outlet connection port 68 of the transport auxiliary relay device 17 has a twisted portion 51 inserted at a point upstream of the first intake device 14, changing the position from vertical to horizontal.

Due to its mechanism, the transport auxiliary relay device 17 may be installed horizontally (the position shown in FIG. 13) or vertically (a position rotated 90 degrees around the axis of rotation of the rotating plate 72 from the position shown in FIG. 13), or may be installed with the inlet connection port 67 and the outlet connection port 68 facing upward. However, since the holding by the holding roller 82 is released at the discharge position, it is necessary to avoid an orientation in which the outlet connection port 68 faces downward so that the transport auxiliary 16 does not fall naturally into the return transport pipe 12b through the outlet connection port 68.

The configuration of the transport auxiliary relay device 17 is not limited to those illustrated in Figures 13 to 21. For example, the transport auxiliary relay device 17 may be configured to have a buffer section that can hold multiple transport auxiliary bodies 16 arriving from the outbound transport pipe 12a, and one of the transport auxiliary bodies 16 held in the buffer section may be used for the next delivery.

In addition, in the transport auxiliary relay device 17 shown in FIG. 13, the transport auxiliary 16 received from the inlet side connection port 67 is moved to the outlet side connection port 68 side by rotating the rotating plate 72 by 180 degrees, but any method of movement may be used. For example, as shown in FIG. 22, four holding parts 74 are provided on the rotating plate 72 at 90 degree intervals, and the stop position of the rotating plate 72 is set at every 90 degrees. The inlet side connection port 67 may be provided at a position opposite one holding part 74a, the outlet side connection port 68 may be provided at a position opposite a holding part 74b at a position rotated 90 degrees from there by the rotating plate 72, and the transport auxiliary 16 may be moved from the receiving position to the discharging position by rotating the rotating plate 72 by 90 degrees. In addition, the transport auxiliary 16 may be slid from the receiving position to the discharging position, or the like.

In the transport auxiliary relay device 17 shown in FIG. 13, etc., the transport auxiliary 16 is moved from the receiving position to the discharging position using a rotating plate 72, so the relay section 61 of the transport auxiliary relay device 17 is thin, and the installation of the transport auxiliary relay device 17 is less likely to interfere with the decorations of the game center 2 or the game machine island 3.

As shown in Figures 17 and 18, the transport auxiliary relay device 17 catches the transport auxiliary 16 with a spring-biased holding roller 82, which holds the transport auxiliary 16 while the rotating plate 72 rotates, and when the rotating plate 72 rotates and the holding part 74 reaches the release position, the release plate 84 comes into contact with the release roller 85, releasing the holding by the spring-biased holding roller 82. This eliminates the need to use an electromagnetic relay or the like, and allows the transport auxiliary 16 to be received, held, and released with a simple configuration.

In addition, as shown in Figures 20 and 21, side ribs 91 and guide ribs 92, 93 are provided on the inside of the inlet connection port 67 and the outlet connection port 68, which regulates the posture of the transport auxiliary body 16, ensuring stable and reliable catching of the transport auxiliary body 16, and correcting the posture of the transport auxiliary body 16 sent from the inlet connection port 67 to the return transport pipe 12b, allowing the transport auxiliary body 16 to be sent to the return transport pipe 12b without tilting.

Next, we will explain how the banknotes P transported from the sub-transport device 13 are sent into the transport tube 12 by the intake device 14.

As shown in FIG. 23, the auxiliary transport device 13 serves to transport banknotes P from the relay box 6 to the return transport pipe 12b that extends horizontally above the relay box 6. When the banknotes P are taken into the return transport pipe 12b from the auxiliary transport device 13, the traveling direction of the banknotes P changes from vertical to horizontal. As mentioned above, when changing the traveling direction, the banknotes P need to be oriented so that the paper surface faces inward or outward of the arc. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 23 and FIG. 24, the orientation of the return transport pipe 12b that extends horizontally above the relay box 6 is set to a horizontal orientation in which the paper surface of the transported banknotes P (P3 in FIG. 24) faces up and down. At least the terminal portion (the portion immediately before reaching the take-in device 14) of the transport tube (referred to as the sub-transport tube 101) that extends in the vertical direction of the sub-transport device 13 is positioned so that the surface of the transported banknote P (P1 in FIG. 24) faces the extension direction Fw of the return transport tube 12b at the location of the take-in device 14.

Figure 24 shows the periphery of the intake device 14 inserted in the portion of the return transport pipe 12b that passes above the relay box 6. Inside the intake device 14, the path of the banknote P is changed as shown by P1, P2, and P3 in Figure 24, and the banknote is sent into the return transport pipe 12b. The intake device 14 can change the path of the banknote P transported by the sub-transport device 13 without twisting it, and send it smoothly into the transport pipe 12.

In order to turn the return transport pipe 12b, which is connected in a vertical position to the outlet connection port 68 of the transport auxiliary relay device 17, into a horizontal position before it reaches the first intake device 14, in the secondary recovery device 10, a twisted portion 51 is inserted into the return transport pipe 12b immediately after it leaves the outlet connection port 68 of the transport auxiliary relay device 17 (see Figure 2).

Next, we will explain the sub-transport device 13.

Figure 25 is a perspective view showing the sub-conveyor device 13 and the intake device 14 connected to its upper end (and the transport pipes 12 before and after it). Figure 26 is a cross-sectional view of the sub-conveyor device 13 and the intake device 14 connected to its upper end (and the transport pipes 12 before and after it). Figure 27 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the upper part of the sub-conveyor pipe 101 of the sub-conveyor device 13 and the intake device 14. Figure 28 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the lower part of the sub-conveyor pipe 101 of the sub-conveyor device 13.

The sub-conveying device 13 transports banknotes P using a transport auxiliary 16 that is different from the transport auxiliary 16 that moves through the transport tube 12. However, its shape is the same as the transport auxiliary 16 that moves through the transport tube 12. In the sub-conveying device 13, one transport auxiliary 16 moves back and forth through the sub-conveying tube 101 that extends in the vertical direction. The cross-sectional shape of the sub-conveying tube 101 is the same as the straight portion of the transport tube 12, and a description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in Figures 25 and 26, the sub-transport device 13 includes a sub-transport pipe 101 extending in the vertical direction, a transport auxiliary body 16 that moves up and down inside the sub-transport pipe 101, a bill intake section 103 attached to the lower end of the sub-transport pipe 101, and an upward flow generating section 102 that sends an air flow from below to above the bill intake section 103 into the sub-transport pipe 101 via the bill intake section 103.

The auxiliary transport pipe 101 is provided with a twisting section 51 just before its upper end. The twisting section 51 twists the auxiliary transport pipe 101 by 90 degrees. As described above, in the portion of the auxiliary transport pipe 101 above the twisting section 51, the paper surface of the banknote P passing through this portion is oriented in the direction facing the extension direction of the return transport pipe 12b at the installation location of the take-in device 14 (see FIG. 24). On the other hand, in the portion below the twisting section 51, the longitudinal direction of the cross section of the auxiliary transport pipe 101 is oriented in the same direction as the extension direction of the return transport pipe 12b at the installation location of the take-in device 14.

As shown in FIG. 28, the banknote intake section 103 includes a passage section 104 having a cross-sectional shape similar to that of the auxiliary transport pipe 101 and a length of about 15 cm that is connected to the lower end of the auxiliary transport pipe 101, an opening 104b for taking in banknotes P provided in one side wall of the passage section 104, and a conveying roller 105a and a conveying belt 105b for sending banknotes P diagonally upward from the opening 104b into the passage section 104.

The lower end of the passage 104 is narrowed to receive and hold the transport aid 16. In addition, an inlet 104c for the air flow from the ascending flow generating part 102 is provided at the lower end of the passage 104. An air duct 102b extending from the fan 102a (see FIG. 25) of the ascending flow generating part 102 is connected to the inlet 104c.

Figure 29 shows the banknote take-in section 103 with the cover of the passage section 104 (the wall section facing the opening 104b) removed, viewed from the side facing the opening 104b. The transport rollers 105a and the transport belts 105b stretched over them are provided on the left and right sides of the width of the passage section 104. The left and right transport belts 105b send banknotes P into the passage section 104, so that the banknotes P do not tilt when sent upwards, and can be sent straight into the passage section 104.

As shown in FIG. 27, the upper end of the auxiliary transport tube 101 has a narrowed opening 101a, and the transport auxiliary body 16 abuts against the narrowed portion at the upper end of the auxiliary transport tube 101 and stops, and the banknotes P pushed up by the transport auxiliary body 16 pass through the opening 101a and advance into the intake device 14.

The sub-transport device 13 operates as follows:

The upward flow generating unit 102 is normally stopped, and the transport auxiliary body 16 is held at the lower end of the passage section 104 of the banknote intake section 103 (see FIG. 26). When the banknote P is sent into the auxiliary transport pipe 101 by the banknote intake section 103, the transport rollers 105a and the like of the banknote intake section 103 are driven by a motor, and the banknote P received from the outside (relay box 6) is sent toward the opening 104b of the passage section 104. When the banknote P is completely sent into the passage section 104, the upward flow generating unit 102 is operated to generate an upward air flow. Due to the action of this air flow, the transport auxiliary body 16 rises in the auxiliary transport pipe 101 while pushing the banknote P from its rear end.

The banknotes P transported to the upper end of the auxiliary transport tube 101 by the transport auxiliary body 16 rising due to the air flow proceed directly into the intake device 14 through the opening 101a and are taken in by the intake device 14 (see Figure 27). The transport auxiliary body 16 comes into contact with the narrow part at the upper end of the auxiliary transport tube 101 and stops. After that, when the upward flow generating section 102 is stopped, the transport auxiliary body 16 falls naturally, returning to its original position and being held at the lower end of the passage section 104 of the banknote intake section 103. This completes the series of operations for transporting the banknotes P to the intake device 14 above.

The sub-transport device 13 has the transport capacity to transport multiple bills P (e.g., three to five bills) upward at one time. The bill intake unit 103 performs the operation of sending bills P one by one into the passage unit 104 multiple times, creating a state in which multiple bills P remain in the passage unit 104. When the upward flow generating unit 102 is operated in this state, the transport auxiliary body 16 transports the multiple bills P at one time to the upper intake device 14.

Next, we will explain the capture device 14.

