JP2012055628A - Ball lifting/sending device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a ball lifting/sending device from which a ball does not overflow even if a sensor is failed, and which can continue drive at ease.SOLUTION: The ball lifting/sending device includes: a first ball lifting/sending pulley 310 and a second ball lifting/sending pulley 320 which are vertically arranged in a box 210; a ball lifting/sending belt 330 which lifts and sends the ball by making it hung over both the pulleys; and a motor which is a drive source. A ball outlet 420 is formed in the vicinity of the first ball lifting/sending pulley 310, a ball inlet 410 is formed in the vicinity of the second ball lifting/sending pulley 320, a ball circulation introduction part 430 is formed in the vicinity of the ball outlet 420, the ball outlet 420 is formed in a position slightly higher than a ball lead-out tub 441, and the ball which cannot enter the ball lead-out tub 441 is transported to the vicinity of the ball inlet 410 from the ball circulation introduction part 430, lifted and sent by the ball lifting/sending belt 330 once again, and made to circulate in the box 210.

Description

  The present invention relates to a ball lifting device disposed in the middle of a ball replenishing rod for replenishing each gaming machine on a gaming machine island configured by arranging a plurality of gaming machines.

  Conventionally, a gaming machine store constitutes a gaming machine island for arranging a plurality of gaming machines. In this gaming machine island, the balls discharged from each of the gaming machines arranged in a row are collected in a collection basket, and the collected balls are lifted to an upper upper tank by a ball polishing and lifting device installed in the center of the gaming machine island. It is sent and stored, and the ball replenishment cage is inclined from here, and the ball is replenished to the game machine on the island edge by using natural fall. In other words, since the conventional ball supply basket has such a structure, in order to supply balls to each of the gaming machines arranged in a row, a predetermined distance from the center of the gaming machine island toward the edge of the gaming machine island. An inclination (an inclination of 4 minutes) is necessary.

  Therefore, when the total length of the gaming machine island becomes long, the height difference between the upstream end side and the downstream end side of the ball supply basket becomes large. Therefore, as the number of installed gaming machines increases, the total length of the gaming machine island becomes longer, and as a result, the total height of the gaming machine island increases. In addition, as the total height of the gaming machine island increases, the ceiling of the amusement store will inevitably increase, and costs such as construction costs and rent will increase. In addition, if the height of the gaming machine island is increased and the position of the ball replenishment cage becomes higher, it will be easier to look up during maintenance inspections and blind spots will occur, which not only reduces work efficiency but also exposes security problems. End up. For this reason, there are cases where people lurk behind the ceiling during business hours, get off after business hours, and make illegal modifications to gaming machines.

  Therefore, in order to solve these conventional problems, a gaming machine island in which a ball lifting device is arranged in the middle of a ball replenishment basket to suppress the overall height of the gaming machine island is disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2. Known by.

  Further, Patent Literature 3 discloses a ball lifting device that performs operation control based on the output of a sensor. That is, in a conventional ball lifting device, a plurality of sensors are arranged at predetermined positions, and information output from these sensors, that is, information that a sphere has been detected, information that a sphere has not been detected, or the like is appropriately used. By combining them, the control of starting the operation of the driving means or stopping the operation is performed.

JP-A-5-253351 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-215783 JP 2008-6093 A

  However, in the above-described conventional ball lifting device, if a sensor arranged for controlling the ball lifting device fails, the failure of the sensor may trigger a big trouble. In other words, in a conventional ball lifting device (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a lift), the state of the sphere is detected by a sensor disposed, the lift is stopped when the sphere is full, and the sphere is lost (the sphere is detected). It was configured to drive the lift again.

  For this reason, if a sensor in a conventional ball lifting device breaks down, the lift continues to drive even when the ball is full, so the ball overflows, the load increases and the lift locks, However, there was a problem that the motor as the driving means burned out.

  In addition, when the full and overflowing sphere falls, there is a risk of damaging the ball collection device, bill transport device, and the like disposed below the ball lifting device.

