JP3197879B2 - Medal payout device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to a medal payout apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There has been known a medal payout apparatus which is used when a clerk at a game arcade obtains medals or the like for replenishing a medal lending machine. This kind of medal payout device,
For example, a single payout operation is configured to pay out one cup of medals to a dedicated small container.

[0003]

When a very large number of medals are transported in a store, the use of the dedicated small container as described above increases the number of times of transportation and takes time and effort. Therefore, in such a case, a large container that is much larger than the small container is used, the large container is mounted on a trolley or the like, and medals to be paid out from the medal payout device are moved into the large container. It is convenient to carry them all together.

However, it is difficult to bring such a large container directly to the medal payout exit, and the medal paid out from the medal payout device cannot be directly received by the large container. Further, although it is possible to bring the small container closer to the medal payout port, there is a drawback that if the medal received in the small container is transferred to a large container, the transfer operation takes a lot of trouble. Furthermore, even if a route in which medals are dispensed into a large container can be configured, if only one cup of medal is dispensed to a small container by a single dispensing operation, the operator is resident near the apparatus. Since the payout operation has to be performed many times, there is a problem that the work efficiency is extremely low.

Under these circumstances, medals can usually be paid out to small containers, and if necessary,
There has been a demand for a medal payout device that can easily pay out medals to a large container without any troublesome work. The present invention has been made to solve the above problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a medal payout apparatus capable of paying out an appropriate number of medals to both small containers and large containers.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention Hereinafter, features of the present invention made to achieve the above object will be described in detail. The invention according to claim 1 is a medal payout device that is configured so that paid-out medals are normally stored in a medal payout unit. A detachable chute that accepts a medal to be paid out from the entrance side and slides the medal down to an exit side located at a position away from the medal payout section, and can detect whether or not the detachable chute is mounted. If the detachable chute is not mounted according to the result of detection by the chute detecting means and the chute detecting means, the medal payout is performed when the time elapsed from the start of the medal payout exceeds a predetermined time. On the other hand, when the detachable chute is mounted, regardless of the time elapsed from the start of the payout of the medal, Characterized in that the payout control means to continue had out.

In the medal payout device of the present invention, the medal payout portion is a place where the paid out medals are stored, and specifically, a tray fixed to the medal payout device or a container detachable from the medal payout device. I do not care. The chute detecting means may be any means capable of detecting the presence / absence of a detachable chute, and may be configured by arbitrarily using a well-known contact-type sensor or non-contact-type sensor. According to the payout device, usually, the paid-out medals are accumulated in the medal payout unit,
When the detachable chute is mounted, the paid-out medals are transferred to a position away from the medal payout section by the detachable chute.For example, a large container should be placed at the exit side of the detachable chute. Thereby, the medals paid out from the medal payout device can be moved into the large container.

Moreover, since the medal payout port provided with the same shoot is not provided separately from the normal medal payout port, the internal structure of the medal payout device is not excessively complicated. In addition, since the detachable chute can be detached arbitrarily, it can be put out of the way when it is unnecessary.

Further, when the detachable chute is mounted, the payout of the medals is continued regardless of the time elapsed from the start of the payout of the medals. In the case of paying out, it is very convenient because a large amount of medals can be paid out continuously. On the other hand, if the detachable chute is not mounted, if the time elapsed from the start of the payout of the medal exceeds a predetermined time, the payout of the medal is stopped, so that the medal should be sufficiently stored in the medal payout part. Even if the time elapses, the medal payout operation will not continue if some trouble has occurred and the medal does not accumulate, so the secondary medal generated by continuing the medal payout operation will be eliminated. Trouble can be avoided.

Next, the medal payout device according to the second aspect has a pair of terminals electrically connected via medals stored in the medal payout portion, and the terminals are electrically connected. A first medal detection unit capable of detecting that a medal has been stored in the medal payout unit when the medal is paid out, and a pair of terminals electrically connected via the medal stored on the exit side of the detachable chute. When the detachable chute is attached to the medal payout section, the second terminal is electrically connected to each terminal of the first medal detection means.
And a medal detecting means.

