JP2015125520A - Coin hopper - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a coin hopper that can prevent damage to a count sensor and sense of discomfort to a user by static electricity.SOLUTION: A coin hopper pays out coins one by one by a rotating disk disposed at a lower part of a coin container. The coin hopper comprises: a first guide member including a second guide wall extending to a coin paying-out port where coins are paid out; a second guide member that is disposed opposite to the first guide member and that includes a first movable member elastically contact with or pull away from a waiting position and a paying out position relative to the first guide member and a second movable member interlocking with the first movable member; and a coin passage defined by the first guide member and the second guide member. The second movable member is positioned at an intermediate position where width of the coil passage is slightly larger than the diameter of a coin when the coin passes through the coin passage, and a coin is paid out contacting with the second guide wall.

Description

  The present invention relates to a coin hopper that sorts and pays out coins one by one by rotation of a rotating disk disposed on a base member, and more particularly to a coin hopper that neutralizes coins charged by rotation of a rotating disk.

  A coin container for storing bulk coins, a hopper base disposed at a lower portion of the coin container, and a rotating disk disposed on an upper surface of the hopper base and formed with a plurality of through holes. A coin hopper is used that drops onto a hopper base through a plurality of through holes, is transported to a coin payout exit along with the rotation of the rotating disk, and separates and pays out coins one by one.

  In this type of coin hopper, components such as a coin container, a hopper base, and a rotating disk are formed of a synthetic resin to reduce the weight and cost of the apparatus. Therefore, in the coin conveyance process by the rotating disk, the coin is conveyed while being rubbed against the synthetic resin portion, so that the coin to be paid out is charged. A counter for counting the number of coins to be paid out is arranged in the vicinity of the coin payout exit. If a spark or the like occurs when the charged coin passes through the vicinity of the counter, the counter may malfunction. Occur. For this reason, various techniques for eliminating the charged state of coins paid out from the coin hopper have been proposed.

  As a first conventional technique, a storage tank for storing a large number of coins and a plurality of coin introduction ports into which the coins retained in the storage tank are introduced are pushed out to the outer peripheral side while rotating the introduced coins. A disk-shaped payout rotor, a plastic base disposed on the lower side of the payout rotor and receiving the coin introduced into the coin introduction port, and a direction of the payout port for coins pushed out from the payout rotor A coin dispenser comprising a metal guide member for guiding to a sheet, a dispensing unit having a count sensor for detecting coins discharged from the dispensing port, and a metallic base for supporting the storage tank and the dispensing unit A coin hopper is known in which the guide member is electrically grounded (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  As a second prior art, coins are separated one by one by a rotating disk with a through hole disposed in the bottom hole of the coin holding bowl, and slid on a resin slide base disposed below the rotating disk. , After being sent to an outlet opening constituted by a first guide arranged in a fixed state on the side of the rotating disk and a second guide provided so as to be elastically connectable to and detachable from the first guide, and then moved to the ejection position The second guide and the first guide, which are made to eject, are attached to a non-conductive member which is electrically insulated from the base, and the movement of the action piece which moves in relation to the movement of the second guide by the coin is attached. A coin hopper provided with a coin detecting device for detecting the coin flip-out by detecting by an electrical sensor, on the upper surface of the slide base There is known a coin hopper that grounds static electricity charged on a coin through a metal slide plate, a ground wire, and a spring piece that are in close contact with each other (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

  As a third conventional technique, a metal base plate, a rotor base made of synthetic resin stacked on the surface of the metal base plate from above, and a rotor receiving concave groove of the rotor base are fitted and rotated. A coin rotor for paying out coins in a coin receiving hopper, and a plurality of fixing screws screwed from the back side of the base plate to the flat bottom surface of the lower half of the rotor receiving concave groove, A coin-carrying disk rotor comprising an arc-shaped edge reinforcing face metal made of a metal plate harder than the coin, and having a fixing screw for fixing the edge reinforcing face metal. An electrical grounding ground terminal is attached, which is used during the coin transfer process by the disk rotor. A coin hopper in which a coin comes into contact with the edge reinforcing face plate and is electrically connected and wired to an installation base of a hopper type coin dispensing device or a game machine through the fixing screw and the grounding ground wire of the edge reinforcing face metal. Is known (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

Japanese Patent No. 3738159 (paragraph numbers 0006 to 0021 FIGS. 1 to 3) JP 2010-277558 A (paragraph numbers 0040 to 0044 FIGS. 4 and 8) Japanese Patent No. 3706638 (paragraph number 0070 FIGS. 2-3)

  When the coin container, hopper base, rotating disk, etc. are made of a non-conductive material such as synthetic resin, the coins rub against the rotating disk due to the high-speed rotation of the rotating disk. The coins that are slid and paid out are charged. A counter for counting the number of coins to be paid out is arranged in the vicinity of the coin payout exit. If a spark occurs when the charged coin passes through the vicinity of the counter, the counter malfunctions. There is a problem that occurs. In addition, if the coins that have been paid out are charged, when the user uses the coins, a discharge phenomenon occurs between the user and the coins, causing a problem of discomfort to the user.

