JP3637290B2 - Bellows hose connection structure - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a bellows hose connection structure for connecting a bellows hose to an attachment structure to be connected.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in a medal gaming machine (so-called “pachi-slot”) or medal lending machine, as shown in FIG. 6, from a tank (not shown) provided at the end of the island, a medal transport path α provided at the upper part of the island. And medals are supplied via the branch path β branched from the medal transport path α to each pachislot 110 or the medal lending machine. Of these, a bellows hose 120 formed into a shape in which a wire is wound in a spiral shape is used for the branch path β, and is formed on the bottom surface of the relay case 130 installed at the branch point between the medal transport path α and the branch path β. The tip of the bellows hose 120 was screwed into the outer cylinder 132 that was installed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, a pair of protrusions 134 projecting inside the outer cylinder 132 are provided on the end surface of the outer cylinder 132 of the relay case 130. The protrusion 134 is engaged with the groove on the outer peripheral surface of the hose 120, and the bellows hose 120 is connected to the outer cylinder 132.
[0003]
Since the bellows hose 120 is made of metal, it is quite heavy. In addition, the bellows hose 120 vibrates and rotates when the medal is transported, so that the bellows hose 120 is sufficiently screwed and fixed to the outer cylinder 132 so as not to come out of the outer cylinder 132. It was.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, when this bellows hose 120 is connected to the relay case 130, the tip of the heavy bellows hose 120 is lifted up to the relay case 130 through a narrow island where complicated wiring or the like is made, and further the bellows hose. 120 has to be screwed into the outer cylinder 132, and the work of connecting the bellows hose 120 to the relay case 130 is a heavy labor.
[0005]
Also, the work of removing the bellows hose 120 from the relay case 130 has a problem that it is a heavy labor because the bellows hose 120 is firmly screwed into the outer cylinder 132.
An object of the present invention is to provide a connection structure for a bellows hose that can easily connect and remove the bellows hose to an attachment structure to be connected.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention]
The invention according to claim 1, which solves the above-mentioned problem, forms a branch path (β) connecting the medal transport path (α) laid on the island of the game arcade to the play stand or the lending machine, and the medal and the pachinko ball are The bellows hose (5) whose outer peripheral surface is formed in a bellows shape is fixed to a relay case (1) installed at a branch point between the medal transport path (α) and the branch path (β). On the other hand, it is inserted into the hollow part of the hollow cylindrical outer cylinder (3) and suspended.
When the bellows hose (5) is inserted, the hollow bellows is provided with a meshing projection (40) that holds the bellows hose (5) by engaging with a bellows groove formed on the outer peripheral surface of the bellows hose. Using the formed inner cylinder (4),
The inner cylinder (4) is inserted into the outer cylinder (3) and attached to the mounting position in the outer cylinder (3) to connect the outer cylinder (3) and the inner cylinder (4). (A) and (B) in the following brackets are provided as connecting means for making the inner cylinder (4) detachable at the mounting position by an external operation,
“(A) The inner cylinder (4) is provided on the inner wall surface of the outer cylinder (3) and is in contact with the insertion-side tip of the inner cylinder (4) installed at the mounting position. Position determination convex part (30) which determines a position.
(B) A hooking claw (34) that engages with the non-insertion side rear end of the inner cylinder (4) installed at the attachment position corresponding to the outer cylinder (3) to determine the position of the non-insertion side rear end. The elastic operation piece (32) which is elastically deformed to a position where the engagement is released when the front end side of the hooking claw (34) is pulled by an external operation. "
Furthermore, a protective cover (36) for covering the elastic operation piece 32 from the outside is provided,
A fixing bracket is inserted into a gap (ε) formed between the protective cover (36) and the elastic operation piece (32) so that the elastic operation piece 32 can be operated to a position where the engagement is released. A connection structure of the bellows hose for supplying a game medium, wherein the outer cylinder (3) and the inner cylinder (4) can be fixed together.
In this column, in order to facilitate understanding of the invention, the reference numerals used in the “Embodiments of the Invention” column are given as necessary, but this reference signifies that the claims are limited. is not.