  Further, for example, “motor” → “gear head” → “first pulley” → “belt” → “second pulley” → “shaft” → “first ball transport pulley” → “ball transport belt” → “second ball transport” Detection of an error in a conventional ball lifting device having a drive system in which power is transmitted to a “pulley” is usually performed as follows. That is, a sensor detection unit is protruded from the second ball transport pulley, which is the final rotating member, and the sensor detection unit thus detected is detected by a corresponding sensor, so that the second ball transfer pulley rotates normally. I was monitoring whether or not. For this reason, the detection of the error has become large, and the downsizing of the ball lifting device has been prevented. However, as a result of earnest research, the present inventors have succeeded in reducing the size of the ball lifting device.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and when a stagnation of the sphere occurs on the downstream side of the ball lifting device, the sphere can be circulated inside the device to wait for the discharge of the sphere. It is an object of the present invention to provide a ball lifting device capable of lifting a ball inside the device preferentially over a ball supplied from an upstream ball supply basket.
Moreover, even if the sensor provided in order to control driving | operation fails, it aims at providing the ball lifting apparatus which can continue driving | operating in peace, without a ball overflowing.
Furthermore, even if the total number of gaming machines is increased and the total length of the gaming machine island is increased, a ball lifting device that can secure the inclination necessary for the ball replenishment rod and suppress the total height of the gaming machine island. The purpose is to provide.
In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a ball lifting device capable of further downsizing the device.
And it aims at providing the ball lifting apparatus which can control an operating state easily and reliably.

  The invention according to claim 1 is a ball lifting device disposed in the middle of a ball supply rod for supplying balls to each gaming machine in a gaming machine island configured by arranging a plurality of gaming machines. A first ball lifting pulley and a second ball lifting pulley arranged above and below in the body, a ball lifting belt that moves over both pulleys, and a motor that is a driving source of the ball lifting pulley; And a ball outlet is provided in the vicinity of the first ball lifting pulley, a ball inlet is provided outside the second ball lifting pulley, and a ball circulation introducing portion is formed in the vicinity of the ball outlet. The ball outlet is arranged on a substantially diagonal line of the ball inlet, and the inlet of the ball discharge rod connected to the ball supply rod faces the ball outlet. A sphere that does not flow into the sphere is introduced from the circulatory circulation introduction portion to the vicinity of the sphere entrance, and again by the sphere lifting belt Pumped to and wherein the circulating in the housing.

  According to a second aspect of the invention, in addition to the configuration described in the first aspect, a sphere newly introduced from a sphere replenishment basin located upstream from the sphere circulation introducing portion is conveyed to the vicinity of the sphere inlet. By feeding to the upper side of the ball, the ball is fed to the ball outlet in preference to the ball flowing from the ball inlet.

According to the present invention, even when a sensor for detecting a sphere fails, the sphere lifting device is not filled with the sphere and does not overflow outside. Therefore, even if the sensor breaks down, the operation can be continued, the ball overflows and falls from the ball lifting device, breaks various devices such as a ball collection basket and bill transport device arranged below, There is no secondary damage.
And, if the ball lifting device of the present invention is used, even if the gaming machine island has a large number of installed gaming machines and has a long total length, the overall height of the gaming machine island can be suppressed while ensuring the inclination of the ball replenishment rod. Can do. Therefore, it is effective in reducing the cost of the gaming machine island. Moreover, if the total height of the gaming machine island is lowered, the effectiveness of the security is also increased.

