JP3729768B2 - Medals supply device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a medal replenishing device for replenishing medals to each gaming machine in a gaming machine island in which a large number of gaming machines such as slot machines capable of playing a game by inserting medals are arranged. is there.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventional gaming machines that can be played by inserting medals such as slot machines form gaming machine islands in which a large number of gaming machines are arranged in two rows back to back, and this gaming machine island is one management It is a unit. In such a gaming machine island, if there are not enough winning medals to be paid when winning in the medal tank of the gaming machine, the store clerk manually replenished the medals manually, but it takes time to replenish, requires man-hours, etc. There was a problem. Therefore, in recent years, for example, the number required from the intake port provided at the position corresponding to the gaming machine that has output a replenishment request by transferring medals by a distribution conveyor provided so as to move horizontally in the upper part of the gaming machine island. A device that automatically counts and takes in medals and replenishes medals is employed.
[0003]
However, in the apparatus as described above, since medals are transported one by one by a conveyor, there is a problem that it takes time to transport a required amount of medals. In addition, if the gaming machine island is not straight but bent in a curved shape due to the structure of the amusement store, it is necessary to install a plurality of straight conveyors, which makes the device complicated and large. There was a problem of increasing the cost. In addition, since the replenishment of medals has become automatic, employee monitoring has become unsatisfactory, and as a result, the doors of gaming machines can be illegally opened, or the control mechanism can malfunction due to unauthorized radio waves, resulting in a large amount of Crimes for stealing medals are becoming more frequent. In fact, such fraud does not have effective preventive measures even though it causes great damage to the business of the amusement store, and it is difficult to deal with it.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, and can replenish medals quickly, and can be easily disposed on a curved gaming machine island and can prevent fraud. It was made to provide a device.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The medal replenishing device of the present invention, which has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, has a traveling rail laid on the upper part of a gaming machine island in which a large number of gaming machines are placed to play medals. A self-propelled medal supply vehicle equipped with a medal storage / dispensing hopper and traveling toward the target gaming machine is arranged on the rail, and display means for displaying the operation state and the like is provided on the medal supply vehicle. It is characterized by. In addition, a power supply unit is provided in the vicinity of the traveling rail, and the medal supply vehicle can be provided with a power reception unit for receiving power by contacting the power supply unit. A control signal receiving unit for receiving a signal can be provided, and the medal supply vehicle can be provided with position detecting means for stopping at a target gaming machine position. A plurality of hoppers can be installed, and the running / operating state of the medal supply vehicle can be visually recognized and arranged on the upper part of the gaming machine island.
[0006]
Also, above the gaming machine below the run-row rail, and inlet for supplying medals into the gaming machine arranged in front and back two rows, the lending medal provided between the game machine adjacent machine An insertion slot for replenishing medals can be arranged in a line, and a detector for detecting the passage of medals can be provided in the medal discharge passage provided in the medal replenishment vehicle. When the signal is output, the medal supply vehicle can be equipped with an abnormality notification means for generating a warning sound, displaying a warning screen, etc., counting the number of medals supplied per unit time of each gaming machine, An output means for outputting the count value can be provided, and when the number of medals paid out in the gaming machine or the number of revolutions of the rotating disk provided in the medal storage and payout hopper is detected, and the count value exceeds a predetermined value, alarm It is possible to equip the medal replenishment vehicle with an abnormality occurrence notification means for performing generation, warning screen display, etc., detecting the number of medals paid out in the medal lending machine or the number of rotations of the rotating disk provided in the medal storage and dispensing hopper, When the count value exceeds a predetermined value, the medal supply vehicle can be equipped with abnormality notification means for generating a warning sound, displaying a warning screen, etc., and the design member of the medal supply vehicle can be replaced. Can be.
[0007]
In the medal replenishing device of the present invention, a traveling rail is laid on the upper part of the gaming machine island, and a self-propelled medal replenishing vehicle equipped with a medal storage / dispensing hopper is disposed on the traveling rail. When medals run short or an illegal act is performed, the medal supply vehicle can be run to the gaming machine to quickly supply the medal or notify the employee of the illegal act. In addition, even when the gaming machine island is formed in a curved shape, the medal supply vehicle can be easily traveled by simply bending the rail. In addition, since the medal supply vehicle is equipped with an abnormality notification means that generates warning sounds, displays warning screens, etc., when an illegal medal replenishment request signal is output, the occurrence of fraud is reliably transmitted to the store clerk. In addition, the number of medals replenished per unit time can be counted, the number of gaming machines that are replenished more than the number of winnings can be notified, and the number of medals paid out per winning can be counted Since the abnormality is notified when the number exceeds the predetermined number, medal acquisition by an unauthorized means can be prevented.