[0007]
In the connection structure according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the inner cylinder is provided with a meshing projection for holding the bellows hose on the inner wall surface, when the tip of the bellows hose is inserted into the inner cylinder, the bellows groove on the outer peripheral surface of the bellows hose The meshing projections mesh with each other, and the inner cylinder is fixed to the tip of the bellows hose. On the other hand, in the connection structure of the present invention, the inner cylinder is formed so that it can be inserted into the hollow portion of the outer cylinder, and the connecting means provided in the outer cylinder attaches the inner cylinder inserted into the outer cylinder to the mounting position. Since the structure connects the cylinder and the outer cylinder, the inner cylinder is connected to the outer cylinder simply by inserting the inner cylinder into the outer cylinder. In the connection structure of the present invention, the outer cylinder is fixed to the mounting structure. Since it is a structure, if an inner cylinder is inserted in an outer cylinder, an inner cylinder will be connected with respect to an attachment structure. Therefore, if the connection structure of the present invention is employed, the bellows hose can be connected to the mounting structure by a simple operation of attaching the inner cylinder to the tip of the bellows hose and inserting the tip into the outer cylinder. . In particular, when connecting a bellows hose to a relay case, which is a mounting structure installed in a place with complicated wiring, such as an island in a pachinko amusement park, install the bellows hose to sew the gap in the wiring. Therefore, if the bellows hose can be easily connected to the mounting structure as in the present invention, the workability of the connection work is further improved.
[0008]
In the connection structure of the present invention, since the connecting means is formed so that the inner cylinder can be detached from the mounting position by an external operation, the inner cylinder is detached from the outer cylinder simply by operating the connecting means. Therefore, if the connection structure of this invention is employ | adopted, the bellows hose connected to the attachment structure can be easily removed only by operating a connection means.
[0009]
Next, the connecting means is provided on the inner wall surface of the front Symbol outer cylinder, in contact with the insertion side leading end of the inner cylinder disposed in the attachment position, positioning for positioning the position of the insertion side leading end A hooking claw that engages with the convex portion and the rear end of the inner cylinder installed at the attachment position and positions the position of the rear end of the non-insertion side is provided at the tip, and the tip of the hooking claw is externally operated. And an elastic operation piece that elastically deforms to a position where the engagement is released when the side is pulled outward .
[0010]
In this connection structure, the positioning convex portion that constitutes the connecting means is provided on the inner wall surface of the outer cylinder, and contacts the insertion-side tip of the inner cylinder installed at the mounting position, thereby positioning the position of the insertion-side tip. Therefore, the inner cylinder inserted into the outer cylinder first comes into contact with the positioning convex portion, and the inner cylinder is installed at the mounting position. Further, in the connection structure of the present invention, the elastic operation piece constituting the connection means is provided with a hooking claw at the tip, and the hooking claw is engaged with the non-insertion side rear end of the inner cylinder installed at the mounting position. Since the position of the rear end of the non-insertion side is positioned, the inner cylinder comes into contact with the positioning protrusion described above, and when the inner cylinder is inserted into the outer cylinder and reaches the mounting position, the hooking claw is located at the rear of the inner cylinder on the non-insertion side. The inner cylinder is attached to the attachment position by engaging with the end. Furthermore, since the connection structure of the present invention is a structure in which the hooking claw is attached to the tip of the elastic operation piece, when the inner cylinder is attached to the attachment position, the hooking claw contacts the side surface of the inner cylinder and the elastic operation piece is elastically deformed. When the attachment is complete, the hooking claw is caught on the inner cylinder. Therefore, if the connection structure of the present invention is adopted, the bellows hose can be connected to the object to be attached with a simple configuration in which only the positioning convex portion and the elastic operation piece with the hooking claw attached to the tip are provided. it can.
[0011]
In addition, since the connection structure of the present invention is a structure in which the elastic operation piece is elastically deformed to the position where the engagement between the hooking claw and the inner cylinder is released when the distal end side of the elastic operation piece is pulled outward, it is easy to operate. Ru can remove the bellows hose from the mounting structure.
Further, since the connection structure of the present invention has a structure that allows the elastic operation piece constituting the connection means to be fixed together with the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder from the fixing bracket so as to be immovable, the outer cylinder 3 according to the bellows hose 5. The connecting portion between the inner cylinder 4 and the inner cylinder 4 has an integrated structure, so that the connection portion can be securely maintained even when a game medium such as a medal or a pachinko ball is carried to a medal lending machine with a rolling motion. .