It is a schematic front view which shows one half part of the gaming machine island which has arranged the ball lifting device according to the present invention. It is a perspective view of the ball lifting device according to the present invention. A ball lifting device is shown, (a) is a plan view, (b) is a front view, (c) is a bottom view, (d) is a left side view, and (e) is a right side view. It is sectional drawing along the AA line in FIG.3 (e). It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of a ball lifting apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the control by one sensor. It is an example of the flowchart at the time of error occurrence. It is an example of the time chart in control by one sensor. It is a flowchart which shows an example of control by two sensors. It is an example of the time chart in control by two sensors.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
<Amusement machine island>
FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing a half portion of a gaming machine island in which a ball lifting device according to the present invention is arranged. The gaming machine island 100 is configured by arranging a plurality of gaming machines (pachinko machines in this embodiment) 110. Since FIG. 1 depicts the right half of the gaming machine island, the gaming machine island exists substantially symmetrically. One end of the gaming machine island 100 shown in FIG. 1 (center in the actual gaming machine island) is provided with a ball polishing and lifting device 120 that lifts the ball while polishing the ball. Further, an upper tank 130 for storing a sphere is provided on the upper part of the sphere polishing / lifting device 120. Further, a lower tank 140 for storing a ball or the like that has passed through the gaming machine 110 is provided below the ball polishing / lifting device 120. In the illustrated embodiment, the ball polishing / lifting device 120 is arranged at the center of the gaming machine island 100, but it may be arranged at the end or in the middle of the gaming machine island.

  On the other hand, a ball supply basket 150 is provided above the lined gaming machines 110, and one end of the ball supply basket 150 is connected to the upper tank 130 described above. Then, the balls of the upper tank 130 roll down due to the inclination of the ball replenishing bowl 150, and distribute the balls to each gaming machine 110 through the chute 151, the bellows 152 and the replenishment counter 153. In addition, in each gaming machine 110, a CR unit 111 that manages the ball rental by using a ball rental machine or a card is disposed adjacently.

  A ball lifting device 200 according to the present invention is disposed in the middle of the ball replenishing rod 150. In other words, when trying to install the ball replenishing rod 150 while maintaining a predetermined inclination angle, if the total length of the ball replenishing rod 150 becomes longer, the total height required for the installation also becomes higher. The device 200 is arranged to suppress the overall height. For example, when the ball replenishment rod 150 is installed with an inclination of 4 minutes (4/100), the total height is about 1900 mm on an island with a total length of about 7 meters, but the total height is about 1900 mm on an island with a total length of about 10 meters. It will exceed 2000 mm. Therefore, the ball replenishing rod 150 is divided in the middle, and the ball lifting device 200 according to the present invention is arranged at the divided location, so that the ball that has reached the downstream end in the adjacent ball replenishing rod 150, 150 is replenished to the next ball. The ball is pumped up to the upstream end of the basket 150, and the balls are replenished over the entire gaming machine island 100 while suppressing the overall height.

<Ball lifting device>
The ball lifting device 200 includes a casing 210 created by sheet metal processing, screwing, or the like (see FIGS. 2 and 3). Then, in the housing 210, the first ball lifting pulley 310 and the second ball lifting pulley 320, which are arranged above and below the substantially vertical line, and the ball lifting pulleys 310, 320 are bridged to lift the ball. An endless ball feeding belt 330 for feeding and a motor 340 serving as a driving source for the ball feeding pulleys 310 and 320 are provided (see FIGS. 4 and 5).

  On the other hand, an upper driven pulley 370 is provided in the upper part of the casing 210 as shown in FIG. A first sphere lifting pulley 310 is provided on the shaft 371 of the upper driven pulley 370. That is, the upper driven pulley 370 and the first ball lifting pulley 310 are provided coaxially, and when the upper driven pulley 370 rotates, the first ball lifting pulley 310 also rotates at a constant speed.

  In addition, a second ball lifting pulley 320 is provided in a lower portion of the casing 210, substantially below the first ball lifting pulley 310 described above.

  Further, an idle pulley 380 is disposed in the middle stage of the casing 210. An endless ball lifting belt 330 is stretched between the first ball lifting pulley 310, the second ball lifting pulley 320, and the idle pulley 380 so as to form a substantially triangular shape. Note that the tension of the ball lifting belt 330 can be adjusted by adjusting the idle pulley 380.

