JP2018005492A - Paper leaf recovery carrier system and conveyance auxiliary repeating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a paper leaf recovery carrier system capable of recovering paper leaves from a storage unit of a plurality of primary recovery devices so that the storage unit of the primary recovery device does not become full.SOLUTION: A paper leaf recovery carrier system includes: a plurality of primary recovery devices for recovering paper leaves to accumulate them in a storage unit; a secondary recovery device 10 for recovering paper leaves discharged from the storage unit 6 of the primary recovery device to carry them to a prescribed destination; and a controller for indicating the number of paper leaves to be discharged from the storage unit 6 to one or two or more primary recovery devices so that each time of recovery operation of the secondary recovery device 10, the total number of sheets of paper leaves to be recovered remains within a prescribed maximum number of sheets that can be recovered by a single recovery operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a paper sheet collection and conveyance system that conveys and collects paper sheets such as banknotes to an office safe or the like in a wide facility such as an amusement hall.

  In the game hall, a gaming machine island that houses multiple sets of gaming ball lending machines that lend game balls (pachinko balls, etc.) to players upon receipt of banknotes, and pachinko machines. Is installed. Inside the gaming machine island, a transport device is provided along the longitudinal direction of the gaming machine island for transporting bills inserted into each gaming machine lending machine to a safe provided at the end of the gaming machine island.

  In the amusement hall, a plurality of the above gaming machine islands are arranged, and after closing, employees etc. collect the banknotes stored in the safes of each gaming machine island and store them in the main safe of the office. Such work is performed.

  Patent Document 1 below discloses a paper sheet collecting and conveying system that collects banknotes stored in a safe on each gaming machine island dispersed in a game hall to a main safe in a store office. This system includes a transfer pipe installed so as to return from the main safe in the office and return to the main safe again via the installation location of the safe on each gaming machine island, and for each gaming machine island in the middle of the transfer pipe. It is provided near the installation location of the safe and includes a take-up device that takes in the paper discharged from the safe into the transport pipe and an air flow generator that generates an air flow from upstream to downstream in the transport pipe. The paper sheets discharged from the safes of each gaming machine island, taken into the transport pipe and waiting are pushed from the rear by the transport auxiliary body that is moved by the action of the air flow to the main safe. Transport. The transport auxiliary body is sent out from the main safe, goes around the game hall, returns to the main safe, and is reused for the next sending.

JP 2014-188102 A

  In the system that collects banknotes to the collective safe of the store around the safes of each gaming machine island distributed in the amusement hall, the transport path becomes considerably long. For example, a transport auxiliary body sent out from a collective safe installed in the office on the second floor of the store goes down to the game floor on the first floor, and then sequentially visits the safe on each gaming machine island installed on the first floor. After the banknotes are collected, it becomes a long conveyance path that goes up to the second floor and returns to the collective safe. For this reason, it takes a long time for one collection operation until the conveyance auxiliary body sent out from the collective safe returns around the conveyance path. As a result, if the banknotes are evenly collected from each gaming machine island, the safe on the gaming machine island, which has a large number of popular gaming machines, is filled with banknotes during business hours, and The banknote cannot be inserted into the ball lending machine, and the game must be interrupted.

  In addition to the game hall, the secondary collection device collects paper sheets such as banknotes from a storage unit (corresponding to a safe on the gaming machine island in the game machine) of a plurality of primary collection devices. However, when the storage part of the primary recovery device becomes full, the paper cannot be recovered by the primary recovery device, and various problems occur.

  The present invention is intended to solve the above problem, and the secondary recovery device recovers the paper sheets from the storage portions of the plurality of primary recovery devices so that the storage portion of the primary recovery device does not become full. It aims at providing the paper sheet collection | recovery conveyance system which can be used.

  The gist of the present invention for achieving the object lies in the inventions of the following items.

[1] A plurality of primary collection devices for collecting paper sheets and storing them in a storage unit;
A secondary recovery device for recovering the paper sheets discharged from the storage unit of the primary recovery device and transporting them to a predetermined destination;
For each recovery operation by the secondary recovery device, the total number of paper sheets to be recovered is within a predetermined maximum number that can be recovered by one recovery operation, and one or more primary recovery devices A control unit for instructing the number of sheets to be discharged from the storage unit;
A paper sheet collecting and conveying system characterized by comprising:

  In the said invention, a secondary collection | recovery apparatus collects the paper discharged | emitted from the storage part which a primary collection | recovery apparatus collects and accumulates paper sheets, and conveys them to a predetermined destination. Since the secondary collection device has a limit on the maximum number of sheets that can be collected in one collection operation, the control unit determines that the total number of sheets to be collected for each collection operation by the secondary collection device. The number of sheets discharged from each storage unit is instructed to one or more primary collection devices so as not to exceed the maximum number.

[2] The control unit gives the instruction to preferentially discharge the paper sheets from the storage unit in a primary collection device having a larger number of paper sheets accumulated in the storage unit. The paper sheet collecting and conveying system according to [1], which is characterized in that.

  In the above invention, the control unit discharges one or more primary collection devices to the primary collection device so that the sheets are preferentially collected from the primary collection device having a large number of paper sheets accumulated in the storage unit. Assign.

[3] The control unit classifies the primary collection devices into a plurality of groups according to the number of sheets stored in the storage unit, and sets the primary collection device in order from the group with the largest number of accumulations. The paper according to [1] or [2], wherein the number of discharged sheets to be allocated is limited to a predetermined upper limit number, and the number of discharged sheets is allocated as evenly as possible to the primary collection devices belonging to the same group. Leaf collection and transportation system.

  In the above-described invention, the control unit preferentially assigns the number of discharged sheets from the group having a large number of accumulated sheets. At that time, since there is an upper limit on the number of discharged sheets that can be allocated to one primary collection device, the number of discharged sheets should be set within the upper limit number of sheets and as evenly as possible among the primary collection devices belonging to the same group. assign.

[4] The paper sheet according to [3], wherein the upper limit number set for a group in which the accumulated number is less than a predetermined number is less than the upper limit number set in a group in which the accumulated number is equal to or more than the predetermined number. Kind collection conveyance system.

  In the above invention, the upper limit number of sheets that can be assigned to one primary collection device is set to be smaller in a group with a small number of accumulated sheets than in a group with a large number of accumulated sheets.

[5] If the total number of discharged sheets does not reach the maximum number even after making a round of the plurality of groups, the remaining number of discharged sheets is assigned in order from the primary collection device belonging to the group with the largest number of stored sheets. The paper sheet collecting and conveying system according to [3] or [4].

[6] An arbitrary priority order can be set and changed for the primary recovery device,
[1] to [5], wherein the control unit instructs the primary collection device having a higher priority order to preferentially discharge paper sheets from the storage unit. The paper sheet collection conveyance system as described in any one of these.

  In the above invention, an arbitrary priority order can be set instead of the priority order corresponding to the number of stored sheets.

[7] The secondary recovery device takes in the transport pipe extending around the storage sections of the plurality of primary recovery apparatuses and takes in the paper discharged from the storage section into the transport pipe An air flow generating device for generating an air flow toward the destination in the transport pipe, and a transport auxiliary body that moves under the action of the air flow is inserted into the transport pipe upstream of the intake device A transfer auxiliary body inserting device that moves the paper auxiliary member inserted into the transfer tube by the transfer auxiliary device from behind. The paper sheet collection and transport system according to any one of [1] to [6], wherein the paper sheet is transported to the destination.

  In the above invention, the secondary recovery device transports the paper sheets taken from the primary recovery device into the transport pipe from the rear by the transport auxiliary body that moves in the transport pipe under the action of the air flow and transports it to the destination. To do.

[8] A sub-transport device that transports the paper discharged from the storage unit of the primary recovery device to the take-in device,
The sub-transport device takes in the paper discharged from the storage unit into a sub-transport tube, generates an air flow toward the fetch device in the sub-transport tube, and receives the action of the air flow to receive the sub-transport. The paper sheet collecting and conveying system according to [7], wherein the paper sheet is pushed and moved from behind by a conveyance auxiliary member that moves in a tube and conveyed to the take-in device.

  In the above-mentioned invention, it has the sub conveyance device which conveys paper sheets from the storage part of the primary collection device to the take-in device of the secondary collection device. The sub-transport device also transports paper sheets by pushing them from the back with a transport auxiliary body that moves in the sub-transport pipe under the action of the air flow.

[9] The paper sheet collecting and conveying system according to [7] or [8], wherein an auxiliary blower for sending an air flow downstream from a predetermined position in the middle of the conveying pipe is provided.

[10] The paper sheet collecting and conveying system according to any one of [7] to [9], wherein a blower is provided to send an air flow directed upstream from a predetermined location in the middle of the conveying pipe. .

  According to the paper sheet collection and conveyance system according to the present invention, the secondary collection device can collect the paper sheets from the storage units of the plurality of primary collection devices so that the storage unit of the primary collection device is not full. it can.

It is a figure which shows an example of the in-store layout of the game hall in which the paper sheet collection | recovery conveyance system using the conveyance auxiliary body relay apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention was installed. It is a figure which shows the whole paper sheet collection | recovery conveyance system. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which a conveyance auxiliary body pushes and moves the banknote in a conveyance pipe from the rear end side of this banknote. It is a perspective view which shows the conveyance pipe of a linear part. It is sectional drawing perpendicular | vertical to the extending direction of the conveyance pipe of a straight part. It is a figure which shows the plane and front of a conveyance auxiliary body. It is sectional drawing which shows a conveyance pipe and a conveyance auxiliary body in the state which inserted the conveyance auxiliary body in the conveyance pipe. It is a figure which shows the inside of the conveyance pipe | tube of the collection safe in the paper sheet collection | recovery conveyance system shown in FIG. 2, and the collection safe. It is a perspective view which shows the back surface of a collective safe. It is the perspective view which looked at the banknote isolation | separation and conveyance auxiliary body circulation apparatus from the discharge port side of the isolate | separated banknote. It is the perspective view which looked at the banknote isolation | separation / conveyance auxiliary body circulation apparatus from the connection part side of the conveyance pipe. It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline | summary of the isolation | separation operation | movement by the banknote separation / conveyance auxiliary body circulation apparatus, and insertion operation | movement. It is a perspective view which shows a conveyance auxiliary body relay apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the conveyance auxiliary body relay apparatus of the state which removed a part of outer cover of the blower part. It is a perspective view which shows the inside of the relay part of a conveyance auxiliary body relay apparatus. It is a figure which shows the state in the middle of the rotating plate rotating from a 1st stop position to a 2nd stop position. It is a figure which shows a mode that the relay part which removed the front cover was seen from upper direction. It is a figure which shows a mode that the holding | maintenance part in an acceptance position hold | maintains the conveyance auxiliary body which arrives from an outward conveyance pipe. It is a figure which shows a mode that holding | maintenance of a conveyance auxiliary body is cancelled | released automatically when a holding | maintenance part rotates to the discharge | release position. It is a perspective view which shows the inside of a relay part. It is a perspective view which expands and shows a holding | maintenance part. It is a figure which shows the rotating plate provided with four holding | maintenance parts every 90 degree | times. It is a perspective view which shows the taking-in apparatus connected to the relay box, the sub conveyance pipe | tube of a sub conveyance apparatus, and its upper end. It is a perspective view which shows the upper part of a sub conveyance pipe, the taking-in apparatus, and the conveyance pipe 12 before and behind that. It is a perspective view which shows a sub conveyance apparatus and the taking-in apparatus (and conveyance pipe before and behind that) connected to the upper end. It is a partial cross section figure which shows the sub conveying apparatus and the taking-in apparatus (and conveying pipe before and behind that) connected to the upper end. It is sectional drawing which shows the upper part of a sub conveying pipe, and a taking-in apparatus. It is sectional drawing which shows the banknote taking-in part provided in the lower part of a sub conveyance pipe. It is a figure which shows the state which looked at the banknote taking-in part of the state which removed the cover of the channel | path part from the side facing opening. It is a figure which shows the structure of the conveyance part which a taking-in apparatus has. It is a top view which shows the primary collection | recovery apparatus installed in the gaming machine island It is a front view which shows the primary collection | recovery apparatus installed in the gaming machine island. It is a figure which shows the inside (state which removed the door) of the relay box. It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the temporary storage apparatus which a relay box has. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a temporary storage apparatus. It is a figure which shows typically the structure and operation | movement of a temporary storage apparatus. It is a figure which shows a mode that the banknote pressed by the press plate slides down from a receiving plate, and a mode that the banknote pressed by the press plate leaves | separates from the receiving plate which stuck the natural rubber sheet. It is a figure which shows a mode that the banknote pressed by the holding | suppressing plate detaches | leaves from the receiving plate which stuck the natural rubber sheet in the improved type of the structure shown in FIG.37 (b). It is a figure which shows the state which open | released connection with a connection part and the conveyance pipe before and behind that. It is a figure which shows the front surface of the state which connected the conveyance pipe to the connection part, the left side surface, the right side surface, an upper surface, and a lower surface. It is a figure which shows the front surface, left side surface, right side surface, upper surface, and lower surface of a connection adapter. It is a figure which shows a mode that the downstream end part of a connection adapter is connected to the upstream connection port of a connection main-body part. It is a figure which expands and shows the state by which the rib by the side of a connection adapter and the rib by the side of a connection main body part overlapped. It is a figure which expands and shows the installation part of a blower apparatus. It is a figure which shows the twist part and the parts which comprise this. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement sequence at the time of a paper sheet collection conveyance system collect | recovering banknotes from each relay box. It is a figure which shows the reference | standard at the time of grouping according to the number of stock. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an allocation state of the number of discharged sheets in Pattern 1; It is a figure which shows the example of the allocation condition of the discharge number in the pattern 2 (when G3 is one). It is a figure which shows the example of the allocation condition of the discharge number in the pattern 2 (when there are two G3). It is a figure which shows the example of the allocation condition of the discharge number in pattern 2 (when G3 is three or more). FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an allocation state of the number of discharged sheets in Pattern 3. It is a front view which shows the error indicator which a paper sheet collection | recovery conveyance system has. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the location where the stagnation abnormality of a conveyance auxiliary body was detected. It is a figure which shows the relay part of the conveyance auxiliary body relay apparatus before improvement, and the relay part of the improved conveyance auxiliary body relay apparatus. It is a figure which shows the inside of the relay part of the improved conveyance auxiliary body relay apparatus.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an example of an in-store layout of a game hall 2 in which a paper sheet collection and transportation system according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed. In the store of the game hall 2, a plurality of gaming machine islands 3 are arranged with passages therebetween. In each gaming machine island 3, a combination of a gaming ball lending machine 4 that lends a gaming ball (pachinko ball) to a player upon receipt of a bill and a gaming machine 5 such as a pachinko machine are back to back. Multiple sets are housed on the front and back.

  In the inside of the gaming machine island 3, a primary collection device 8 that takes in the banknotes discharged from the back of each gaming ball lending machine 4 and transports and accumulates it to a storage unit (safe) installed at one end of the gaming machine island 3. Is provided. The relay box 6 at the end of the gaming machine island 3 serves as a safe (storage unit) that temporarily stores banknotes that are part of the primary collection device 8 and have been transported to the end of the island.

  FIG. 2 shows how banknotes are collected from the relay boxes 6 of the plurality of gaming machine islands 3 installed in the game hall 2 shown in FIG. The secondary collection | recovery apparatus 10 to convey is shown. The paper sheet collection and conveyance system according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of primary collection devices 8, a secondary collection device 10, and a sub conveyance device 13 described later.

  The secondary collection device 10 is connected to the collective safe 11 installed in the office of the game hall 2, etc., and goes out of the collective safe 11 and passes through the installation location of the relay box 6 of each gaming machine island 3 installed in the game area. The transport pipe 12 is provided so as to return to the collective safe 11 again, and the transport auxiliary body relay device 17 provided in the middle of the transport pipe 12 is provided. The transport pipe 12 from the collective safe 11 to the transport auxiliary relay device 17 is referred to as the forward transport pipe 12a, and the transport pipe 12 from the transport auxiliary relay device 17 to the collective safe 11 is referred to as the return transport pipe 12b. The collective safe 11 is a destination of conveyance by the secondary collection device 10.

  Although FIG. 2 shows a state in which the collective safe 11 is installed on the same floor as the gaming area where the gaming machine island 3 is installed, the collective safe 11 may be provided on a floor different from the gaming area. In that case, the length of the transport pipe 12 from the collective safe 11 to the game floor and the length of the transport pipe 12 from the game floor to the collective safe 11 are considerably longer than those shown in FIG.

  The transfer pipe 12 installed on the game floor is piped behind the ceiling of the game floor. In the case of FIG. 2, the forward transfer pipe 12a of the transfer pipe 12 is bent upwards from the collective safe 11 installed on one end side of the amusement hall and then extended to the height of the ceiling, and then bent again to the ceiling. It goes into the back, passes right above the place where the relay box 6 of each gaming machine island 3 is installed, and extends to the transfer auxiliary relay device 17 installed on the other end side of the game hall. The return path transport pipe 12b extends from the transport auxiliary body relay device 17 and then extends along the forward path transport pipe 12a (i.e., directly above the installation location of the relay box 6 of each gaming machine island 3 and one end of the game hall. After being bent downward and lowered to the height of the collective safe 11, it is bent again and becomes horizontal and extends to the collective safe 11.

  The secondary collection device 10 of the paper sheet collection and conveyance system generates a flow of air in the conveyance pipe 12, and the banknote P is transferred by the conveyance auxiliary body 16 (see FIG. 3) that moves in the conveyance pipe 12 in response to the air flow. Is moved from behind to transport downstream (transport direction FW). Each of the collective safe 11 and the transfer auxiliary relay device 17 includes a blower that generates an air flow. The collective safe 11 generates an air flow from the start end of the forward transfer pipe 12a toward the transfer auxiliary relay device 17, and the transfer auxiliary relay device 17 sucks the air flow from the end of the forward transfer pipe 12a. Further, the transfer auxiliary relay device 17 generates an air flow from the starting end of the return path transfer pipe 12b toward the collective safe 11, and the collective safe 11 sucks the air flow from the end of the return path transfer pipe 12b.