[0015]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described below. The connection structure of this embodiment is employed in a portion where the bellows hose is connected to the relay case.
Here, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the relay case, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the relay case, (a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA ′ of FIG. 1, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB ′ of FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of an elastic operation piece of the outer cylinder, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the inner cylinder, (a) is a perspective view of the inner cylinder, and (b) is a cross-section CC ′ of (a). FIG.
[0016]
First, as shown in FIG. 1, the relay case 1 has a medal transport path α composed of a supply conveyor or the like laid on an upper part of an island where a game machine using medals M (hereinafter referred to as “pachislot machine”) is installed. The medal conveyance path α is installed at a branch point between a branch path β connecting a pachislot machine or a medal lending machine (not shown) (see FIG. 5). The relay case 1 relays the medal M flowing from the medal transport path α and sends it to the branch path β by appropriately damming the medal transport path α with a distributor (not shown). This relay case 1 corresponds to the mounting structure of the present invention.
[0017]
As shown in FIG. 2, the relay case 1 has an open bottom surface (a portion indicated by a symbol γ) and an open side surface facing the medal transport path α (a portion indicated by a symbol δ). The medal M that has flowed into the relay case 1 from the transport path α through the opening δ is formed in a box shape that flows toward the opening γ. And this relay case 1 is provided with the outer cylinder 3 which comprises the connection structure of this embodiment in the bottom face, This outer cylinder 3 is formed in the hollow cylinder shape, and communicates via the relay case 1 and opening (gamma). The relay case 1 is formed integrally with the relay case 1. Further, a hollow cylindrical inner cylinder 4 constituting the connection structure of the present embodiment is inserted and attached to the outer cylinder 3, and a bellows hose 5 (see FIG. 1) that forms a branch path β in the inner cylinder 4. ) Is inserted and fixed, and the bellows hose 5 is connected to the relay case 1, so that the medal M flowing into the opening γ of the relay case 1 flows into the bellows hose 5 (branch path β).
[0018]
The outer cylinder 3 of the present embodiment includes a positioning convex portion 30 and an elastic operation piece 32 (these 30, 32 correspond to the connecting means of the present invention).
The positioning convex portion 30 is formed by a protruding protrusion that is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the opening γ. When the inner tube 4 is inserted into the outer tube 3, the positioning protrusion 30 abuts on the insertion-side tip 4 a of the inner tube 4. Then, the mounting position of the inner cylinder 4 is positioned. And this positioning convex part 30 is formed in the taper shape so that the medal M may not be jammed. On the other hand, the elastic operation piece 32 constitutes a part of the wall of the outer cylinder 3, is provided along the axial direction of the outer cylinder 3, and is elastically deformed with a side on which the outer cylinder 3 is attached to the relay case 1 as a fulcrum. It is configured to The elastic operation piece 32 is engaged with the non-insertion-side rear end 4b of the inner cylinder 4 when the insertion-side tip 4a abuts on the positioning protrusion 30 and the inner cylinder 4 is installed at the mounting position. A hooking claw 34 for positioning the position of the non-insertion side rear end 4b is provided at the free end side tip. Further, the elastic operation piece 32 is configured to be elastically deformed to a position where the engagement between the non-insertion side rear end 4b of the inner cylinder 4 and the hooking claw 34 is released when the free end side tip of the hooking claw 34 is pulled outward by an external operation. Has been.
[0019]
Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the outer cylinder 3 includes a protective cover 36 that covers the elastic operation piece 32 from the outside. By operating the free end side tip of the elastic operation piece 32 within the protective cover 36, A gap (a portion indicated by ε) is formed so that the hooking claw 34 engaged with the cylinder 4 can be operated to a position where it can be removed from the non-insertion-side rear end 4b of the inner cylinder 4.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 4, the inner cylinder 4 of the present embodiment is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape that can be inserted into the hollow portion of the outer cylinder 3 and can rotate in the outer cylinder 3. When the bellows hose 5 formed in a spiral shape is inserted, a meshing protrusion 40 that meshes with the bellows groove on the outer peripheral surface of the bellows hose and holds the bellows hose 5 is provided. Specifically, the meshing protrusion 40 is formed in a triangular shape in cross section, and includes a plurality of protrusions elongated in the circumferential direction of the inner cylinder 4, and is parallel to each of the wall surfaces of the opposing inner cylinder 4 in the axial direction. Three each are provided. In addition, a pair of notches 42 are formed in the wall of the inner cylinder 4 along the axial direction from the insertion side of the bellows hose 5 so that the bellows hose 5 can be easily inserted.