  The ball lifting belt 330 extends in the width direction of the casing 210 and has a width that can be lifted in a state where a plurality of balls are arranged side by side. The sphere is lifted while being pressed by the sphere lifting belt 330.

  In addition, a ball inlet 410 is opened on the left side surface portion (see FIG. 3) of the casing 210 constituting the ball lifting device 200. The sphere inlet 410 is open near the lower edge of the casing 210 and can receive a plurality of spheres side by side. The lateral width of the ball inlet 410 corresponds to the lateral width of the ball lifting belt 330.

  On the other hand, a ball outlet 420 is provided inside the housing 210. The ball outlet 420 is substantially diagonal to the above-described ball inlet 410 and plays a role of discharging the lifted ball in the vicinity of the upper end where the ball lifting belt 330 rises. Further, the lateral width of the ball outlet 420 corresponds to the lateral width of the ball lifting belt 330, and a plurality of spheres can pass through the ball outlet 420 side by side. The upper height in the vicinity of the ball outlet 420 is a height at which a plurality of discharged balls may overlap, but is at most about two to three stages.

  Furthermore, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the ball outlet 420 is open toward the upper surface and is located slightly above the horizontal point of the first ball lifting pulley 310 (the ball lifting belt 330). Yes. For example, it is located around the counterclockwise about 30 degrees from the horizontal position. However, the opening direction and position of the ball outlet 420 can be changed as appropriate.

  In addition, a ball circulation introducing portion 430 is formed in the vicinity of the ball outlet 420 (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The sphere circulation introducing portion 430 is for returning the sphere discharged from the sphere outlet 420 and staying in the vicinity of the sphere outlet 420 to the sphere inlet 410 side and circulating in the housing 210.

  When the ball is flowing smoothly through the ball supply rod 150, the ball hardly stays near the ball outlet 420, but the ball flow in the ball supply rod 150 is poor and the ball stays near the ball outlet 420. When started, the spheres overlap and rise on the ball outlet 420. Then, the ball in contact with the ball lifting belt 330 is conveyed by the ball lifting belt 330 as shown by an arrow [flow at the time of abnormality] shown in FIG. That is, the ball circulation introducing portion 430 in this embodiment is a space formed between the ball lifting belt 330 and the cover member constituting the casing 210.

  Then, the balls of the ball circulation introduction unit 430 are conveyed from the vicinity of the first ball lifting pulley 310 toward the idle pulley 380 by the action of the ball conveyance belt 330. Further, a substantially triangular shape is formed with the idle pulley 380 as a lateral apex, the first ball lifting pulley 310 as an upper apex, and the second ball lifting pulley 320 as a lower apex. The sphere on the sphere conveyor belt 330 falls. This fall position is in the vicinity of the sphere entrance 410, and the fallen sphere is placed on the upper side of the sphere entered from the sphere entrance 410 to form a mountain, and eventually collapses from the outer sphere, and is moved to the sphere exit 420 by the sphere conveyance belt 330. It is conveyed toward. This is a phenomenon when the space near the sphere inlet 410 below the idle pulley 380 is not filled with spheres.

  On the other hand, even in the case where the space near the ball inlet 410 is substantially filled with spheres, in this embodiment, the motor can be continuously driven to circulate the spheres in the housing 210. That is, if a sphere stays in the vicinity of the sphere inlet 410, it becomes difficult for a new sphere to flow in from the sphere inlet 410, so that the sphere already in the housing 210 is preferentially lifted to the sphere outlet 420. Will be. Therefore, there is no possibility that the sphere overflows from the casing 210, and the overflowed sphere falls and damages the sphere collection device, the bill conveyance device, and the like disposed below.