According to the medal payout device thus configured, the medal accumulating portion can detect the medal accumulating portion by the first medal detecting means, and the medal accumulating at the exit side of the detachable chute can be detected. It can be detected by the second medal detection means. Moreover, the second medal detecting means is a member extending the terminal of the first medal detecting means to the exit side of the detachable chute, and detects the medal by using the function of the first medal detecting means. The number of parts is reduced and the load on the control device is reduced as compared with the case where a means having the same function as the one medal detection means is provided completely separately from the first medal detection means.

[0012]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to an example. The medal payout device described below constitutes a part of a medal polishing device for polishing game medals.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the medal polishing apparatus 1 includes a primary tank 11, a lower feeder 13, a lifter 15, a polishing box 17, a shutter device 19, a secondary tank 21, an upper feeder 23, and A sorter 25 and the like are provided, and the operation of each unit is controlled by a sequencer 29.

The primary tank 11 is a container for storing unpolished medals. The medals in the primary tank 11
For example, medals that have been thrown into a medal counting machine (not shown) are collected, and the medal counting machine can be installed on a top plate 31 above the primary tank 11.
In addition, if a collecting mechanism using a belt conveyor or the like is provided behind the gaming machine, medals inserted into the gaming machine can be continuously collected, so that the medal inserted into the gaming machine can be continuously collected. The collected medals may be collected in the primary tank 11.

The lower sending device 13 is a device controlled by the sequencer 29 to continuously send medals from the primary tank 11, and conveys medals by a built-in belt conveyor. The medals sent by the lower sending device 13 are put into the hopper 33.

The lifter 15 is a device that is controlled by the sequencer 29 and conveys medals that have been put into the hopper 33 upward. The lifter 15 has a pair of endless belts arranged inside so as to be in contact with each other, and sandwiches medals between the endless belts and conveys the medals upward.

The polishing box 17 is, as shown in FIG.
Inside, there are provided two belts 35 which are bent zigzag in substantially the same manner. Each belt 35 elastically bends, is arranged at intervals so that a zigzag path is formed between the two belts, and is fixed at both upper and lower ends. A cloth-like polishing member 37 is suspended in a zigzag passage formed by the belt 35. The cloth-like polishing member 37 is a polishing means for polishing medals with a cotton cloth formed in a cylindrical shape.
The medals conveyed by the lifter 15 are thrown into the inside of the cloth-like polishing member 37 from the upper end side of the cloth-like polishing member 37, and the inserted medals (C in FIG.
7 and fall down, rubbing the surface of the medal.

The medals discharged from the lower end side of the polishing box 17 are thrown into the hopper 33 again. In other words, the polishing box 17 forms a falling path for guiding the medals falling under their own weight after exiting from the exit of the lifter 15 to the entrance of the lifter 15, and the lifter 15 and the polishing box 17 circulate the medals in the annular transport path. It functions as a circulating transport unit that causes the circulating transport.

The shutter device 19 is a transfer destination switching means for switching the transfer destination in two ways, and its operation is controlled by a sequencer 29. The shutter device 19 is disposed near the horizontal transfer section 17a at the upper end of the lifter 15. ing. Inside the shutter device 19, as shown in FIG. 4, a shielding plate 19a inclined with respect to the transport direction B of the horizontal transport unit 17a is provided, and the shielding plate 19a is controlled by a solenoid (not shown). It is structured to be driven up and down. When the shield 19a moves upward, the shield 1
Since there is a gap between 9a and the horizontal transport section 17a, medals mounted and transported on the horizontal transport section 17a are transported in the transport direction B and reach the polishing box 17. on the other hand,
When the shield plate 19a moves downward, the shield plate 19a lightly abuts the horizontal transport unit 17a, and there is no gap between the two. Therefore, the medals mounted and transported on the horizontal transport unit 17a are transported by the shield plate 19a. And its path is bent as shown by the arrow M in the figure. The medal whose course has been bent falls down to the side of the horizontal transport unit 17a and is stored in the secondary tank 21.

The secondary tank 21 is a container for storing polished medals. In the secondary tank 21, remaining amount sensors 39a and 39b are arranged at different height positions.
One remaining amount sensor 39a is a sensor that detects that the medals in the secondary tank 21 are full, and the other remaining amount sensor 39b is that the remaining amount of medals in the secondary tank 21 has decreased. It is a sensor that detects that. Note that these remaining amount sensors 39a and 39b are configured using a contact-type sensor that is electrically connected with the contact of a medal, but may be configured with an optical sensor or the like whose optical path is blocked by the medal. Can also.