[0021]
In the connection structure of the present embodiment described above, since the inner cylinder 4 has a structure in which the inner wall surface includes the engagement protrusion 40 for holding the bellows hose 5, when the tip of the bellows hose 5 is inserted into the inner cylinder 4, The meshing protrusion 40 meshes with the bellows groove on the outer peripheral surface of the outer peripheral surface 5, and the inner cylinder 4 is fixed to the tip of the bellows hose 5.
[0022]
On the other hand, the connection structure of the present embodiment is formed so that the inner cylinder 4 can be inserted into the hollow portion of the outer cylinder 3, and the positioning protrusion 30 is provided on the inner wall surface of the outer cylinder 3 at the mounting position. Since the structure is such that the position of the insertion side tip 4 a is positioned by contacting the insertion side tip 4 a of the installed inner tube 4, the inner tube 4 inserted into the outer tube 3 first contacts the positioning projection 30. The inner cylinder 4 is in contact with the mounting position. Further, the elastic operation piece 32 has a hooking claw 34 at its free end side tip, and the hooking claw 34 is engaged with the non-insertion side rear end of the inner cylinder 4 installed at the attachment position, and the non-insertion side rear side. Since the position of the end 4b is determined, the inner cylinder 4 comes into contact with the positioning protrusion 30 described above, and when the inner cylinder 4 is inserted into the outer cylinder 3 and reaches the mounting position, the hooking claw 34 is not attached to the inner cylinder 4. The inner cylinder 4 is attached to the attachment position by engaging with the insertion side rear end 4 b, and the inner cylinder 4 is connected to the outer cylinder 3. Further, since the connection structure of the present embodiment is a structure in which the hooking claw 34 is attached to the free end side tip of the elastic operation piece 32, the hooking claw 34 is attached to the side surface of the inner cylinder 4 when the inner cylinder 4 is attached to the attachment position. The elastic operation piece 32 is elastically deformed by contact, and when the attachment is completed, the hooking claw 34 is hooked on the inner cylinder 4.
[0023]
Therefore, if the connection structure of the present embodiment is adopted, the simple operation of simply attaching the inner cylinder 4 to the tip of the bellows hose 5 and inserting the tip into the outer cylinder 3 so that the inner cylinder 4 can be attached to the outer cylinder 3. Thus, the bellows hose 5 can be connected to the relay case 1. In particular, when the bellows hose 5 is connected to the relay case 1 installed on the island where complicated wiring or the like is made as in this embodiment, the bellows hose 5 must be installed so as to sew the gap between the wires. Therefore, if the bellows hose 5 can be easily connected to the relay case in this way, the workability of the connection work is further improved.
[0024]
Further, if the connection structure of the present embodiment is adopted, the bellows hose 5 can be attached to the relay case 1 with a simple configuration by simply providing the positioning protrusion 30 and the elastic operation piece 32 with the hooking claw 34 attached to the tip. Can be connected.
Furthermore, if the connection structure of the present embodiment is adopted, the elastic operation piece 32 is elastically deformed to a position where the engagement between the hooking claw 34 and the inner cylinder 4 is released, and therefore the distal end side of the elastic operation piece 32 is pulled outward. The bellows hose 5 can be removed from the relay case 1 with a simple operation.
[0025]
Furthermore, if the connection structure of the present embodiment is adopted, the inner cylinder 4 and the outer cylinder 3 are formed in a hollow cylindrical shape, and the inner cylinder 4 is formed so as to be axially rotatable in the outer cylinder 3. Therefore, even if the groove expands at the portion where the bellows hose 5 twists, the open groove can be narrowed by rotating the bellows hose 5 axially. As a result, since the medal does not bite into the widened groove of the bellows hose 5 as in the prior art, it is possible to reliably prevent the medal from clogging in the bellows hose 5. Further, conventionally, it has been necessary to select the route in which the groove does not open and arrange the bellows hose 5. However, if this route is used, the opening of the groove can be eliminated regardless of which route is selected. This saves the trouble of selecting a route and improves workability.