As shown in FIG. 27, the intake device 14 has a passage section 121 that has the same cross-sectional shape as the transport tube 12 and is connected to the front and rear of the transport tube 12 (return transport tube 12b). The passage section 121 has an inner shape similar to the straight portion of the transport tube 12, allowing the transport auxiliary body 16 to pass smoothly through the passage section 121. The passage section 121 is in a horizontal position. An opening 121b is formed in the lower wall surface of the passage section 121 for taking in banknotes P into the passage section 121. The intake device 14 has a transport section 122 for sending banknotes P from the opening 121b into the passage section 121.

The conveying section 122 includes a bill guide path 123 leading to the opening 121b, a conveying belt 124 that conveys the bills P conveyed by the sub-conveying device 13 through the bill guide path 123 toward the opening 121b of the passage section 121, a feed roller 125a and a feed belt 125b that feed the bills P sent into the passage section 121 by the conveying belt 124 completely into the passage section 121 to its end, a shutter 126 that is provided midway along the bill guide path 123 to open and close the bill guide path 123 in order to prevent air leakage from the bill guide path 123, and a motor that drives the conveying belt 124, the feed roller 125a, and the feed belt 125b. The shutter 126 is biased to a closed position by a spring or the like.

When a deformed or weak banknote P is discharged from the relay box 6 to the sub-transport device 13, the contact between the banknote P transported to the take-in device 14 by the sub-transport device 13 and the transport belt 124 of the take-in device 14 may be insufficient, and the banknote P may not be transported by the transport belt 124 and successfully taken into the passage section 121. Therefore, the take-in device 14 further includes a clamping roller 128 that presses banknotes P that are not being transported properly by the transport belt 124 toward the transport belt 124 and clamps them between the transport belt 124 and the banknotes to assist in transport.

As shown in FIG. 30, the clamping roller 128 is attached to the lower end of a movable arm 129 that is supported by a support point 129a at the upper end, and the movable arm 129 is swung by turning on and off the solenoid 130. When the solenoid 130 is turned on, the clamping roller 128 at the lower end advances into the bill guide path 123 to a clamping position (see FIG. 30(b)) where it clamps the bill P between itself and the conveyor belt 124, and when the solenoid 130 is turned off, the clamping roller 128 is biased by a spring or the like to return to a retracted position (see FIG. 30(a)) beside the bill guide path 123.

The conveyor belt 124 is provided in two separate locations, left and right, in the width direction of the banknote P, and the clamping roller 128 is located between the left and right conveyor belts 124. In addition, a banknote detection sensor 131 that detects banknotes P is provided near the center in the conveying direction of the area spanned by the conveyor belt 124. Here, the banknote detection sensor 131 is an optical sensor. Since the banknote detection sensor 131 and the movable arm 129 are located very close to each other, the movable arm 129 is provided with an optical sensor and an opening to avoid its light, so that the movable arm 129 does not obstruct the installation of the optical sensor or block the light of the optical sensor.

When the banknote detection sensor 131 detects a banknote P, the solenoid 130 is turned on to displace the clamping roller 128 to the clamping position, and the banknote P is sandwiched between the clamping roller 128 and the conveyor belt 124 and conveyed. When the banknote detection sensor 131 no longer detects the banknote P, the solenoid 130 is turned off to return the clamping roller 128 to the retracted position.

The take-in device 14 is structured so that it can be separated into a main body side where the clamping rollers 128 are provided and a door side where the conveyor belt 124 facing the clamping rollers 128 is provided, with the banknote guide path 123 as a boundary, in order to deal with cases where a banknote P becomes jammed inside. The main body side is fixedly installed as one unit with the passage section 121. When a banknote P becomes jammed, the door side is removed to deal with the jam. The movable mechanism including the clamping rollers 128, which are relatively heavy, is provided on the fixed main body side, making it easy to remove the door side. In addition, the movable mechanism, which is heavy, is also a vibration generating element, so if it is provided on the door side, problems such as the door side becoming loose are likely to occur. Therefore, the movable mechanism such as the clamping rollers 128 and the movable arm 129 is provided on the main body side.

As described above, the intake device 14 is provided with the clamping roller 128, so that even deformed or weak banknotes P can be stably taken into the passage section 121.

When multiple bills P are transported from the sub-transport device 13 at one time, the take-in device 14 can hold the multiple bills P in the bill guide path 123 at one time. When the take-in device 14 receives a command from the control unit 27 to send the bills P to the transport tube 12, it drives the transport belt 124, the clamping roller 128, the feed roller 125a, the feed belt 125b, etc. to transport the bills P waiting in the bill guide path 123 and send them into the passage section 121.

Next, we will explain the collection of banknotes P within the gaming machine island 3 and the relay box 6.

The primary collection device 8, which takes in the bills P discharged from the back of each game ball dispenser 4 within the game machine island 3 and transports them to one end of the game machine island 3, also uses an air flow to move the transport auxiliary body 16, which pushes the bills P from the rear and transports them.

Figure 31 is a plan view showing the primary collection device 8 installed in the gaming machine island 3, and Figure 32 is a front view showing the primary collection device 8 installed in the gaming machine island 3. Figure 33 is a diagram showing the inside of the relay box 6.

Inside the gaming machine island 3, a transport pipe 140 having the same cross-sectional shape as the transport pipe 12 is installed. The transport pipe 140 is in a vertical position, and the bills P transported through the transport pipe 140 are transported in an upright position. In the gaming machine island 3, the gaming ball dispensing machine 4 is formed in a box shape with a narrow front width in order to increase the number of machines installed. Therefore, the bill insertion slot provided in the gaming ball dispensing machine 4 is also usually made vertically long. The bills P are inserted in an upright position into the bill insertion slot, and the bills P are discharged from the back of the gaming ball dispensing machine 4 in an upright position. Therefore, the transport pipe 140 of the primary collection device 8 is configured to receive the bills P from the gaming ball dispensing machine 4 in an upright position and transport them in that upright position.

The conveying pipe 140 is extended from the relay box 6 toward the other end of the gaming machine island 3, and is piped so as to make a U-turn at the other end and return to the relay box 6. In the middle of the conveying pipe 140, which makes a U-turn and returns to the relay box 6 (return route), a bill intake device 142 is installed at a position corresponding to each gaming ball dispensing machine 4, which takes in bills P discharged from the back of the gaming ball dispensing machine 4 into the conveying pipe 140. The bill intake device 142 is provided on both sides of the side wall of the conveying pipe 140 to take in bills P from the gaming ball dispensing machine 4 arranged on the front side of the gaming machine island 3 and bills P from the gaming ball dispensing machine 4 arranged on the back side of the gaming machine island 3. The bills P taken into the conveying pipe 140 from the bill intake device 142 stay at a predetermined intake completion position with their paper surface along the extension direction of the conveying pipe 140.

Inside the relay box 6, there is provided an airflow generating device 144 similar to the airflow generating device 21 provided in the collective safe 11, and a banknote separation and transport auxiliary body circulating device 145 having a configuration similar to the banknote separation and transport auxiliary body circulating device 22 provided in the collective safe 11. The banknote separation and transport auxiliary body circulating device 145 has a transport auxiliary body inserting device 146 similar to the transport auxiliary body inserting device 23, and a separation and recovery device 147 similar to the separation and recovery device 24 (see Figures 32 and 33).

The relay box 6 further includes a banknote transport section 148 (see FIG. 33) that transports the banknotes P discharged from the separation and recovery device 147, and a temporary storage device 150 that temporarily stores the banknotes P. The temporary storage device 150 temporarily stores multiple banknotes P received from the banknote transport section 148, and has the function of feeding the stored banknotes P based on instructions from the control section 27 and sending them to the banknote intake section 103 of the sub-transport device 13 described above.

When the bills P discharged from the back of the game ball dispenser 4 in the game machine island 3 are transported to the relay box 6 for collection, the transport auxiliary 16 is sent from the transport auxiliary insertion device 146 in the relay box 6 into the beginning of the transport tube 140. The transport auxiliary 16 sent into the transport tube 140 receives the air flow generated by the air flow generating device 144 and moves downstream in the transport tube 140, and on the way back after making a U-turn, collects the bills P taken in from the game ball dispenser 4 by the bill take-in device 142 and returns to the separation and collection device 147 in the relay box 6. The separation and collection device 147 separates the bills P transported by the transport auxiliary 16 from the transport auxiliary 16, and delivers the transport auxiliary 16 to the transport auxiliary insertion device 146. Meanwhile, the separated bills P are transported by the bill transport section 148 to the temporary storage device 150 in the relay box 6. FIG. 33 shows the path M along which the banknote transport unit 148 transports the banknote P. At this time, the banknote P is transported in an upright position.

Figure 34 is a cross-sectional view showing the schematic configuration of the temporary storage device 150, and Figure 35 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the temporary storage device 150. The temporary storage device 150 receives and stores banknotes P that are transported in an upright position by the banknote transport unit 148.

The temporary storage device 150 has a posture change unit 151 that changes the orientation of the banknote P received from the banknote transport unit 148 from a posture in which the paper surface is vertical (standing posture) to a posture in which the paper surface is horizontal (laying posture), an elevator unit 152 that transports the banknote P with the horizontal paper surface to the storage unit 154 below, and a delivery transport unit 153 that delivers the banknotes P stored in the storage unit 154 one by one in a lying posture and transports them toward the banknote intake unit 103 of the sub-transport device 13. The thick line 156 shown in FIG. 34 indicates the transport path of the banknotes P by the delivery transport unit 153.

Figure 36 shows a schematic diagram of the configuration and operation of the temporary storage device 150. As shown in Figure 36, the posture change unit 151 has a U-shaped base plate with one short side and a pair of long sides, and L-shaped protrusions are provided along both long sides of the base plate so that a pair of grooves with a U-shaped cross section facing each other are formed along both long sides. The posture change unit 151 is capable of storing multiple banknotes P between the pair of grooves. The posture change unit 151 supports and stores only the edges of the banknotes P with the pair of opposing U-shaped grooves.

As shown in FIG. 36(a), the posture conversion unit 151 is in a vertically standing position (a position in which the stored banknotes P are in an upright position) during standby. In this state, the banknotes transported in an upright position from the banknote transport unit 148 are received and stored between a pair of opposing U-shaped grooves. The posture conversion unit 151 is capable of being displaced between the vertical position shown in FIG. 36(a) and a horizontal position in which it is rotated 90 degrees from the vertical position around its lower end and falls horizontally (a position in which the stored banknotes P are in a lying position, see FIG. 36(b)). The posture conversion unit 151 is displaced between the vertical position and the horizontal position by a motor not shown.