  An auxiliary blower 18 for strengthening the air flow toward the downstream (from the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 to the collective safe 11) is provided at a bent portion where the return path conveyance pipe 12b is directed downward from the ceiling.

  The paper sheet collection and transport system further includes a sub transport device 13 that transports banknotes from each relay box 6 to a return transport tube 12b passing thereabove. The secondary recovery device 10 includes a take-in device 14 that takes in the banknotes transported from the relay box 6 by the sub-transport device 13 into the return-path transport tube 12b in a posture where the paper surface is along the extending direction of the return-path transport tube 12b. I have.

  Since the transport pipe 12 of the secondary recovery apparatus 10 is provided behind the ceiling, even if the transport pipe 12 is circulated in various places in the game hall 2, the transport pipe 12 does not hinder the player's activities and traffic. The transport pipe 12 is not limited to the back of the ceiling, and may be extended along a high position near the ceiling, for example. In this example, the transport pipe 12 is installed at a position higher than the area avoiding an area where a person is active (game or traffic) in the game hall 2. In addition, the game ball lending machine 4 in the gaming machine island 3 is installed at a height corresponding to the player who performs the game, and the relay box 6 of the gaming machine island 3 is installed at the same height. The bill P is transported by the sub transport device 13 from 6 to the return transport tube 12b above it.

  In the present embodiment, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 that moves by the air flow and pushes the bills P from the rear is sent out from the collective safe 11 serving as a base point to the forward conveyance pipe 12a and reaches the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 when the conveyance auxiliary body relay apparatus 17 is reached. Temporarily held in the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17. The held conveyance auxiliary body 16 is then sent out from the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 to the return conveyance tube 12b and moved and collected while collecting the bills P taken into the return conveyance tube 12b by the take-in device 14. Come back to safe 11.

  Here, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is sent out from the collective safe 11 to the outward conveyance pipe 12a and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is conveyed from the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 to the backward conveyance pipe 12b at the same time. The conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 receives and holds the conveyance auxiliary body 16 coming from the outward conveyance pipe 12a. Then, the held conveyance auxiliary body 16 is moved to the start end side of the return path conveyance pipe 12b, and next time, the held conveyance auxiliary body 16 is sent out to the return path conveyance pipe 12b.

  By using the transfer auxiliary relay device 17, the movement from the collective safe 11 through the forward transfer pipe 12a to the transfer auxiliary relay device 17 and the transfer from the transfer auxiliary relay device 17 through the return transfer pipe 12b to the collective safe. The movement back to 11 is performed in parallel at the same time. When the conveyance auxiliary body 16 sent out from the base point (collection safe 11) continues to move as it is without using the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17, and returns to the base point (collection safe 11) around the conveyance pipe 12 Compared to, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 can be sent out in a short cycle (time interval), and the bill collecting ability per unit time can be enhanced.

  For example, when the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 is installed at an intermediate point of the entire conveyance path, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 that has come out from the base point travels around the conveyance path as it is and returns to the base point. The time required for one collecting operation by the auxiliary body 16 can be reduced to half, and the collecting ability per unit time can be doubled.

  As shown in FIG. 8, an air flow generator 21 and a banknote separating / conveying auxiliary body circulation device 22 are provided inside the collective safe 11. The banknote separation / conveyance auxiliary body circulation device 22 includes a function of the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 23 that sends out the conveyance auxiliary body 16 to the forward conveyance pipe 12a, and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 that has been conveyed by pushing and moving the banknote P from behind. In addition to the function of the separation / recovery device 24 that separates and collects each of them, the transport auxiliary body 16 recovered by the separation / recovery device 24 is passed to the transport auxiliary body inserting device 23 and used in a circulating manner. The bills P collected by the separation and collection device 24 are stored in the bill storage unit 25 in the collective safe 11.

  The air flow generator 21 generates an air flow by rotating a wing with a motor. The air blowing side of the air flow generating device 21 is connected to the air inlet side of the auxiliary conveyance body inserting device 23, and the starting end of the forward transfer pipe 12 a is connected to the air outlet side of the auxiliary conveying body inserting device 23. The end of the return path transport pipe 12 b is connected to the air inlet side of the separation and recovery device 24, and the air suction side of the air flow generator 21 is connected to the air outlet side of the separation and recovery device 24.

  The conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 performs a function of sucking the air in the forward conveyance pipe 12a from the end side of the forward conveyance pipe 12a and a function of sending an air flow toward the starting end of the backward conveyance pipe 12b. That is, the air flow generating device 21 of the collective safe 11 sends an air flow from the start end side to the forward transfer pipe 12a, and the transfer auxiliary relay device 17 sucks the air flow from the end side of the forward transfer pipe 12a. A strong air flow is generated in the transport pipe 12a. Similarly, the transfer auxiliary body relay device 17 sends an air flow from the start end side to the return path transport pipe 12b, and the air flow generator 21 of the collective safe 11 sucks the air flow from the end side of the return path transport pipe 12b. A strong air flow is generated in the return conveyance pipe 12b.

  Furthermore, an auxiliary blower 18 is provided in the return path conveyance pipe 12b downstream of the most downstream intake device 14. The auxiliary blower 18 is a blower that blows air downstream, and plays a role of enhancing the forward air flow in order to ensure that the conveyance auxiliary body 16 reaches the collective safe 11. In the example of FIG. 2, the transport pipe 12 from the place where the auxiliary blower 18 is installed to the collective safe 11 is described briefly. For example, the collective safe 11 is often provided on a different floor from the primary recovery device 8. The transport pipe 12 downstream of the auxiliary blower 18 may be long.

  Collection of banknotes P by the paper sheet collection and conveyance system is performed as follows.

  The banknotes thrown from each game ball lending machine 4 on the gaming machine island 3 are transported to the relay box 6 at the end of the gaming machine island 3 by the primary collection device 8 and temporarily stored. When the banknotes P stored in the relay box 6 are collected in the collective safe 11, the banknotes P are discharged from one or more relay boxes 6 toward the sub-transport device 13. The banknotes P discharged from the relay box 6 are transported upward by the sub transport device 13 and then sent out into the return transport tube 12b by the take-in device 14.

  The take-in device 14 sends the banknote P into the return path transport pipe 12b in a posture in which the paper surface is along the extending direction of the return path transport pipe 12b. Here, the take-in device 14 sends out the banknotes P into the return path transport pipe 12b so that the paper surface is in a horizontal posture facing up and down. The banknote P sent out by the take-in device 14 into the return path transport pipe 12b stays at the delivery completion position. A portion of the return path transport pipe 12b that passes through the plurality of capturing devices 14 is in a horizontal posture and is horizontally and straightly piped. The horizontal posture is a posture of the return path transport pipe 12b in which the paper surface of the banknote P in the return path transport pipe 12b is horizontal.

  When the taking-in of the banknote P into the return path transport pipe 12b is completed, the transport auxiliary body 16 is moved from the transport auxiliary body relay apparatus 17 in order to transport and collect the banknote P staying in the return path transport pipe 12b to the collective safe 11. It is sent out into the forward transfer pipe 12a. At the same time, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is sent out from the collective safe 11 into the outward conveyance pipe 12a. The transport auxiliary body 16 sent into the forward path transport pipe 12a moves in the forward path transport pipe 12a under the action of the air flow, reaches the transport assist body relay device 17, and is received by the transport auxiliary body relay device 17. Held. On the other hand, the transport auxiliary body 16 sent out from the transport auxiliary body relay device 17 into the return path transport pipe 12b moves in the return path transport pipe 12b under the action of the air flow, and collects the banknotes P to the collective safe 11. Come back. In that case, as shown in FIG. 3, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 pushes and moves the banknote P from the rear end side (conveyance direction FW in the drawing).

  In this way, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is moved under the action of the air flow, and the banknote P is conveyed by being pushed from the rear end side by the conveyance auxiliary body 16, so that the banknote P itself obtains a propulsive force from the air flow. There is no need. Therefore, the banknote P can be conveyed by the airflow without taking measures such as bending the banknote P in order to receive the airflow. Moreover, since the conveyance auxiliary body 16 can obtain a driving force from an air flow more efficiently than the banknote P, the banknote P can be efficiently conveyed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the transport pipe 12 of the secondary collection device 10 of the paper sheet collection and transport system is configured by connecting a plurality of transport pipes with a connecting portion 15. The connecting portion 15 plays a role of absorbing the change in the length of the transport pipe 12 so that the entire installation state is not distorted even if the length of the transport pipe 12 changes due to a temperature change or the like. The take-in device 14 also functions to connect the front and rear transport pipes 12.

  Further, the paper sheet collection and conveyance system includes a control unit 27 (see FIG. 8) having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like as main parts. The control unit 27 includes an air flow generation device 21, a banknote separation / conveyance auxiliary body circulation device 22, a sub conveyance device 13, a take-in device 14, a conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17, an auxiliary blower 18, a sub conveyance device 13, and a primary recovery device. 8. Control the operation of each part such as the relay box 6.

  Next, the shape of the conveyance pipe | tube 12 and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is demonstrated in detail.

  4 is a perspective view of the conveyance pipe 12 in the straight portion, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the extending direction FW of the conveyance pipe 12 in the straight portion (= the conveyance direction FW of the bill P = the direction in which the airflow flows). FIG. The conveyance tube 12 is formed of a resin having a thickness of about 1.5 mm. The conveyance pipe 12 is formed by extrusion molding, for example.

  The shape of the cross section perpendicular to the extending direction FW of the straight portion of the transport pipe 12 is a shape in which the central portion of the long side of the rectangle is expanded outwardly into a rectangle. Specifically, the transport pipe 12 includes a wall portion 31 that forms a rectangular short side in cross section, a side wall portion 32 that forms a long long side in cross section, and an extended portion that protrudes outward in a rectangular shape at the center portion of the side wall portion 32. 33. In addition, let the short side direction in the substantially rectangular cross section perpendicular | vertical to the extending direction (conveyance direction FW) of the conveyance pipe 12 be an X direction, and let a long side direction be a Y direction. In each of the X direction and the Y direction, the direction toward the center of the transport pipe 12 is referred to as the inside, and the direction from the center toward the inner wall is referred to as the outside.

  The extended portion 33 is divided into two by a separation wall 34 standing in the inner direction of the transport pipe 12. The separation wall 34 is formed by attaching a T-shaped member to the inner wall of the extension portion 33.

  A plurality of ribs 35 projecting inward of the transport pipe 12 are formed on the side wall 32 so as to extend along the transport direction. In this example, a rib 35 protruding inward of the transport pipe 12 is formed along the transport direction FW at the boundary between the side wall 32 and the extended portion 33. The separation wall 34 has the same height as the rib 35, and the top of the separation wall 34 functions as a rib. Hereinafter, the separation wall 34 is also referred to as a rib 34.

  The side wall part 32 is a pair of inner walls facing the paper surface of the bill P to be conveyed. The banknote P has a rectangular shape and is transported in the transport tube 12 in a direction in which the long side is the transport direction FW. In other words, the sheet P is conveyed in a direction facing the side wall 32 of the conveying tube 12 and one short side of the banknote P being the leading end side in the conveying direction FW and the other short side being the trailing end side.

  The distance Dy between the pair of opposing wall portions 31 of the transport pipe 12 is slightly longer than the short side of the banknote P. Further, a distance Dx between a pair of opposing side wall portions 32 (a portion where the rib 35, the extended portion 33, and the separation wall 34 are not formed (referred to as a reference plane portion)) is set to about 21 mm. The extension part 33 provided in each side wall part 32 is extended about 6 mm outward from the side wall part 32 (reference plane part). The tops of the ribs 35 and the separation wall 34 have a height of about 2 mm from the side wall portion 32 (reference plane portion) to the inside. What is necessary is just to set the height of the rib 35 suitably.

  The transport pipe 12 can be used with its longitudinal direction tilted at an arbitrary angle in addition to the vertical and horizontal directions, and the transport auxiliary body 16 can smoothly move through the transport pipe 12 at any angle. it can. For example, the banknote P and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 can be smoothly conveyed also in the twist part 51 (refer FIG. 9) mentioned later. FIG. 5 shows the conveying pipe 12 in a vertical posture installed so that the long side of the rectangular cross section is vertical.

  FIG. 6 shows a plane and a front surface of the conveyance auxiliary body 16. The conveyance auxiliary body 16 has a columnar shape with a circular cross section having a different diameter at each portion. The conveyance auxiliary body 16 is used by being inserted into the conveyance tube 12 so that the central axis of the cylinder is in the Y direction of the conveyance tube 12. The conveyance auxiliary body 16 has a target shape with respect to the center in the length direction, and in order from one end, the head 16a, the neck 16b having a slightly smaller diameter than the head, and the large diameter larger than the head 16a. It has a constricted portion 16d, a large-diameter portion 16c, a neck portion 16b, and a head portion 16a that have the same diameter as the portion 16c and the neck portion 16b and are located in the center in the length direction. The conveyance auxiliary body 16 is lightweight and strong, and the inside thereof is formed into a cavity by a plastic or the like. In addition, if it is lightweight and strong, you may form with a polystyrene foam, an extrusion foaming polystyrene, etc.

  FIG. 7 shows a cross section in a state where the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is inserted into the conveyance tube 12. This figure is a cross section perpendicular to the extending direction FW and passing through the central axis of the auxiliary conveyance body 16. The diameter of each part of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 corresponds to the inner edge shape of the conveyance pipe 12. That is, the cross-sectional shape passing through the central axis of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is a shape corresponding to the inner edge shape of the conveyance pipe 12 in the cross section perpendicular to the extending direction FW, and the inside of the conveyance pipe 12 is between the inner wall and the inner wall. It has a shape that is almost closed with a predetermined clearance.

  In this way, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 forms a shape corresponding to the inner edge shape of the conveyance pipe 12 (substantially the same shape with a slight clearance) and closes almost the entire cross section of the conveyance pipe 12. Receive and move efficiently. Furthermore, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 plays a role of preventing the air flow from the upstream from reaching the downstream side of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 and suppressing the disturbance of the air flow on the downstream side.

  The banknote P tends to stick to the side wall portion 32 when it receives an action from the air flow in the transport pipe 12. That is, the interval between one paper surface of the banknote P and the side wall portion 32 opposed to the paper surface and the interval between the other paper surface and the side wall portion 32 opposed to the paper surface are rarely equal. Narrower than the other. Since the flow velocity of the air flow is faster on the narrow interval side than on the wide interval side, the air pressure on the narrow interval side becomes lower than the air pressure on the wide interval side, and this pressure difference causes the bill P to be adsorbed and pressed on the side wall portion 32 on the narrow interval side. Is done. If it becomes so, the space | interval of a narrow space | interval side will become further narrow, and the phenomenon which the banknote P sticks and adsorb | sucks to the side wall part 32 will arise.

  If the banknote P strongly sticks to the side wall part 32, it becomes difficult to push and move the banknote P by the transport auxiliary body 16. However, as described above, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 functions to block (reduce) the air flow to the downstream side thereof, so that the force with which the banknotes P sticks and becomes small is reduced, and smooth conveyance is realized.

  The two large diameter portions 16 c included in the conveyance auxiliary body 16 engage with the two expansion portions 33 that are partitioned by the separation wall 34 of the conveyance pipe 12. In this example, the extended portion 33 is divided into two by the separation wall 34, and these extended portions 33 are provided near the center in the Y direction of the transport pipe 12, so that the transport auxiliary body 16 is maintained in a stable posture. Can be moved. Moreover, since the attitude | position of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is stabilized, the large diameter part 16c of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 can contact | abut appropriately at the rear end of the banknote P, and the stable conveyance force can be given. Moreover, it becomes difficult for the banknote P to be caught between the conveyance pipe 12 and the conveyance auxiliary body 16.

  Moreover, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 can receive the force for moving efficiently because the area of the part which receives the effect | action of an airflow expands by providing the large diameter part 16c. Moreover, since the large diameter part 16c is provided and the effect | action of an airflow is received efficiently, the diameter of the head 16a can be made small by that much. By reducing the diameter of the head, the distance (width (Dx)) between the pair of side wall portions 32 facing each other in the transport pipe 12 can be narrowed, and the banknote P can be prevented from falling.

  Further, the presence of the plurality of ribs 35 provided on the side wall portion 32 prevents the banknote P from sticking to the side wall portion 32 exactly. That is, the contact area between the bill P and the side wall 32 is reduced, friction is reduced, and generation of static electricity can be suppressed. Even when the banknote P sticks to the side wall 32, the banknote P is supported by the tip portion of the rib 35, so that a gap is secured between the side wall 32 and the banknote P around the rib 35, Sticking force can be kept small. Moreover, since the banknote P is supported by the separation wall 34, it is prevented that the banknote P falls in the hollow of the expansion part 33. FIG.

  In addition, the tops of the plurality of ribs 35 and the separation wall 34 protruding inward from the side wall portion 32 indicate the substantial passage width W of the banknote P in the width direction (X direction) of the transport pipe 12 and the distance Dx between the reference plane portions. It plays a role of narrowing. Thereby, it becomes difficult for the banknote P to fall down to the one side wall part 32 side in the conveyance pipe 12, and the attitude | position of the banknote 6 is hold | maintained along a Y direction. In particular, by providing a plurality of ribs 35, the banknote P can be prevented from falling down and the banknote P can be effectively prevented from sticking to the side wall 32. Note that Dx can be increased by the amount of the ribs 35 provided, thereby increasing the cross-sectional area of the transport pipe 12 and making the transport auxiliary body 16 susceptible to the action of airflow.