  In the first prior art, when a coin is paid out from the rotary disk portion to the payout port, the charged coin is discharged by the metal guide member. However, after the coin is flipped out by the guide member and the movable roller, the coin may rub against the base before being discharged from the payout port, and the coin may be charged.

  In the second prior art, the charged coin is discharged while the coin is being conveyed by the rotating disk and when the coin is paid out from the rotating disk portion to the payout port. In the second prior art, a metal slide plate is laid up to the payout slot of the coin, but the coin flipped by the first guide and the second guide does not slide on the metal slide plate. In some cases, coins may be charged while being slightly lifted off the surface of the metal slide plate.

  In the third prior art, the charged coin is discharged while the coin is being conveyed by the rotating disk and when the coin is paid out from the rotating disk portion to the payout port. However, after the coin is flipped out by the guide member and the movable roller, the coin may rub against the base before being paid out, and the coin may be charged.

  Further, in the first to third prior arts, there may be variations in the direction in which coins are ejected by the movable guide and the fixed guide. In other words, there is a drawback that the coin flipping direction is not always stable.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a coin hopper capable of suppressing the malfunction of a counter that counts coins by surely discharging the coins immediately before the coins are paid out from the coin payout exit and further stabilizing the coin payout direction. With the goal. Other objects of the present invention which are not specified here will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a coin container for storing coins,
A resin-made rotating disk in which a plurality of through holes that are disposed below the coin container and drop coins stored in the coin container and a protrusion that pushes the coin on the back side are formed;
Resin having a recess formed with an arc-shaped peripheral wall and a bottom wall that supports a coin that has fallen through the through hole of the rotating disk, and in which the rotating disk is disposed substantially coaxially with the peripheral wall Made base,
A first guide member disposed on the base and having a first guide wall connected to one end of the peripheral wall;
A second guide member that is disposed on the other end of the peripheral wall and is elastically contactable and disengageable between a standby position approaching the first guide member and a protruding position deviating from the first guide member;
A coin payout sensor that detects coin payout in relation to the movement of the second guide member from the standby position to the eject position;
A coin passage connected to the recess of the base and defined by the first guide member and the second guide member;
A coin payout opening provided on the opposite side of the coin passage from the rotating disk;
Including
As the rotating disk rotates, the coin is supported on the bottom wall of the base, and the coin is moved on the base by the protrusion of the rotating disk while being guided by the peripheral wall and the first guide wall. By pushing a coin between the first guide and the second guide, the coin is ejected by the second guide moved from the standby position to the ejecting position, and the coin is paid out by the coin payout sensor. In the coin hopper to detect,
The first guide member is electrically grounded, and is inserted between the second guide wall extending to the coin payout slot, and between the first guide wall and the second guide wall, and faces the second guide member. And a protruding portion protruding
The second guide member includes a first movable member, a second movable member, and a connection member that connects the first movable member and the second movable member,
The connection member is fixed to the base so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis perpendicular to the base at a substantially central portion thereof.
The first movable member is disposed on the rotating disk side with respect to the rotation axis of the connection member so as to face the protrusion.
The second movable member is disposed opposite the second guide wall on the coin payout opening side with respect to the rotation axis.
When the first movable member moves from the standby position to the ejection position, the second movable member moves from the first position that deviates from the second guide wall to the second position that approaches the second guide wall. On the other hand, the second movable member is configured to move from the second position to the first position when the first movable member moves from the ejection position to the standby position.
When the coin moves in the coin path, the second movable member is positioned at a third position where the width of the coin path is slightly larger than the diameter of the coin so that the movement of the coin is restricted. And the coin is paid out while being in contact with the second guide wall.
This is a coin hopper characterized by that.

  In the coin hopper according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the base and the rotating disk are made of resin, the coin is charged during the coin conveyance, but since the first guide member is electrically grounded, it is charged. The coins that have been discharged are discharged by contacting the first guide member.

  In the coin hopper according to the first aspect of the present invention, the first guide member has a second guide wall extending to the end of the base, and is elastically connected to and separated from the standby position and the ejecting position with respect to the first guide member. The second guide member includes a first movable member that cooperates with the first guide member to eject coins, and a second movable member that operates in conjunction with the first movable member. Further, the movement of the coin flipped out by the first guide member and the first movable member of the second guide member is caused by the first guide member and the second guide member, specifically, the second guide wall of the first guide member and the second guide wall. It is regulated by the second movable member of the two guide members. In other words, in the process of the coin passing through the coin passage, the second movable member does not return to the standby position, and the distance between the second guide wall and the second movable member is slightly larger than the coin diameter. Configured as follows. That is, the coin is passed through a coin passage having a width substantially the same as the diameter of the coin. Therefore, even if the coin comes into contact with the second guide wall and is reflected toward the second movable member, the coin comes into contact with the second guide wall because it comes into contact with the second movable member and rebounds toward the second guide wall. However, it is paid out in a direction substantially parallel to the second guide wall. That is, since the coins are discharged from the first guide member until immediately before being paid out, the rate at which the coins are paid out in a charged state is reduced. Furthermore, the rate at which the direction in which coins are paid out is reduced.