The elevator unit 152 transports the banknote P, which has been put into a horizontal position by the position change unit 151, in the direction in which the paper surface faces (here, downward) while maintaining the horizontal position. The elevator unit 152 has a receiving plate 152a that supports the horizontally oriented banknote P from below, and a pressing plate 152b for sandwiching the banknote P placed on the receiving plate 152a between the receiving plate 152a and the banknote P from above. The receiving plate 152a is composed of two plates that support only both ends of the banknote P in the width direction, and the pressing plate 152b is a plate-shaped member whose width is narrower than the gap between the two plates of the receiving plate 152a, and is capable of passing between the two plates of the receiving plate 152a.

When on standby, the receiving plate 152a stops at a position where it just abuts against the underside of the attitude change part 151 in the horizontal position (the underside of the pair of U-shaped grooves of the attitude change part 151 rotated to the horizontal position), and the pressing plate 152b stops directly above the receiving plate 152a (between the two plates) and at a position higher than the attitude change part 151 in the vertical position.

When the banknotes P stored in the posture change section 151 are transported downward by the elevator section 152 and stored in the storage section 154, the temporary storage device 150 operates as follows.

First, as shown in FIG. 36(a), the posture change unit 151 waits in a vertical position, and in this state receives and stores the banknotes P transported in an upright position from the banknote transport unit 148. Next, as shown in FIG. 36(b), the posture change unit 151 falls to a horizontal position. The pressure plate 152b is sized and positioned to pass between a pair of opposing U-shaped grooves (referred to as the through-holes) of the posture change unit 151 in the horizontal position.

After the attitude change unit 151 assumes a horizontal position, the pressure plate 152b of the elevator unit 152 starts to descend (Figure 36 (c)). When the pressure plate 152b reaches the opening of the attitude change unit 151, the receiving plate 152a also starts to descend at the same speed as the pressure plate 152b, and thereafter, the receiving plate 152a and the pressure plate 152b descend together. As a result, the banknote P held in the attitude change unit 151 descends while being sandwiched between the receiving plate 152a and the pressure plate 152b of the elevator unit 152.

Since the posture change unit 151 holds only the edge of the banknote P, the banknote P easily leaves the posture change unit 151 as the elevator unit 152 descends. The banknote P is then transported downward by the elevator unit 152 while being sandwiched between the receiving plate 152a and the pressing plate 152b of the elevator unit 152 (Figure 36 (d)).

When the elevator unit 152 descends to a certain degree below the posture change unit 151, the posture change unit 151 returns to the vertical posture (Figure 36 (e)).

When the elevator unit 152 descends to a predetermined position, the receiving plate 152a stops descending and the pressing plate 152b continues to descend (Figure 36 (e)). The space between the stopped receiving plate 152a and the surface on which the conveyor belt 153b of the payout conveyor unit 153 exists serves as the storage unit 154 (see Figures 34 and 35).

When the pressure plate 152b continues to descend after the descent of the receiving plate 152a has stopped, the pressure plate 152b passes between the two plates that make up the receiving plate 152a and descends further than the receiving plate 152a. At this time, the banknote P, both ends of which were supported by the two plates that make up the receiving plate 152a, is pressed by the pressure plate 152b and gradually curves, and eventually both ends come off the receiving plate 152a and fall downward to be stored in the storage section 154 (Figures 36 (e) and (f)). Note that in order to separate both ends of the banknote P from the receiving plate 152a and allow them to fall downward, the receiving plate 152a may be raised while the pressure plate 152b is lowered.

Then, the elevator section 152 (receiving plate 152a and pressing plate 152b) starts to rise (Fig. 36(g)). Then, when the receiving plate 152a rises to the height of the lower end of the position change section 151 (standby height) (Fig. 36(h)), it stops at that position, and the pressing plate 152b continues to rise, moving to a position higher than the position change section 151 (standby position) and stopping there (Fig. 36(i)).

By repeating the above operations, the temporary storage device 150 can convert the banknotes P received from the banknote transport unit 148 from a vertical position to a horizontal position and store a large number of them in the storage unit 154. In this example, the storage unit 154 can store approximately 500 banknotes P. When the transport belt 153b is driven while there are banknotes P in the storage unit 154, the bottommost banknote P among the banknotes P stored in the storage unit 154 is fed out and transported toward the banknote intake unit 103 of the sub-transport device 13 via the path indicated by the thick line 156 in FIG. 34.

When the banknotes P are dispensed, it is desirable to press the banknotes P downward with the pressure plate 152b, as shown in FIG. 36(f). Therefore, the position in FIG. 36(f) may be the normal position, and when banknotes P accumulate in the posture change unit 151, the elevator unit 152 may be controlled to move as shown in FIG. 36(g)-(i), (a)-(f) to transport the banknotes P to the storage unit 154.

In the temporary storage device 150, the posture change unit 151 is rotated between a vertical posture and a horizontal posture to change the posture of the banknote P from a state in which the paper surface is vertical (standing posture) to a state in which the paper surface is horizontal (laying down posture). Therefore, the posture of the banknote P can be changed in a smaller space than when a mechanism is used that changes the posture of the banknote P from a state in which the paper surface is vertical to a horizontal state by twisting the banknote P while transporting it.

In addition, as soon as the attitude change unit 151 assumes a horizontal position, the pressure plate 152b immediately begins to descend, and as soon as the entire elevator unit 152 descends from the attitude change unit 151, the attitude change unit 151 returns to a vertical position. This means that the period during which the attitude change unit 151 is unable to accept banknotes P from the banknote transport unit 148 is short, and there is no disruption to the collection of banknotes P within the gaming machine island 3. In this embodiment, the condition for the primary collection device 8 to send out the next transport auxiliary body 16 is that the attitude change unit 151 returns to the vertical position.

In addition, since the posture conversion unit 151 can store multiple banknotes P, even if the elevator unit 152 is lowered for a long time due to some factor and multiple banknotes P are transported by the banknote transport unit 148 during that time, the posture conversion unit 151 can accept and store them.

As shown in FIG. 36(e), when the pressure plate 152b is lowered below the receiving plate 152a to remove the banknotes P from the receiving plate 152a and move them to the storage section 154, the banknotes P may be stored in a disordered manner, and as a result, the banknotes P may be jammed when the conveyor belt 153b of the delivery conveyor section 153 delivers the banknotes P from the storage section 154. For example, as shown in FIG. 37(a), when the pressure plate 152b starts to be lowered below the receiving plate 152a, only one end of the banknotes P may slip off the receiving plate 152a, causing the storage of the banknotes P to be disordered. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 37(b), a sheet 155 made of a material (e.g., natural rubber) that has friction against the banknotes P is attached to the upper surfaces of the two plates that make up the receiving plate 152a.

When the pressure plate 152b descends relative to the receiving plate 152a of the elevator unit 152 to hold the bill P from above downward in order to store the bill in the storage unit 154, the natural rubber sheet 155 rubs against both ends of the bill P to prevent it from slipping off. As a result, as shown in FIG. 37(b), the bill P pressed down by the pressure plate 152b has its center descend first, and finally both ends come off the receiving plate 152a and fall into the storage unit 154. This prevents one end from falling first and causing the bill to lose its position as shown in FIG. 37(a), and the bill P can be moved and stored in the storage unit 154 in a stable position, and subsequent transport by the feeding transport unit 153 can be performed smoothly.

Figure 38 shows a case where further improvements have been made to the structure of Figure 37(b). A sheet 155 made of a material that is elastic and has frictional force against banknotes P (for example, natural rubber) is attached to the upper surfaces of the two plates that make up receiving plate 152a and the lower surface of pressing plate 152b. In addition, the inner ends (banknote passing side) of the two plates that make up receiving plate 152a are folded downward into an inverted L-shape, so that the elastic and frictional material (sheet 155) protrudes toward the banknote passing side. Bending it into an inverted L-shape increases the strength of receiving plate 152a.

When the frictional material (sheet 155) is natural rubber or the like, it has elasticity, so that when the pressure plate 152b descends from the receiving plate 152a and presses the banknote P downward, the portion of the sheet 155 that protrudes toward the banknote passing side is slightly curved downward, so that the banknote P falls more smoothly while receiving friction from the sheet 155. In addition, the presence of the elastic sheet 155 provided on the upper surface of the receiving plate 152a and the lower surface of the pressure plate 152b prevents the banknote P from being damaged or scratched. Even in the improved type shown in FIG. 38, one end of the banknote P does not fall first and lose its posture, so the banknote P can be moved and stored in a stable posture in the storage section 154, and subsequent transport by the feeding transport section 153 can also be performed smoothly.

In the primary recovery device 8, as shown in FIG. 31, the transport pipe 140, which is laid along the length of the island, is extended straight and connected to the relay box 6. This reduces the amount of space required at the end of the island to install the relay box 6, compared to a configuration in which the pipe is bent 90 degrees via a curved pipe just before connecting to the relay box 6.

However, in a configuration in which the return transport pipe 12b passes above multiple relay boxes 6 as shown in FIG. 2, the orientation of the banknote P when it reaches the intake device 14 must be such that the paper surface of the banknote P faces the extension direction Fw of the return transport pipe 12b as shown in FIG. 24. Therefore, the longitudinal direction of the banknote P that flows from the transport pipe 140 of the primary collection device 8 into the relay box 6 must be changed by 90 degrees. Since it is difficult to perform such a direction change within the relay box 6 due to space limitations, a twisting section 51 is provided midway along the sub-transport pipe 101 of the sub-transport device 13 as shown in FIG. 23.

The transport pipe 140 inside the game machine island 3 is connected straight to the relay box 6, so transport errors are less likely to occur and transport quality can be improved compared to when the pipe is bent 90 degrees just before the relay box 6. Also, as shown in Figures 1 and 23, the door of the relay box 6 faces the front (the direction facing the island edge), making it easier to open the door and perform maintenance and inspection work inside the relay box 6.

In this embodiment, the relay box 6 is not provided with a banknote determination device that checks the authenticity or detects the denomination of the banknote P. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 34, the transport path of the delivery transport unit 153 that transports the banknote P from the storage unit 154 of the temporary storage device 150 to the banknote intake unit 103 of the sub-transport device 13 can be shortened.