  In the case of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 according to the present embodiment, since the diameter of the large-diameter portion 16c is the largest, the large-diameter portion 16c abuts against the rear end of the banknote 6 and moves as shown in FIG. Become.

  Next, the internal structure of the collective safe 11 will be described in more detail.

  FIG. 8 shows the collective safe 11 with the front cover removed and the transport pipe 12 in the vicinity thereof, and FIG. 9 shows the back side of the collective safe 11. At the connection position with the collective safe 11, as shown in FIG. 9, the forward transfer pipe 12 a and the return transfer pipe 12 b are each in a vertical posture.

  The collective safe 11 has a vertically long rectangular parallelepiped shape, and an air flow generator 21 is disposed at an inner lower portion thereof, and a banknote separating / conveying auxiliary body circulation device 22 is attached at an upper portion thereof. In addition, inside the collective safe 11, a banknote storage unit 25 that stores banknotes P, a banknote transport unit 26 that transports the banknotes P separated and collected by the separation and recovery device 24 to the banknote storage unit 25, and a paper sheet collection and transport system. A control unit 27 for controlling the entire operation, a power supply unit, and the like are accommodated.

  The banknote P discharged from the rear end of the separation / recovery device 24 travels along the path indicated by the arrow B in FIG. 8, is delivered to the banknote transport section 26 provided alongside, and is transported to the banknote storage section 25 by the banknote transport section 26. Is done.

  10 and 11 show an overview of the banknote separating / conveying auxiliary body circulation device 22. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the banknote separating / conveying auxiliary body circulation device 22 as viewed from the outlet side of the separated banknote, and FIG. 11 is a connection of the banknote separating / conveying auxiliary body circulation apparatus 22 to the conveyance pipe 12. It is the perspective view seen from the section side.

  The banknote separation / conveyance auxiliary body circulation device 22 is arranged so as to overlap the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 23 for sending the conveyance auxiliary body 16 into the conveyance pipe 12 (starting end of the forward conveyance pipe 12a) and the conveyance auxiliary body insertion apparatus 23. Then, the end of the return path transport pipe 12b is connected, and the separation and recovery device 24 that separates and recovers the banknote P coming from the return path transport pipe 12b and the transport auxiliary body 16 that has pushed and moved it from the rear is integrated. Composed.

  The conveyance auxiliary body 16 separated and collected from the banknote P by the separation / collection device 24 falls downward from the separation / collection device 24 through the guide passage 28 (see FIG. 11), and to the standby place 29 in the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 23. Delivered. As a result, the collected conveyance auxiliary body 16 is used as the conveyance auxiliary body 16 that is next sent out into the outward conveyance pipe 12a, and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is repeatedly used.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, the separation and recovery device 24 has a function of allowing the banknote P, which has been pushed and moved by the conveyance auxiliary body 16, to pass downstream, and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 abuts and stops. A holding part 41 is provided. The holding portion 41 has a receiving portion 42 having a U-shaped cross section for receiving the conveyance auxiliary body 16 at the tip of an arm that rotates within a predetermined angle range around one end. A slit 43 through which the banknote P passes is provided at the center of the receiving portion 42. In addition, a discharge port for dropping the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is opened on the bottom surface of the receiving portion 42.

  Usually, the holding part 41 is set to a position (a position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 12) with the tip of the receiving part 42 directed toward the end of the transfer pipe 12 (return path transfer pipe 12b). When the banknote P pushed and moved by the conveyance auxiliary body 16 passes through the slit 43 of the receiving portion 42 and is received by the receiving portion 42, the holding portion 41 is driven and rotated by the motor. 42 is moved to a position (a position indicated by a broken line in FIG. 12) that is moved aside from the extension of the conveyance pipe 12 (return conveyance pipe 12 b). At this position, the opening at the bottom of the receiving portion 42 communicates with the guide passage 28, and the conveyance assisting body 16 falls downward through the guide passage 28.

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

  The conveyance auxiliary body 16 that has fallen through the guide passage 28 enters the standby place 29 provided in the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 23 and is received.

  The conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 23 includes a movable arm 46 that rotates around one end and includes a delivery section 45 having a U-shaped cross section that holds the conveyance auxiliary body 16 at the other end. The delivery unit 45 is provided with a large opening for smoothly flowing the air flow from the air flow generator 21.

  The movable arm 46 has a waiting position (a position indicated by a broken line in FIG. 12) where the sending part 45 is accommodated in the waiting place 29, and a sending out in which the sending part 45 is an extension of the start end of the transport pipe 12 (outward transport pipe 12a). The motor is rotated to a position (a position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 12). The movable arm 46 is normally in a standby position, and the delivery unit 45 receives the conveyance auxiliary body 16 that has fallen from the separation and recovery device 24 through the guide passage 28. When sending the conveyance auxiliary body 16 into the conveyance pipe 12 (outward conveyance pipe 12a), the movable arm 46 is rotated to move the sending section 45 to the sending position. Then, due to the air flow from the air flow generating device 21, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is separated from the delivery unit 45 and sent out into the conveyance pipe 12 (outward conveyance pipe 12a).

  In this way, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 that has returned while pushing and moving the bill P from behind is separated and collected from the banknote P by the separation and collection device 24, and is transferred to the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 23, and next. It is reused for sending out.

  Next, the posture of each part of the transport pipe 12 will be described.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 1, four gaming machine islands 3 are provided side by side with passages, and in order to collect banknotes P from the relay box 6 of these gaming machine islands 3, as shown in FIG. A case where the transport pipe 12 is piped will be described as an example.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 2, the forward transfer pipe 12 a is in the vertical position when it exits from the back of the collective safe 11, but after that, after going to the horizontal position through the twisted portion 51, the path is moved vertically upward. Change. When it reaches the back of the ceiling, the course is returned to the horizontal position, and again passes through the twisted portion 51 to be in the vertical position, and the vertical position is extended to the transport auxiliary body relay device 17 in the vertical position. The end of the forward transfer pipe 12a is connected to the transfer auxiliary body relay device 17 in a vertical posture.

  The return path transport pipe 12 b is in a vertical position at the start end portion connected to the transport auxiliary body relay device 17, but then is in a horizontal position through the twisted portion 51 before reaching the first take-in device 14. The return path transport pipe 12b extends straight through the back of the ceiling in the horizontal position and through the plurality of take-in devices 14 on the way, above the relay box 6 of each gaming machine island 3. When the return path transport pipe 12b reaches the end of the portion passing through the ceiling, the path is changed to a vertically downward direction while maintaining the horizontal posture, and when it is lowered to the height of the collective safe 11, the path is returned to the horizontal direction and then passed through the torsion part 51 to the vertical position. Thus, it is connected in a vertical position to the connection port on the back of the collective safe 11 (see FIG. 9).

  When changing the course by curving the transport pipe 12 (return path transport pipe 12b) where the banknote P is transported, the banknote P passes through the curved section without difficulty if the paper surface of the banknote P faces the inside and outside of the arc. can do. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the transport pipe 12 is in a horizontal posture before and after the place where the course of the transport pipe 12 (return path transport pipe 12 b) is changed to horizontal / vertical.

  Note that even when the banknote P is not transported, the transport auxiliary body 16 is moved alone, so that the axis of the transport auxiliary body 16 is perpendicular to the radial direction of the curved portion, so that even a small radius can be smoothly obtained. You can go on the curved part. That is, as for the forward transfer pipe 12a, it is preferable that the transfer pipe 12 is in a lateral position before and after the place where the course of the transfer pipe 12 is changed to horizontal / vertical as shown in FIG.

  Moreover, when extending the conveyance pipe | tube 12 in a thin wall, it is preferable that the longitudinal direction of the cross section of the conveyance pipe | tube 12 turns into a direction along a wall surface (the short side direction of a cross section turns into the thickness direction of a wall). Therefore, the portion of the conveying pipe 12 that extends vertically in the wall is oriented as described above.

  Since the twisted portion 51 is provided in the middle of the transport pipe 12, the course of the transport pipe 12 can be freely set in a plane such as the back of the ceiling while mixing the vertical direction and the horizontal direction as the transport direction of the bills P. .

  Next, the structure of the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the transfer auxiliary relay device 17 includes a relay unit 61 in the shape of a rectangular thin box to which the forward path transport pipe 12a and the return path transport pipe 12b are connected, and air from the end of the forward path transport pipe 12a. A blower unit 62 is provided which performs a function of sucking air and a function of blowing air at the start end of the return path transport pipe 12b. FIG. 14 shows a state in which a part of the outer cover of the blower portion 62 has been removed. Inside the blower unit 62, a fan 63 driven by a motor and a control device 64 for controlling the operation of the transport auxiliary body relay device 17 are provided. The suction duct 65 connected to the suction port of the fan 63 is connected to a suction duct connection port 71a (see FIGS. 15 and 16) opened on the back surface of the relay unit 61, and the blower duct 66 connected to the blower port of the fan 63. Is connected to an air duct connection port 71b (see FIGS. 15 and 16) opening on the back surface of the relay part 61.

  As shown in FIG. 14, on the front side of the relay unit 61 of the transport auxiliary body relay device 17, an inflow side connection port 67 to which the forward path transport pipe 12 a is connected and an outflow side connection port 68 to which the return path transport pipe 12 b is connected. Is provided so as to protrude forward. Each of the inflow side connection port 67 and the outflow side connection port 68 has an inner edge shape corresponding to the outer edge side shape of the transport pipe 12, and the end of the forward transport pipe 12 a is densely inserted into the inflow side connection port 67. Then, the starting end of the return path transport pipe 12b is densely inserted into the outflow side connection port 68.

  FIG. 15 shows a state where the cover on the front side of the relay unit 61 is removed. The relay unit 61 includes a rectangular base plate 71 that forms the back surface of the relay unit 61, and a rotating plate 72 that is rotatably supported on the base plate 71 by a support shaft 73. The rotating plate 72 is provided with a pair of holding portions 74 at target positions around the support shaft 73. The holding unit 74 functions to temporarily hold the conveyance auxiliary body 16.

  The rotating plate 72 can be stopped at two locations: a first stop position shown in FIG. 15 and a second stop position rotated 180 degrees from the first stop position. FIG. 16 shows a state in the middle of rotation of the rotating plate 72 from the first stop position to the second stop position. A transmissive optical sensor 76 that detects whether or not the rotating plate 72 is at the first stop position or the second stop position is provided.

  When the rotating plate 72 stops at one of the stop positions, one holding portion 74 is located just behind the inflow side connection port 67 and is connected to the inflow side connection port 67 (referred to as a receiving position). The holding portion 74 is positioned just behind the outflow side connection port 68 and is connected to the outflow side connection port 68 (referred to as a discharge position).

  A ventilation hole 72 a is formed in the rotary plate 72 at a position corresponding to the center of each holding portion 74. When the rotating plate 72 stops at the stop position, the suction duct 65 and the inflow side connecting port 67 communicate with each other through the suction duct connecting port 71a provided in the base plate 71 and the ventilation hole 72a provided in the rotating plate 72, and The air duct 66 and the outflow side connection port 68 communicate with each other through the air duct connection port 71 b provided in the base plate 71 and the ventilation hole 72 a provided in the rotating plate 72.

  FIG. 17 is a view of the relay unit 61 from which the front cover is removed as viewed from above. The holding portion 74 is a pair of sandwiching the receiving auxiliary member 81 coming in contact with the auxiliary conveying member 16 coming from the forward conveying tube 12a and receiving the auxiliary conveying member 16 from the left and right sides. The holding roller 82 is provided. The conveyance auxiliary body 16 is sandwiched and held between the pair of holding rollers 82 and the receiving portion 81. The receiving portion 81 is composed of an impact absorbing member that absorbs an impact when the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is received.

  The pair of holding rollers 82 are arranged with a space left and right so that the conveyance auxiliary body 16 can pass between them. The holding roller 82 is attached to the inside of the tip of a pair of holding arms 83 whose longitudinal direction is the traveling direction of the conveyance auxiliary body 16. The holding arm 83 is pivotally supported at the rear end, and the distance between the pair of holding rollers 82 attached to the tip is slightly smaller than the diameter of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 and the distance between the pair of holding rollers 82 is conveyed. It rotates to an open position that is sufficiently wider than the diameter of the auxiliary body 16, and is biased by a spring or the like toward the closed position.

  Of the pair of holding arms 83, a release plate 84 that is parallel to the rotating plate 72 and protrudes outward is attached to the outer side surface of the outer holding arm 83. As shown in FIG. 15, the release plate 84 is a rectangular metal plate whose longitudinal direction is the tangential direction of the circle around which the rotating plate 72 rotates, and its both ends in the longitudinal direction are obliquely bent in a direction away from the rotating plate 72. Yes. When the rotating plate 72 rotates and the holding portion 74 comes to the discharge position, the base plate 71 contacts the release plate 84 of the holding portion 74 that has come to the discharge position, and the release plate 84 is attached. A release roller 85 is attached to move the holding arm 83 to an open position where the tip opens outward. The base plate 71 is provided with a sensor 75 that detects whether or not the holding unit 74 at the first stop position and the second stop position holds the auxiliary conveyance body 16. The sensor 75 is a transmissive optical sensor.

  FIG. 18 shows a state in which the holding unit 74 at the receiving position holds the conveyance auxiliary body 16 coming from the forward conveyance tube 12a. As shown in FIG. 6A, the holding unit 74 stands by at a closed position where the distance between the pair of holding rollers 82 is slightly smaller than the diameter of the conveyance auxiliary body 16. As shown in FIG. 6B, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 that arrives from the end of the forward conveyance tube 12a passes through a portion where the holding roller 82 is located while widening the distance between the pair of holding rollers 82, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. At the position in contact with the receiving portion 81, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is positioned slightly closer to the receiving portion 81 side than the line C <b> 1 connecting the centers of the pair of holding rollers 82. 82.

  FIG. 19 shows a state when the holding portion 74 has reached the discharge position. When the release position is reached, the release plate 84 comes into contact with the release roller 85, so that the outer holding arm 83 to which the release plate 84 is attached is rotated in the opening direction so that the distance between the pair of holding rollers 82 is conveyed. The diameter of the auxiliary body 16 becomes wider, and the holding of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 by the receiving portion 81 and the holding roller 82 is released.

  On the inner side of the inflow side connection port 67 and the outflow side connection port 68 and the inner side of the holding portion 74, as shown in FIGS. , 93 are provided. The ribs 91 and 92 are provided inside the inflow side connection port 67 and the outflow side connection port 68, and the rib 93 is provided inside the holding portion 74. The side ribs 91 that come into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter portion 16c of the conveyance assisting body 16 gradually become narrower as the passage width of the portion through which the large-diameter portion 16c of the conveyance assisting body 16 passes from the inlet side to the back of the connection port. After that, it is set to spread a little suddenly. The side ribs 91 prevent backlash on the left and right of the conveyance auxiliary body 16.

  The guide ribs 92 provided inside the inflow side connection port 67 and the outflow side connection port 68 and corresponding to the upper, middle, and lower constricted portions 16d of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 are positioned in the axial direction of the conveyance auxiliary body 16. Regulate posture. Similarly, a pair of upper and lower guide ribs 93 provided inside the holding portion 74 and corresponding to the upper and lower constricted portions 16d of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 regulate the position of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 in the axial direction.

  The upper and lower guide ribs 92 have a taper that increases the distance from the connection ports 67 and 68 toward the holding portion 74. The pair of upper and lower guide ribs 93 continuing to the back side of the upper and lower guide ribs 92 has a taper (taper opposite to the guide rib 92) in which the distance between them increases toward the connection ports 67 and 68.

  The conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 operates as follows.

  By driving the fan 63 of the blower section 62, air is sucked from the end of the forward path transport pipe 12a, and an air flow is sent to the start end of the return path transport pipe 12b. As a result, an air flow from the start end to the end of the forward transfer pipe 12a and an air flow from the start end to the end of the return transfer pipe 12b are generated and strengthened.

  The holding unit 74 at the receiving position receives and holds the conveyance auxiliary body 16 that arrives from the forward conveyance tube 12a. At this time, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 that has arrived from the forward conveyance tube 12a is regulated in position and posture by the side ribs 91 and the guide ribs 92 and 93 when passing through the inflow side connection port 67, and the holding portion 74 in the receiving position It is held at a predetermined correct position and posture.

  Thereafter, when the rotating plate 72 is rotated 180 degrees, the holding portion 74 that is in the receiving position is moved to the discharging position. When moved to the release position, the release plate 84 comes into contact with the release roller 85 and the holding of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is released. When the fan 63 of the blower section 62 is operated in the released state, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is sent out to the return conveyance pipe 12b through the outflow side connection port 68 by receiving the ventilation from the ventilation duct 66. At this time, the position and posture of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 are regulated by the side ribs 91 and the guide ribs 92 and 93, and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is sent out in a correct posture into the return path conveyance pipe 12b.

  In the present embodiment, the transfer auxiliary body 16 is sent from the transfer auxiliary body relay device 17 to the return path transfer pipe 12b, and the transfer auxiliary body 16 is transferred from the transfer auxiliary body insertion apparatus 23 of the collective safe 11 to the forward path transfer pipe 12a. Are controlled at the same time. As a result, the first movement of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 from the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 23 of the collective safe 11 to the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 through the outward conveyance tube 12a and the aggregation from the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 through the return conveyance tube 12b are performed. The second movement of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 to the separation and recovery device 24 of the safe 11 is performed in parallel.

  As a result, the transport auxiliary body 16 sent from the collective safe 11 to the forward transport pipe 12a without making the transport auxiliary relay device 17 goes around the entire transport pipe 12 and returns to the collective safe 11 before the next transport auxiliary body. Compared with the case where 16 is sent out, the collection operation | movement of the banknote P by the conveyance auxiliary body 16 can be performed with a short period, and the collection | recovery capability of the secondary collection | recovery apparatus 10 per unit time can be improved.