  A second aspect of the present invention is the coin hopper according to the first aspect, wherein the coin payout sensor is substantially entirely covered with a conductive bracket, and the bracket is electrically grounded.

  In the coin hopper according to the second aspect of the present invention, the influence of the charged coin on the coin payout sensor is reduced by covering the coin payout sensor with the electrically grounded metal plate. In other words, malfunction of the coin payout sensor is suppressed.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the coin hopper according to the second aspect of the present invention, a conductive peripheral wall forming member is disposed on at least a part of the peripheral wall.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the first guide member and the peripheral wall forming member are electrically connected, and the first guide member is electrically grounded via the peripheral wall forming member. The coin hopper according to the third aspect of the present invention.

  In the coin hopper according to the third and fourth aspects of the present invention, since the coin is pushed by the rotating disk while bringing the peripheral surface of the coin into contact with the peripheral wall of the concave portion of the base, at least a part of the peripheral wall of the concave portion is electrically By grounding, the coin is discharged even in the process of being pushed by the rotating disk.

  The “coin” used in this specification includes coins as currency, as well as substitute money such as medals and tokens of game machines or similar items.

It is a perspective view of the coin hopper of the present invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the state which removed the coin container of the coin hopper of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the bottom face side of the coin hopper of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the state where the coin container of the coin hopper of the present invention was removed. It is a top view of the surface side of the hopper base of the coin hopper of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the surface side of the hopper base of the coin hopper of this invention. It is a top view of the back surface side of the hopper base of the coin hopper of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the back surface side of the hopper base of the coin hopper of this invention. It is an enlarged plan view of the coin feed passage part of the coin hopper of the present invention.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 are perspective views showing a coin hopper 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the hopper base 106 on the surface 202 side, and FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the hopper base 106 on the surface 202 side. FIG. 7 is a plan view of the hopper base 106 on the back surface 260 side, and FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the hopper base 106 on the back surface 260 side. FIG. 9 is an enlarged plan view of the coin feeding passage portion.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, a coin hopper 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a base 102, a coin container 104 that stores a plurality of coins before being paid out, and an inclined surface on the base 102. The formed hopper base 106 and the rotating disk 108 disposed between the hopper base 106 and the bottom opening 160 of the coin container 104 are provided.

  The coin container 104 will be described with reference to FIGS. The coin container 104 has a function of storing at least one coin C in a stacked state. A bottom opening 160 of the coin container 104 has a cylindrical shape having a diameter substantially the same as a circular recess 204 formed on a surface 202 of the hopper base 106 described later, and extends in a direction orthogonal to the surface 202 of the hopper base 106. . A storage portion 162 that expands in a square shape is formed at the upper end of the bottom opening 160, and the upper end is a coin insertion opening 164. The storage unit 162 and the bottom opening 160 of the coin container 104 are connected by an inclined wall 166, and the coin C riding on the storage unit 162 naturally slides down due to gravity and falls onto the rotating disk 108 below. The coin container 104 of the embodiment of the present invention is made of non-conductive synthetic resin.

  The base 102 will be described with reference to FIGS. The base 102 is made of a nonconductive synthetic resin. The base 102 has a rectangular cylindrical shape having a hollow portion (not shown) surrounded by a first side wall 112 and a second side wall 114 that are arranged in parallel to each other, and a third side wall 116 and a fourth side wall 118. Is formed. The hollow portion is provided with driving means for driving the rotary disk 108, coin payout detecting means 360, and the like.

  The upper part of the base 102 is formed in a slope shape inclined in the short side direction of the rectangular cylinder. One of the first side wall 112 and the second side wall 114 is formed with a pair of engaging portions 140 extending from the side wall above the upper part. A rectangular through-hole is formed in the engaging portion 140, and the hopper base 106 is held on the upper surface 120 by being engaged with a protrusion formed on the hopper base 106 described later.

  The bottom surface 124 of the base 102 is formed of a conductive flat plate. In the embodiment of the present invention, the bottom surface 124 is formed of a metal plate, but may be formed of a conductive resin or the like as long as at least the material constituting the bottom surface 124 has conductivity.

  A substantially U-shaped notch is provided at a substantially central portion of the first side wall 112 on the bottom surface 124 side, and a gripping portion 126 for gripping the coin hopper 100 is formed.

  A U-shaped notch 128 is formed in the lower portion of the second side wall 114. The notch 124 is provided with a metal plate 130 having a right angle relationship with the bottom surface 124 and formed integrally with the bottom surface 124. A rectangular through hole 132 is provided in the approximate center of the metal plate 130. In the through hole 132, a wire harness 130 connected to a driving unit of the rotating disk 108, a coin payout detecting unit, or the like is fitted.

  A rectangular through hole 136 is formed below the fourth side wall 118. A metal plate 138 that is perpendicular to the bottom surface 124 and is formed integrally with the bottom surface 124 is disposed in the through hole 136. In the embodiment of the present invention, the base 102 is made of a non-conductive synthetic resin, but may be made of a conductive material such as metal.