The paper sheet collection and transport system is provided with the relay box 6 on the gaming machine island 3 as described above, and while the primary collection device 8 and the secondary collection device 10, which collect and transport the banknotes P within the gaming machine island 3, are configured as separate devices, the banknotes P collected within the gaming machine island 3 can be automatically transported to the collective safe 11 in the office. That is, the relay box 6 changes the posture of the banknotes P from an upright posture to a lying posture, so that the banknotes P received from the primary collection device 8, which transports the banknotes P in an upright posture, can be smoothly sent to the auxiliary transport device 13, which transports the banknotes P in a lying posture. In addition, the temporary storage device 150 has a function of temporarily storing and storing the banknotes P, so that it can absorb the difference between the timing when the banknotes P are transported by the primary collection device 8 and the timing when the banknotes P should be sent to the auxiliary transport device 13.

In addition, if there is a risk of an abnormality in the transport route (secondary collection device 10, etc.) from the relay box 6 to the office collective safe 11 due to a malfunction of the office collective safe 11 or a disaster such as an earthquake, the collective safe 11 can be stopped from being used and the relay box 6 can be switched to standalone operation mode, allowing it to be used as a traditional island-only safe.

Next, the connecting portion 15 inserted in the middle of the transport tube 12 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the transport tube 12 of the secondary recovery device 10 is composed of multiple transport tubes connected by connecting portions 15. Unlike the primary recovery device 8, the transport tube 12 of the secondary recovery device 10 is installed over a very long distance, so expansion and contraction of the transport tube 12 due to temperature changes cannot be ignored during construction. If the transport tube 12 shrinks, a large gap will be created at the connection point, and if it expands, the transport tubes 12 may collide with each other at the connection point, causing large stress and bending. Such gaps and bending can hinder the smooth movement of the banknotes P and the transport auxiliary body 16, resulting in clogging.

Therefore, even if the length of the conveying pipe 12 changes due to temperature changes, etc., the change in length of the conveying pipe 12 is absorbed by the connecting part 15 so that the overall installation condition is not distorted or large gaps are not created.

Figure 39 shows the connecting part 15 with the transport tubes 12 in front and behind it disconnected. The connecting part 15 includes a connecting main body part 160 and a connection adapter 170. In the figure, the transport direction of the banknotes P (direction of the air flow) is indicated by the arrow Fw. Also, the connecting main body part 160 is shown with one side wall removed.

Figure 40 shows the front, left side, right side, top, and bottom of the conveying tube 12 connected to the connecting portion 15, and Figure 41 shows the front, left side, right side, top, and bottom of the connection adapter 170.

The downstream end 172 of the connection adaptor 170 is inserted into the upstream connection port 161 of the connection body 160, and the upstream conveying pipe 12 is connected to the upstream connection port 171 of the connection adaptor 170. The downstream conveying pipe 12 is connected to the downstream connection port 162 of the connection body 160.

The inner shape of the upstream connection port 171 of the connection adapter 170 corresponds to the outer shape of the conveying pipe 12. The inner shape of the downstream connection port 162 of the connecting body 160 corresponds to the outer shape of the conveying pipe 12. The conveying pipe 12 is inserted into the upstream connection port 171 of the connection adapter 170 and the downstream connection port 162 of the connecting body 160 with a thin gasket (not shown) made of an elastic material such as rubber covering the outer periphery, and is connected airtight.

The downstream end 172 of the connection adapter 170 has an inner and outer shape that is approximately the same as that of the conveying pipe 12, and the inner shape of the upstream connection port 161 of the connecting body 160 corresponds to the outer shape of the downstream end 172 of the connection adapter 170. The downstream end 172 of the connection adapter 170 is also inserted into the inside of the upstream connection port 161 of the connecting body 160 while covered with a packing similar to that described above, and is connected airtight.

The downstream conveying pipe 12 is connected and fixed with its upstream end butted against the butt portion 162b provided on the inside of the downstream connection port 162 of the connecting body portion 160. For example, it is glued. The upstream conveying pipe 12 is inserted into the upstream connection port 171 of the connection adapter 170 until it butts against the back of the connection. Ribs 173, 174 similar to ribs 34, 35 formed on the inside of the conveying pipe 12 are formed on the inside of the downstream end 172 of the connection adapter 170, and these ribs 173, 174 extend further downstream from the downstream end 172 of the connection adapter 170 and protrude.

Ribs 163, 164 are provided on the inside of the connecting body 160, similar to the ribs 34, 35 of the conveying pipe 12, so that when the connecting adapter 170 is connected to the connecting body 160, the ribs 173, 174 of the connecting adapter 170 and the ribs 163, 164 of the connecting body 160 are continuous.

Figure 42 shows how the downstream end 172 of the connection adapter 170 is connected to the upstream connection port 161 of the connection body 160. When the downstream end 172 of the connection adapter 170 is inserted into the upstream connection port 161 of the connection body 160, the ribs 173, 174 of the connection adapter 170 and the ribs 163, 164 of the connection body 160 overlap and become continuous, as shown in Figure 42 (b). Figure 42 (c) shows the state in which the connection adapter 170 is inserted into the downstream connection port 162 of the connection body 160 as far as it will go.

When installed, as shown in FIG. 1B, the connection is made about 10 mm in front of the deepest point. This allows the connection between the connecting body 160 and the connection adapter 170 to absorb any changes in length due to contraction or expansion of the conveying pipe 12. The shallowest connection is made 20 mm in front of the deepest point, and the connecting part 15 can absorb changes in length due to contraction or expansion by ±10 mm compared to when installed. The ribs 163, 164 on the connecting body 160 side and the ribs 173, 174 on the connection adapter 170 side overlap by a predetermined length (for example, 5 mm) even when the connection adapter 170 is connected to the connecting body 160 in the shallowest position.

Figure 43 is an enlarged view showing the connection between the ribs 173, 174 on the connection adaptor 170 side and the ribs 163, 164 on the connecting body 160 side. The central rib 163 on the connecting body 160 side is divided into two parallel ribs 163a, 163b, and the central rib 173 on the connection adaptor 170 side is inserted between them. The distance between the two ribs 163a, 164b that make up rib 163 is the same as the thickness of rib 173, and rib 173 is inserted between the two ribs 163a, 163b with no gap between them. In this way, by inserting the rib 173 on the connection adapter 170 side between the two ribs 163a, 163b on the connection main body 160 side, even if the connection depth when the downstream end 172 of the connection adapter 170 is connected to the upstream connection port 161 of the connection main body 160 changes significantly due to contraction and expansion, the rib 163 on the connection main body 160 side and the rib 173 on the connection adapter 170 side can be connected without their positional relationship being shifted.

The rib 164 of the connecting body 160 and the rib 174 on the connection adapter 170 overlap with one side of each abutting. Here, they abut in a positional relationship where the rib 164 is on the inside and the rib 174 is on the outside. The outer rib 174 presses the inner rib 164 slightly inward, so that they abut closely and connect smoothly.

In this way, in the connection part 15 of this embodiment, the rib on the connection main body part 160 side and the rib on the connection adapter 170 side are not simply faced to each other, but the rib 173 is fitted between the two ribs 163a, 163b, and the length of the fitted rib is set to a length that can absorb fluctuations due to contraction and expansion. As a result, even if there is a temperature change in the installation environment, the contraction and expansion of the transport path due to the temperature change can be absorbed by the connection part 15, and inconveniences such as gaps at the connection points of the transport tube or bending due to stress can be prevented. In addition, because the ribs are connected by fitting, there is no misalignment or step of the rib at the connection points, and the transport auxiliary body 16 and banknotes P can pass through smoothly.

As shown in FIG. 42, the connecting body 160 of the connecting part 15 is provided with a sensor 166 (optical sensor) for detecting the passage or snagging of bills P or the transport auxiliary 16. Jamming of bills P and snagging of the transport auxiliary 16 are likely to occur at the connection part.

(About the auxiliary blower)
In the return transport pipe 12b, along which the transport auxiliary body 16 moves while transporting the banknotes P, the load is larger than that in the outgoing transport pipe 12a, along which the banknotes P are not being pushed, and the moving speed of the transport auxiliary body 16 tends to decrease. Therefore, an auxiliary blower is provided to strengthen the air flow.

In particular, the larger the amusement facility 2, the more the transport pipe 12 of the secondary counter device 10 must travel around a large number of game machine islands 3, and may even span multiple floors, resulting in an increased number of curved sections of the transport pipe 12. In curved sections, resistance increases, slowing the progress of the transport aid 16 and making it easier for the airflow to be obstructed. In addition, curved sections also connect to straight sections before and after them. Air leaks can occur at the connection points.

Therefore, an auxiliary blower is installed at the point where the conveying pipe 12 curves to increase the air volume. For example, an auxiliary blower that increases the air flow toward the downstream is installed immediately upstream of the curve (just before reaching the curve). Alternatively, an auxiliary blower that flows downstream can be installed immediately downstream of the curve.

Also, an auxiliary blower may be provided downstream of the most downstream intake device 14. That is, the transport auxiliary body 16 collects the banknotes P by visiting the relay boxes 6 installed at each gaming machine island 3 in the gaming facility, and then moves to the collective safe 11 while transporting the banknotes P. However, if the collective safe 11 is installed on a different floor from the gaming machine island 3, the transport pipe 12 from the last intake device 14 to the collective safe 11 may be a long distance.

In such a case, it becomes difficult to obtain a volume of air sufficient to ensure that the transport auxiliary 16 reaches the collective safe 11 using only the air blown from the transport auxiliary relay device 17. Therefore, an auxiliary blower is provided downstream of the most downstream intake device 14 to increase the volume of air. In addition, auxiliary blowers are provided at appropriate locations along the transport route as necessary.

Even if the auxiliary blower increases the air volume, as described above, distortion may occur at the connection points of both ends of the curved section, and the conveying auxiliary 16 may lose its posture at the connection points of the curved conveying pipe, which may cause it to get stuck. Therefore, a release wind blower that generates an air flow (release wind) from downstream to upstream is provided downstream of the point where the conveying auxiliary 16 is likely to get stuck, and when the conveying auxiliary 16 does not reach the point where the release wind blower is installed, the release wind blower is activated to send release wind for a specified time (e.g., 10 seconds) to release the conveying auxiliary 16 from being stuck. An obstacle that causes the conveying auxiliary 16 to not reach the specified point is considered to be a conveying auxiliary conveying error.