A device for continuously sending medals from the upper sending device 23 and the secondary tank 21. The medal is conveyed by a built-in belt conveyor. Upper transmitter 23
Is sent to the sorting machine 25. As shown in FIG. 5, the sorting machine 25 includes a swinging member 41 having a sliding surface 41 a for sliding a medal on an upper surface side, and a partition 43 surrounding the swinging member 41. The swing member 41 is located at a first position (a position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 5) or a second position (a position indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 5) in which the inclination of the sliding surface 41a is different from each other.
And is arranged to swing to
Is arranged at a position where medals sent from the upper sending device 23 are placed on the slide surface 41a. The swing member 41 is
It is driven by a motor (not shown) and swings. The light shielding plate 41b extending below the swing member 41 blocks the optical paths of the photo interrupters 45 and 47 with the swing, thereby swinging. It can detect that the moving member 41 has reached the first and second positions. When the swing member 41 is at the first position, the medal on the slide surface 41a falls down from one edge 41c to the hopper 51 which is the payout path, and when the swing member 41 is at the second position. Is designed so that the medals placed on the slide surface 41a fall from the other edge 41d to the hopper 53, which is a collection path. Also,
In this sorting machine 25, the medal always passes between the one edge 41 c and the partition 43 and between the other edge 41 d and the partition 43 irrespective of the operating position of the swinging member 41. Is secured so that medals are not inserted between the swinging member 41 and the partition 43. One edge 41c and the other edge 41d
In other places (that is, the front side and the back side of the swinging member 41 in FIG. 5), the swinging member 41 and the partitioning wall 43 are irrespective of the operating position of the swinging member 41.
Since there is no gap between medal 3 and medal,
Here, too, no medals are inserted.

The medals that have fallen to the hopper 51, which is the payout route, are stored in the mug 61. As shown in FIG. 6, the jug 61 is a container with a handle that can be detached from the medal polishing device 1 and carried, and is installed in the medal payout section 63 of the medal polishing device 1. In the medal payout section 63, a jug detection sensor 65 and a medal detection sensor 67 are provided. The jug detection sensor 65 is a proximity sensor that detects the presence of a metal in the vicinity without contact, and can detect the presence or absence of the metal jug 61. The medal detection sensor 67 projects into the jug 61 through a through hole formed in the jug 61, and determines whether or not the two medal detection sensors 67a-67b are electrically connected via the medal. Can be detected. In the case of the present embodiment, the medal detection sensor 67a
If the contact is made between -67b, it is determined that the connection has been made electrically via the medal.

The medals that have fallen into the hopper 53, which is a collection path, are returned to the primary tank 11 described above.
By the way, as shown in FIG. 7, a detachable chute 71 can be attached to the medal payout section 63 instead of the mug 61 as shown in FIG. When the detachable chute 71 is attached to the medal payout section 63, the entrance 71a is arranged at a position for receiving medals paid out from the hopper 51, and the exit 71 is provided at a position distant from the medal payout section 63.
In this state, the medals received from the entrance 71a slide down to the exit 71b. In the vicinity of the outlet 71b of the detachable chute 71, a first terminal 73 having a protruding shape and a second terminal 73 forming an opening edge on the outlet 71b side.
A terminal 75 is provided, and the first terminal 73 is connected to a conductor 77a.
The second terminal 75 is electrically connected to the spring contact 79b via a conducting wire 77b. The detachable chute 71 is attached to the medal polishing device 1
When mounted on the spring, the spring contact 79a and the medal detection sensor 67a are in pressure contact with each other, whereby the first terminal 73 is electrically connected to the medal detection sensor 67a. Also, the spring contact 79b and the medal detection sensor 67b are in pressure contact with each other, whereby the second terminal 75 is electrically connected to the medal detection sensor 67b.

The medal payout section 63 is provided with a chute detection sensor 81. The chute detection sensor 81 is a proximity sensor that detects the presence of metal nearby without contact, similarly to the mug detection sensor 65, and is capable of detecting the presence or absence of a detachable chute 71 made of metal. Note that the chute detection sensor 81 is
The jug 61 is provided with a through hole 83 in order to prevent the detection of the.