  In addition, the illustrated ball lifting device 200 has the following configuration. First, a ball outlet portion 440 is connected to a ball outlet 420 that opens upward in the vicinity of the first lifting pulley 310. The ball lead-out portion 440 is formed by a ball lead-out rod 441 provided in the ball lifting device 200. That is, this ball lead-out rod 441 has substantially the same inclination angle as the ball supply rod 150 installed on the gaming machine island 100, and connects the upstream end of the ball supply rod 150 arranged on the downstream side to the outer end portion. . And the detection means which detects a ball | bowl is provided in the entrance side of the baseplate 442 of the ball | bowl lead-out rod 441. FIG. This detection means may be hereinafter referred to as a first detection means, which corresponds to the first sensor 510 provided on the bottom plate 442.

  In the illustrated embodiment, detection means for detecting a sphere is also provided above the sphere lead-out section 440, and this detection means may be hereinafter referred to as second detection means. That is, the second detection means corresponds to the second sensor 520 provided above the sphere lead-out unit 440. In addition, the second sensor 520 is disposed on the downstream side of the first sensor 510 described above, and this point will also be described later. Further, in the illustrated embodiment, the inflow of the ball to the ball lifting device 200 is prevented in the middle of the ball replenishment rod 150, specifically, upstream of the ball lifting device 200 and near the ball inlet 410. A shutter device 154 capable of performing the above is provided. The shutter device 154 will also be described later.

  In addition, although the proximity sensor is used for the 1st sensor 510 which is a 1st detection means, and the 2nd sensor 520 which is a 2nd detection means, other types of sensors and detection means other than a sensor are used. Also good.

  On the other hand, a ball outlet rod 441 faces the ball outlet 420, and this ball outlet rod 441 is further connected to the ball supply rod 150 on the downstream side. In addition, the shape of the bottom plate 442 of the ball outlet rod 441 corresponds to the shape of the bottom plate of the ball supply rod 150 arranged on the gaming machine island 100. The ball outlet 420 is positioned slightly above the ball outlet rod 441, and the bottom plate 442 of the ball outlet rod 441 is disposed at a position slightly lower than the ball outlet 420. For this reason, the sphere pushed up by the sphere lifting belt 330 is structured to easily enter the sphere lead-out rod 441.

  Further, the motor 340 as a driving source is arranged so as to be hung from the side surface portion of the casing 210 to the lower portion of the sphere lead-out portion 440. In addition, a gear mechanism 350 is connected to the output shaft of the motor 340, and a drive pulley 360 is provided on the output shaft 351 of the gear mechanism 350.

  A drive belt 361 is stretched between the drive pulley 360 and the upper driven pulley 370, and the rotation of the motor 340 is transmitted to the first ball lifting pulley 310 via the shaft 371. Further, a ball lifting belt 330 is hung on the first ball lifting pulley 310, and the ball lifting belt 330 is stretched around the second ball lifting pulley 320 and the idle pulley 380. Therefore, when the first ball lifting pulley 310 rotates, the second ball lifting pulley 320 rotates synchronously, and the idle pulley 380 also follows and rotates.

<Control method>
Next, a control method based on a sphere detection means provided in the vicinity of the sphere outlet 420 will be described. First, control based on the first sensor 510 provided on the bottom plate 442 of the ball outlet rod 441 will be described. The start time is when the lift is being driven smoothly. The lift lifts the ball and supplies the ball from the ball outlet 420. At this time, the first sensor 510 monitors the flow of the sphere near the exit and determines whether or not the ball is full. As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 8, whether the first sensor 510 (hereinafter abbreviated as “S1”) has been in the predetermined time (t seconds) is determined in step 1 (hereinafter abbreviated as “S1”). Judgment is made by whether or not it is continuously ON. If it is continuously ON for t seconds, the vicinity of the ball outlet 420 is full of balls, so the process proceeds to S2, and if not full, the process returns to S1. In S2, the lift drive is stopped. That is, the motor 340 is stopped to stop the lift, and the lifting of the ball is stopped.