  It is to be noted that the transfer auxiliary body 16 is sent out from the transfer auxiliary body relay device 17 to the return path transfer pipe 12b and the transfer auxiliary body 16 is sent out from the transfer auxiliary body insertion apparatus 23 of the collective safe 11 to the forward path transfer pipe 12a at the same time. It is not limited to that. A first movement in which the conveyance auxiliary body 16 sent out by the conveyance auxiliary body inserting device 23 moves in the forward conveyance pipe 12a, and a first movement in which the conveyance auxiliary body 16 sent out by the conveyance auxiliary body relay apparatus 17 moves in the return path conveyance pipe 12b. It is sufficient that at least a part of the two movements is performed in parallel. If even a part of the first movement and the second movement are performed in parallel, it is possible to increase the collection capability by shortening the delivery cycle.

  For example, compared with the first movement on the forward path from the collective safe 11 to the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17, if the second movement on the return path from the conveyance auxiliary relay apparatus 17 to the collective safe 11 requires time, the movement time is long. You may make it send out to the outward path | route (outward path | route transport pipe | tube 12a) with a short movement time, after sending out the conveyance auxiliary body 16 to a return path (return path | route conveyance pipe | tube 12b) previously. It is desirable to control the delivery at the timing when the first movement on the forward path ends at the same time or before the completion of the second movement on the backward path.

  In the transport auxiliary body relay device 17, as shown in FIG. 13, at the connection point between the inflow side connection port 67 and the end of the forward path transport pipe 12a and at the connection point between the outflow side connection port 68 and the start end of the return path transport pipe 12b. The inflow side connection port 67 and the outflow side connection port 68 are arranged so that the longitudinal direction of the cross section of the forward path transport pipe 12a and the longitudinal direction of the cross section of the return path transport pipe 12b are parallel (match).

  In the installation example of FIG. 2, the transfer auxiliary relay device 17 is an extension in which the forward transfer pipe 12 a and the return transfer pipe 12 b of the part extending along the upper side of the relay box 6 of each gaming machine island 3 are straightened as they are. It is arranged on the line. However, for example, when the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 has to be installed by bending from the above-described extension line, it is necessary to bend the forward conveyance pipe 12a and the backward conveyance pipe 12b. At this time, if the longitudinal directions of the cross sections of the forward transport pipe 12a and the backward transport pipe 12b are parallel to each other at the connection point to the transport auxiliary body relay device 17, the curved structures of the forward transport pipe 12a and the backward transport pipe 12b have the same structure. A curve connecting member can be connected to cope with it.

  However, if the longitudinal directions of the cross sections of the forward transport pipe 12a and the return transport pipe 12b are not parallel at the connection point to the transport auxiliary relay device 17, the curved portions of the forward transport pipe 12a and the return transport pipe 12b have different curvatures. It is necessary to use a curve connecting member. For this reason, it is not only troublesome to design and manufacture individually, but also it becomes difficult to handle maintenance because it is an individual product. Like the transfer auxiliary body relay device 17 of the present embodiment, the forward transfer pipe 12a and the return path transfer pipe 12b are both in the vertical posture at the connection point to the transfer auxiliary relay device 17, and the longitudinal direction of the cross section is parallel. By doing so, the above problem can be solved, and the degree of freedom of the installation location of the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 can be increased.

  In the secondary recovery device 10 shown in FIG. 2, it is necessary to make the return conveyance pipe 12 b in a horizontal position in a portion passing over the relay box 6, so that it is connected to the outflow side connection port 68 of the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17. The return path transport pipe 12b is changed from a vertical posture to a horizontal posture by inserting a twisted portion 51 at a location upstream of the first take-in device 14.

  Even if the auxiliary transfer device 17 is installed horizontally (posture shown in FIG. 13) due to its mechanism, the entire transfer auxiliary relay device 17 is 90 degrees around the rotation axis of the rotating plate 72 with respect to the posture shown in FIG. It may be installed in a rotated orientation) or in an orientation in which the inflow side connection port 67 and the outflow side connection port 68 face upward. However, since the holding by the holding roller 82 is released at the discharge position, the outflow side connection port 68 faces downward so that the conveyance auxiliary body 16 does not naturally fall into the return path conveyance pipe 12b through the outflow side connection port 68. It is necessary to avoid it.

  The configuration of the transport auxiliary body relay device 17 is not limited to that illustrated in FIGS. For example, the transfer auxiliary body relay device 17 is provided with a buffer unit that can hold a plurality of transfer auxiliary bodies 16 coming from the forward transfer pipe 12a, and the next transfer auxiliary body 16 held in the buffer section is sent out to the next. It may be configured to be used for

  Further, in the transfer auxiliary body relay device 17 shown in FIG. 13 and the like, the rotation plate 72 is rotated 180 degrees to move the transfer auxiliary body 16 received from the inflow side connection port 67 to the outflow side connection port 68 side. However, the movement method may be arbitrary. For example, as shown in FIG. 22, four holding portions 74 are provided on the rotating plate 72 every 90 degrees, and the stop position of the rotating plate 72 is set every 90 degrees. Then, the inflow side connection port 67 is provided at a position facing the one holding portion 74a, and the outflow side connection port 68 is provided at a position facing the holding portion 74b at a position where the rotating plate 72 is rotated 90 degrees therefrom. A configuration in which the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is moved from the receiving position to the discharging position by rotating the plate 72 by 90 degrees may be employed. In addition, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 may be slid and moved from the receiving position to the discharging position.

  In the transfer auxiliary body relay device 17 shown in FIG. 13 and the like, the transfer auxiliary body 16 is moved from the receiving position to the discharge position using the rotating plate 72, so that the relay portion 61 of the transfer auxiliary body relay device 17 becomes thin, and the transfer is performed. The installation of the auxiliary relay device 17 is less likely to interfere with the ornaments on the game hall 2 and the gaming machine island 3.

  As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 catches the conveyance auxiliary body 16 with a holding roller 82 biased by a spring and holds it while the rotation plate 72 is rotating. When the holding portion 74 reaches the release position, the release plate 84 comes into contact with the release roller 85, and the holding by the holding roller 82 biased by the spring is released. Therefore, it is not necessary to use an electromagnetic relay or the like, and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 can be received, held, and released from holding with a simple configuration.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, since the side rib 91 and the guide ribs 92 and 93 are provided inside the inflow side connection port 67 and the outflow side connection port 68, the posture of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is regulated, The catch of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is made stable and reliable, the posture of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 sent out from the inflow side connection port 67 to the return path conveyance pipe 12b is corrected, and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is sent out to the return path conveyance pipe 12b without inclination. Can do.

  Next, the part which takes out the banknote P conveyed from the sub conveyance apparatus 13 in the conveyance pipe | tube 12 by the taking-in apparatus 14 is demonstrated.

  As shown in FIG. 23, the sub-transport device 13 performs a function of transporting the banknotes P from the relay box 6 toward the return path transport pipe 12b that extends horizontally above the relay box 6. When taken from the sub-conveying device 13 to the return-conveying pipe 12b, the traveling direction of the bills P is changed from vertical to horizontal. As described above, when changing the advancing direction, it is necessary to take a posture in which the paper surface of the banknote P faces the inside and outside of the arc. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, the posture of the return path transport pipe 12b that extends horizontally above the relay box 6 is such that the paper surface of the banknote P to be transported (P3 in FIG. 24) is in the vertical direction. It is made a horizontal posture. And at least the terminal part (portion just before reaching the taking-in apparatus 14) of the conveyance pipe (it makes the sub conveyance pipe 101) extended in the up-down direction of the sub conveyance apparatus 13 is conveyed banknote P (P1 of FIG. 24). ) Is disposed so as to face the extending direction Fw of the return path transport pipe 12b at a location where the take-in device 14 is located.

  FIG. 24 shows the periphery of the take-in device 14 inserted in the return path transport pipe 12b passing through the relay box 6. Inside, the take-in device 14 changes the course of the bill P to P1, P2, and P3 in FIG. The take-in device 14 can smoothly feed the bills P transported by the sub-transport device 13 into the transport pipe 12 without changing the course of the bills P without twisting.

  In the secondary recovery device 10, the return path transport pipe 12 b connected in a vertical posture to the outflow side connection port 68 of the transport auxiliary body relay device 17 is placed in a horizontal posture before reaching the first intake device 14. The torsion part 51 is inserted in the return path transport pipe 12b immediately after leaving the outflow side connection port 68 of the transport auxiliary body relay device 17 (see FIG. 2).

  Next, the sub-transport device 13 will be described.

  FIG. 25 is a perspective view showing the sub-transport device 13 and the intake device 14 (and the transport pipe 12 before and after that) connected to the upper end thereof. FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view of the sub-transport device 13 and the capture device 14 (and the transport pipe 12 before and after) connected to the upper end thereof. FIG. 27 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the upper portion of the sub transport pipe 101 of the sub transport device 13 and the take-in device 14. FIG. 28 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a lower portion of the sub-transport pipe 101 of the sub-transport apparatus 13.

  The sub-transport device 13 transports the banknotes P using a transport auxiliary body 16 that is different from the transport auxiliary body 16 that moves the transport pipe 12. However, the shape is the same as the conveyance auxiliary body 16 that moves the conveyance pipe 12. In the sub-transport device 13, one transport auxiliary body 16 reciprocates along the sub-transport pipe 101 extending in the vertical direction. The cross-sectional shape of the sub-transport pipe 101 is the same as that of the straight portion of the transport pipe 12, and the description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 25 and 26, the sub-transport device 13 includes a sub-transport pipe 101 extending in the vertical direction, a transport auxiliary body 16 that reciprocates up and down in the sub-transport pipe 101, and a sub-transport pipe. A bill taking-in portion 103 attached to the lower end of 101, and a rising flow generating portion 102 for sending an air flow from the lower side to the upper side of the bill taking-in portion 103 into the auxiliary transport pipe 101 through the bill taking-in portion 103. Yes.

  The sub-carrying tube 101 is provided with a twisted portion 51 slightly before the upper end. The torsion part 51 twists the sub transport pipe 101 by 90 degrees. As described above, the portion above the twisted portion 51 of the sub-transport pipe 101 is set so that the paper surface of the banknote P passing through the section faces the extending direction of the return-path transport pipe 12b at the place where the take-in device 14 is installed. (See FIG. 24). On the other hand, in the portion below the twisted portion 51, the longitudinal direction of the cross section of the sub-transport pipe 101 is in a direction that coincides with the extending direction of the return-path transport pipe 12 b at the installation location of the take-in device 14.

  As shown in FIG. 28, the banknote taking-in portion 103 has a passage section 104 having a cross-sectional shape similar to that of the sub-transport pipe 101 and having a length of about 15 cm that communicates with the lower end of the sub-transport pipe 101. An opening 104b for taking in the banknote P provided on one side wall of the section 104, a transport roller 105a for transporting the banknote P obliquely upward from the opening 104b into the passage section 104, a transport belt 105b, and the like are provided. Yes.

  The lower end of the passage portion 104 is narrowed and receives and holds the conveyance auxiliary body 16. In addition, an air flow inlet 104 c from the upward flow generation unit 102 is provided at the lower end of the passage unit 104. A blower duct 102b extending from the fan 102a (see FIG. 25) of the upward flow generation unit 102 is connected to the inflow port 104c.

  FIG. 29 shows a state in which the banknote taking-in portion 103 in a state where the lid (the wall portion facing the opening 104b) of the passage portion 104 is removed is viewed from the side facing the opening 104b. The conveyance roller 105 a and the conveyance belt 105 b laid over the conveyance roller 105 a are provided on the left and right sides of the passage portion 104 in the width direction. Since the banknote P is sent out into the passage part 104 by the left and right transport belts 105b, the banknote P does not tilt obliquely when the banknote P is sent out upward, and the banknote P can be sent out straight into the passage part 104.

  As shown in FIG. 27, the upper end of the sub-transport pipe 101 is provided with a narrowed opening 101a, and the transport auxiliary body 16 comes into contact with the narrowed portion of the upper end of the sub-transport pipe 101 and stops. The bill P pushed up by the conveyance auxiliary body 16 advances into the take-in device 14 through the opening 101a.

  The sub-transport device 13 operates as follows.

  The upward flow generating unit 102 is normally stopped, and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is held at the lower end of the passage unit 104 of the bill taking-in unit 103 (see FIG. 26). When the banknote P is sent out into the auxiliary transport pipe 101 by the banknote taking-in part 103, the transporting roller 105a of the banknote taking-in part 103 is driven by a motor, and the banknote P received from the outside (relay box 6) is passed through the passage part 104. It sends out toward the opening 104b. When the bill P is completely sent out into the passage portion 104, the upward flow generating portion 102 is operated to generate an upward air flow. By the action of this air flow, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 moves up in the sub conveyance pipe 101 while pushing the banknote P from the rear end.

  The banknote P conveyed to the upper end of the sub-transport pipe 101 by the transport auxiliary body 16 rising by the air flow advances into the capturing device 14 as it is through the opening 101a and is captured by the capturing device 14 (see FIG. 27). The conveyance auxiliary body 16 comes into contact with the narrow portion at the upper end of the sub-conveying pipe 101 and stops. Thereafter, when the upward flow generation unit 102 is stopped, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 naturally falls, returns to the original position, and is held at the lower end of the passage unit 104 of the bill taking-in unit 103. Thereby, a series of operation | movement which conveys the banknote P to the upper taking-in apparatus 14 is completed.

  The sub-transport device 13 has a transport capability for transporting a plurality (for example, 3 to 5) of banknotes P at a time upward. The banknote taking-in part 103 performs the operation | movement which sends out the banknote P one by one in the channel | path part 104 in multiple times, and forms the state in which the several banknote P stays in the channel | path part 104. FIG. When the upward flow generation unit 102 is operated in this state, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 conveys the plurality of banknotes P at a time to the upper-end take-in device 14.

  Next, the capture device 14 will be described.

  As illustrated in FIG. 27, the capture device 14 includes a passage portion 121 having a cross-sectional shape equivalent to that of the transport pipe 12 and to which the transport pipe 12 (return path transport pipe 12b) is connected back and forth. The passage portion 121 has the same inner shape as the straight portion of the transport pipe 12, and the transport auxiliary body 16 can pass through the passage portion 121 smoothly. The passage portion 121 is in a horizontal posture. An opening 121 b for taking the banknote P into the passage part 121 is formed on the lower wall surface of the passage part 121. The take-in device 14 includes a transport unit 122 for feeding the banknotes P into the passage unit 121 from the opening 121b.

  The transport unit 122 includes a banknote guide path 123 leading to the opening 121b, a transport belt 124 that transports the banknote P transported by the sub-transport device 13 toward the opening 121b of the passage section 121 through the banknote guide path 123, and transport. In order to prevent leakage of the air flow from the feeding roller 125a and the feeding belt 125b, and the banknote guide path 123, which serve to completely feed the banknote P fed into the passage section 121 by the belt 124 to the end of the banknote P. A shutter 126 that is provided in the middle of the bill guide path 123 and opens and closes the bill guide path 123, a conveyor belt 124, a feeding roller 125a, a motor that drives the feeding belt 125b, and the like are provided. The shutter 126 is biased to the closed position by a spring or the like.

  When the deformed banknote P or the weak banknote P is discharged from the relay box 6 to the sub-transport device 13, the banknote P transported to the take-in device 14 by the sub-transport device 13 and the transport belt 124 of the take-in device 14. May be insufficient, and the banknote P may be transported by the transport belt 124 and may not be successfully taken into the passage portion 121. Therefore, the take-in device 14 presses the banknote P, which has not been successfully transported by the transport belt 124, against the transport belt 124, and is sandwiched between the transport belt 124 to assist the transport. A roller 128 is further provided.

  As shown in FIG. 30, the clamping roller 128 is attached to the lower end of the movable arm 129 that is pivotally supported by the support point 129 a at the upper end, and swings the movable arm 129 by turning on and off the solenoid 130. When the solenoid 130 is turned on, the pinch roller 128 at the lower end advances into the bill guide path 123 to reach a pinching position (see FIG. 30B) where the bill P is pinched between the conveyance belt 124 and the solenoid 130 is turned off. Then, the clamping roller 128 is urged by a spring or the like to return to the retracted position (see FIG. 30A) where it is retracted to the side of the bill guide path 123.

  The conveyor belt 124 is provided separately in two places on the left and right sides of the banknote P in the width direction, and the sandwiching roller 128 is positioned between the left and right conveyor belts 124. Further, a bill detection sensor 131 for detecting the bill P is provided in the vicinity of the center in the transport direction in the range where the transport belt 124 is stretched. Here, the banknote detection sensor 131 is an optical sensor. Since the banknote detection sensor 131 and the movable arm 129 are extremely close to each other, the movable arm 129 includes a light beam so that the movable arm 129 does not obstruct the installation of the optical sensor and the movable arm 129 does not block the light of the optical sensor. An aperture is provided to avoid the sensor and its light.

  When the bill detection sensor 131 detects the bill P, the solenoid 130 is turned on to displace the sandwiching roller 128 to the sandwiching position, and the bill P is sandwiched and transported between the sandwiching roller 128 and the transport belt 124. When the banknote detection sensor 131 no longer detects the banknote P, the solenoid 130 is turned off and the clamping roller 128 is returned to the retracted position.

  In order to cope with the case where the banknote P is clogged inside, the take-in device 14 is provided on the main body side on which the pinching roller 128 is provided, and on the door side on which the conveyance belt 124 facing the pinching roller 128 is provided. In addition, the bill guide path 123 can be separated at the boundary. The main body side is integrated with the passage portion 121 and fixedly installed. When banknotes P are jammed, the door side is removed and dealt with. Since the movable mechanism including the sandwiching roller 128 that is a relatively heavy object is provided on the fixed main body side, the door side can be easily detached. Moreover, since the movable mechanism which is a heavy object is also a vibration generating element, if it is provided on the door side, problems such as loose attachment on the door side tend to occur. Therefore, movable mechanisms such as the clamping roller 128 and the movable arm 129 are provided on the main body side.

