JP2007093022A - Medal dewatering device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a medal dewatering device capable of reducing burden of maintenance, and further reducing labor-hour and costs in manufacturing by dewatering medals with a simple structure without needing a water absorption roller and a water absorption sheet such as sponge. <P>SOLUTION: In this medal dewatering device, a number of dewatering holes are formed on a peripheral wall of a cylindrical drum 15 comprising an inlet 11a in which washed medals flows, and an outlet 11b for discharging the medals, an outer cylinder 29 having a drain hole 30 is mounted around the drum 15, and the drum 15 has a structure having a downward inclination from the inlet 11a to the outlet 11b and rotationally driven. By controlling a rotating speed of the drum 15, the medals received in the drum 15 repeatedly flatten themselves against an inner peripheral wall of the drum 15 or separate therefrom by difference in magnitudes of centrifugal force, thus the medals received in the drum is transferred from the inlet 11a toward the outlet 11b while dewatered and dried. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a medal dewatering device in which a medal used in a gaming machine such as a slot machine is washed with water in order to reuse it, and then water attached to the medal is drained and dried.

  Conventionally, in order to hygienically reuse medals used in gaming machines such as slot machines, medals sent from the collection line of gaming machines are transported to a medal cleaning device, and medals washed with this medal cleaning device A medal dewatering device is used in which water is drained and dried.

  As a technique relating to such a medal dewatering apparatus, a “medal draining and drying apparatus” described in Patent Document 1 has a drum body that is rotationally driven by a motor, and the interior space of the drum body has a water-absorbing flat surface portion. It is formed into a polygon having. However, in this apparatus, in order to send medals in the axial direction of the drum body, a spiral protrusion is provided on the inner periphery of the flat surface portion of the drum body. There was a problem of becoming higher. Further, when the water absorbing sheet is provided on the flat surface in order to absorb water adhering to the medal, dirt on the medal sticks to the water absorbing sheet, so that it is necessary to frequently replace the water absorbing sheet.

Furthermore, as a technique related to the medal dewatering device, the “medal cleaning device” described in Patent Document 2 includes a cleaning unit having a pair of water-absorbing rollers 51 to 54 and one water-absorbing roller as shown in FIG. There are draining rollers 55 and 56 that are in pressure contact with 52 and 54, and the wet medals are sandwiched between the pair of water absorption rollers 51 and 52 and the water absorption rollers 53 and 54 that are in pressure contact with each other so that moisture is absorbed and dried. Is. In such a configuration, each water absorption roller is formed by covering the outer periphery with a soft porous elastic member such as sponge rubber or felt fiber, and dirt that cannot be removed in the cleaning process adheres to the water absorption roller. As a result, the water-absorbing roller is soiled, and the water-absorbing roller rots with the water adhering to it.
JP 2001-116456 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-143796

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and it is possible to drain and dry a medal with a simple structure without requiring a water absorbing roller such as a sponge or a water absorbing sheet. It is an object to provide a medal dewatering device that can reduce the burden of manufacturing and reduce the manufacturing effort and cost.

  In order to solve the above problem, the medal dewatering apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention is a medal dewatering system in which a medal used in a gaming machine is washed with water, and then water attached to the medal is drained and dried. In the apparatus, an outer cylinder having a plurality of drain holes formed in a peripheral wall of a cylindrical drum provided with an inlet for flowing in a medal washed with water and an outlet for discharging a medal, and having a drain hole around the drum Provided, and the drum is rotationally driven with a downward slope from the inlet to the outlet, and is accommodated in the drum by controlling the rotational speed of the drum. The medal is transferred to the discharge port from the inflow port while draining and drying, by repeating whether the medal sticks to or disengages from the inner peripheral wall of the drum depending on the magnitude of the centrifugal force. And said that there was Unishi.

  The medal dewatering device of the present invention is provided with a number of drain holes on the peripheral wall of a cylindrical drum provided with an inlet for receiving washed medals and an outlet for discharging medals, and the drum is discharged from the inlet. With the structure that is driven to rotate with a downward slope to the outlet and the rotational speed of the drum is controlled, the centrifugal force of the drum is used to drain the medals contained in the drum. It is transferred from the inlet to the outlet while drying.

  Therefore, the medal dewatering device of the present invention can drain and dry the medal with a structure that does not require a water absorbing roller such as a sponge or a water absorbing sheet unlike the conventional device, and the drum is provided with a gradient. By adjusting the centrifugal force by controlling the rotational speed of the drum in conjunction with the structure, the medal in the drum can be transferred, so there is no need to replace products such as sponges and the burden of maintenance Can be reduced, making it possible to reduce the labor and cost of production.