For example, a release wind blower that generates an air flow (release wind) that flows from downstream to upstream can be installed immediately upstream of the curve or halfway around the curve, and when the transport aid 16 does not reach the downstream side of the curve, the release wind blower is activated to send in the release wind and release the transport aid 16 from being stuck.

The air flow in the normal direction is stopped while the release air is being sent in. Once the release air is sent in, the air flow in the normal direction is generated again, and the transport auxiliary body 16 is moved to transport the banknotes P. This releases the transport auxiliary body 16 from being caught, allowing the transport auxiliary body 16 to transport the banknotes P stably.

The location where the release air blower is provided is not limited to upstream or midway of the curve, and as long as it can release the trapped transport auxiliary 16, the release air blower's outlet may be located near the transport auxiliary 16. In other words, the release air blower may be provided at an appropriate location on the transport path, particularly downstream of a location where the transport auxiliary 16 is likely to get caught, or, if there are several locations where the transport auxiliary 16 is likely to get caught, the release air blower may be provided immediately downstream of the most downstream location among them. Furthermore, the direction of the release air is not limited to flowing from downstream to upstream, and since any change in the wind direction in the transport pipe will have the effect of releasing the trapped state, the wind direction is not limited to one direction either.

Figure 44 shows an example in which a release air blower 19 has been added to the system shown in Figure 2. The release air blower 19 blows air upstream (sends release air) from a position downstream of the most downstream intake device 14 (a position just before the curved part). The auxiliary blower 18 blows air downstream from a position downstream of the most downstream intake device 14 (a position just after passing the curved part), enhancing the forward air flow.

(Auxiliary blower startup setting)
The auxiliary blower operates for a predetermined time based on the point when a sensor (see FIG. 44) installed slightly downstream of the installation location detects the passage of the transport auxiliary body 16. Normally, the banknote P is pushed and moved by the transport auxiliary body 16, but the action of the air flow can cause the banknote P to move on its own without being pushed by the transport auxiliary body 16. If the sensor detects a self-moving banknote P, it will erroneously detect that the transport auxiliary body 16 has passed even though it has not yet arrived. At this time, the transport auxiliary body 16 is still upstream of the banknote P in the transport direction.

When the auxiliary blower is turned on, airflow stagnation occurs around the auxiliary blower's air outlet, and a headwind toward the upstream side may occur downstream of the auxiliary blower. Therefore, if the auxiliary blower is operated at the timing when the above-mentioned sensor detects a self-propelled banknote P, the movement of the transport auxiliary body 16 upstream of the sensor may be hindered due to the airflow stagnation phenomenon and the generation of a headwind, which may result in a transport auxiliary body transport error.

Therefore, the following measures were introduced:
1. A planned passage time is set, which is the time required for the transport auxiliary body 16 to pass the location of the sensor, which is the reference for the operation timing of the auxiliary blower, after the transport auxiliary body 16 is sent out, and the auxiliary blower is not turned on even if the sensor detects the passage of an object until the planned passage time has elapsed after the transport auxiliary body 16 is sent out. In other words, if the sensor turns on before the planned passage time has elapsed, the auxiliary blower is turned on after the planned passage time has elapsed. If the sensor turns on after the planned passage time has elapsed, the auxiliary blower is immediately turned on.

2. A test run is performed three times in succession in which the transport auxiliary body 16 is moved by itself without transporting the banknote P, and the time from when the transport auxiliary body 16 is sent out until the sensor detects the transport auxiliary body 16 is automatically measured, and if the time difference between the three measurements is within two seconds, the latest measured time is set as the expected passage time.

3. The scheduled passage time can be changed by operating a control device (DIP switch, push button, etc.).

The above measures prevent the sensor from detecting a self-propelled bill P and turning on the auxiliary blower before the transport auxiliary body 16 reaches the location where the auxiliary blower is installed, preventing transport auxiliary body transport errors due to this cause.

(Automatic setting of auxiliary body rotation reference time)
In the paper sheet collection and transport system, a reference auxiliary body circulation time is set, which is the time it takes for the transport auxiliary body 16 sent out from the collective safe 11 to go around the transport tube 12 and return to the collective safe 11, and the presence or absence of a transport auxiliary body transport error is judged based on the reference auxiliary body circulation time. The reference auxiliary body circulation time may be set based on the time it actually takes for the transport auxiliary body 16 to go around the transport tube 12 manually measured by an operator using a stopwatch or the like, but if it can be measured and set automatically, it will save time and be more convenient.

The secondary collection device 10 of the paper sheet collection and transport system automatically and continuously performs multiple test rotations in which the transport auxiliary body 16 goes around the transport tube 12 by itself without transporting banknotes P, automatically measures the rotation time, and has the function of automatically setting the auxiliary body rotation reference time after taking into account the equipment configuration. The auxiliary body rotation reference time can be manually changed. By providing a function for automatically setting the auxiliary body rotation reference time, the effort required for initial setup is reduced and human errors during input setup can be avoided.

(Regarding auxiliary blower control)
If the transport route has a complex configuration (such as many curves) or if the distance to the collective safe 11 is very long, it becomes necessary to install multiple auxiliary blowers 18 at appropriate locations on the transport route. Several control methods for controlling one or multiple auxiliary blowers 18 are shown below. In any control method, each auxiliary blower 18 is controlled to start in accordance with the timing at which the transport auxiliary body 16 passes.

<Independent control>
As explained in the section "Auxiliary Blower Activation Setting," in the independent control, when a sensor installed slightly downstream of the auxiliary blower 18 detects the passage of the transport auxiliary body 16, an operation decision is made based on the passage time, and the auxiliary blower 18 is activated and operated for a predetermined time. Even if multiple auxiliary blowers 18 are installed, the operation of each auxiliary blower 18 is decided individually. In the independent control, if there is a place in the transport path where the air volume is insufficient, this can be addressed by simply adding an independently controlled auxiliary blower 18 near the upstream of that place, so measures to increase the air volume can be easily taken as necessary.

<Administrative Control>
In management control, the control unit (control unit 27 of collective safe 11) that controls the overall operation of the secondary recovery device 10 collectively manages the operation timing of the auxiliary blower 18. In management control, the timing at which the transport auxiliary body 16 passes through each point on the transport route (the elapsed time since being sent out) is checked and understood in advance. The passing points are, for example, the locations where the sensor 166 (see FIG. 42) provided on the connecting part 15 is installed, and this sensor detects the passing and checks the passing timing at each point.

The timing for activating each auxiliary blower 18 is preset based on the timing of passing each point thus determined. The control unit 27 measures the time that has elapsed since the transport auxiliary body 16 was sent into the transport pipe 12, and transmits an operation command to each auxiliary blower when the startup timing for that auxiliary blower arrives. Upon receiving this operation command, the auxiliary blower 18 operates the fan for a predetermined period of time and then stops it.

As a result, when multiple auxiliary blowers 18 are installed, the auxiliary blowers 18 will operate for a predetermined period of time and then stop, one after the other, starting from the one installed upstream.

In the management control, there is no need to provide a judgment unit on the auxiliary blower 18 side to judge the start timing, and the configuration is simplified. Furthermore, even if a malfunction or abnormality occurs in the sensor that detects the passage of the transport auxiliary body while the system is operating, each auxiliary blower 18 can be operated at a predetermined timing, making it possible to provide a more reliable secondary recovery device 10.

As an alternative method of control, the start timing of each auxiliary blower 18 checked as described above may be set for each auxiliary blower 18, and the control unit 27 may notify each auxiliary blower 18 when it has sent out the transport auxiliary body 16, and each auxiliary blower 18 may measure the elapsed time since it received the notification, and may autonomously start the fan when the start timing set for the device arrives. In this configuration, each auxiliary blower 18 requires a circuit that measures the elapsed time and determines whether the start timing has arrived, but even if a defect or abnormality occurs in the passage sensor, each auxiliary blower 18 can be operated at a predetermined timing.

Next, the structure of the twisting section 51 will be explained.

As shown in Figure 45, the twisting section 51 achieves the desired angle of twist by connecting multiple short sub-twisted tubes 51a that are twisted by small amounts. In this example, ten sub-twisted tubes 51a are connected to form a 90-degree twist, and a connection section 51b with the conveying pipe 12 is connected to the downstream end. There is no twist in the connection section 51b.

Next, we will explain the operational sequence when the secondary collection device 10 of the paper sheet collection and transport system collects banknotes P from the relay box 6 (storage section of the primary collection device 8) of each gaming machine island 3.

Figure 46 shows the above sequence. The control unit 27 of the collective safe 11 queries the relay box 6 of each gaming machine island 3 to confirm the number of bills P stored in the bill storage unit 25 of each relay box 6 (P1, P2).

Next, based on the number of banknotes P stored in the banknote storage section 25 of each relay box 6, it is determined how many banknotes P should be collected from which relay box 6's banknote storage section 25 (P3), and a banknote discharge instruction specifying the number of banknotes to be discharged is sent to one or more relay boxes 6 determined as the collection destination (P4).

The relay box 6 that has received the banknote discharge instruction discharges the specified number of banknotes P from the banknote storage unit 25 and has the auxiliary transport device 13 installed in the relay box 6 transport the banknotes P to the corresponding intake device 14 on the return transport pipe 12b (P5). When the intake device 14 takes in the banknotes P, the intake device 14 sends a signal to the control unit 27 of the collective safe 11 indicating that the banknotes P have been discharged into the return transport pipe 12b (P6).

When the control unit 27 of the collective safe 11 confirms that the banknote P specified in the banknote discharge instruction has been taken into the transport tube 12 (return transport tube 12b) by the take-in device 14, it instructs its own device and the transport auxiliary relay device 17 to start blowing and suctioning operations and to send out the transport auxiliary 16 (P7).

The control unit 27 of the collective safe 11 operates the air flow generating device 21 to blow air to the beginning of the outward conveying pipe 12a and to suck in the air flow from the end of the return conveying pipe 12b, while sending the conveying auxiliary 16 to the outward conveying pipe 12a by the conveying auxiliary insertion device 23 (P8, P9). At the same time, the conveying auxiliary relay device 17 operates the fan 63 of the blower unit 62 to suck in the air flow from the end of the outward conveying pipe 12a and to blow air from the beginning of the return conveying pipe 12b into the return conveying pipe 12b, while sending the conveying auxiliary 16 to the return conveying pipe 12b (P10, P11). That is, the conveying auxiliary 16 is sent from the collective safe 11 to the outward conveying pipe 12a and sent from the conveying auxiliary relay device 17 to the return conveying pipe 12b at the same time.