  The hopper base 106 will be described with reference to FIGS. Similar to the base 102 and the coin container 104, the hopper base 106 of the embodiment of the present invention is made of non-conductive synthetic resin. A rectangular hopper base 106 having a predetermined thickness and substantially the same size as the inclined surface 120 is disposed on the upper portion of the base 102. A circular recess 204 in which the rotating disk 108 is disposed is formed at a substantially central portion of the surface 202 of the hopper base 106. A first shaft hole 208 that penetrates to the back surface is formed at the center of the circular recess 204. The peripheral wall 212 of the circular recess 204 is formed in a substantially C shape by removing one of the short sides of the hopper base 106. A groove 218 that does not penetrate the hopper base 106 along the peripheral wall 212 is formed in at least the lower half of the peripheral wall 212 of the circular recess 204. A circumferential wall forming member 222 made of a metal plate is inserted into the groove 218 so as to protrude from the bottom surface 206 of the circular recess 204 at least the thickness of the coin C. An upstream end 224 of the peripheral wall forming member 222 in the forward rotation direction FR of the rotating disk 108 protrudes outward from the circular recess 204 and is connected to the first ground wire 400 and the third ground wire 404. At the same time, it is screwed to the hopper base 106. On the other hand, the downstream end 226 of the peripheral wall forming member 222 in the forward rotation direction FR of the rotary disk 108 is configured to be along the bottom surface 244 of the notch 220 outside the circular recess 204. The downstream end 226 is screwed to the hopper base 106 in the order of the downstream end 226, the first guide member 300, and a cover member 142 that covers the upper part of a coin feed passage described later. With this configuration, the first guide member 300 is also electrically connected to the first ground terminal 406 via the downstream end 226, the peripheral wall forming member 222, and the upstream end 224.

  A coin payout opening 242 made of a rectangular slit having a height slightly larger than the thickness of the coin C and a width larger than the diameter is formed on the side surface of the hopper base 106 on the substantially C-shaped notch portion side of the circular recess 204. ing. A coin passage 240 is formed between the circular recess 204 and the coin payout port 242 to feed the coins C separated one by one by the rotating disk 108 to the coin payout port 242. On the other hand, on the back side of the hopper base 106, a drive motor 252 that generates a driving force for rotating the rotary disk 108, a speed reducer 254 that decelerates the rotational speed of the drive motor 252, and a coin that is released from the rotary disk 108. A coin payout detecting means 360 for counting the number of the coins is arranged.

  The rotating disk 108 will be described with reference to FIGS. A rotating disk 108 having a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the circular recess 204 is arranged. A first shaft hole 208 that penetrates from the bottom surface 206 of the circular recess 204 to the back surface side of the hopper base 106 is formed at the center of the circular recess 204. On the back side of the circular recess 204, there is a drive motor 252 that provides a driving force for driving the rotating disk 108, and a deceleration that decelerates the driving force generated by the driving motor 252 to rotate the rotating disk 108 at a predetermined rotational speed. The rotating shaft 256 that transmits the driving force that has been decelerated to a predetermined number of rotations by the machine 254 and the detector 254 to the rotating disk is disposed. The rotating shaft 256 passes through the hopper base 106 through the through hole 136.

  The rotating disk 108 has a second shaft hole 262 that passes through the rotating disk 108 from the front surface 258 to the back surface 260 at the center. A first rotating shaft 256 penetrating the hopper base 106 from the back surface side is inserted into the second shaft hole 262. The rotating disk 108 is screwed to the rotating shaft 256 via a washer. When power is applied to the drive motor 252, the first rotary shaft 256 has a vertical relationship with the surface of the hopper base 106 and the first rotary shaft 256 around the first rotary axis L 1 passing through the center of the rotary disk 108 and the rotary shaft 256. The rotating disk 108 rotates with the rotation.

  A pyramidal stirrer 264 protruding from the surface 258 is formed at the center of the rotating disk 108 on the surface 258 side. The top of the stirring member 264 is formed on the inclined surface 266. The coin C positioned immediately above the rotating disk 108 is agitated by the structure formed on the surface 258 of the rotating disk 108 such as the agitator 264 and a through-hole 268 described later. In the embodiment of the present invention, the stirrer 264 is formed in a pyramid shape. However, the stirrer 264 may be formed in a conical shape. Alternatively, a stirrer having a separate cone shape, a cylindrical shape, a prism shape, etc. It may be configured to be mounted on 108.

  Around the stirrer 264, a plurality of through holes 268 having a center on a concentric circle with the rotation axis L1 as the center are provided. A taper 270 is formed so that the diameter of the side surface of the through hole 268, at least the side surface located at the rear of the rotating disk in the rotation direction, continuously increases from the back surface 260 to the front surface 258 of the rotating disk 108. The coin C held in the coin container 104 is guided to the through hole 268 by the taper 270, and the coin C is dropped onto the bottom surface 206 of the circular recess 204 of the hopper base 106 through the through hole 268. The coins C dropped on the bottom surface 260 are separated one by one by the rotation of the rotating disk 108 in the normal rotation direction FR, and are pushed by the pushing surface 274 of the pushing portion 272 formed on the back surface 260 of the rotating disk 108. It is pushed on the bottom surface 206 of the circular recess 204 to a predetermined outlet. The pushing portion 272 is formed to protrude from the back surface 260 between the through holes 268. The pushing surface 274 of the pushing unit 272 is formed along an involute curve that extends radially from the center of the rotating disk 108, that is, the rotation axis L1. A gap 276 is formed in the pushing portion 272 for allowing a later-described regulating body 228 to pass therethrough.