Next, the medal polishing operation in the medal polishing apparatus 1 will be described. In the medal polishing device 1, when the remaining amount sensor 39b detects that the remaining amount of medals in the secondary tank 21 has decreased, the unpolished medals stored in the primary tank 11 are polished. , Into the secondary tank 21.

Specifically, the sequencer 29 activates the lower sending device 13 for a certain period of time, whereby the medals in the primary tank 11 are thrown into the hopper 33. Also,
The sequencer 29 operates the lifter 15, whereby the medals inserted into the hopper 33 are discharged. The lifted medals reach the upper end of the polishing box 17, fall in the polishing box 17, and the surface of the medals is polished during the fall. The medals that have fallen to the lower end of the polishing box 17 are again thrown into the hopper 33 and lifter 1
5 will be shipped. That is, the lifter 15
As shown by solid black arrows in FIGS. 1 and 2, the medals circulate in the annular transport path due to the repetition of lifting and dropping in the polishing box 17. At this time, the medal falls in the polishing box 17 many times, so that the medal is polished each time.

Subsequently, at an appropriate time, the sequencer 29
Activates the shutter device 19, whereby the medal that the lifter 15 is transporting to the polishing box 17 is
Collected in the secondary tank 21. The timing at which the sequencer 29 activates the shutter device 19 may be set in advance for a time sufficient for polishing medals, or may be arbitrarily variably set.

The above series of processing is usually performed by the remaining amount sensor 3
9a is repeated until the medals in the secondary tank 21 are full, but this may be repeated a predetermined number of times, or the number may be arbitrarily variably set. . According to the medal polishing device 1 that operates as described above, the degree of polishing of medals can be increased by increasing the number of times that medals pass through the polishing box 17. The height of the box 17 does not need to be excessively long, and the height of the medal polishing device 1 can be reduced. The lifter 15 and the polishing box 1
7, a vertically long annular path is formed, so that the medal polishing apparatus 1 can be reduced in size in terms of width and depth. That is, the medal polishing device 1 can be made compact as a whole.

Further, according to the medal polishing apparatus 1, the medal is polished by merely dropping the medal in the polishing box 17, so that it is not necessary to supply power particularly for polishing. The size can be reduced by eliminating the necessity of disposing a power source and a driving mechanism for supplying.

Further, in the medal polishing apparatus 1, a shutter device 19 is provided on the upper end side of the lifter 15, and the lifter 15 has a function of pumping medals to the entrance of the polishing box 17 and a function of moving the medal to the secondary tank 21. Since it also has a function of transporting medals, it is not necessary to separately provide lifters for realizing each function, and the size of the apparatus can be reduced by that much.

Next, a medal payout operation in the medal polishing apparatus 1 will be described. This medal payout operation
Whether the jug 61 is installed in the medal payout unit 63,
The operation differs depending on whether the detachable chute 71 is mounted. When the mug detection sensor 65 is on and the shoot detection sensor 81 is off, the sequencer 29 determines that the jug 61 is installed in the medal payout unit 63, and the mug detection sensor 65 is on and the shoot detection sensor 81 When the button is also on, it is determined that the detachable chute 71 is attached to the medal payout unit 63.

First, the medal payout operation when the mug 61 is installed in the medal payout section 63 will be described. This medal payout operation is started when the payout key switch on the operation panel (not shown) is twisted in the medal polishing device 1, and the polished medals stored in the secondary tank 21 are used as shown in FIGS. It flows as indicated by the white solid arrow shown in FIG.

The specific processing procedure is as shown in FIG.
First, the sequencer 29 operates the sorter 25 (S101), whereby the swing member 41 swings to the first position (the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 5). Swing member 4
When 1 reaches the first position, the light-shielding plate 41b blocks the optical path of the photo-interrupter 45, and the sequencer 29 that detects the light-blocking plate 41 stops the sorting machine 25 (S10).
3).

Subsequently, the sequencer 29 is connected to the upper transmitter 2
3 (S105), whereby the secondary tank 2
The medals in 1 are put into the sorting machine 25. The medals thrown into the sorting machine 25 are placed on the sliding surface 4 of the swinging member 41.
1a slides down to the hopper 51, and the medals are accumulated in the mug 61.