Sensors installed along the outbound transport pipe 12a and the inbound transport pipe 12b detect the passage of the transport auxiliary 16 (P12, P13). When the transport auxiliary 16 sent out from the collective safe 11 in P8 reaches its own inlet connection port 67, the transport auxiliary relay device 17 receives and holds it in its holding section 74 (P14). It then notifies the control section 27 of the collective safe 11 that it has received and held the transport auxiliary 16 (P15).

When the transport auxiliary 16 sent from the transport auxiliary relay device 17 to the return transport pipe 12b in P11 reaches the collective safe 11, the separation and recovery device 24 separates the banknote P from the transport auxiliary 16, recovers the banknote P in the banknote storage section 25, and moves the transport auxiliary 16 to the transport auxiliary insertion device 23 to wait for the next sending out (P16).

Then, the control unit 27 of the collective safe 11 instructs its own device and the transport auxiliary relay device 17 to stop blowing and suctioning operations (P17). In response to this instruction, the airflow generating device 21 of the collective safe 11 and the fan 63 of the blower unit 62 of the transport auxiliary relay device 17 stop (P18 to P20).

Furthermore, upon receiving this instruction, the transport auxiliary relay device 17 rotates the rotating plate 72 180 degrees (P21). When this rotation is complete, the lock (hold) of the transport auxiliary 16 by the holding roller 82 of the holding part 74 that has moved to the outlet side connection port 68 is automatically released (P22).

The above operations are repeated each time a banknote P is collected.

Next, we will explain the operation of the control unit 27 of the collective safe 11 in determining how many banknotes P to collect from which relay box 6 in P3 of the above collection operation.

The secondary collection device 10 of the paper sheet collection and transport system can collect up to six banknotes P for each collection operation of the banknotes P by the transport auxiliary body 16. In addition, the number of banknotes P that the sub-transport device 13 transports to the intake device 14 at one time is limited to three or less.

The control unit 27 of the collective safe 11 determines one or more relay boxes 6 to be collection destinations and the number of banknotes P to be collected from each, so that the total number of banknotes P to be collected in each collection operation is within the maximum number that can be collected in one collection operation (six in this example). Here, the number of banknotes P to be discharged from one relay box 6 is further limited to a predetermined upper limit. The maximum upper limit is set to three, and the upper limit is changed depending on the number of banknotes in stock.

In other words, the control unit 27 of the collective safe 11 allocates the number of bills to be discharged to one or more relay boxes 6 so that the number of bills to be allocated to each relay box 6 for each collection operation does not exceed a set upper limit (e.g., three bills), and so that the total number of bills P to be collected does not exceed the maximum number of bills that can be collected, six bills.

The control unit 27, which controls the overall operation of the paper sheet collection and transport system, determines the collection destination and the number of bills to be discharged at each collection destination so that the temporary storage device 150 of each relay box 6 does not become full during business hours, and the relay box 6 with the larger number of bills P stored (stock number) is given priority for discharge.

The control unit 27 classifies the number of banknotes P stored in each relay box 6 into multiple levels, and manages the relay boxes 6 by grouping them according to the level. Each relay box 6 can store approximately 500 banknotes P, so they are managed in seven levels (G1 to G7) as shown in Figure 47. Figure 47 shows the relationship between the groups (G1 to G7), the number of banknotes stored, and the collection priority.

In this example, G1 is a group with 1 stock, G2 is a group with 2 stocks, G3 is a group with 3-9 stocks, G4 is a group with 10-49 stocks, G5 is a group with 50-149 stocks, G6 is a group with 150-254 stocks, and G7 is a group with 255 or more stocks.

G7 has the highest priority for collection, followed by G6, G5, G4, G3, and G2 in decreasing order, with G1 being set as the lowest priority for collection.

G1 and G2 are provided so that for bills less than the maximum number (3 bills) that can be instructed to be discharged from one relay box 6, they are grouped by the number of bills stocked. If G1 and G2 were not provided and G3 was made the group with the smallest number of bills stocked, even if a relay box 6 belonging to G3 was instructed to discharge 3 bills, the actual number of bills stocked may be 2 or 1, in which case only that number of bills stocked would be discharged. To prevent this situation, G1 and G2 are provided so that the same number of bills P as the number instructed by the control unit 27 to be discharged is discharged from the relay box 6.

For example, if there are four relay boxes 6 in G1 (one bill in stock) and one relay box 6 in G2 (two bills in stock), it is possible to control the four relay boxes 6 in G1 to eject one bill P each, and the one relay box 6 in G2 to eject two bills P.

In addition, even when there are many stocks, multiple groups (G4 to G7) are set according to the number of stocks, so that priority can be given to discharge from relay boxes 6 with many stocks. Specifically, by providing G4 to G7, discharge can be controlled more precisely than if all stocks of 10 or more were classified into one group.

The control unit 27 determines the number of banknotes P to be discharged and the collection destination so that banknotes P are collected preferentially from relay boxes 6 with a larger number of banknotes in stock.

The control unit 27 also classifies the relay boxes 6 into multiple groups based on the number of bills in stock, and determines the number of bills P to be discharged and the collection destination by dividing the number of bills P into groups according to the number of bills in stock, limiting the number of bills to be discharged to each relay box 6 to within a predetermined upper limit, and allocating the number of bills to be discharged as evenly as possible to the relay boxes 6 belonging to the same group.

For example, if there are six or more relay boxes 6 belonging to G7, each of those six relay boxes 6 is assigned one discharged sheet. If there is only one relay box 6 belonging to G7 and two relay boxes 6 belonging to G6, three sheets are assigned to that one relay box 6 belonging to G7, two sheets are assigned to one of the relay boxes 6 belonging to G6, and one sheet is assigned to the other.

In addition, the upper limit set for groups with stock amounts less than a predetermined number (the upper limit of the number of sheets to be discharged that can be allocated to one relay box 6) is set to be less than the upper limit set for groups with stock amounts equal to or greater than the predetermined number. In this example, the upper limit is set to 3 sheets for G4 and above, and 2 sheets for G3 and below.

If the total number of sheets does not reach six when the number of sheets discharged is allocated with the upper limit set to two, the upper limit may be changed to three. If the total number of sheets discharged does not reach the maximum number (six) that can be collected in one collection operation even after going through all groups by allocating the number of sheets discharged in order from the group with the largest number of sheets stocked, the remaining number of sheets discharged may be allocated in order starting from the relay box 6 belonging to the group with the largest number of sheets stocked. For example, if only G3 or smaller exist and the total number does not reach six even when the upper limit is set to two and the number of sheets discharged is allocated to these, the upper limit for G3 may be changed to three, and the remaining number may be allocated starting from G3.

Below, we will explain the method for determining the collection destination and the number of sheets to be discharged with specific examples.

Depending on what groups (G1 to G7) exist in the entire system, control is divided into the following three patterns.

<Pattern 1>
In the case where there is a relay box 6 corresponding to G4 or higher, the relay box 6 with the highest priority is given priority for ejection.

The specific procedure is as follows: ・The number of sheets to be discharged will be allocated in order of priority to the group with the highest priority.
The upper limit of the number of sheets discharged that can be assigned to one relay box 6 is set to three sheets, and the number of sheets discharged is allocated to the same group as evenly as possible until the total number of sheets discharged reaches six sheets.
If the total number of sheets to be discharged does not reach six even after the number of sheets to be discharged has been allocated to all relay boxes 6 belonging to the group, the number of sheets to be discharged is allocated to the group with the next highest priority.

In the example shown in FIG. 48(a), there are seven relay boxes 6 belonging to G7, so one sheet is allocated equally to each of six of them (ID1-6). In the example shown in FIG. 48(b), there are five relay boxes 6 belonging to G7 (ID1-5), so two sheets are allocated to the relay box 6 with ID1 as the number of sheets to be discharged, and one sheet is allocated to each of the other relay boxes 6 (ID2-5) as the number of sheets to be discharged. For example, the first sheet is allocated sequentially to each relay box 6 belonging to G7, and if six sheets are not reached after one round, the second sheet is allocated sequentially to the relay boxes 6 belonging to G7 as the second round.

In the example shown in FIG. 1C, there are three relay boxes 6 belonging to G7 (IDs 1-3), so each is assigned two sheets as the number of sheets to be discharged. In the example shown in FIG. 1D, there is only one relay box 6 (ID 1) belonging to G7, so the relay box 6 is assigned the upper limit of three sheets as the number of sheets to be discharged, in the first stage of allocation work. Then, in the second stage of allocation work, the remaining number is assigned to the group with the next highest priority. In this example, there is only one relay box 6 (ID 2) belonging to G6, which has the next highest priority, so the relay box 6 (ID 2) is assigned the upper limit of three sheets as the number of sheets to be discharged.

<Pattern 2>
When all relay boxes 6 are G3 or lower and there is a relay box 6 belonging to G3 [a] When there is only one G3 unit In this case, the number of sheets to be discharged is instructed to the relay box 6 in G3 to be 2 sheets (maximum number of sheets), and the remaining 4 sheets are assigned to G2 or lower, thereby reducing the number of relay boxes 6 in G2 or lower.

The specific procedure is as follows: 2 sheets (the upper limit) are assigned as the number of sheets to be discharged to one relay box 6 belonging to G3, and the remaining 4 sheets are assigned to relay boxes 6 belonging to G2 or lower.
If there is a relay box 6 belonging to G2, two sheets (the upper limit number) are assigned as the number of sheets to be discharged to each relay box 6 belonging to G2.
If the total number does not reach six, the remainder is assigned one to each relay box 6 belonging to G1.
・If the total number does not reach 6, the number of sheets discharged from the relay box belonging to G3 will be increased to 3 (the upper limit will be raised from 2 to 3).
If the total number still does not reach six, the allocation process ends.

In the example shown in FIG. 49(a), in the first stage of allocation work, two sheets (maximum number) are allocated as the number of sheets to be discharged to one relay box 6 (ID1) belonging to G3. In the second stage of allocation work, since there are two relay boxes 6 (ID2, 3) belonging to G2, two sheets are allocated as the number of sheets to be discharged to each of them. This brings the total number of sheets to six, so the allocation process ends.