  In order to reduce the coefficient of friction between the coin C and the bottom surface 206 when the coin C dropped from the through hole 268 of the rotating disk 108 slides on the bottom surface 206 of the circular recess 204, the rotation axis L1 is the center. At least one circular groove 210 is formed.

  A foreign matter removal hole 214 that penetrates the hopper base 106 is formed at the boundary between the bottom surface 206 on the lower side of the circular recess 204 and the peripheral wall 212 in order to remove fine foreign matters such as dust caused by sliding of coins. Has been.

  At the location where the peripheral wall 212 is removed, a coin passage 240 is formed that branches from the circular recess 204 through which the coin C is conveyed by the rotating disk 108 and extends to the coin payout port 242 formed at the end of the hopper base 106. ing. The bottom surface 244 of the coin passage 240 is formed in the same plane as the plane in which the bottom surface 206 of the circular recess 204 extends.

  The coin passage 240 will be described with reference to FIGS. A fixed first guide member 300 and a movable second guide member 330 are disposed on both sides of the coin passage 240 on the rotating disk 108 side.

  The first guide member 300 is formed of a substantially L-shaped metal plate. The first guide wall 302 on the rotating disk 108 side of the first guide member 300 is configured such that the coin C is continuous with the peripheral wall 212 of the circular recess 204 and guided toward the second guide member 330. The protrusion 306 at the end of the first guide wall 302 on the second guide member 330 side is formed in a substantially triangular shape with a part of the first guide wall 302 as one side, and is formed at the tip of the first guide wall 302. The corner portion to be formed is formed with a projecting portion 306 rounded in a circular shape. A second guide wall 304 extending to the end of the hopper base 106 is formed on the coin payout opening 242 side of the protrusion 306. The second guide wall 304 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape so as to be continuous with one side of the protruding portion 306 on the coin payout opening 242 side and to have a constant width of the coin passage 240. The second guide wall 304 is formed farther from the protrusion 306 than the second guide member 330. In other words, the protruding portion 306 is so formed that the width between the second guide wall 304 and the side surface of the coin passage 240 is larger than the width between the protruding portion 306 and the side surface of the coin passage 240 on the second guide member 330 side. Protrudes and the first guide member is formed so that the second side member 304 moves backward.

  The second guide member 330 includes a first movable member 332, a second movable member 336, and a connection member 340 that connects the first movable member 332 and the second movable member 336. An arcuate guide hole 334 that penetrates the hopper base 106 is formed at a position facing the protruding portion 306 of the first guide member 300, and the first movable member 332 is inserted into the guide hole 334 from the back side of the hopper base 106. . The first movable member 332 is configured to reciprocate while being inserted into the guide hole 334. An end portion of the guide hole 334 on the first guide member 300 side and an end portion on the opposite side of the first guide member 300 function as a stopper of the first movable member 332.

  A second movable member 336 is provided in the vicinity of the coin payout port 242. The second movable member 336 is inserted into the arc-shaped through hole 338 formed in the hopper base 106 from the back surface side of the hopper base 106. The second movable member 336 is configured to be reciprocated while being inserted into the arc-shaped through hole 338. In other words, the end of the arc-shaped through hole 338 on the first guide member 300 side and the end on the opposite side of the first guide member 300 function as a stopper for the second movable member 336.

  The first movable member 332 and the second movable member 336 are connected via a connection member 340 on the back surface side of the hopper base 106. The connecting member 340 is configured by a prismatic member having a substantially rhombic cross section. A second shaft hole 342 that penetrates the connection member 340 is provided at a substantially central portion on a straight line (not shown) connecting the first movable member 332 and the second movable member 336. The connection member 340 is screwed from the back surface side of the hopper base 106 through the second shaft hole 342. The connecting member 340 is even configured to be rotated about the second rotation axis L2 passing through the center of the second shaft hole 342. That is, the first movable member 332 and the fraud preventing member 334 are rotated about the second rotation axis L2.

  The first movable member 332 is always urged by an elastic body such as a spring (not shown) in a direction approaching the protruding portion 306 of the first guide member 300. That is, the first movable member 332 is normally held at the first standby position SP1 on the first guide member 300 side of the guide hole 334. The distance between the first movable member 332 located at the first standby position SP1 and the protruding portion 306 of the first guide member 300 is configured to be slightly smaller than the diameter of the coin C to be paid out. On the other hand, when the first movable member 332 is pushed by the coin C to be paid out, the first movable member 332 moves away from the first guide member and is moved to the first ejection position MP1. The distance between the first movable member 332 located at the first ejecting position MP1 and the protruding portion 306 of the first guide member 300 is configured to be at least approximately equal to or slightly larger than the diameter of the coin C to be paid out. Yes. In the embodiment of the present invention, the first movable member 332 is constituted by a roller, but is not limited thereto, and any other member that does not hinder the movement of the coin C, such as a cylindrical rod, may be used.