  As described above, the take-in device 14 can stably take in the deformed banknote P or the weak banknote P into the passage portion 121 by providing the pinching roller 128.

  When a plurality of banknotes P are transported from the sub-transport device 13 at a time, the take-in device 14 can make the plurality of banknotes P stand by in the banknote guide path 123 at a time. When the take-in device 14 receives a command to send the bill P to the transport pipe 12 from the control unit 27, the pick-up device 14 transfers the bill P waiting on the bill guide path 123 to the transport belt 124, the sandwiching roller 128, the feed roller 125a, and the feed belt. 125b or the like is driven and conveyed, and sent into the passage portion 121.

  Next, the collection of banknotes P and the relay box 6 in the gaming machine island 3 will be described.

  The primary collection device 8 that takes in the banknotes P discharged from the back of each gaming ball lending machine 4 in the gaming machine island 3 and transports it to one end of the gaming machine island 3 also moves the transport auxiliary body 16 by airflow, In this method, P is pushed and moved from the rear by the conveyance auxiliary body 16.

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

  Inside the gaming machine island 3, a transfer pipe 140 having the same cross-sectional shape as the transfer pipe 12 is installed. The transport pipe 140 is in a vertical posture, and the bills P transported through the transport pipe 140 are transported in an upright posture. In the gaming machine island 3, the game ball lending machine 4 is formed in a box shape with a narrow front width in order to increase the number of installed machines. For this reason, the banknote slot provided in the game ball lending machine 4 is also usually vertically long. The bill P is inserted into the bill insertion slot in a standing posture, and the bill P is discharged from the back of the game ball lending machine 4 in a standing posture. For this reason, the transport pipe 140 of the primary recovery device 8 is configured to receive the banknote P from the game ball lending machine 4 in an upright position and transport it in the upright position.

  The transfer pipe 140 extends from the relay box 6 toward the other end of the gaming machine island 3 and is piped so as to return to the relay box 6 after making a U-turn at the other end. In the middle of the part of the transport pipe 140 that returns to the relay box 6 after making a U-turn (returned), it is discharged from the back of the game ball lending machine 4 to a position corresponding to each game ball lending machine 4 A bill taking-in device 142 for taking in the bills P into the transport pipe 140 is installed. The banknote taking-in device 142 includes a banknote P from the game ball lending machine 4 disposed on the front side of the gaming machine island 3, and a banknote P from the game ball lending machine 4 disposed on the back side of the gaming machine island 3. Is provided on both sides of the side wall of the transfer pipe 140. The banknote P taken into the transport pipe 140 from the banknote taking-in device 142 stays at a predetermined take-up completion position with the orientation of the paper surface along the extending direction of the transport pipe 140.

  In the relay box 6, an air flow generator 144 similar to the air flow generator 21 provided in the collective safe 11 and a banknote separator having the same configuration as the banknote separating / conveying auxiliary body circulation device 22 provided in the collective safe 11. A conveyance auxiliary body circulation device 145 is provided. The banknote separation / conveyance auxiliary body circulation device 145 includes a conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 146 similar to the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 23 and a separation collection device 147 similar to the separation collection device 24 (FIGS. 32 and 33). reference).

  Further, the relay box 6 includes a banknote transport unit 148 (see FIG. 33) that transports the banknote P discharged from the separation and recovery device 147, and a temporary storage device 150 that temporarily stores the banknote P. The temporary storage device 150 temporarily stores a plurality of banknotes P received from the banknote transport unit 148, and pays out the stored banknotes P based on an instruction from the control unit 27. It has a function of sending it out to the bill taking-in part 103 of the device 13.

  When the banknotes P discharged from the back of the game ball lending machine 4 in the gaming machine island 3 are transported to the relay box 6 and collected, the transport auxiliary body insertion device 146 in the relay box 6 enters the beginning of the transport pipe 140. The conveyance auxiliary body 16 is sent out. The conveyance auxiliary body 16 sent out into the conveyance pipe 140 receives the air flow generated by the air flow generator 144 and moves downstream in the conveyance pipe 140, and in the middle of the return path after making a U-turn, The bill P taken in the return path from the game ball lending machine 4 by the bill take-in device 142 is collected and returned to the separation / collection device 147 in the relay box 6. The separation / recovery device 147 separates the banknote P and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 conveyed by the conveyance auxiliary body 16, and delivers the conveyance auxiliary body 16 to the conveyance auxiliary body insertion apparatus 146. On the other hand, the separated banknote P is transported to the temporary storage device 150 in the relay box 6 by the banknote transport unit 148. FIG. 33 shows a path M through which the banknote transport unit 148 transports the banknote P. At this time, the banknote P is conveyed in the standing posture.

  FIG. 34 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of the temporary storage device 150, and FIG. 35 is a perspective view illustrating an internal structure of the temporary storage device 150. Temporary storage device 150 accepts and stores banknotes P that have been transported in a posture erected by banknote transport section 148.

  The temporary storage device 150 includes a posture conversion unit 151 that converts the orientation of the banknote P received from the banknote transport unit 148 from a posture in which the paper surface is vertical (an upright posture) to a posture in which the paper surface is horizontal (a posture that lies down), The elevator part 152 which conveys the banknote P leveled to the lower storage part 154, and pays out the banknote P stored in the storage part 154 one by one while lying down one by one, and the banknote taking-in part of the sub-transport device 13 And a feeding / conveying unit 153 that conveys the toner toward 103. A thick line 156 shown in FIG. 34 indicates a conveyance path of the banknote P by the feeding conveyance unit 153.

  FIG. 36 schematically shows the configuration and operation of the temporary storage device 150. As shown in FIG. 36, the posture changer 151 has a pair of U-shaped grooves facing each other along both long sides of a U-shaped base plate having one short side and a pair of long sides. It has a shape in which L-shaped protrusions are provided along both long sides so as to be formed. The posture conversion unit 151 can store a plurality of banknotes P between a pair of grooves. The posture conversion unit 151 supports and stores only the edge of the banknote P by the pair of opposed U-shaped grooves.

  As shown in FIG. 36 (a), the posture converting unit 151 is in a vertical posture standing upright (a posture in which the stored banknote P is put up) during standby. In this state, the banknote transported in a posture standing from the banknote transport section 148 is received and stored between a pair of opposed U-shaped grooves. The posture converting unit 151 has a vertical posture shown in FIG. 36A, a horizontal posture rotated 90 degrees around the lower end from the vertical posture (horizontal posture in which the stored banknotes P are laid down, FIG. 36). (See (b)). The posture conversion unit 151 is displaced between a vertical posture and a horizontal posture by a motor (not shown).

  The elevator unit 152 conveys the banknotes P placed in the horizontal posture by the posture conversion unit 151 in the horizontal direction (here, downward) while keeping the horizontal posture. The elevator unit 152 includes a receiving plate 152a that supports a horizontally-positioned banknote P from below, and a pressing plate 152b that sandwiches the banknote P placed on the receiving plate 152a between the receiving plate 152a from above. . The receiving plate 152a is composed of two plates that support only both ends of the banknote P in the width direction, and the holding plate 152b is a plate-like member that is narrower than the interval between the two plates of the receiving plate 152a. It can pass between two plates of the plate 152a.

  At the time of standby, the receiving plate 152a stops at a position just contacting the lower surface of the posture converting unit 151 in the horizontal posture (the lower surfaces of the pair of U-shaped grooves of the posture converting unit 151 rotated in the horizontal posture). The holding plate 152b is directly above the receiving plate 152a (between the two plates) and is stopped at a position higher than the vertical posture changing unit 151.

  When the banknote P stored in the posture conversion unit 151 is conveyed downward by the elevator unit 152 and stored in the storage unit 154, the temporary storage device 150 operates as follows.

  First, as shown in FIG. 36 (a), the posture conversion unit 151 stands by in a vertical posture, and accepts and stores the banknote P transported in a posture standing from the banknote transport unit 148 in this state. Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, the posture conversion unit 151 falls to the horizontal posture. The holding plate 152b is sized and positioned so as to pass between a pair of opposed U-shaped grooves (referred to as a through portion) of the posture changing portion 151 in the horizontal posture.

  After the posture conversion unit 151 is in the horizontal posture, the pressing plate 152b of the elevator unit 152 starts to descend (FIG. 36 (c)). When the pressing plate 152b reaches the penetrating portion of the posture changing portion 151, the receiving plate 152a also starts to descend at the same speed as the pressing plate 152b, and thereafter, the receiving plate 152a and the pressing plate 152b are integrally lowered. . Thereby, the banknote P currently hold | maintained at the attitude | position conversion part 151 descend | falls in the state pinched | interposed into the receiving plate 152a of the elevator part 152, and the pressing board 152b.

  Since the posture conversion unit 151 holds only the edge of the banknote P, the banknote P is easily detached from the posture conversion unit 151 as the elevator unit 152 is lowered. And the banknote P is conveyed below by the elevator part 152 in the state pinched | interposed into the receiving plate 152a and the pressing board 152b of the elevator part 152 (FIG.36 (d)).

  The posture conversion unit 151 returns to the vertical posture when the elevator unit 152 descends to some extent below the posture conversion unit 151 (FIG. 36E).

  When the elevator unit 152 is lowered to a predetermined position, the receiving plate 152a stops being lowered, and the pressing plate 152b is further lowered (FIG. 36 (e)). A space between the stopped receiving plate 152a and the surface where the conveying belt 153b of the feeding and conveying unit 153 exists is a storage unit 154 (see FIGS. 34 and 35).

  When the pressing plate 152b continues to descend while the lowering of the receiving plate 152a is stopped, the pressing plate 152b moves below the receiving plate 152a by passing between the two plates constituting the receiving plate 152a. At this time, the banknotes P supported at both ends by the two plates constituting the receiving plate 152a are gradually bent by being pressed by the pressing plate 152b, and eventually the both ends are detached from the receiving plate 152a and fall downward. It is stored in the portion 154 (FIGS. 36E and 36F). Note that the receiving plate 152a may be raised while the presser plate 152b is lowered in order to separate the both ends of the bill P from the receiving plate 152a and drop them downward.

  Thereafter, the elevator section 152 (the receiving plate 152a and the holding plate 152b) starts to rise (FIG. 36 (g)). Then, when the receiving plate 152a is raised to the height of the lower end of the posture changing unit 151 (height during standby) (FIG. 36 (h)), the receiving plate 152a stops at that position, and the holding plate 152b continues to rise, and the posture changing is performed. It moves to a position higher than the section 151 (standby position) and stops (FIG. 36 (i)).

  By repeating the above operation, the temporary storage device 150 can convert the banknotes P received from the banknote transport unit 148 from a vertical posture to a horizontal posture and accumulate a large number in the storage unit 154. About 500 banknotes P can be stored in the storage unit 154 of this example. When the conveyance belt 153b is driven in a state where the banknote P is present in the storage unit 154, the lowest banknote P in the banknote P stored in the storage unit 154 is paid out, and the path indicated by the thick line 156 in FIG. It is conveyed toward the banknote taking-in part 103 of the sub-conveying device 13.

  In addition, when paying out the banknote P, it is desirable to press the banknote P downward with the pressing plate 152b as shown in FIG. Therefore, when the position of FIG. 36 (f) is set to the normal position and the bills P are accumulated in the posture conversion unit 151, the elevator unit 152 is moved as shown in FIGS. 36 (g) to (i) and (a) to (f). And the bill P may be controlled to be conveyed to the storage unit 154.

  In the temporary storage device 150, the posture conversion unit 151 is rotated between the vertical posture and the horizontal posture, so that the posture of the banknote P is changed from a vertical state (standing posture) to a horizontal state (laying posture). Since the conversion is performed, it is possible to convert the posture of the banknote P in a small space compared to a case where a mechanism that changes the posture of the banknote P from a vertical state to a horizontal state by conveying the banknote P while twisting is adopted. it can.

  Further, when the posture converting unit 151 assumes the horizontal posture, the pressing plate 152b starts to descend immediately, and the posture converting unit 151 returns to the vertical posture as soon as the entire elevator unit 152 descends from the posture converting unit 151. Therefore, the posture converting unit 151 However, the period during which the banknote P cannot be received from the banknote transport unit 148 is only a short time, and the collection of the banknote P within the gaming machine island 3 is not hindered. In the present embodiment, it is a condition that the primary collection device 8 sends out the next conveyance auxiliary body 16 that the posture conversion unit 151 returns to the vertical posture.

  Moreover, since the attitude | position conversion part 151 can accommodate the several banknote P, the time for which the elevator part 152 is falling for some reason becomes long, and the several banknote P is conveyed by the banknote conveyance part 148 in the meantime. Even if they come, they can be received and stored.

  As shown in FIG. 36 (e), when the presser plate 152b is lowered from the receiving plate 152a so as to be detached from the receiving plate 152a and moved to the storing unit 154, the banknote P is disturbed and stored. As a result, when the conveyance belt 153b of the feeding conveyance unit 153 feeds the banknote P from the storage unit 154, the banknote P may be jammed. For example, as shown in FIG. 37 (a), when the holding plate 152b starts to be lowered below the receiving plate 152a, only one end of the bill P slides off the receiving plate 152a, and the bill P Storage may be disturbed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 37 (b), a sheet 155 made of a material (for example, natural rubber) having a frictional force against the banknote P is attached to the upper surfaces of the two plates constituting the receiving plate 152a.

  When the holding plate 152b is lowered with respect to the receiving plate 152a and the banknote P is pressed downward from above to store the banknote P placed on the receiving plate 152a of the elevator unit 152 in the storage unit 154, natural rubber The sheet 155 rubs against both ends of the banknote P to prevent slipping. As a result, as shown in FIG. 37 (b), the banknote P pressed by the action of the pressing plate 152b is lowered first in the center, and finally both ends are detached from the receiving plate 152a and fall into the storage portion 154. It becomes like this. As a result, as shown in FIG. 37 (a), one end portion does not fall first and the posture is not disturbed, and the banknote P can be moved and stored in the storage portion 154 in a stable posture. Subsequent conveyance by the delivery conveyance unit 153 can also be performed smoothly.

  FIG. 38 shows a case where the structure of FIG. 37 (b) is further improved. A sheet 155 made of a material (for example, natural rubber) having elasticity and frictional force against the banknote P is attached to the upper surface of the two plates constituting the receiving plate 152a and the lower surface of the pressing plate 152b. Furthermore, the end (inside the bill passage side) of the two plates constituting the receiving plate 152a is bent downward to form an inverted L shape, and an elastic and frictional material (sheet 155) is placed on the bill passage side. It is made to protrude. The strength of the receiving plate 152a is increased by bending it into an inverted L shape.

  Further, since the material with frictional force (sheet 155) is elastic such as natural rubber, when the pressing plate 152b descends from the receiving plate 152a and depresses the bill P downward, the sheet 155 moves toward the bill passage side. Since the protruding portion is slightly curved downward, the bill P falls more smoothly while receiving friction from the sheet 155. Further, the presence of the elastic sheet 155 provided on the upper surface of the receiving plate 152a and the lower surface of the pressing plate 152b prevents the banknote P from being damaged or damaged. Also in the improved type shown in FIG. 38, one end of the banknote P does not fall first and the posture is not disturbed, and the banknote P can be moved and stored in the storage unit 154 in a stable posture. Subsequent conveyance by the delivery conveyance unit 153 can also be performed smoothly.

  In the primary recovery device 8, as shown in FIG. 31, the transport pipe 140 piped along the longitudinal direction of the island is directly extended and connected to the relay box 6, so that it is connected to the relay box 6. Compared with the case where a configuration in which the relay box 6 is bent 90 degrees via the curved tube immediately before the operation is performed, the space to be secured at the island end for installing the relay box 6 can be reduced.

  However, as shown in FIG. 2, in the configuration in which the return path transport pipe 12 b passes above the plurality of relay boxes 6, the orientation of the banknote P when reaching the take-in device 14 is changed to the banknote P as shown in FIG. 24. Needs to face the extending direction Fw of the return conveyance pipe 12b. Therefore, it is necessary to change the longitudinal direction of the banknote P flowing into the relay box 6 from the transport pipe 140 of the primary recovery device 8 by 90 degrees. Since it is difficult to perform such a direction change in the relay box 6 in terms of space, a twist portion 51 is provided in the middle of the sub-transport pipe 101 of the sub-transport apparatus 13 as shown in FIG.

  Since the transfer pipe 140 in the gaming machine island 3 is connected straight to the relay box 6, a transfer error is less likely to occur and the quality of the transfer can be improved as compared with the case where the transfer pipe 140 is bent 90 degrees before the relay box 6. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 23, since the door of the relay box 6 is in front (in the direction in which the island end faces), the work of opening the door and maintaining the inside of the relay box 6 is facilitated.

  In the present embodiment, a bill judgment device that inspects the authenticity of the bill P or detects the denomination is not provided in the relay box 6. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 34, the conveyance path | route of the feeding conveyance part 153 which conveys the banknote P from the accommodating part 154 of the temporary storage apparatus 150 to the banknote taking-in part 103 of the sub-transport apparatus 13 can be shortened.

  Since the paper sheet collection and conveyance system is provided with the relay box 6 on the gaming machine island 3 as described above, the primary collection device 8 and the secondary collection device 10 that collect and convey the banknote P in the gaming machine island 3; The bill P collected in the gaming machine island 3 can be automatically conveyed to the collective safe 11 of the office. That is, since the relay box 6 converts the posture of the banknote P from the posture in which the banknote P is laid down, the banknote P received from the primary collection device 8 that transports the banknote P in the posture in which the banknote P is erected is placed in the posture in which the banknote P is laid down. Can be smoothly delivered to the sub-conveying device 13 that conveys. In addition, since the temporary storage device 150 has a function of temporarily storing and storing the banknotes P, the banknotes P should be sent to the timing when the banknotes P are transported by the primary collection device 8 and to the sub-transport device 13. Deviations from timing can be absorbed.