  Note that the situation of the sphere around the sensor can be understood by looking at the output of the sensor. For example, when there is no output from the sensor, that is, when the sensor is OFF, it indicates that there is no sphere, and when it is output in pulses at predetermined intervals (when the sensor repeats ON and OFF), a plurality of spheres Indicates that the sensor is passing and is continuously output (when the sensor continues to be turned on), it indicates that there is no movement of the sphere and the area around the sensor is full of spheres. .

  Next, if the area around the ball outlet 420 continues to be full, the shutter device 154 provided near the ball inlet 410 is operated as described above, and the ball flowing into the ball lifting device 200 from the ball replenishing rod 150 is operated. Stop supplying. That is, in S3, it is determined whether or not the sensor is continuously ON for s seconds. Note that s seconds, which is the timing at which the shutter device 154 starts operating, is longer than the t seconds described above, but if this time (s seconds) is set as the time after the lift stop, the time from t seconds. These times may be set appropriately.

  Thereafter, when a predetermined time (s seconds) has elapsed since the ball is full, the shutter device 154 (hereinafter abbreviated as a shutter) is closed in S4. As described above, this is a means for preventing a new ball from being supplied to the ball inlet 410 from the upstream ball replenishment rod 150. Even in the case of prolonged use, there is no possibility that the ball lifting device 200 overflows with balls and the balls fall.

  In the next S5, it is determined whether or not the sensor has output a predetermined number of pulses. That is, when the sensor repeats ON / OFF and outputs a pulse, it indicates that the sphere has intermittently acted on the sensor and means that the flow of the sphere has been resumed. Therefore, when a predetermined number of pulses are counted in S5, the lift is re-driven in S6.

  After re-driving the lift, it is determined in S7 whether or not a predetermined time h second has elapsed. If it has elapsed, the shutter device 154 is opened in S8. Thus, by controlling the stop / drive of the lift and closing / opening the shutter with a time difference, the supply and discharge of the sphere can be performed reliably and safely with a margin.

  Next, error processing when an error occurs in lift driving will be described. This error processing can be performed by the flowchart shown in FIG. For example, error processing may be executed when the first sensor 510 does not detect a sphere. Specifically, in S10, it is determined whether or not the lift is being driven. If the lift is being driven, the process proceeds to S20, and if the lift is not being driven, the lift starts to be driven.

  In S20, it is determined whether or not the time required until the ball is discharged after the lift starts to drive is determined. If the predetermined time has elapsed, the process proceeds to S30, and if not, the process returns to S10.

  In S30, it is determined whether or not the first sensor 510 serving as a detection means has detected a sphere. If a sphere is detected, the process proceeds to S40, the sphere passing flag is cleared, and the error signal is cleared, and then S10. Return to.

  On the other hand, if the first sensor 510 does not detect a sphere in S30, the process proceeds to S50 and error processing is executed. For example, an error signal may be transmitted to a management computer or the like, and after the lift is stopped for a certain period of time, a process for re-driving the lift can be executed.

  Next, an example of a control method using two detection means, that is, the first sensor 510 and the second sensor 520 will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. 9 and a time chart shown in FIG. In this control method, the shutter device 154 is controlled by a second sensor 520 (hereinafter referred to as sensor 2), and the lift (motor 340) is controlled by a first sensor 510 (hereinafter referred to as sensor 1).

  Specifically, referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, first, in S210, it is determined whether or not the sensor 2 is continuously ON for a predetermined time (s seconds), and whether or not the ball is full. Determine whether. If it is continuously ON for s seconds, the shutter is closed in S220. At this time, since the sensor 1 is arranged on the upstream side of the sensor 2, the sensor 1 is usually full behind the sensor 2. Therefore, in this state, since the drive of the lift is continued, the sphere in the housing 210 circulates.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the sensor 1 is full. That is, in S230, it is determined whether or not the sensor 1 is continuously turned on for t seconds. If the sensor 1 is turned on for t seconds, the process proceeds to S240 and the drive of the lift is stopped. That is, the motor 340 is stopped.