  Since the second movable member 336 is connected to the first movable member 332 and the connection member 340, the second movable member 336 is moved in conjunction with the movement of the first movable member 332. That is, when the first movable member 332 is held at the first standby position SP1, the second movable member 336 is at the second standby position SP2, which is the end of the arcuate through hole 338 opposite to the first guide member 300. Retained. On the other hand, when the first movable member 332 is moved to the first ejection position MP1, the first movable member 332 is moved to the second movement position MP2 that is the end of the arc-shaped through hole 338 on the first guide member 300 side. The second movable member 336 is configured such that when the coin C passes between the second guide wall 304 and the second movable member 336 of the first guide member, the distance between the second guide wall 304 and the second movable member 336 is a coin. It is configured to be located at a second intermediate position MP4 that is substantially the same or slightly larger than the diameter of C.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the second movable member 336 has a function as a fraud prevention member. As described above, when the first movable member 332 is moved to the first ejection position MP1, the second movable member is located at the second movement position MP2. Therefore, even if a rod-like member or the like is inserted from the coin payout port 242 and the first movable member 332 is pushed into the first ejecting position MP1 to attempt to illegally pay out the coin C, the second movable member 336 causes the rod-like member to be inserted. Is pushed and the pushing of the first movable member 332 is hindered.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the second movable member is composed of a cylindrical rod. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the movement of the coin C such as a roller, a rectangular column with rounded corners, and an elliptical column is not hindered. Anything can be used.

  Next, the coin payout detection means 360 will be described with reference to FIGS. The coin payout detection means 360 includes a count sensor 362 and a detected member 364. The count sensor 362 is attached to the back surface side of the hopper base 106 and the side of the connection member 340 via a bracket 372. In the embodiment of the present invention, the count sensor 362 includes at least a pair of light emitting elements and light receiving elements. The count sensor 362 has a U-shaped notch 366 formed on the connecting member 340 side. A light emitting element 368 is disposed on one surface of the U-shaped notch 366, and a light receiving element 370 is disposed on the opposite surface of the light emitting element 368. In the embodiment of the present invention, the light beam emitted from the light emitting element 368 is always received by the light receiving element 370. In other words, in the normal state, the light receiving element 370 continues to output a light receiving signal to a control unit (not shown).

  The detected member 364 is formed of a non-transparent plate member. The detected member 364 is configured to protrude to the count sensor 362 side from the second shaft hole 342 portion of the connection member 340 at a height that can advance and retreat in the U-shaped notch 366 of the count sensor 362. In a normal state, the member to be detected 364 is withdrawn from the U-shaped notch 366 of the count sensor 362 so as not to block the light beam from the light emitting element 368 to the light receiving element 370. On the other hand, when the coin C is paid out, in other words, when the first movable member 332 is moved to the first ejection position MP1 by the coin C, the detected member 364 counts in conjunction with the movement of the first movable member 332. The sensor 362 moves in the direction of entering the U-shaped notch 366. The detected member 364 entering the U-shaped notch 366 of the count sensor 362 blocks the light beam, so that no light reception signal is output from the light receiving element 370. Therefore, the light receiving signal is not detected by the control unit, and it is detected that the coin C has been paid out.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the payout of the coin C is detected by blocking the light beam that is constantly received by the light receiving element 370 by the detection member 364. You may comprise so that light reception may be interrupted | blocked and a light receiving element 370 may receive a light beam when the coin C is paid out. Further, the count sensor 362 may be configured by a micro switch, a magnetic sensor, or the like.

  The count sensor 362 is entirely covered with a bracket 372 composed of a first bracket member 374 and a second bracket member 376 made of a conductive material. The bracket 372 is provided with a notch at a position corresponding to the U-shaped notch 366 so that the member to be detected 364 can move forward and backward with respect to the U-shaped notch 366 of the count sensor 362. The bracket 372 is screwed to the back surface side of the hopper base 106 together with the second ground terminal 408 to which the first ground wire 400 and the second ground wire 402 are connected. Therefore, even if the coin C charged during separation and conveyance passes near the count sensor 362 and a spark or the like occurs between the coin C and the count sensor 362, the bracket 372, the first ground wire 400, and the first Since the charge is eliminated via either one of the two ground wires 402, the possibility of the counter malfunctioning can be reduced.