When medals accumulate in the mug 61 up to the height reaching the medal detection sensor 67a, the medal detection sensors 67a-67b are electrically connected via the medal, and this is detected by the sequencer 29. . Subsequently, the sequencer 29 immediately stops the upper transmitter 23 if the medal detection sensors 67a and 67b are electrically connected or if 10 seconds have elapsed since the upper transmitter 23 was operated. (S10
7) Also, the sorting machine 25 is operated (S10).
9). As a result, the upper feeder 23 stops, and the swing member 41 swings to the second position (the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 5). When the swing member 41 reaches the second position, the light shielding plate 41b blocks the optical path of the photo interrupter 47,
The sequencer 29 that detects this stops the sorting machine 25 (S111). As a result, the payout of medals stops.

As described above, the jug 6 is attached to the medal payout section 63.
1 is installed, the medal detection sensor 67a-
Since the payout of medals is stopped when 67b is electrically connected, an appropriate amount of medals is paid out to the mug 61. In addition, if ten seconds have elapsed since the operation of the upper transmitter 23, the payout of medals is stopped. If there is a malfunction in the medal detection sensor 67, medals are jammed in the secondary tank 21 or the upper transmitter 23. In such a case, the upper transmitter 23 is not continuously operated.

Next, the medal payout operation when the detachable chute 71 is mounted on the medal payout section 63 will be described. This medal payout operation is also performed by the medal polishing device 1 described above.
, Starts when the payout key switch on the operation panel (not shown) is twisted.

The specific processing procedure is as shown in FIG.
First, the sequencer 29 operates the sorting machine 25 (S201), whereby the swinging member 41 swings to the first position (the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 5). Swing member 4
When 1 reaches the first position, the light-shielding plate 41b blocks the optical path of the photo-interrupter 45, and the sequencer 29 that has detected this interrupts the sorting machine 25 (S20).
3).

Subsequently, the sequencer 29 is connected to the upper transmitter 2
3 (S205), whereby the secondary tank 2
The medals in 1 are put into the sorting machine 25. The medals thrown into the sorting machine 25 are placed on the sliding surface 4 of the swinging member 41.
1a slides down to the hopper 51, and the medal slides down in the detachable chute 71 and is carried to an external container.

Here, when the remaining amount of medals in the secondary tank 21 is detected by the remaining amount sensor 39b in the secondary tank 21, the sequencer 2 waits for 10 seconds.
9 stops the upper transmitter 23 (S206). The reason for waiting for 10 seconds is to pay out all the medals in the secondary tank 21 and the upper sending device 23. Also, stopping the upper sending device 23 prevents the medals supplied to the secondary tank 21 in parallel from being sent out little by little before they are sufficiently accumulated, and also prevents such medals. This is to prevent the belt of the upper sending device 23 from being damaged by efficient sending. In addition, the secondary tank 2
When the remaining amount of medals in 1 is no longer detected, the flow returns to S205 again to operate the upper sending device 23.

Now, medals are stored in the external container, and the first terminal 73 and the second terminal 75 are passed through the medals.
When the spaces are electrically connected, the medal detection sensor 67a-
67b are electrically connected, and this is detected in the sequencer 29.

The sequencer 29 has a medal detection sensor 6
If the connection between 7a and 67b is made electrically, the upper sending device 23 is immediately stopped (S207), and the sorting device 25 is operated (S209). As a result, the upper feeder 23 stops, and the swing member 41 swings to the second position (the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 5). When the swinging member 41 reaches the second position, the light blocking plate 41b blocks the optical path of the photointerrupter 47, and the sequencer 29 that has detected this interrupts the sorting machine 25 (S211).
As a result, the payout of medals stops.

As described above, when the detachable chute 71 is mounted on the medal payout section 63, the first terminal 73-second
Since the payout of medals is stopped when the terminals 75 are electrically connected, an appropriate amount of medals is paid out to an external container, and the medals do not overflow from the container. Also, unlike the case where the mug 61 is installed, the payout of medals is not stopped depending on the time condition, so that even if it is desired to pay out a large amount of medals to a large container, the payout operation can be continued continuously. it can.

In the medal polishing apparatus 1 configured as described above, it takes a certain amount of time until the operation of the upper transmitter 23 is completely stopped. May spill for a while. However, in the medal polishing apparatus 1, when the upper feeder 23 is stopped, the swinging member 41 is swung to the second position, so that the swinging member 41 swings to some extent toward the second position. If it moves, the medals will not slide down to the hopper 51, and if the swinging member 41 further swings, the medals will slide down to the hopper 53 as shown by the white broken arrow in FIGS. 1 and 2. Become like Therefore, the medals do not fall into the mug 61 indefinitely, and the medals do not overflow from the mug 61. In addition, upper sending machine 2
Even if the medals already conveyed to the vicinity of the end of the upper sending device 23 remain after the stop of the hopper 3 completely, the medals may fall out later. The medals will not be released to the outside later.