  If there is a possibility that the transport path (secondary collection device 10 or the like) from the relay box 6 to the office collective safe 11 may be abnormal due to a malfunction of the collective safe 11 in the office or a disaster such as an earthquake, the collective safe. 11 is stopped and the relay box 6 is switched to the single operation mode, so that it can be used as a conventional island-only safe.

  Next, the connection part 15 inserted in the middle of the conveyance pipe 12 is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 2, the transport pipe 12 of the secondary recovery apparatus 10 is configured by connecting a plurality of transport pipes with a connecting portion 15. Unlike the primary recovery device 8, the transport pipe 12 of the secondary recovery device 10 is extended over a very long distance, so that the expansion and contraction of the transport pipe 12 due to temperature change cannot be ignored in construction. When the transport pipe 12 is contracted, a large gap is generated at the connection portion. When the transport pipe 12 is extended, the transport pipes 12 collide with each other at the connection portion, and a large stress may be applied to be refracted. Such gaps and refractions hinder the smooth movement of the bills P and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 and cause clogging.

  Therefore, even if the length of the transport pipe 12 changes due to a temperature change or the like, the change in the length of the transport pipe 12 is connected to the connecting portion 15 so that the entire installation state is not distorted or a large gap is not generated. Absorb with.

  FIG. 39 is a view illustrating the connection between the connecting portion 15 and the transport pipe 12 before and after the connecting portion 15. The connecting portion 15 includes a connecting main body portion 160 and a connection adapter 170. In the drawing, the conveyance direction of bills P (the direction in which the airflow flows) is indicated by an arrow Fw. Moreover, about the connection main-body part 160, the state which removed one side wall is shown.

  40 is a view showing the front, left side, right side, upper surface, and lower surface of the connection pipe 15 connected to the connecting portion 15, and FIG. 41 is the front, left side, right side, and upper surface of the connection adapter 170. FIG.

  A downstream end 172 of the connection adapter 170 is inserted into the upstream connection port 161 of the connection main body 160, and the upstream conveyance pipe 12 is connected to the upstream connection port 171 of the connection adapter 170. The downstream side transport pipe 12 is connected to the downstream side connection port 162 of the connection main body 160.

  The inner shape of the upstream connection port 171 of the connection adapter 170 is a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the transport pipe 12. In addition, the inner shape of the downstream connection port 162 of the connection main body 160 is a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the transport pipe 12. The transport pipe 12 is inserted into the upstream connection port 171 of the connection adapter 170 and the downstream connection port 162 of the connection main body 160 in a state where a thin packing (not shown) formed of an elastic material such as rubber is put on the outer periphery. And airtightly connected.

  The downstream end 172 of the connection adapter 170 has substantially the same inner and outer shapes as the transport pipe 12, and the inner shape of the upstream connection port 161 of the connection main body 160 is the downstream end of the connection adapter 170. A shape corresponding to the outer shape of the portion 172 is formed. The downstream end 172 of the connection adapter 170 is also inserted inside the upstream connection port 161 of the coupling main body 160 in a state of covering the same packing as described above, and is airtightly connected.

  The downstream transport pipe 12 is connected and fixed in a state where the upstream end is abutted against an abutting portion 162 b provided inside the downstream side connection port 162 of the coupling main body 160. For example, it is glued. The upstream conveyance pipe 12 is inserted and connected until it hits the back of the upstream connection port 171 of the connection adapter 170. Ribs 173 and 174 similar to the ribs 34 and 35 formed on the inner side of the transport pipe 12 are formed on the inner side of the downstream end portion 172 of the connection adapter 170, and the ribs 173 and 174 are formed on the connection adapter 170. It protrudes from the downstream end 172 so as to extend further in the downstream direction.

  Ribs 163 and 164 are provided on the inner side of the connection main body 160 in the same manner as the ribs 34 and 35 of the transport pipe 12. When the connection adapter 170 is connected to the connection main body 160, the ribs 173 and 174 of the connection adapter 170 are provided. The ribs 163 and 164 of the connection main body 160 are continuous.

  FIG. 42 shows a state in which the downstream end 172 of the connection adapter 170 is connected to the upstream connection port 161 of the connection main body 160. When the downstream end 172 of the connection adapter 170 is inserted into the upstream connection port 161 of the connection main body 160, the ribs 173 and 174 of the connection adapter 170 and the rib 163 of the connection main body 160 are shown in FIG. , 164 are continuous with each other. FIG. 5C shows a state where the connection adapter 170 is inserted into the downstream connection port 162 of the coupling main body 160 as far as it will go.

  At the time of construction, as shown in FIG. 4B, the state is connected to a state approximately 10 mm before the back. Thereby, when the length changes due to the contraction and expansion of the transport pipe 12, the change in the length can be absorbed by the connection portion between the connection main body 160 and the connection adapter 170. The position 20 mm before the innermost part is the shallowest connection, and the connecting portion 15 can absorb the change in length due to contraction and expansion by ± 10 mm with respect to the construction. The ribs 163 and 164 on the connection main body 160 side and the ribs 173 and 174 on the connection adapter 170 side are over a predetermined length (for example, 5 mm) even when the connection adapter 170 is connected to the connection main body 160 in the shallowest position. Wrap.

  FIG. 43 is an enlarged view showing a connection state between the ribs 173 and 174 on the connection adapter 170 side and the ribs 163 and 164 on the connection main body 160 side. The central rib 163 on the coupling main body 160 side is divided into two parallel ribs 163a and 163b, and the central rib 173 on the connection adapter 170 side is inserted between them. The distance between the two ribs 163a and 164b constituting the rib 163 matches the thickness of the rib 173, and the rib 173 is inserted between the two ribs 163a and 163b without any gap. In this manner, by inserting the rib 173 on the connection adapter 170 side between the two ribs 163a and 163b on the connection main body 160 side, the downstream side of the connection adapter 170 is connected to the upstream connection port 161 of the connection main body 160. Even if the connection depth when the end portion 172 is connected changes greatly due to contraction and expansion, the rib 163 on the connection main body 160 side and the rib 173 on the connection adapter 170 side are connected without shifting their positional relationship. Can do.

  The connecting main body 160 rib 164 and the rib 174 on the connection adapter 170 side overlap with each other so that one side surface abuts on each other. Here, the ribs 164 abut on the inner side in a positional relationship where the ribs 174 are on the outer side. The outer ribs 174 slightly press the inner ribs 164 inward so that they are in close contact and smoothly connected.

  As described above, in the connecting portion 15 of the present embodiment, the rib 173 is fitted between the two ribs 163a and 163b, not simply by the rib on the connecting main body portion 160 side and the rib on the connecting adapter 170 side facing each other. The length of the rib to be fitted was set to a length that can absorb fluctuation due to contraction and expansion. As a result, even if there is a temperature change in the installation environment, the connecting portion 15 can absorb the contraction / expansion of the conveyance path due to the temperature change, and a gap is generated at the connection portion of the conveyance pipe, or it is bent due to stress. Inconvenience such as doing can be prevented. Further, since the ribs are fitted and connected, there is no occurrence of rib misalignment or steps at the connection points, and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 and the bills P can be passed smoothly.

  As shown in FIG. 42, a sensor 166 (light sensor) for detecting passage and catching of the bills P and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is provided in the connection main body 160 of the connection unit 15. This is because clogging of banknotes P and catching of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 are apt to occur at the connection portion.

(About auxiliary blower)
In the return path conveyance pipe 12b in which the conveyance auxiliary body 16 moves while conveying the banknote P, the load is larger than the forward path conveyance pipe 12a in which the banknote P is not pushed, and the movement speed of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 tends to decrease. Therefore, an auxiliary blower is provided to strengthen the air flow.

  In particular, the larger the game hall 2 is, the more the transport pipe 12 of the secondary frequency device 10 needs to go around a large number of gaming machine islands 3 and may be bridged across a plurality of floors. Therefore, the part which curves the conveyance pipe 12 increases. In the curved portion, the resistance is increased, the advance of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is deteriorated, and the flow of the air flow is easily inhibited. In addition, the curved portion is also connected to the straight portions before and after the curved portion. Air leakage may occur at the connection point.

  Therefore, an auxiliary blower for increasing the air volume is installed at a location where the conveying pipe 12 is curved. For example, an auxiliary blower that enhances the air flow toward the downstream is provided immediately upstream of the curve (immediately before reaching the curve). Alternatively, an auxiliary blower that goes downstream may be provided immediately downstream of the curve.

  Further, an auxiliary blower may be provided downstream of the most downstream capture device 14. That is, the transport auxiliary body 16 moves to the collective safe 11 while transporting the banknotes P after collecting the banknotes P around the installation location of the relay box 6 of each gaming machine island 3 in the game hall. When the collective safe 11 is installed on a different floor from the gaming machine island 3, the transport pipe 12 from the last take-in device 14 to the collective safe 11 may be a long distance.

  In such a case, it becomes difficult to obtain an air volume sufficient to surely bring the conveyance auxiliary body 16 to the collective safe 11 only by air blowing from the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17. Therefore, an auxiliary blower is provided downstream of the most downstream intake device 14 to increase the air volume. In addition, the auxiliary blower is provided at an appropriate location in the middle of the transport path as necessary.

  Even if the air volume is increased by the auxiliary blower, there is a possibility that distortion will occur at the connecting points at both ends to be connected in the curved part as described above. There is a risk of getting caught because it breaks down. Therefore, a release wind blower that generates an air flow (release air) from downstream to upstream is provided downstream of the location where the transport auxiliary body 16 is easily caught, and the transport auxiliary body 16 is provided up to the location where the release air blower is installed. Is not reached, the release air blower is operated to release the release air for a predetermined time (for example, 10 seconds) to release the catch of the conveyance auxiliary body 16. A failure in which the conveyance auxiliary body 16 does not reach a predetermined location is defined as a conveyance auxiliary body conveyance error.

  For example, a release wind blower that generates an air flow (release wind) from downstream to upstream is provided immediately upstream of the curve or in the middle of the curve. The wind blower is actuated to send release air, and the catch of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is released.

  While the release air is sent, the air flow in the normal direction is stopped. When the release feeding is completed, the air flow in the normal direction is generated again, and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is moved to convey the banknote P. Thereby, the catch of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is cancelled | released, and the conveyance of the banknote P by the conveyance auxiliary body 16 can be performed stably.

  The place where the release air blower is provided is not limited to the upstream or middle of the curve, and it is only necessary to release the catch of the conveyance auxiliary body 16, so that the air outlet of the release air blower is located near the conveyance auxiliary body 16. I just need it. That is, a release wind blower is provided at an appropriate position on the transport path, particularly downstream of the portion where the transport auxiliary body 16 is easily caught, or when there are several places where the transport auxiliary body 16 is easily caught, the most downstream of them. A release wind blower may be provided immediately downstream of the location. Further, the wind direction of the release wind is not limited to the direction of flowing from the downstream to the upstream, and if the wind direction in the transport pipe is changed, there is an effect of releasing the catch, so the wind direction is not limited to one direction.

  FIG. 44 shows an example in which a release wind blower 19 is added to the system shown in FIG. The release air blower 19 blows air upstream from a position downstream of the most downstream intake device 14 (position before reaching the curved portion) (feeds release air). The auxiliary blower 18 blows air downstream from a position downstream of the most downstream intake device 14 (position immediately after passing through the curved portion), thereby enhancing the forward air flow.

(Auxiliary blower startup setting)
The auxiliary blower is operated for a predetermined time with reference to a point in time when a sensor (see FIG. 44) provided slightly downstream of the installation location detects the passage of the conveyance auxiliary body 16. Usually, the banknote P is pushed and moved by the conveyance auxiliary body 16, but the banknote P may be self-propelled even if the banknote P is not pressed by the conveyance auxiliary body 16 due to the action of airflow. When the above-described sensor detects the banknote P that is self-propelled, it is erroneously detected that the conveyance auxiliary body 16 has passed although the conveyance auxiliary body 16 has not reached. At this time, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is still upstream of the banknote P in the conveyance direction.

  When the auxiliary blower is turned on, an air flow stagnation phenomenon occurs in the vicinity of the blower opening of the auxiliary blower, and an upstream headwind may occur on the downstream side of the auxiliary blower. Therefore, when the auxiliary blower is operated at the timing when the sensor detects the self-running banknote P, the movement of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 upstream from the sensor is hindered due to the staying phenomenon of the air flow or the generation of the back wind. A conveyance auxiliary body conveyance error may occur.

Therefore, the following measures were introduced.
1. After the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is sent out, the scheduled passage time required for the conveyance auxiliary body 16 to pass through a certain position of the sensor, which is the reference for the operation timing of the auxiliary blower, is set, and after the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is sent out Until the scheduled passage time elapses, control is performed so that the auxiliary blower is not turned on even if the sensor detects the passage of the object. That is, when the sensor is turned on before the scheduled passage time elapses, the auxiliary blower is turned on after the scheduled passage time has elapsed. When the sensor is turned on after the passage of the scheduled passage time, the auxiliary blower is immediately turned on.

2. A test run in which the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is moved alone without conveying the banknote P is continuously performed three times, and the time from when the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is sent out until the sensor detects the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is automatically measured. If the time difference between the three times is within 2 seconds, the latest measurement time is set as the scheduled passage time.

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

  By the above measures, before the conveyance auxiliary body 16 reaches the installation location of the auxiliary blower, the sensor detects the banknote P that is self-running, and the auxiliary blower is not turned on. Transport errors are prevented.

(Automatic setting of auxiliary body lap reference time)
In the paper sheet collection and conveyance system, an auxiliary body rotation reference time is set until the auxiliary conveyance body 16 sent out from the collective safe 11 goes around the transfer pipe 12 and returns to the collective safe 11, and the auxiliary object circular reference time. Based on the above, it is determined whether there is a conveyance auxiliary member conveyance error. The auxiliary body rotation reference time may be set based on the actual time that the conveyance auxiliary body 16 makes one round of the conveyance pipe 12 manually measured by a worker using a stopwatch or the like. If it can be measured and set, it will save time and convenience.

  Therefore, the secondary collection device 10 of the paper sheet collection and conveyance system automatically and continuously performs a test round running in which the conveyance auxiliary body 16 alone makes one round of the conveyance tube 12 without conveying the banknotes P, It has the function of automatically measuring the lap time and automatically setting the auxiliary body lap reference time after considering the device configuration. The auxiliary body lap reference time can be manually changed. By providing the function for automatically setting the auxiliary body lap reference time, the effort of initial setting is reduced, and an artificial error at the time of input setting can be avoided.

(About control of auxiliary blower)
If the configuration of the transport path is complicated (such as a large number of curves), or there is a very long distance to the collective safe 11, it is necessary to install a plurality of auxiliary blowers 18 at appropriate positions on the transport path. A plurality of control methods for controlling one or a plurality of auxiliary blowers 18 are shown below. In any control method, each auxiliary blower 18 is controlled so as to be activated in accordance with the timing when the conveyance auxiliary body 16 passes.

<Independent control>
As described in the section “Auxiliary blower start-up setting”, the single control determines the operation based on the passage time when the sensor detects the passage of the auxiliary blower 18 slightly downstream. Then, the auxiliary blower 18 is activated and operated for a predetermined time. Even if a plurality of auxiliary blowers 18 are installed, the operation of each auxiliary blower 18 is determined individually. In the single control, if there is a part where the air volume is insufficient in the middle of the transport path, it can be dealt with just by adding the auxiliary blower 18 of the single control near the upstream of that part. It can be done easily.

<Management control>
In the management control, a control unit (the control unit 27 of the collective safe 11) that controls the entire operation of the secondary recovery apparatus 10 collectively manages the operation timing of the auxiliary blower 18. In the management control, the timing at which the conveyance auxiliary body 16 passes through each point on the conveyance path (elapsed time after sending out) is checked and grasped in advance. The passing point is, for example, an installation location of the sensor 166 (see FIG. 42) provided in the connecting portion 15. The passing point is detected by this sensor and the passing timing at each point is examined.

  The starting timing for operating each auxiliary blower 18 is set in advance from the passage timing of each point examined in this way. The control unit 27 measures the elapsed time from the time when the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is sent out to the conveyance pipe 12, and transmits an operation instruction to each auxiliary blower when the activation timing of the auxiliary blower comes. Receiving this operation instruction, the auxiliary blower 18 operates the fan for a predetermined time and stops it.

  As a result, when a plurality of auxiliary blowers 18 are installed, the auxiliary blowers 18 operate and stop for a predetermined time in order from the one installed upstream.

  In the management control, it is not necessary to provide a determination unit for determining the activation timing on the auxiliary blower 18 side, and the configuration is simplified. Further, even if a sensor for detecting the passage of the conveyance auxiliary body is defective or abnormal while the system is moving, each auxiliary blower 18 can be operated at a predetermined timing, and a more reliable secondary recovery device. 10 can be provided.

  As another method of control, the start timing of each auxiliary blower 18 examined as described above is set in each auxiliary blower 18, and when the control unit 27 sends out the conveyance auxiliary body 16, that fact. To each auxiliary blower 18, time elapsed since each auxiliary blower 18 received the notification, and configured to start the fan autonomously at the start timing set in the own device. May be. In this configuration, each auxiliary blower 18 requires a circuit that measures the elapsed time and determines whether or not the start timing has arrived. However, even if a defect or abnormality occurs in the passage sensor, each auxiliary blower 18 is predetermined. It can be operated at the timing.