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

  The medal dewatering device according to the present invention is such that after the medals used in the gaming machine are washed with water, the water adhering to the medals is drained by the medal dewatering device and dried. In FIG. 1, medals used in a gaming machine (not shown) are transferred to the automatic medal replenishing device 3 through the collection passage 2, and a medal storage tank 5 before cleaning is provided by a lifting lift 4 provided in the medal automatic replenishing device 3. It is stored in. The medals stored in the tank 5 are transferred to the medal cleaning device 7 through the connecting pipe 6. The medals washed with the medal washing device 7 are transferred to the medal drying device 8, drained and dried, and then stored in the upper washed medal storage tank 10 by the lifting device 9, and then not shown. To the replenishment device.

  The medal cleaning device 7 shown in FIG. 1 has a lid portion 7a on the top thereof, but in FIG. 2, it is shown in an open state with the lid portion 7a removed. The medal cleaning device 7 is a drum-type water cleaning device. As shown in FIG. 2, a water supply port 12b and a drain port 12a are provided on the side of the medal cleaning device 7, and the medal cleaning device 7 is connected to the medal cleaning device 7 from the water supply port 12b. The drum body 13 is replenished with washing water, and the washed water is discharged from the drain port 12a. The drum body 13 of the medal cleaning device 7 is provided in an inclined shape and has an opening 7b on the upper side, and the opening 7b is closed by a lid 7a (see FIG. 1). Further, when the medal cleaning device 7 is rotationally driven by the motor 25, the spiral guide protrusion 13a provided inside the drum body 13 rotates.

  When the medal is inserted into the drum body 13 of the medal cleaning device 7 and is driven to rotate, the medal moves upward according to the rotation of the spiral guide protrusion 13a while being washed with the washing water, and the opening 7b of the medal cleaning device 7 is opened. It is transferred to a connecting pipe 14 having a pipe opening in the lower part of the tube. The connecting pipe 14 reaches the medal dewatering device 8 while curving downward.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the medal dewatering device 8 has a main portion configured such that a large number of drains are provided on the peripheral wall of a cylindrical drum 15 having an inlet 11 a for receiving washed-out medals and an outlet 11 b for discharging medals. A hole 16 is provided, and the drum 15 is rotationally driven with a downward slope from the inlet 11a to the outlet 11b. The gradient angle of the drum 15 may be about 5 degrees.

  The medal dewatering device 8 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 2, the base plate on which the medal washing device 7, the medal dewatering device 8, and the water receiving container 31 provided below the medal dewatering device 8 are arranged. A drive unit storage box 18 is provided on the side of 17, and as shown in FIG. 3, the front plate 18 a of the drive unit storage box 18 is formed in a state (angle α) that is slightly inclined upward.

As shown in FIG. 3, a drive shaft 22 is supported on front and rear bearings 21, 21 on a drive bearing 20 provided perpendicular to the surface of the front plate 18 a of the drive unit storage box 18. Therefore, the drive shaft 22 is rotationally driven in an inclined state having a downward gradient (angle α) in the direction in which the drive unit storage box 18 is provided.

  As a drive source for the drive shaft 22, an output shaft of the motor 23 (see FIG. 2) is connected to a pulley 27 fixed to one end of the drive shaft 22 inside the drive unit storage box 18 via a belt (not shown). The drive shaft 22 is rotated by driving the motor 23.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, brackets 24, 24 having the same diameter are fixed to the drive shaft 22 so as to be separated from each other in the front-rear direction, and the inner peripheral wall of the cylindrical drum 15 is fixed via these brackets 24, 24. Therefore, the drum 15 is also rotationally driven in an inclined state having a downward slope (angle α) from the inlet 11a to the outlet 11b.

  The drum 15 is formed in a cylindrical shape as described above, and the discharge port 11b on the drive unit storage box 18 side and the inflow port 11a opposite thereto are opened, and the inner peripheral wall of the drum 15 has a smaller diameter than the medal M. Are provided with a number of drain holes 16, 16. The drum 15 has a discharge opening 11a on the side of the drum 15 having a gap 26 for dropping medals in the drum 15, and an outer cylinder receiving member 19 is provided so as to surround the gap 26. 15 is provided with a drop opening 19a for discharging the medal M after being dehydrated.

  An outer cylinder 29 is fixed to the outer cylinder receiving member 19 with a gap 28 around the drum 15. A drain hole 30 is provided in the lower part of the outer cylinder 29 on the discharge port 11a side, and an opening 31a for receiving water is provided in the upper part below the drain hole 30 as shown in FIG. A water receiving container 31 is provided.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the downstream opening end 14a of the connecting pipe 14 provided in the medal cleaning device 7 faces the inlet 11a side of the drum 15 and the outer cylinder 29. The lid plates 15a and 29a are fixed. In such a configuration, the medal M1 flowing down from the communication pipe 14 of the medal cleaning device 7 flows into the drum 15 from the inlet 11a of the drum 15.