  The coin C payout operation in the coin hopper 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. A large amount of coins C is stored in the coin container 104. As the coin C is rotated, the coin C on the rotating disk 108 passes through the through hole 268 of the rotating disk 108 and is dropped onto the bottom surface 206 of the circular recess 204 by the rotation of the rotating disk 108. The coins C dropped onto the bottom surface 206 are pushed toward the coin passage 240 by the pushing portion 272 formed on the back side of the rotating disk 106 while being separated one by one by the rotation of the rotating disk 108. . The coin C transported to the vicinity of the coin path 240 is pushed by the pushing portion 272 along the first guide wall 302 of the first guide member 300, and is located at the first standby position SP1 of the second guide member. 1 abuts on the movable member 332. Thereafter, the coin C is further pushed toward the coin path 240 by the pushing portion 272, and the first movable member 332 is moved toward the first ejecting position MP1 against the urging force by the coin C. When the first movable member 332 is moved to the first ejecting position MP1, in other words, the distance between the protrusion 306 of the first guide member and the first movable member 332 is equal to or slightly larger than the diameter of the coin C. The maximum portion of the coin C in the in-plane direction is passed. After the diameter portion of the coin C passes between the protruding portion 306 of the first guide member and the first movable member 332, the first movable member 332 is released from the force applied in the direction opposite to the urging force. The first movable member 332 attempts to return to the first standby position SP1 by the urging force. Therefore, the coin C is sandwiched between the protruding portion 306 of the first guide member 300 and the first movable member 332, and the coin C of the first guide member 300 of the coin path 240 is urged by the urging force acting on the first movable member 332. It is flipped out toward the second guide wall 304.

  As shown in FIG. 9, when the coin C ejected by the protruding portion 306 of the first guide member and the first movable member 332 contacts the second guide wall 304 of the first guide member, the first movable member 332. Is configured to be positioned at the first intermediate position MP3 without returning to the first standby position SP1. In other words, when the coin C comes into contact with the second guide wall 304, the second movable member 336 facing the second guide wall 304 has not returned to the second standby position SP2, and the second moving position MP2 and the second moving position MP2 The distance between the second guide wall 304 and the second movable member 336 is between the standby position SP2 and the second intermediate position MP4 where the distance is substantially equal to or slightly larger than the diameter of the coin C. Yes. That is, the coin passage 240 has a width approximately equal to or slightly larger than the diameter of the coin C due to the second guide wall 304 and the second movable member 336, so that the coin C is the second guide wall 304 of the first guide member 300. 2, even if the coin C is bounced back toward the second guide member 330, the bounce of the coin C is suppressed by the second movable member 336, and is paid out from the coin payout port 242 in a direction substantially parallel to the second guide wall 304. It is.

  Next, a description will be given of antistatic measures for the coin C to be paid out. The coin C is agitated while being in contact with the upper surface of the rotating disk 108, and is slid on the bottom surface 206 of the circular recess 204 and the coin passage 240. In these processes, the coin C is charged. In the coin popper 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the peripheral wall forming member 222 is disposed on the side surface of the circular recess 204 of the hopper base 106, and the upstream end 224 of the peripheral wall forming member 222 is connected to the first ground wire 400. Yes. Further, since the downstream end portion 226 of the peripheral wall forming member 222 and the first guide member 300 are in contact with each other, the first guide member 300 is screwed to the first hopper base 106 via the peripheral wall forming member 222. It is electrically connected to the ground wire 400. The coin C pushed by the rotating disk 108 is conveyed toward the first guide member 300 while being in contact with the peripheral wall forming member 222 by centrifugal force or its own weight when pushed. That is, the coin C is conveyed by the rotating disk 108 while being discharged through the peripheral wall forming member 222. The coin C that has reached the coin passage 240 is ejected toward the first guide member 300 by the first guide member 300 and the second guide member 330. The coin C collides with the second side surface 304 of the first guide member 300 and is then paid out from the coin payout port 242. Therefore, when the coin C collides with the second side surface 304, the coin C is discharged.

  The charging of the coin C can affect the count sensor 362 of the coin counting unit 360 to malfunction. Therefore, the count sensor 362 is entirely covered with a bracket 372 made of a metal plate except for a part where the member to be detected 364 is inserted. Therefore, even if the charged coin C is discharged to the count sensor 362 via a member near the count sensor 362 such as the first movable member 332, the bracket 372 protects it. The bracket 372 is screwed to the hopper base 106 together with the first ground wire 400 and the second ground terminal 408 connected to the second ground wire 402. The first ground terminal 406 and the second ground terminal 408 are connected by a first ground wire 400. Therefore, the peripheral wall forming member 222 and the bracket 372 are electrically connected via the first ground wire 400.

  The other end of the second ground wire 402 connected to the second ground terminal 408 is connected to the wire harness 134. By using one wire of a connector (not shown) connected to the wire harness 134 as a ground wire, the charged coin C is discharged through the wire harness 134. On the other hand, the third ground wire 410 connected to the first ground terminal 406 is connected to the third ground terminal 410 at the end opposite to the first ground terminal 406. The third ground terminal 410 is screwed together with the external connection terminal 412 to the bottom surface 124 made of a metal plate of the base 102. By connecting the external connection terminal 412 or the bottom surface 124 to a grounding member provided in a device (not shown) where the coin hopper 100 is installed, the charged coin C is discharged. That is, in the coin hopper 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the charge of the coin C charged while the coin C is stirred, transported, and dispensed first comes into contact with the coin C and the first guide member 300 or the peripheral wall forming member 222. As a result, the charged coin C is discharged to the first guide member 300 and the peripheral wall forming member 222. Next, the wire harness 134 and the third ground wire 404 to which the second ground wire 402 is connected via the first to third ground wires 400, 402 and 404 connected to the upstream end 224 of the peripheral wall forming member 222. Is removed from the external grounding member connected to at least one of the bottom surface 124 of the base 102 and the external connection member 412 fixed to the bottom surface 124. Accordingly, the coin C is paid out from the coin payout port 242 in a state where the charge is eliminated.