[0026]
By the way, if the elastic operation piece 32 is longer than the outer cylinder, the elastic operation piece 32 may be erroneously operated such as a foreign object such as a wiring being caught, and the bellows hose 5 may be unexpectedly displaced from the relay case 1. If the elastic operation piece 32 is shorter than the axial length of the outer cylinder and the elastic operation piece 32 forms a part of the outer cylinder as in this embodiment, the elastic operation piece 32 protrudes from the outer cylinder 3. Moreover, since it is protected by the protective cover 36, it is possible to prevent the bellows hose 5 from being accidentally displaced from the relay case 1.
[0027]
The embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that various forms can be adopted as long as it belongs to the technical scope of the present invention.
For example, in this embodiment, although the connection structure which connects the bellows hose 5 to the relay case 1 was demonstrated, you may apply to the connection tool which connects bellows hoses.
[0028]
Moreover, although this embodiment demonstrated the case where the bellows hose 5 which conveys the medal used by a pachislot was connected, it is needless to say that it may apply to the bellows hose which conveys a coin, a pachinko ball, etc.
Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the inner cylinder 4 may be securely fixed to the outer cylinder 3 by inserting a fixing bracket into the gap between the protective cover 36 and the elastic operation piece 32.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a relay case according to an embodiment.
2A and 2B are cross-sectional views of the relay case of the present embodiment, in which FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA ′ in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB ′ in FIG.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of an elastic operation piece of the present embodiment.
4A and 4B are explanatory diagrams of the inner cylinder, in which FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the inner cylinder, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view along CC ′ in FIG.
5 is a cross-sectional view of a relay case for explaining a state in which a fixing bracket is inserted between a protective cover and an elastic operation piece, and is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB ′ of FIG.
FIG. 6 is an overall explanatory view of a route for transporting medals to a pachislot machine.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional relay case.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Relay case, 3 ... Outer cylinder, 4 ... Inner cylinder, 4a ... Insertion side front end, 4b ... Non-insertion side rear end, 5 ... Bellows hose, 30 ... Positioning convex part, 32 ... Elastic operation piece, 34 ... Hook Claw, 36 ... protective cover, 40 ... meshing protrusion

Claims (1)

A bellows with an outer peripheral surface formed in a bellows shape that forms a branch path (β) that connects a medal transport path (α) laid on the island of the amusement hall to a play stand or a lending machine, and transports medals and pachinko balls. Connect the hose (5) to the hollow part of the hollow cylindrical outer cylinder (3) fixed to the relay case (1) installed at the branch point between the medal transport path (α) and the branch path (β). While being inserted and hanging down,
When the bellows hose (5) is inserted, the hollow bellows is provided with a meshing projection (40) that holds the bellows hose (5) by engaging with a bellows groove formed on the outer peripheral surface of the bellows hose. Using the formed inner cylinder (4),
The inner cylinder (4) is inserted into the outer cylinder (3) and attached to the mounting position in the outer cylinder (3) to connect the outer cylinder (3) and the inner cylinder (4). (A) and (B) in the following brackets are provided as connection means for making the inner cylinder (4) removable at the mounting position by an external operation,
“(A) The inner cylinder (4) is provided on the inner wall surface of the outer cylinder (3) and is in contact with the insertion-side tip of the inner cylinder (4) installed at the mounting position. Position determination convex part (30) which determines a position.
(B) A hooking claw (34) that engages with the non-insertion-side rear end of the inner cylinder (4) installed at the attachment position and determines the position of the non-insertion-side rear end is provided at the tip, An elastic operation piece (32) that is elastically deformed to a position where the engagement is released when the front end side of the hooking claw (34) is pulled. "
Furthermore, a protective cover (36) for covering the elastic operation piece 32 from the outside is provided,
A fixing bracket is inserted into a gap (ε) formed between the protective cover (36) and the elastic operation piece (32) so that the elastic operation piece 32 can be operated to a position where the engagement is released. A structure for connecting a bellows hose for replenishment of game media, wherein the outer cylinder (3) and the inner cylinder (4) can be fixed together.

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