  On the other hand, when the sphere starts to move and is detected by the sensor 2, that is, in S250, it is determined whether or not the sensor 2 outputs a predetermined number of pulses. Is released. That is, it means that the ball staying in the vicinity of the sensor 2 has been reliably discharged. In this case, the drive of the lift remains stopped.

  Next, it is determined in S270 whether or not h seconds have elapsed since the shutter was opened. If it has elapsed, the process proceeds to S280, and the drive of the lift is resumed. In this state, since the shutter is opened and the lift is driven, the sphere supplied from the sphere inlet 410 is lifted and discharged from the sphere outlet 420.

  Thus, if the lift and the shutter are individually controlled using the first sensor 510 and the second sensor 520, appropriate control can be performed according to the situation of the sphere. Therefore, when the stagnation of the ball is eliminated, the replenishment of the ball can be resumed immediately. In addition, there is no possibility that the sphere overflows and falls and damages the sphere collecting device or the bill transporting device disposed below.

  Also, the second sensor 520 can be used as a spare for the first sensor 510. For example, when the first sensor 510 fails, the second sensor 520 can be used to perform control using one sensor shown in FIGS. It should be noted that the sensor to be used can be switched via a management device of a game store or the like.

  According to such a control method, the ball lifting device 200 can be reliably controlled with a simple configuration. Further, according to the ball lifting device 200 of the present invention, it is easy to detect an error and display an error easily. Further, since both the first sensor 510 and the second sensor 520 are arranged in the passage of the sphere so as to directly detect the sphere, the apparatus is downsized compared to the conventional apparatus configured to detect the rotating member. Is possible.

  Although the present invention has been described with respect to the illustrated embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately implemented without changing the configuration described in the claims. In addition, although demonstrated as a ball lifting apparatus in a ball replenishment basket, this ball lifting apparatus can also be added to a ball collection basket.

100 gaming machine island 110 gaming machine 111 inter-ball ball lending machine or CR unit 120 ball polishing and lifting device 130 upper tank 140 lower tank 150 ball replenishing rod 151 chute 152 bellows 153 replenishment counter 154 shutter device 200 ball lifting device 210 housing 310 first ball lifting pulley 320 second ball lifting pulley 330 ball lifting belt 340 motor 350 gear mechanism 351 output shaft 360 driving pulley 361 driving belt 370 upper driven pulley 371 shaft 380 idle pulley 410 ball inlet 420 ball outlet 430 ball Circulation introduction unit 440 Sphere extraction unit 441 Sphere extraction rod 442 Bottom plate 510 First sensor 520 Second sensor

Claims (2)

In a gaming machine island configured by lining up a plurality of gaming machines, a ball lifting device disposed in the middle of a ball replenishment rod for replenishing each gaming machine,
First and second ball lifting pulleys arranged on the upper and lower sides of the housing, a ball lifting belt for lifting the balls over both pulleys, and a motor that is a driving source for the ball lifting pulley And comprising
A ball outlet is provided in the vicinity of the first ball lifting pulley,
A ball entrance is provided outside the second ball lifting pulley,
A ball circulation introducing portion is formed in the vicinity of the ball outlet, the ball outlet is arranged on a substantially diagonal line of the ball inlet, and the inlet of the ball discharge rod portion connected to the ball supply rod is near the ball outlet. To
The sphere released from the sphere outlet and not flowing into the sphere replenishment ridge is transported from the sphere circulation introducing portion to the vicinity of the sphere inlet, and is again lifted by the sphere lifting belt and circulated in the casing. Ball lifting device characterized by.   By supplying the sphere transported from the sphere circulation introducing portion to the vicinity of the sphere entrance to the upper side of the sphere newly flowing in from the sphere replenishment basin located on the upstream side, the sphere having priority over the sphere entering from the sphere entrance is given priority. The ball lifting device according to claim 1, wherein the ball lifting device is lifted to the ball outlet.

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