  The present invention can be suitably used in combination with a coin processing device such as a gaming machine, a change machine, a vending machine, or a ticket vending machine using coins, for example, a slot machine such as a pachislot machine.

100 coin hopper 102 base 104 coin container 106 hopper base 108 rotating disk 112 first side wall 114 second side wall 116 third side wall 118 fourth side wall 124 bottom (metal plate)
126 Grasping portion 128 Notch 130 Metal plate (second side)
132 Through hole 134 Wire harness 136 Through hole 138 Metal plate (fourth side surface)
140 engaging part 142 cover member 144 support member 160 bottom part opening part 162 storing part 164 throwing opening 166 inclined wall 202 surface 204 circular concave part 206 bottom face 208 first shaft hole 210 concave groove 212 peripheral wall 214 foreign substance removal hole 218 groove 220 notch part 222 Peripheral wall forming member 224 Upstream end 226 Downstream end 228 Restrictor 240 Coin passage 242 Coin payout port 244 Bottom 252 Drive motor 254 Reducer 256 First rotation shaft 258 Surface 260 Back surface 262 Second shaft hole 264 Stirring body 266 Inclined Surface 268 Through-hole 270 Taper 272 Pushing portion 274 Pushing surface 276 Clearance 300 First guide member 302 First guide wall 304 Second guide wall 306 Bending portion 330 Second guide member 332 First movable member 334 Guide hole 336 Second Movable member 338 Arc-shaped through-hole 340 connection Member 342 Second shaft hole 360 Coin payout detection means 362 Count sensor 364 Non-detection member 366 U-shaped notch 368 Light emitting element 370 Light receiving element 372 Bracket 374 First bracket member 376 Second bracket member 400 First ground wire 402 Second ground Line 404 Third ground line 406 First ground terminal 408 Second ground terminal 410 Third ground terminal C Coin L1 First rotational axis L2 Second rotational axis FR Forward rotation direction SP1 First standby position SP2 Second standby position MP1 First Ejection position MP2 Second movement position MP3 First intermediate position MP4 Second intermediate position

Claims (4)

A coin container for storing coins;
A resin-made rotating disk in which a plurality of through holes that are disposed below the coin container and drop coins stored in the coin container and a protrusion that pushes the coin on the back side are formed;
Resin having a recess formed with an arc-shaped peripheral wall and a bottom wall that supports a coin that has fallen through the through hole of the rotating disk, and in which the rotating disk is disposed substantially coaxially with the peripheral wall Made base,
A first guide member disposed on the base and having a first guide wall connected to one end of the peripheral wall;
A second guide member that is disposed on the other end of the peripheral wall and is elastically contactable and disengageable between a standby position approaching the first guide member and a protruding position deviating from the first guide member;
A coin payout sensor that detects coin payout in relation to the movement of the second guide member from the standby position to the eject position;
A coin passage connected to the recess of the base and defined by the first guide member and the second guide member;
A coin payout opening provided on the opposite side of the coin passage from the rotating disk;
Including
As the rotating disk rotates, the coin is supported on the bottom wall of the base, and the coin is moved on the base by the protrusion of the rotating disk while being guided by the peripheral wall and the first guide wall. By pushing a coin between the first guide and the second guide, the coin is ejected by the second guide moved from the standby position to the ejecting position, and the coin is paid out by the coin payout sensor. In the coin hopper to detect,
The first guide member is electrically grounded, and is inserted between the second guide wall extending to the coin payout slot, and between the first guide wall and the second guide wall, and faces the second guide member. And a protruding portion protruding
The second guide member includes a first movable member, a second movable member, and a connection member that connects the first movable member and the second movable member,
The connection member is fixed to the base so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis perpendicular to the base at a substantially central portion thereof.
The first movable member is disposed on the rotating disk side with respect to the rotation axis of the connection member so as to face the protrusion.
The second movable member is disposed opposite the second guide wall on the coin payout opening side with respect to the rotation axis.
When the first movable member moves from the standby position to the ejection position, the second movable member moves from the first position that deviates from the second guide wall to the second position that approaches the second guide wall. On the other hand, the second movable member is configured to move from the second position to the first position when the first movable member moves from the ejection position to the standby position.
When the coin moves in the coin path, the second movable member is positioned at a third position where the width of the coin path is slightly larger than the diameter of the coin so that the movement of the coin is restricted. And the coin is paid out while being in contact with the second guide wall.
Coin hopper characterized by that.   The coin hopper according to claim 1, wherein the coin payout sensor is substantially entirely covered with a conductive bracket, and the bracket is electrically grounded.   The coin hopper according to claim 2, wherein a peripheral wall forming member having conductivity is disposed on at least a part of the peripheral wall.   The coin hopper according to claim 3, wherein the first guide member and the peripheral wall forming member are electrically connected, and the first guide member is electrically grounded via the peripheral wall forming member.

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