  In addition, a disc-shaped regulating plate 32 is provided at the tip of the drive shaft 22 inside the drum 15. The restricting plate 32 is slightly wider than the downstream end portion 14a of the connecting pipe 14, and the restricting plate 32 is formed of, for example, elastic urethane resin, so that the restricting plate 32 is separated from the connecting pipe 14 of the medal cleaning device 7. The inflowing medal M falls into the drum 15 while mitigating the impact while also serving as a silencing effect when it collides with the regulation plate 32.

  In the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 3, the medal M passes through the connecting pipe 14 of the medal washing device 7 and flows into the drum 15 of the medal dewatering device 8, and collides with the restriction plate 32. Without reaching the discharge port 11 b of the drum 15, it falls into the drum 15 on the inlet 11 a side of the regulating plate 32 and falls to the bottom thereof.

  At this time, when the drum 15 is rotated by the drive of the motor 23, centrifugal force acts on the drum 15, and the medal M (for example, the medal M <b> 2 in FIG. 3) dropped on the bottom of the drum 15 sticks to the inner peripheral wall of the drum 15. However, if it falls in the middle of the inner peripheral wall of the drum 15, the medal M3 falls vertically downward as indicated by a one-dot chain line arrow. At this time, since the drum 15 has a downward slope toward the discharge port 11b, the dropped medal M4 falls to the bottom while moving to the discharge port 11b side of the drum 15.

  Then, the medal M in the drum 15 repeats the operation of rotating or dropping in a state where the medal M sticks to the inner peripheral wall of the drum 15 as described above, thereby removing the drained water into a number of drain holes 16. , 16..., The medal M is moved to the discharge port 11b side and finally discharged downward from the drop port 19a. In addition, the water | moisture content discharged | emitted from many drain holes 16,16 ... is received by the outer cylinder 29, flows down to the discharge port 11b side according to the inclination of the outer cylinder 29, is discharged | emitted from the drain hole 30, and is shown in FIG. It is accommodated in the water receiving container 31.

  In such an apparatus, by rotating and stopping the drum 15 alternately and alternately, the centrifugal force is generated in the drum 15 as described above, so that the medal M in the drum 15 is drained and dried, and the drum of the medal M is used. The transfer at 15 can be performed. Further, even if the drum 15 is not completely stopped, by controlling the rotation speed, the rotation speed is such that the medal M stuck to the inner peripheral wall in the drum 15 is detached from the inner peripheral wall. Similarly, draining and drying of the medal M in the drum 15 and transfer of the medal M in the drum 15 can be performed.

The medal dewatering device of the present invention is a device that dewaters the medals used in gaming machines, and does not require a replacement product such as a water absorbing roller such as a sponge or a water absorbing sheet as in the prior art. With a simple structure, the structure allows the medal to be transferred while being drained and dried, so that it can be used as a medal dewatering device designed to reduce the manufacturing effort and reduce the cost.

1 is a perspective view of an automatic medal replenishment device provided with a medal dewatering device according to the present invention. 1 is a perspective view of a peripheral device of a medal dewatering device according to the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the internal structure of the medal dehydration apparatus by this invention. FIG. 11 is a structural diagram showing a medal cleaning device of Patent Document 2.

Explanation of symbols

2 Recovery passage 3 Automatic medal supply device 4 Lifting lift 5 Medal storage tank 6 before cleaning Meding pipe 7 Medal cleaning device 7a Lid 7b Opening portion 8 Medal drying device 9 Lifting device 10 Washed medal storage tank 11a Inlet 11b Exhaust Outlet 12a Drain port 12b Water supply port 13 Drum body 13a Guide projection 14 Connection tube 15 Drum 15a Cover plate 16 Drain hole 17 Base plate 18 Drive unit storage box 18a Front plate 19 Outer cylinder receiving member 19a Drop port 20 Drive bearing 21 Bearing 22 Drive Shaft 23 Motor 24 Bracket 25 Motor 26 Clearance 27 Pulley 28 Clearance 29 Outer cylinder 29a Cover plate 30 Drain hole 31 Water receiving container 31a Opening portion 32 Restriction plate

Claims (1)

In a medal dewatering device, in which a medal used in a gaming machine is washed with water, and then the water adhering to the medal is drained and dried, the medal dewatering device includes an inlet for flowing the washed medal and an outlet for discharging the medal. A plurality of drain holes are provided in the peripheral wall of the cylindrical drum, and an outer cylinder having a drain hole is provided around the drum, and the drum has a downward slope from the inlet to the outlet. And the rotation speed of the drum is controlled so that the medal accommodated in the drum sticks to or disengages from the inner peripheral wall of the drum depending on the magnitude of the centrifugal force. The medal dewatering device is characterized in that the medal housed in the drum is repeatedly transferred from the inlet to the outlet while draining and drying.