In the same figure (b), in the first stage of allocation work, two sheets (the upper limit) are assigned as the output number to one relay box 6 (ID1) belonging to G3. Next, in the second stage of allocation work, since there is only one relay box 6 (ID2) belonging to G2, two sheets (the upper limit) are assigned as the output number to it. Since the total number is still four sheets at this stage, one sheet is further assigned as the output number to each of the relay boxes 6 (ID3, 4) belonging to G1 in the third stage of allocation work. Since the total number reaches six sheets, the allocation process ends here.

In the case of FIG. 3(c), in the first stage of allocation, the one relay box 6 (ID1) belonging to G3 is assigned the number of sheets discharged (maximum number), and in the second stage of allocation, since there is only one relay box 6 (ID2) belonging to G2, it is assigned the number of sheets discharged (maximum number). Furthermore, in the third stage of allocation, the relay box 6 (ID3) belonging to G1 is assigned the number of sheets discharged (maximum number). At this stage, the total number is five sheets, so as the remaining process, the number of sheets discharged for the relay box 6 of ID1 belonging to G3 is increased by one to three sheets. This brings the total number to six sheets, so the allocation process ends. In other words, since the total number does not reach six sheets even after going around each group once, the maximum number of sheets for G3 is increased to three sheets, and the remaining number is allocated again, starting with the group with the largest number of sheets in stock.

[b] When the number of G3 units is two In this case, the number of sheets to be discharged is instructed to the relay box 6 of each G3 to be two sheets (maximum number), and the remaining two sheets are allocated to G2 and below, thereby reducing the number of relay boxes 6 for G2 and below.

The specific procedure is as follows: Two sheets (the upper limit) are assigned as the number of sheets to be discharged to each of the two relay boxes 6 belonging to G3, and the remaining two sheets are assigned to the relay boxes 6 belonging to G2 or lower.
If there is a relay box 6 belonging to G2, two sheets (the upper limit number) are assigned as the number of sheets to be discharged to the relay box 6 belonging to G2.
If the total number does not reach six, the remainder is assigned one to each relay box 6 belonging to G1.
・If the total number does not reach 6, the number of sheets discharged from the relay box belonging to G3 will be increased to 3 (the upper limit will be raised from 2 to 3).

In the example shown in FIG. 50(a), in the first stage of allocation work, two relay boxes 6 (ID 1, 2) belonging to G3 are each assigned two sheets (maximum number) as the number of sheets to be discharged. In the second stage of allocation work, there are two relay boxes 6 (ID 3, 4) belonging to G2, and two sheets (maximum number) are assigned as the number of sheets to be discharged to one of them. This brings the total number to six, so the allocation process ends.

In the same figure (b), in the first stage of allocation work, two sheets (maximum number) are assigned as the discharged number to each of the two relay boxes 6 (ID1) belonging to G3. Next, in the second stage of allocation work, allocation work is performed to the relay boxes 6 belonging to G2, but in this example, no allocation is performed as there are no relay boxes 6 belonging to G2. Next, in the third stage of allocation work, allocation is performed to the relay boxes 6 belonging to G1. There are four relay boxes 6 (ID3-7) belonging to G1, so two of them (ID3, 4) are assigned the discharged number of one sheet. Since the total number reaches six sheets, the allocation process ends here.

In FIG. 1C, the first stage of allocation is to allocate two sheets (maximum number) to each of the two relay boxes 6 (ID1) belonging to G3. Next, the second stage of allocation is to allocate to the relay boxes 6 belonging to G2. However, in this example, no allocation is performed because there are no relay boxes 6 belonging to G2. The third stage of allocation is to allocate to the relay boxes 6 belonging to G1. Since there is only one relay box 6 (ID3) belonging to G1, one sheet is assigned to that relay box 6 (ID3) as the number of sheets to be discharged. At this stage, the total number is five sheets, so as the remaining process, the number of sheets discharged for the relay box 6 with ID1 belonging to G3 is increased by one to three sheets. This brings the total number to six sheets, so the allocation process is terminated. In the remaining process, the maximum number of sheets for G3 has been raised from two sheets to three sheets.

[c] When the number of G3 units is three or more, the number of sheets to be discharged is allocated only to the relay box 6 of G3, and priority is given to discharge from the relay box 6 of G3.

The specific procedure is as follows: The number of sheets to be discharged is assigned to each relay box 6 belonging to G3, one at a time.
・If the total number of cards dispensed does not reach 6, they will be re-allocated one at a time in order of the number of cards in stock.

In the example shown in Figure 51(a), there are seven relay boxes 6 (IDs 1 to 7) belonging to G3, so one sheet is assigned to each of six of these as the number of sheets to be discharged. In the example shown in Figure 51(b), there are four relay boxes 6 (IDs 1 to 4) belonging to G3, so one sheet is assigned to each of them. Since the total number of sheets is four and does not reach six, one sheet is assigned to each relay box 6 belonging to G3 in order until the total number reaches six. In this example, the second sheet is assigned to relay boxes 6 with IDs 1 and 2.

In the allocation in the above pattern 2, the upper limit of the number of notes P that can be allocated to one relay box 6 belonging to G3 is set to 2, which is less than the upper limit of 3 notes that can be allocated to relay boxes 6 belonging to groups G4 and above. This allows the banknotes P to be collected by distributing them to a larger number of relay boxes 6.

<Pattern 3> When all relay boxes 6 are G2 or lower In this case, one sheet (upper limit) is assigned as the number of sheets to be discharged to each relay box 6 in order of the number of sheets stocked.

In the example shown in FIG. 52(a), there are two relay boxes 6 (IDs 1 and 2) belonging to G2 and five relay boxes 6 (IDs 3 to 7) belonging to G1, so priority is given to allocating one each to the relay boxes 6 (IDs 1 and 2) belonging to G2, which have the greatest number of stocks, and then one each to the four relay boxes 6 (IDs 3 to 6) belonging to G1.

In the example shown in FIG. 2(b), there are two relay boxes 6 (IDs 1 and 2) belonging to G2 and three relay boxes 6 (IDs 3 to 5) belonging to G1, so priority is given to allocating one sheet each to the relay boxes 6 (IDs 1 and 2) belonging to G2 which have the greatest number of sheets in stock, and then one sheet each to the three relay boxes 6 (IDs 3 to 5) belonging to G1. At this stage the total number is five sheets, not six, so as a remaining process, the number of sheets discharged from the relay box 6 with ID 1 belonging to G2 is increased by one to two sheets. This brings the total number to six sheets, so the allocation process ends. This is equivalent to raising the upper limit for G2 from one sheet to two sheets and re-allocating.

Note that the above allocation method is just an example and is not limiting.

In addition, regardless of the number of banknotes in stock, the manager or the like can arbitrarily change the priority settings for the relay boxes 6. For example, when the manager switches the collection mode of the secondary collection device 10 to the special collection mode after business hours, the control unit 27 determines the collection destinations and the number of banknotes to be discharged to each collection destination so that banknotes P are collected preferentially from relay boxes 6 with higher priority settings.

For example, during business hours, bills P are continually inserted into the game ball dispensing machines 4 of game machine islands 3 that have many popular models installed, so bills P tend to be stocked in the relay boxes 6 of those game machine islands 3, and control during business hours to prioritize collection of bills P from relay boxes 6 with a large number of bills stocked may not resolve the uneven stock of bills P between game machine islands 3. In addition, after business hours, it is often necessary to quickly replace or perform maintenance on game machines 5 on specific game machine islands 3. In order to meet such demands, by switching to a special collection mode after business hours, bills P can be collected according to an arbitrarily set priority order.

Next, we will explain the error display device installed in the paper sheet collection and transport system.

Figure 53 shows the front of the error display device 180 of the paper sheet collection and transport system. The error display device 180 has a function of clearly displaying the location of the error. The error display device 180 displays the layout of the secondary collection device 10 installed in the amusement center 2. The display is customized for each amusement center 2.

The error display 180 has a vertical transport path display section 181 and a horizontal transport path display section 182 as layout display sections. The vertical transport path display section 181 shows a simulation of the transport path from the ceiling on the first floor to the collective safe 11 in the fourth floor office. The horizontal transport path display section 182 shows the status of the transport path in the ceiling on the first floor and the relay box 6 on the first floor.

The error display 180 further comprises a message display section 183, an up/down button 184, and an alarm button 185. The message display section 183 displays the details of the error when it occurs. The up/down button 184 is used to select which error to display when multiple errors occur. The alarm button 185 lights up when an error occurs. When an error occurs, the occurrence is notified to an intercom worn by a staff member at the amusement park. When the alarm button 185 is pressed while it is lit, the error output to the intercom stops.

The vertical transport path display unit 181 and horizontal transport path display unit 182 display designs corresponding to the gaming machine islands 3 and transport pipes 12 according to the layout of the gaming center 2, and further display icons corresponding to the relay boxes 6 and the passing sensors installed at various points along the transport pipes 12 superimposed on the designs. If the gaming machine islands 3 are installed on multiple floors, it is possible to switch which floor's status is displayed on the horizontal transport path display unit 182. When an error occurs, the status of the floor on which the error occurred may be automatically displayed.

If an error occurs, the location where the error occurred will flash red. If an abnormality occurs in the auxiliary blower 18 or the transport auxiliary relay device 17, only that location will flash red. If a jam occurs with the banknote P or the transport auxiliary 16, as shown in Figure 54, the section corresponding to the transport pipe in the section from the passing sensor that has detected the banknote P or the transport auxiliary 16 to the passing sensor one location downstream that has not been detected will flash red.

In this way, the error display 180 clearly displays the content of the error and the location where the error occurred, allowing the error to be dealt with quickly. Multiple error displays 180 may be provided in various locations in the gaming center 2.

As described above, the paper sheet collection and transport system of this embodiment collects banknotes P collected by the primary collection device 10 at each of multiple gaming machine islands 3 arranged in the gaming facility 2, and transports them from each gaming machine island 3 to the collective safe 11 in the office using the secondary collection device 10, so that banknotes P can be collected safely and hassle-free from each gaming machine island 3 to the collective safe 11 in the office.

Next, we will explain an improved version of the transport auxiliary relay device 19.

Figures 55 and 56 show the relay section 61B of the improved transport auxiliary relay device 19B. In the improved transport auxiliary relay device 19B, the following two improvements have been made to address problems that arise when a transport auxiliary 16 sent from the collective safe 11 does not reach the transport auxiliary relay device 19B properly, and a second transport auxiliary 16 is sent from the collective safe 11 to the transport auxiliary relay device 19B.