  Next, the structure of the torsion part 51 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 45, the twisted portion 51 realizes torsion at a desired angle by connecting a plurality of short sub-twisted tubes 51a twisted little by little. In this example, ten sub-twisted tubes 51a are connected to form a twist of 90 degrees, and a connecting portion 51b to the transport tube 12 is connected to the downstream end thereof. There is no twist in the connection part 51b.

  Next, an operation sequence when the secondary collection device 10 of the paper sheet collection and conveyance system collects the banknotes P from the relay box 6 (the storage unit of the primary collection device 8) of each gaming machine island 3 will be described.

  FIG. 46 is a diagram showing the above sequence. The control unit 27 of the collective safe 11 inquires of the relay box 6 of each gaming machine island 3 to confirm the number of banknotes P stored in the banknote storage unit 25 of each relay box 6 (P1, P2).

  Next, based on the number of banknotes P stored in the banknote storage section 25 of each relay box 6, it is determined how many banknotes P are to be collected from the banknote storage section 25 of which relay box 6 (P3). A bill discharge instruction specifying the number of sheets to be discharged is transmitted to one or a plurality of relay boxes 6 determined as the collection destination (P4).

  The relay box 6 that has received the banknote discharge instruction discharges the instructed number of banknotes P from the banknote storage unit 25, and the corresponding transfer device 12b of the return path transport pipe 12b is installed by the sub-transport apparatus 13 installed in the relay box 6. The banknote P is conveyed to 14 (P5). When the take-in device 14 takes the banknote P into the inside, a signal indicating that the completion of the discharge of the banknote P into the return path transport pipe 12b is detected is transmitted from the take-up device 14 to the control unit 27 of the collective safe 11. (P6).

  When the control unit 27 of the collective safe 11 confirms that the banknote P instructed by the banknote discharge instruction has been taken into the transport pipe 12 (return path transport pipe 12b) by the take-in device 14, it relays itself and the transport auxiliary body. The apparatus 17 is instructed to start the air blowing / suction operation and to send out the conveyance auxiliary body 16 (P7).

  The control unit 27 of the collective safe 11 moves the air flow generating device 21 so as to blow air to the starting end of the forward transfer pipe 12a and suck the air flow from the end of the return transfer pipe 12b, and insert a transfer auxiliary body. The device 23 sends the conveyance auxiliary body 16 to the forward conveyance tube 12a (P8, P9). At the same time, the transfer auxiliary relay device 17 operates the fan 63 of the blower section 62 to suck air flow from the end of the forward transfer pipe 12a, and from the start end side of the return path transfer pipe 12b to the inside of the return transfer pipe 12b. And the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is sent to the return path conveyance pipe 12b (P10, P11). That is, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is sent out from the collective safe 11 to the outward conveyance pipe 12a and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is conveyed from the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 to the backward conveyance pipe 12b at the same time.

  Sensors provided in the middle of the forward path transport pipe 12a and the return path transport pipe 12b detect the passage of the transport auxiliary body 16 (P12, P13). When the conveyance auxiliary body 16 sent out from the collective safe 11 at P8 reaches the inflow side connection port 67 of the own apparatus, the conveyance auxiliary body relay apparatus 17 receives and holds it with the holding portion 74 (P14). Then, the control unit 27 of the collective safe 11 is notified that the conveyance auxiliary body 16 has been received and held (P15).

  The collective safe 11 separates the banknote P and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 by the separation and collection device 24 when the conveyance auxiliary body 16 sent to the return conveyance pipe 12b from the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 at P11 reaches its own apparatus. The banknotes P are collected in the banknote storage unit 25, and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is moved to the conveyance auxiliary body insertion apparatus 23 for the next delivery and is made to stand by (P16).

  Then, the control unit 27 of the collective safe 11 instructs the own device and the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 to stop the air blowing / suction operation (P17). In response to this instruction, the air flow generator 21 of the collective safe 11 and the fan 63 of the blower unit 62 of the auxiliary conveyance relay device 17 are stopped (P18 to P20).

  Further, the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 that has received this instruction rotates the rotating plate 72 by 180 degrees (P21). When this rotation is completed, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is automatically unlocked (held) by the holding roller 82 of the holding unit 74 moved to the outflow side connection port 68 (P22).

  The above operation is repeated every time the bill P is collected.

  Next, an operation in which the control unit 27 of the collective safe 11 determines how many banknotes P are to be collected from which relay box 6 in the above-described collection operation P3 will be described.

  The secondary collection device 10 of the paper sheet collection and conveyance system can collect a maximum of six banknotes P for each collection operation of the banknotes P by the conveyance auxiliary body 16. In addition, it is assumed that the number of banknotes P transported by the sub transport device 13 to the take-in device 14 at a time is restricted to 3 or less.

  For each collection operation of banknotes P, the control unit 27 of the collective safe 11 has the total number of banknotes P collected by the collection operation within the maximum number (in this example, 6) that can be collected by one collection operation. In this way, the number of banknotes P to be collected from one or more relay boxes 6 to be collected and the respective ones is determined. Here, the number of banknotes P discharged from one relay box 6 is further limited to a predetermined upper limit number or less. The maximum value of the upper limit number is three, and the upper limit number is changed according to the stock number.

  That is, the control unit 27 of the collective safe 11 does not exceed the set upper limit number (for example, three) for each collection box 6 for each collection operation, and the total number of banknotes P to be collected. The number of discharged sheets is assigned to one or more relay boxes 6 so that the maximum number of sheets that can be collected does not exceed six.

  The control unit 27 that controls the entire operation of the paper sheet collection and conveyance system has a large number of stored banknotes P (stock number) so that the temporary storage device 150 of each relay box 6 does not become full during business. The collection box and the number of sheets discharged at each collection destination are determined so that the relay box 6 is discharged preferentially.

  The control unit 27 classifies the number of stocks of banknotes P in each relay box 6 into a plurality of levels, and manages the relay boxes 6 by grouping them by level. Since each relay box 6 can store about 500 bills P, it is divided into seven levels (G1 to G7) as shown in FIG. FIG. 47 shows the relationship among the groups (G1 to G7), the number of stocks, and the priority of collection.

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

  G7 has the highest recovery priority, G6, G5, G4, G3, and G2 have lower priority in order, and G1 is set to have the lowest recovery priority.

  G1 and G2 are provided so that less than the maximum number (three) that can be instructed to be discharged to one relay box 6 is grouped by stock number. If G1 and G2 are not provided and G3 is a group with the smallest number of stocks, the actual number of stocks is 2 or 1 even if 3 relays are instructed to the relay box 6 belonging to G3. In that case, only the stock number is discharged. In order to prevent such a situation, G1 and G2 are provided so that the same number of banknotes P as the number of discharged sheets instructed by the control unit 27 is discharged from the relay box 6.

  For example, when there are four relay boxes 6 of G1 (stock number is 1) and one relay box 6 of G2 (stock number is 2), the banknote P is added to the four relay boxes 6 belonging to G1. Can be instructed to be discharged one by one, and one relay box 6 belonging to G2 can be instructed to discharge two banknotes P.

  In addition, even when the number of stocks is large, since a plurality of groups (G4 to G7) are set according to the number of stocks, discharge from the relay box 6 with a large number of stocks can be preferentially performed. Specifically, since G4 to G7 are provided, it is possible to finely control the discharge as compared with the case where all 10 sheets or more are classified into one group.

  The control unit 27 determines the number of banknotes P to be ejected and the collection destination so that the banknotes P are preferentially collected in the relay box 6 having a larger number of stocks.

  Further, the control unit 27 classifies the relay boxes 6 into a plurality of groups based on the number of stocks, and limits the number of discharged sheets assigned to one relay box 6 within a predetermined upper limit number in order from the group with the largest stock number. In addition, the number of discharged banknotes P and the collection destination are determined by assigning the number of discharged sheets to the relay boxes 6 belonging to the same group as evenly as possible.

  For example, if there are six or more relay boxes 6 belonging to G7, the number of discharged sheets is assigned to the six relay boxes 6 among them. If there is only one relay box 6 belonging to G7 and two relay boxes 6 belonging to G6, three are assigned to the one relay box 6 belonging to G7, and one of the relay boxes 6 belonging to G6 is assigned. Two cards are allocated to the table and one is allocated to the other.

  In addition, the upper limit number set for a group having a stock number less than a predetermined number (the upper limit number of discharged sheets assigned to one relay box 6) is made smaller than the upper limit number set for a group having a stock number greater than or equal to a predetermined number. In this example, the upper limit sheet number is 3 for G4 and above, and the upper limit sheet is 2 for G3 and below.

  Note that if the total number of sheets does not reach six as a result of assigning the number of discharged sheets with the upper limit number limited to two, the upper limit number may be changed to three. In addition, if the work of assigning the number of discharged sheets is performed in order from the group with the largest number of stocks, and the total number of discharged sheets does not reach the maximum number (6 sheets) that can be collected in one collection operation, even if the entire group is cycled. The remaining number of discharged sheets may be allocated in order from the relay box 6 belonging to the group with the larger number of stocks. For example, if there are only G3 or less and the maximum number of sheets is set to 2 and the number of discharged sheets is assigned to them, but the total number of sheets does not reach 6, then the upper limit number of sheets for G3 is changed to 3 and the order from G3 is changed. An operation such as assigning the remaining number of sheets is performed.

  Below, a specific example is demonstrated and demonstrated about the determination method of a collection destination and discharge number.

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

<Pattern 1>
When there is a relay box 6 corresponding to G4 or higher In this case, the relay box 6 having a higher priority is preferentially discharged.

The specific procedure is as follows: The number of discharged sheets is assigned in order from the group with the highest priority.
-The upper limit of the number of discharged sheets to be assigned to one relay box 6 is set to 3, and the number of discharged sheets is made as uniform as possible, and the number of discharged sheets is allocated to the same group until the total number of discharged sheets is 6.
If the total number of discharged sheets does not reach 6 even if the number of discharged sheets is assigned to all the relay boxes 6 belonging to the group, the number of discharged sheets is assigned to the next highest priority group.

  In the example shown in FIG. 48 (a), since there are seven relay boxes 6 belonging to G7, one relay box 6 is equally allocated to six of them (ID 1 to 6). In the example shown in FIG. 5B, since there are five relay boxes 6 (ID1 to 5) belonging to G7, two relay boxes 6 (ID2 to ID5) are assigned to the relay box 6 of ID1 as the number of discharged sheets. 1) is assigned as the number of discharged sheets. For example, an operation of sequentially assigning the first sheet to each relay box 6 belonging to G7 and sequentially assigning the second sheet to the relay box 6 belonging to G7 as the second round if less than six are made after one round. Can be done.

  In the example shown in FIG. 5C, since there are three relay boxes 6 (ID 1 to 3) belonging to G7, two are assigned as the number of discharged sheets. In the example shown in FIG. 6D, as the first stage of assignment work, there is only one relay box 6 (ID1) belonging to G7, so three upper limit sheets are assigned to the relay box 6. Then, as the assignment operation in the second stage, the remaining number is assigned to the next highest priority group. In this example, since there is only one relay box 6 (ID2) belonging to G6 having the next highest priority, three upper limit sheets are allocated to the relay box 6 (ID2).

<Pattern 2>
When all the relay boxes 6 are G3 or less and there are relay boxes 6 belonging to G3 [a] When the number of G3 is only one In this case, the number of discharged sheets instructed to the relay box 6 of G3 is two ( By assigning the remaining four cards to G2 or less, the number of relay boxes 6 that are G2 or less is reduced.

The specific procedure is as follows:-Assign 2 sheets (upper limit sheet number) as the number of discharged sheets to one relay box 6 belonging to G3, and assign the remaining 4 sheets to the relay box 6 belonging to G2 or less.
If there is a relay box 6 belonging to G2, 2 sheets (upper limit number) are allocated as the number of discharged sheets to each relay box 6 belonging to G2.
If the total number does not reach 6, the remaining one is assigned to each relay box 6 belonging to G1.
・ If the total number does not reach 6, increase the number of ejected relay boxes belonging to G3 to 3 (the upper limit is increased from 2 to 3).
-If the total number still does not reach 6, the allocation process ends.

  In the example shown in FIG. 49A, as the first-stage assignment work, two sheets (upper limit number) are allocated as the number of discharged sheets to one relay box 6 (ID1) belonging to G3. As the second stage assignment work, since there are two relay boxes 6 (ID2, 3) belonging to G2, two are assigned as the number of discharged sheets. Since the total number of sheets reaches six, the allocation process is terminated.

  In FIG. 5B, as the first stage assignment work, two sheets (upper limit number) are allocated as the number of discharged sheets to one relay box 6 (ID1) belonging to G3. Next, since there is only one relay box 6 (ID2) belonging to G2 as the second stage assignment work, two (upper limit number) are assigned as the number of discharged sheets. Since the total number is still four at this stage, one sheet is assigned as the number of discharged sheets to each relay box 6 (ID3, 4) belonging to G1 as the assignment work in the third stage. Since the total number of sheets reaches six, the allocation process ends here.

  In the case of (c) in the figure, as the first stage assignment work, 2 relay sheets (upper limit number) are assigned to one relay box 6 (ID1) belonging to G3, and as the second stage assignment work, G2 Since there is only one relay box 6 belonging to (ID2), two sheets (upper limit number) are allocated as the number of discharged sheets. Further, as a third stage assignment operation, one sheet is assigned as the number of discharged sheets to the relay box 6 (ID3) belonging to G1. Since the total number is 5 at this stage, as the remaining processing, the discharged number of the relay box 6 of ID1 belonging to G3 is incremented by 1 to 3 sheets. Since the total number of sheets reaches six, the allocation process is terminated. That is, since the total number of sheets does not reach 6 even after making a round of each group, the upper limit number of G3 is increased to 3, and the remaining number is assigned again in order from the group with the largest stock number.

[B] When the number of G3 is two In this case, the number of discharged sheets instructed to the relay box 6 of each G3 is set to two (upper limit number), and the remaining two sheets are allocated to G2 or less, thereby relaying G2 or less. Reduce box 6.

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

  In the example shown in FIG. 50 (a), two sheets (upper limit number) are allocated as the number of discharged sheets to each of the two relay boxes 6 (ID1, 2) belonging to G3 as the first stage of assignment work. As the second stage assignment work, there are two relay boxes 6 (ID3, 4) belonging to G2, and two of them (upper limit number) are assigned to one of them. Since the total number of sheets reaches six, the allocation process is terminated.

  In FIG. 5B, as the first stage assignment work, two sheets (upper limit number) are assigned to the two relay boxes 6 (ID1) belonging to G3, respectively. Next, as a second-stage assignment operation, an assignment operation to the relay box 6 belonging to G2 is performed. However, in this example, since there is no relay box 6 belonging to G2, no assignment is performed. Next, assignment to the relay box 6 belonging to G1 is performed as a third stage assignment operation. Since there are four relay boxes 6 (ID3 to 7) belonging to G1, one is assigned as the number of discharged sheets to two of them (ID3 and 4). Since the total number of sheets reaches six, the allocation process ends here.

  In FIG. 9C, as the first stage assignment work, two (upper limit number) are assigned to the two relay boxes 6 (ID1) belonging to G3. Next, as a second-stage assignment operation, an assignment operation to the relay box 6 belonging to G2 is performed. However, in this example, since there is no relay box 6 belonging to G2, no assignment is performed. As a third stage of assignment work, assignment to the relay box 6 belonging to G1 is performed. Since there is only one relay box 6 belonging to G1 (ID3), one relay box 6 (ID3) is assigned as the number of discharged sheets. Since the total number is 5 at this stage, as the remaining processing, the discharged number of the relay box 6 of ID1 belonging to G3 is incremented by 1 to 3 sheets. Since the total number of sheets reaches six, the allocation process is terminated. In the remaining processing, the upper limit number of G3 is increased from two to three.

[C] When the number of G3 is three or more The number of discharged sheets is assigned only to the G3 relay box 6, and the discharge from the G3 relay box 6 is prioritized.

The specific procedure is as follows: The number of discharged sheets is assigned to the relay box 6 belonging to G3 one by one.
・ If the total number of ejected sheets does not reach 6 in the above, assign one sheet at a time, in order of increasing stock number.

  In the example shown in FIG. 51A, since there are seven relay boxes 6 (ID1 to 7) belonging to G3, one is assigned to each of the six relay boxes 6 as the number of discharged sheets. In the example shown in FIG. 5B, since there are four relay boxes 6 (ID1 to ID4) belonging to G3, one is assigned to each. Since the total number of sheets is four and does not reach six, the relay boxes 6 belonging to G3 are sequentially assigned one by one until the total number reaches six. In this example, the second sheet is assigned to the relay boxes 6 of ID1 and ID2.

  In the allocation in the above pattern 2, the upper limit number of dischargeable sheets that can be allocated to one relay box 6 belonging to G3 is two, and is less than the upper limit number of sheets that can be allocated to the relay boxes 6 belonging to groups of G4 or higher. It is. As a result, the banknotes P are collected by being dispersed in more relay boxes 6.

<Pattern 3> When All Relay Boxes 6 are G2 or Less In this case, one sheet (upper limit sheet number) is assigned to each relay box 6 in the descending order of the number of stock sheets.

In the example shown in FIG. 52A, since there are two relay boxes 6 (ID1, 2) belonging to G2 and five relay boxes 6 (ID3-7) belonging to G1, it belongs to G2 with a large number of stocks. One relay box 6 (ID1, 2) is preferentially assigned, and then one relay box 6 (ID3-6) of the relay boxes 6 belonging to G1 is assigned one by one.

  In the example shown in FIG. 5B, since there are two relay boxes 6 (ID1, 2) belonging to G2 and three relay boxes 6 (ID3-5) belonging to G1, it belongs to G2 with a large number of stocks. The relay boxes 6 (ID 1 and 2) are preferentially assigned one by one, and then one by one is assigned to the three relay boxes 6 (ID 3 to 5) belonging to G1. Since the total number at this stage is five and does not reach six, as a remaining process, the number of sheets discharged from the relay box 6 of ID1 belonging to G2 is incremented by one to be two. Since the total number of sheets reaches six, the allocation process is terminated. This is equivalent to raising the upper limit number of sheets for G2 from one to two and reassigning them.