Further, in this medal polishing apparatus 1, the rocking member 41 does not close the passage to the mug 61 in preventing the medal from falling into the mug 61, so that the medal may be bitten. And less likely to cause failure. Further, since the partition wall 43 exists around the swinging member 41, the medals sent from the upper sending device 23 do not fall off from the vicinity of the sliding surface of the swinging member 41 in an unexpected direction. There is a gap between both edges 41c and 41d of the sliding surface 41a where the sliding member 41 falls and the partition wall 43, so that the medal always passes regardless of the operating position of the swinging member 41. There is no biting of medals.

As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the present invention can be embodied in modes other than those described above, and is not limited to the above specific modes. For example, the specific shapes of the medal detection sensors 67a, 67b and the first terminal 73-second terminal 75 of the detachable chute 71 are not limited to the specific shapes shown in the above embodiment. As a mode other than the above, for example, the terminal may be a wire-shaped or coil-spring-shaped terminal. In such a case, the terminal bends and escapes in the event of a collision with the medal, so that the medal is less likely to be damaged. In addition, the medal vibrates slightly when pressed against the medal in a bent state. Even so, contact with the medal can be maintained. Also, the medal detection sensor 67
The pair of terminals is not limited to those arranged in the vertical direction like a and 67b, and a pair of terminals may be arranged in the horizontal direction, or may be arranged in other ways.

In the above-described embodiment, the jug detection sensor 65 and the chute detection sensor 81 are constituted by using the proximity sensor. A sensor other than the sensor may be used. For example, a push switch that is not pressed by the mug 61 but is pressed by the detachable chute 71 or an optical path that is not obstructed by the mug 61, An optical sensor or the like whose light path is blocked may be employed as the detection means.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the internal structure of a medal polishing device.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing an internal structure of the medal polishing device.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a polishing box.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the internal structure of the shutter device.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the internal structure of the sorting machine.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a mug and a medal payout section.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a detachable chute and a medal payout section.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a medal payout operation when a mug is mounted.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a medal payout operation when a detachable chute is mounted.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Medal polishing device, 11 ... Primary tank, 13
... Lower feeder, 15 lifter, 17 polishing box, 19 shutter device, 21 secondary tank, 23 upper feeder, 25 sorter, 29 ・ ・ ・ Sequencer, 31 ・ ・ ・ Top plate, 37 ・
..Clothing polishing members, 41 ... swing members, 41a ...
Sliding surface, 43 ... partition wall, 61 ... mug, 63
..Medal payout section, 65... Mug detection sensor, 6
7 (67a, 67b) ··· Medal detection sensor
..Removable chute, 71a ... entrance, 71b ...
Outlet, 73: first terminal, 75: second terminal, 77
Reference numerals a, 77b: lead wire, 79a, 79b: spring contact, 81: chute detection sensor, 83: through hole.

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] In a medal payout apparatus which is normally configured so that paid-out medals are stored in a medal payout part, the medal payout part can be detachably attached to the medal payout part. A detachable chute that receives from the entrance side and slides the medal down to an exit side located at a position away from the medal payout unit, a chute detection unit that can detect whether or not the detachable chute is mounted, According to the detection result by the shoot detecting means, when the detachable chute is not mounted, if the time elapsed from the start of the payout of the medal exceeds a predetermined time, while the payout of the medal is stopped, When the detachable chute is mounted, the payout of medals is continued regardless of the time elapsed from the start of payout of medals. Medal payout device being characterized in that a payout control means that. 2. The game machine according to claim 1, further comprising a pair of terminals electrically connected to each other through the medals stored in the medal payout section, and the medals being stored in the medal payout section when the terminals are electrically connected. And a pair of terminals electrically connected via medals stored at the exit side of the detachable chute, wherein the detachable chute is attached to the medal payout section. 2. The medal payout device according to claim 1, wherein the terminal includes a second medal detecting unit electrically connected to each terminal of the first medal detecting unit.