(Improvement point 1)
When the first transport auxiliary body 16 is received by the holding portion 74, a part of the second transport auxiliary body 16 is prevented from entering the holding portion 74.
55(a) shows the relay section 61 of the transport auxiliary relay device 19 before the improvement in a state where two transport auxiliary bodies 16 have arrived in succession, and FIG. 55(b) shows the relay section 61 of the improved transport auxiliary relay device 19B in the same state. In the transport auxiliary relay device 19 before the improvement, the position where the holding section 74 holds the first transport auxiliary body 16 is deep inside the holding section 74, so when the second transport auxiliary body 16 arrives in succession, a part of it enters the holding section 74, and the second transport auxiliary body 16 stops at a position where it straddles both the inlet side connection port 67 (fixed side) and the holding section 74 (rotating side). Therefore, if an attempt is made to rotate the rotating plate 72 in this state, the second transport auxiliary body 16 gets caught between the inlet side connection port 67 and the holding section 74, preventing the rotation of the rotating plate 72.

Therefore, in the improved transport auxiliary relay device 19B shown in FIG. 55(b), the position where the holding part 74 supports the first transport auxiliary 16 is made shallow, so that the second transport auxiliary 16 does not enter the holding part 74 when it abuts against the first transport auxiliary 16. This prevents the second transport auxiliary 16 from stopping at a position that straddles both the inlet side connection port 67 (fixed side) and the holding part 74 (rotating side), and does not impede the rotation of the rotating plate 72.

In the improved transport auxiliary relay device 19B, in order to make the position at which the holding part 74 holds the transport auxiliary 16 shallower, the receiving part 81 is lengthened toward the downstream side, and the pair of holding arms 83 are supported at their rear ends on the base plate 71 side, and their tips on the inlet connection port 67 side are equipped with holding rollers 82 and open and close. In addition, the positions of the release plate 84 and release roller 85 have been changed. Furthermore, as the position at which the transport auxiliary 16 is held becomes shallower, the position of the transmission type optical sensor 75 that detects the transport auxiliary 16 held by the holding part 74 has been changed.

(Improvement point 2)
While the rotary plate 72 is rotating, the inlet side connection port 67 is closed so that the transport auxiliary body 16 does not pass through the inlet side connection port 67.
In the transport auxiliary relay device 19 before the improvement, while the rotating plate 72 was rotating, the transport auxiliary 16 arriving from upstream was able to pass through the inlet side connection port 67 and enter the relay section 61, even though the holding section 74 was not located at the back of the inlet side connection port 67. Therefore, when a second transport auxiliary 16 arrived in this state, the second transport auxiliary 16 would not be received by the holding section 74 and would fly into the suction duct 65 or fall into the relay section 61, hindering the rotation of the rotating plate 72.

Therefore, in the improved transport auxiliary relay device 19B, as shown in Figure 56, a guard plate 87 is provided to prevent the transport auxiliary 16 arriving from upstream from passing through the inlet side connection port 67 while the rotating plate 72 is rotating.

The guard plate 87 shown in FIG. 56 is a metal plate of a shape equivalent to the remaining portion obtained by removing the portion covering the retaining portion 74 from a circular plate obtained by hollowing out a small concentric circle from a disk concentric with the rotating plate 72 and having a radius that exactly covers the retaining portion 74, and is attached to the rotating plate 72 so as to be flush with the upper end of the retaining portion 74 (the opening at the end on the inlet side connection port 67 side), and rotates together with the rotating plate 72. The guard plate 87 faces the outlet of the inlet side connection port 67 and closes the inlet side connection port 67 during rotation when the retaining portion 74 is not in a position facing the inlet side connection port 67.

Here, for ease of manufacturing and installation, the guard plate 87 is divided into two at the holding portion 74. A collar portion 88 is provided on the periphery of the opening of the holding portion 74 on the inlet side connection port 67 side, spreading outward and forming the same plane as the guard plate 87. The collar portion 88 serves to close a small gap that occurs between the outer periphery of the opening on the inlet side connection port 67 side of the holding portion 74 and the inlet side connection port 67 when the holding portion 74 shifts slightly from the position facing the front of the inlet side connection port 67, such as immediately after the start of rotation or immediately before the end of rotation.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to that shown in the embodiment, and the present invention includes modifications and additions that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

In the embodiment, the primary collection device 8 in the gaming machine island 3 also employs a transport method using air flow and a transport auxiliary body 16, but the primary collection device 8 may use other methods, such as transporting the banknotes P with a belt. Furthermore, the secondary collection device 10 is not limited to a transport method using a transport auxiliary body 16 that moves due to the action of air flow. For example, a self-propelled moving body may move inside the transport tube 12 to collect banknotes. The secondary collection device may use any transport method as long as it is a transport device in which the maximum number of bills that can be transported in one collection operation is limited.

In the embodiment, the transport pipe 12 is installed above the ceiling, but it may be configured to be installed near the ceiling or under the floor. If it is installed under the floor, the sub-transport device 13 only needs to transport the banknotes discharged from the back of the relay box 6 downward.

In the embodiment, the transport pipe 12 is arranged vertically and horizontally, but the transport pipe 12 may be installed at an incline. For example, in the case of a sloped ceiling, the transport pipe 12 may be arranged at an incline along the ceiling.

The gaming machine island 3 is not limited to a configuration that houses pachinko machines and gaming ball lending machines as exemplified in the embodiment, but may be a gaming machine island that houses medal lending machines and slot machines, etc.

The shape of the transport aid 16 is not limited to that shown in the embodiment. For example, it may be a column shape with a rectangular or polygonal cross section. In addition, although the transport aid 16 is symmetrical with respect to the center in the Y direction, it may be asymmetrical in the Y direction.

In the embodiment, banknotes P are used as an example of paper sheets, but other types of paper sheets such as tickets and cards may also be used. Furthermore, the shape of the paper sheets is not limited to a rectangular shape. Furthermore, the location where the paper sheet collection and transport system is installed is not limited to an amusement park, and may be other facilities.

In the embodiment, the cross section of the conveying tube 12 is approximately rectangular, but it may be other shapes such as circular or elliptical. However, it is preferable that the conveying auxiliary body has a shape corresponding to the inner edge shape and covers almost the entire cross section. In addition, it is preferable to provide multiple ribs to narrow the effective passage width for paper sheets.

2...Amusement parlor 3...Amusement machine island 4...Amusement ball dispensing machine 5...Amusement machine 6...Relay box 8...Primary collection device 10...Secondary collection device 11...Collective safe 12...Transport pipe 12a...Outward transport pipe 12b...Return transport pipe 13...Sub-transport device 14...Taking device 15...Connecting section 16...Transport auxiliary body 16a...Head section 16b...Neck section 16c...Large diameter section 16d...Constricted section 17...Transport auxiliary body relay device 18...Auxiliary blower 19...Release air blower 21...Air flow generating device 22...Banknote separation/transport auxiliary body circulation device 23...Transport auxiliary body insertion device 24...Separation and collection device 25...Banknote storage section 26...Banknote transport section 27...Control section 28...Guide passage 29...Waiting area 32...Side wall section 33...Expansion section 34...Rib 34a...Slope 36...Guide rail 37...Connecting wall portion 41...Holding portion 42...Receiving portion 43...Slit 45...Sending portion 46...Movable arm 51...Twisted portion 51a...Sub-twisted tube 51b...Connection portion 61...Relay portion 62...Blower portion 63...Fan 65...Suction duct 66...Air supply duct 67...Inlet side connection port 68...Outlet side connection port 71...Base plate 71a...Suction duct connection port 71b...Air supply duct connection port 72...Rotating plate 72a...Ventilation hole 73...Support shaft 74...Holding portion 75...Sensor 76...Transmission type optical sensor 81...Receiving portion 82...Holding roller 83...Holding arm 84...Release plate 85...Release roller 87...Guard plate 88...Collar portion 91...Side rib 92...Guide rib 93: guide rib 101: auxiliary transport pipe 101a: opening 102: upward flow generating section 102a: fan 102b: ventilation duct 103: banknote take-in section 104: passage section 104b: opening 104c: inlet 105a: transport roller 105b: transport belt 121: passage section 122: transport section 123: banknote guide path 124: transport belt 125a: delivery roller 125b: delivery belt 126: shutter 128: clamping roller 129: movable arm 129a: support point 130: solenoid 131: banknote detection sensor 140: transport pipe 142: banknote take-in device 144: air flow generating device 145: banknote separation/transport auxiliary circulation device 146: transport auxiliary insertion device 147: Separation and recovery device 148: Banknote transport section 150: Temporary storage device 151: Posture change section 152: Elevator section 152a: Receiving plate 152b: Pressing plate 153: Feed-out transport section 153b: Transport belt 154: Storage section 155: Natural rubber sheet 156: Thick line indicating transport path 160: Connection main body section 161: Upstream connection port 162: Downstream connection port 162b: Abutment section 163: Rib (center)
163a, 163b... Two parallel ribs 164... Rib (both sides)
166: Sensor 170: Connection adapter 171: Upstream connection port 172: Downstream end 173: Rib (center)
174...Ribs (both sides)
180: Error display 181: Vertical section transport path display 182: Horizontal section transport path display 183: Message display 184: Up/down button 185: Alarm button Dx: Distance between reference planes of transport tube Dy: Inner dimension of transport tube in Y direction Ds: Shift amount FW: Extension direction of transport tube M: Path of banknote transport section P, P1, P2, P3: Banknote W: Passage width X: Passage width direction of transport tube Y: Height direction of transport tube

Claims (2)

A conveyance error display device that displays a conveyance error occurring in a conveyance path of paper sheets circulating in an amusement facility,
A transport error display device that displays a layout diagram including the route of the transport path based on a preset layout direction in accordance with the layout of the entire game center, and when a blockage of the moving object is detected based on the detection status of a plurality of passing sensors that are distributed along the transport path and detect the passage of the moving object moving within the transport path, the section on the route diagram between the most downstream passing sensor that has detected the passage of the moving object and the passing sensor one position downstream that has not detected the passage is designated as an abnormal location, and displays the abnormal location on the layout diagram so that it can be identified as a location within the game center. 2. The transport error display device according to claim 1, further comprising: displaying locations of the respective passing sensors on the route map.

Images