  Note that the above allocation method is an example, and the present invention is not limited to this.

  In addition, regardless of the number of stocks, the manager or the like can arbitrarily change the priority order for the relay box 6. For example, when the administrator switches the collection mode of the secondary collection device 10 to the special collection mode after the end of business hours, the control unit 27 determines that the relay box 6 having a higher priority order is set. The collection destinations and the number of discharged sheets instructed to each collection destination are determined so that the banknotes P are collected preferentially.

  For example, during business hours, banknotes P continue to be thrown into the gaming ball lending machine 4 of the gaming machine island 3 where many popular models are installed, so the banknotes P are stocked in the relay box 6 of the gaming machine island 3. It is easy to be done, and in the control in operation to preferentially collect the banknotes P from the relay box 6 with a large number of stocks, the deviation of the stock amount of the banknotes P between the gaming machine islands 3 may not be eliminated. In addition, after the end of business, it is often desirable to quickly replace and maintain the gaming machine 5 for a specific gaming machine island 3. In order to respond to such a request, the banknotes P can be collected according to the arbitrarily set priority by switching to the special collection mode after the end of business.

  Next, an error indicator provided in the paper sheet collection and conveyance system will be described.

  FIG. 53 shows the front of the error indicator 180 included in the paper sheet collection and conveyance system. The error indicator 180 has a function of displaying an error occurrence location in an easy-to-understand manner. The error display machine 180 displays the layout of the secondary collection device 10 installed in the game hall 2. The display is customized according to each game hall 2.

  The error display machine 180 includes a vertical conveyance path display unit 181 and a horizontal conveyance path display unit 182 as layout display units. The vertical conveyance path display unit 181 schematically shows a conveyance path from the first floor ceiling to the collective safe 11 of the fourth floor office. The horizontal conveyance path display unit 182 displays the state of the conveyance path behind the ceiling on the first floor and the relay box 6 on the first floor.

  Further, the error indicator 180 includes a message display unit 183, an up / down button 184, and an alarm button 185. The message display unit 183 displays the content of the error when an error occurs. The up / down button 184 is used to select which error is to be displayed when a plurality of errors have occurred. The alarm button 185 is lit when an error occurs. When an error occurs, a notification to that effect is sent to the income card staff. When the alarm button 185 is pressed in the lighting state, error output to the intercom stops.

  In the vertical part transport path display part 181 and the horizontal part transport path display part 182, symbols corresponding to the gaming machine island 3 and the transport pipe 12 are displayed according to the layout of the game hall 2, and further, the relay box is superimposed on the symbols. 6 and icons corresponding to the passage sensors installed at various locations along the transport pipe 12 are displayed. When the gaming machine island 3 is installed on a plurality of floors, it is possible to switch which floor state is displayed on the horizontal conveyance path display unit 182. When an error occurs, the state of the floor where the error has occurred may be automatically displayed.

  When an error occurs, the location where the error occurred flashes red. When an abnormality occurs in the auxiliary blower 18 and the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17, only that portion blinks red. When the banknote P and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 are clogged, as shown in FIG. 54, the banknote P and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 are detected in the section from the detected passage sensor to the passage sensor of the unexamined land one downstream thereof. The part corresponding to the transfer tube blinks red.

  As described above, the error display 180 and the error occurrence location are displayed in an easy-to-understand manner, so that the error can be dealt with quickly. A plurality of error indicators 180 may be provided at various locations in the game hall 2.

  As described above, the paper sheet collection and transport system according to the present embodiment uses the banknotes P collected by the primary collection device 10 in each of the plurality of gaming machine islands 3 arranged in the game hall 2 to each game. Since it is collected from the machine island 3 and transported to the collective safe 11 of the office by the secondary collection device 10, it is possible to collect the bills P from each gaming machine island 3 to the collective safe 11 of the office safely and without trouble.

  Next, an improved type of the transport auxiliary body relay device 19 will be described.

  55 and 56 show the relay unit 61B of the improved transport auxiliary body relay device 19B. In the improved transport auxiliary body relay device 19B, when the transport auxiliary body 16 sent out from the collective safe 11 does not normally reach the transport auxiliary relay device 19B, the second transport auxiliary body 16 is removed from the collective safe 11. The following two points were improved in order to cope with the problems that occur when sending to the auxiliary transfer body relay device 19B.

(Improved point 1)
A part of the second conveyance auxiliary body 16 is prevented from entering the holding section 74 in a state where the first conveyance auxiliary body 16 is received by the holding section 74.
FIG. 55A shows the relay unit 61 of the transfer auxiliary body relay device 19 before improvement in a state where two transfer auxiliary bodies 16 arrive successively, and FIG. 55B shows the improved type transfer in the same state. The relay part 61 of the auxiliary body relay apparatus 19B is shown. In the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 19 before the improvement, the position where the holding unit 74 holds the first conveyance auxiliary body 16 is a deep position of the holding unit 74, and therefore when the second conveyance auxiliary body 16 arrives continuously. A part thereof enters the holding portion 74 and stops at a position where the second conveyance auxiliary body 16 straddles both the inflow side connection port 67 (fixed side) and the holding portion 74 (rotation side). Therefore, if the rotating plate 72 is to be rotated in this state, the second conveyance auxiliary body 16 is caught between the inflow side connection port 67 and the holding portion 74, and the rotation of the rotating plate 72 is hindered. .

  Therefore, in the improved transport auxiliary body relay device 19B shown in FIG. 55 (b), the position where the holding unit 74 assists the first transport auxiliary body 16 is shallow, and the second transport auxiliary body 16 is 1 The second conveyance auxiliary body 16 is prevented from entering the holding portion 74 when it contacts the individual conveyance auxiliary body 16. As a result, the second conveyance auxiliary body 16 does not stop at a position straddling both the inflow side connection port 67 (fixed side) and the holding portion 74 (rotation side), and the rotation of the rotating plate 72 is not hindered. .

  In the improved transfer auxiliary body relay device 19B, in order to make the holding portion 74 hold the transfer auxiliary body 16 shallow, the receiving portion 81 is elongated toward the downstream side, and the pair of holding arms 83 are formed on the base plate 71. The rear end on the side is pivotally supported, and the tip on the inflow side connection port 67 side is provided with a holding roller 82 to open and close. Further, the positions of the release plate 84 and the release roller 85 are changed. Furthermore, as the position for holding the conveyance auxiliary body 16 becomes shallower, the position of the transmission optical sensor 75 that detects the conveyance auxiliary body 16 held by the holding unit 74 is changed.

(Improvement 2)
While the rotary plate 72 is rotating, the inflow side connection port 67 is closed so that the conveyance auxiliary body 16 does not pass through the inflow side connection port 67.
In the transport auxiliary body relay device 19 before improvement, while the rotating plate 72 is rotating, the transport auxiliary body 16 coming from the upstream flows in even though the holding portion 74 is not located behind the inflow side connection port 67. Since it was in a state where it could pass through the side connection port 67 and enter the relay unit 61, when the second transport auxiliary body 16 arrives in this state, the second transport auxiliary body 16 is moved to the holding unit 74. In other words, it may jump into the suction duct 65 or fall into the relay portion 61 and impede the rotation of the rotating plate 72.

  Therefore, in the improved transfer auxiliary body relay device 19B, as shown in FIG. 56, a guard plate 87 that prevents the transfer auxiliary body 16 coming from upstream while the rotating plate 72 is rotating from passing through the inflow side connection port 67 is prevented. Was provided.

  The guard plate 87 shown in FIG. 56 has a portion that covers the holding portion 74 removed from an annular plate that is concentric with the rotating plate 72 and is obtained by punching a circular disc having a radius that just covers the holding portion 74 with a concentric small circle. It is a metal plate having a shape corresponding to the remaining portion, and is attached to the rotating plate 72 so as to be flush with the upper end of the holding portion 74 (the opening at the end on the inflow side connection port 67 side). Rotate with. The guard plate 87 faces the outlet of the inflow side connection port 67 and closes the inflow side connection port 67 during rotation when the holding portion 74 is not located at a position facing the inflow side connection port 67.

  Here, for convenience of manufacture and attachment, the guard plate 87 is divided into two parts with the holding portion 74 as a boundary. A collar portion 88 that extends in the same plane as the guard plate 87 is provided at the periphery of the opening on the inflow side connection port 67 side of the holding portion 74. When the holding portion 74 is slightly displaced from the position facing the front surface of the inflow side connection port 67, such as immediately after the start of rotation or immediately before the end of rotation, the collar portion 88 and the outer periphery of the opening on the inflow side connection port 67 side of the holding portion 74 It plays a role of closing a small gap generated between the inflow side connection port 67.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to that shown in the embodiment, and there are changes and additions within the scope of the present invention. Are also included in the present invention.

  In the embodiment, the primary collection device 8 in the gaming machine island 3 also adopts the conveyance method using the air flow and the conveyance auxiliary body 16, but the primary collection device 8 conveys the banknotes P with a belt or the like. The method may be used. Furthermore, the secondary recovery apparatus 10 is not limited to the transport system using the transport auxiliary body 16 that moves by the action of the airflow. For example, a self-propelled moving body may move in the transport pipe 12 and collect banknotes. As long as the secondary collection device is a conveyance device in which the maximum number of sheets that can be conveyed is limited by one collection operation, the conveyance method may be arbitrary.

  In the embodiment, the transport pipe 12 is installed behind the ceiling, but it may be configured to pipe near the ceiling or under the floor. In the case of under the floor, the sub-transport device 13 may transport the bills discharged from the back surface of the relay box 6 downward.

  In the embodiment, the transport pipe 12 is piped in the vertical direction and in the horizontal plane, but the transport pipe 12 may be installed in an inclined state. For example, in the case of an inclined ceiling, the conveyance pipe 12 may be inclined along the ceiling.

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

  In addition, the shape of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is not limited to what was shown in embodiment. For example, it is good also as columnar shapes, such as a cross-sectional rectangle and a polygon. Moreover, although the conveyance auxiliary body 16 was made into the object shape with respect to the Y direction center part, you may make it an asymmetrical shape in a Y direction.

  In the embodiment, the bill P has been described as an example of the paper sheet, but other types of paper sheets such as a ticket and a card may be used. Moreover, the shape of paper sheets is not limited to a rectangle. Also, the installation location of the paper sheet collection and transportation system is not limited to the amusement hall, and other facilities may be used.

  In the embodiment, the cross section of the transfer tube 12 is substantially rectangular, but may be other shapes such as a circle or an ellipse. However, it is preferable that the conveyance auxiliary body closes substantially the entire cross section with a shape corresponding to the inner edge shape. Moreover, it is good to provide a some rib and to narrow the substantial channel | path width | variety of paper sheets.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 ... Game hall 3 ... Game machine island 4 ... Game ball lending machine 5 ... Game machine 6 ... Relay box 8 ... Primary collection apparatus 10 ... Secondary collection apparatus 11 ... Collective safe 12 ... Conveyance pipe 12a ... Outward conveyance pipe 12b ... Return path Conveying pipe 13 ... Sub-conveying device 14 ... Intake device 15 ... Connecting portion 16 ... Conveying auxiliary member 16a ... Head 16b ... Neck portion 16c ... Large diameter portion 16d ... Narrow portion 17 ... Conveying auxiliary member relay device 18 ... Auxiliary blower 19 ... Release air blower 21 ... Air flow generator 22 ... Bill separation / conveyance auxiliary body circulation device 23 ... Conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 24 ... Separation collection device 25 ... Bill storage unit 26 ... Bill conveyance unit 27 ... Control unit 28 ... Guide passage 29 ... Standing place 32 ... Side wall part 33 ... Expansion part 34 ... Rib 34a ... Slope 36 ... Guide rail 37 ... Connection wall part 41 ... Holding part 42 ... Receiving part 43 ... Slit 45 ... Sending part 46 ... Moving arm 51 Twist part 51a ... Sub twist pipe 51b ... Connection part 61 ... Relay part 62 ... Blower part 63 ... Fan 65 ... Suction duct 66 ... Blower duct 67 ... Inlet side connection port 68 ... Outlet side connection port 71 ... Base plate 71a ... Suction duct Connection port 71b ... Blower duct connection port 72 ... Rotating plate 72a ... Ventilation hole 73 ... Support shaft 74 ... Holding part 75 ... Sensor 76 ... Transmission type optical sensor 81 ... Receiving part 82 ... Holding roller 83 ... Holding arm 84 ... Release plate 85 ... Release roller 87 ... Guard plate 88 ... Collar part 91 ... Side rib 92 ... Guide rib 93 ... Guide rib 101 ... Sub-transport pipe 101a ... Opening 102 ... Upflow generator 102a ... Fan 102b ... Blower duct 103 ... Bill take-in part 104 ... Passage 104b ... Opening 104c ... Inlet 105a ... Conveying roller 105b ... Conveying belt 121 ... Passing part DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 122 ... Conveyance part 123 ... Bill guide path 124 ... Conveyance belt 125a ... Feeding roller 125b ... Feeding belt 126 ... Shutter 128 ... Clamping roller 129 ... Movable arm 129a ... Supporting point 130 ... Solenoid 131 ... Bill detection sensor 140 ... Conveyance pipe 142 ... Banknote take-in device 144 ... Airflow generator 145 ... Bill separation / conveyance auxiliary body circulation device 146 ... Transport auxiliary body insertion device 147 ... Separation collection device 148 ... Bill conveyance unit 150 ... Temporary storage device 151 ... Attitude conversion unit 152 ... Elevator Numeral 152a: receiving plate 152b: pressure plate 153: feeding and conveying unit 153b ... conveying belt 154 ... storage unit 155 ... natural rubber sheet 156 ... thick line indicating conveying path 160 ... coupling main body part 161 ... upstream connection port 162 ... downstream side Connection port 162b ... Abutting portion 163 Rib (center)
163a, 163b ... Two parallel ribs 164 ... Ribs (both sides)
166 ... Sensor 170 ... Connection adapter 171 ... Upstream connection port 172 ... Downstream end 173 ... Rib (center)
174 ... Ribs (both sides)
180 ... Error indicator 181 ... Vertical conveyance path display unit 182 ... Horizontal conveyance path display unit 183 ... Message display unit 184 ... Up / down button 185 ... Alarm button Dx ... Distance between reference planes of conveyance pipe Dy ... Y of conveyance pipe Inner dimension of direction Ds ... Shift amount FW ... Direction of extension of transport pipe M ... Path of banknote transport section P, P1, P2, P3 ... Banknote W ... Path width X ... Path width direction of transport pipe Y ... Height of transport pipe Direction

Claims (10)

A plurality of primary collection devices for collecting paper sheets and storing them in a storage unit;
A secondary recovery device for recovering the paper sheets discharged from the storage unit of the primary recovery device and transporting them to a predetermined destination;
For each recovery operation by the secondary recovery device, the total number of paper sheets to be recovered is within a predetermined maximum number that can be recovered by one recovery operation, and one or more primary recovery devices A control unit for instructing the number of sheets to be discharged from the storage unit;
A paper sheet collecting and conveying system characterized by comprising: The control unit instructs the primary collection device having a larger number of paper sheets accumulated in the storage unit to preferentially discharge the paper sheets from the storage unit. The paper sheet collection and conveyance system according to claim 1. The control unit classifies the primary collection devices into a plurality of groups according to the number of sheets stored in the storage unit, and discharges the first collection device in order from the group with the largest number of accumulations. 3. The paper sheet collecting and conveying system according to claim 1, wherein the number of discharged sheets is allocated as evenly as possible to the primary collecting devices belonging to the same group after limiting the number of sheets within a predetermined upper limit number. . 4. The paper sheet collecting and conveying according to claim 3, wherein the upper limit number set for a group with a stored number less than a predetermined number is less than the upper limit number set for a group with a stored number equal to or greater than the predetermined number. system. The total number of discharged sheets does not reach the maximum number even after making a round of the plurality of groups, and the remaining number of discharged sheets is assigned in order from the primary collection device belonging to the group with the largest number of stored sheets. The paper sheet collection and conveyance system according to 3 or 4. An arbitrary priority can be set and changed for the primary recovery device,
6. The control unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control unit instructs the primary collection device having a higher priority order to preferentially discharge paper sheets from the storage unit. The paper sheet collection and conveyance system according to any one of the above. The secondary recovery device includes a transport pipe that extends around a storage unit of the plurality of primary recovery devices, and a take-in device that takes in the paper discharged from the storage unit into the transport pipe, An air flow generator for generating an air flow toward the destination in the transport pipe, and a transport assist for inserting a transport auxiliary body that moves under the action of the air flow into the transport pipe upstream of the intake device A body insertion device, and a conveyance auxiliary body inserted into the conveyance tube by the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device pushes and moves paper sheets taken into the conveyance tube by the capture device from the rear. The paper sheet collecting and conveying system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the paper sheet collecting and conveying system is transported to the ground. A sub-transport device that transports the paper discharged from the storage unit of the primary recovery device to the take-in device;
The sub-transport device takes in the paper discharged from the storage unit into a sub-transport tube, generates an air flow toward the fetch device in the sub-transport tube, and receives the action of the air flow to receive the sub-transport. The paper sheet collecting and conveying system according to claim 7, wherein the paper sheet is pushed and moved from behind by a conveyance auxiliary member that moves in a tube and conveyed to the take-in device. The paper sheet collecting and conveying system according to claim 7 or 8, further comprising an auxiliary blower for sending an air flow directed downstream from a predetermined position in the middle of the conveying pipe. The paper sheet collecting and conveying system according to any one of claims 7 to 9, further comprising a blower that sends an air flow directed upstream from a predetermined position in the middle of the conveying pipe.