[0008]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
<Overall configuration of Pachislot Island>
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are diagrams showing the front of the gaming machine island, wherein 1 is a gaming machine such as a slot machine, and a number of gaming machines 1 are arranged in two on the front and back surfaces with the back facing each other. Consists of an island. A medal guide basket 2 is disposed at the lower part of the gaming machine 1, and the used surplus medals fall into a collection basket 3 formed in a groove shape. The collection basket 3 is provided with a medal collection vehicle 4, and the medal collection vehicle 4 is provided with a rotating piece 41 that presses the medal in only one direction, and falls and accumulates in the collection basket 3. Excess medals are pushed out to the collection base 5 on one side of the gaming machine island and conveyed. The medals collected in the collection base 5 are transported to the polishing and lifting device 6 by the conveyor 51, and then lifted up to the supply base 7 provided on the upper side of the gaming machine island while being polished by the polishing and lifting device 6. Sent. On the upper part of the gaming machine island, a medal supply vehicle 9 that runs to the left and right is disposed on the traveling rail 8. The medal supply vehicle 9 loads medals into the medal storage / dispensing hopper 21 at the supply base 7. The vehicle runs to the insufficient gaming machine 1 and replenishes the gaming machine 1 with the winning medal slot 10. As described above, medals circulate in the gaming machine island.
[0009]
In addition, above the gaming machine 1 and below the running rail 8, a winning medal slot 10 for supplying medals to the gaming machines 1 arranged in two rows on the front and back sides, and adjacent gaming machines 1, 1. A lending medal slot 11 for supplying medals to the medal lending machine 12 provided in between is arranged in a row, and by inserting medals from the medal replenishing vehicle 9 into these slot 10 and 11. The gaming machine 1 and the medal lending machine 12 can be replenished with medals. One winning medal slot 10 and one lending medal slot 11 are arranged in each gaming machine 1 arranged on the front and back, and all the games in the gaming machine island by one medal supply vehicle 9 are arranged. The machine 1 and the medal lending machine 12 can be replenished with medals. Therefore, an unnecessary increase in cost can be suppressed. (In the drawing, the winning medal slot 10 and the rental medal slot 11 for the gaming machine on the back side are not shown.)
[0010]
<Details of medal supply device>
3 to 5 are diagrams showing details of the medal replenishing device of the present invention. In FIG. 3, the casing covering the outside of the medal replenishing vehicle 9 is not shown, but the traveling carriage 22 of the medal replenishing vehicle 9 is shown. Above, the medal storage / dispensing hopper 21 described above, a rotating disk 24 for discharging the medals in the hopper 21 one by one to the medal transfer pipe 23 at a high speed, and a driving motor 25 for the rotating disk 24, Is installed. The rotary disk 24 is provided with several circular recesses 26 that can be inserted one by one with the outer side inclined slightly lower, and further, on the side surfaces of the circular recesses 26 for discharging the medals in the centrifugal direction. A medal discharge port 27 is provided. Since the outer peripheral end of the rotating disk 24 is mounted at the same height as the inclined surface 28 of the medal storage / dispensing hopper 21, the medal that is inserted in the circular recess 26 immediately after the medal discharge port 27 is blocked is immediately attached to the medal. There is no discharge from the discharge port 27. However, since a notch that allows the medal to be discharged from the medal discharge port 27 is formed on the back side of the inclined surface 28 at the position where the rotary disk 24 has rotated by a predetermined angle, the medal is prevented from being pressed from the side. It is released and can jump out from the medal discharge port 27 in the horizontal direction. In this way, the medals sent one by one from the rotating disk 24 are inserted into the medal transfer pipe 23 adjacent to the medal storage / dispensing hopper 21 and pass through the winning medal slot 10 below. It is transferred to the medal tank of each gaming machine 1 and replenished. Therefore, the number of replenished medals can be counted by measuring the number of rotations of the rotating disk 24 within a predetermined time.
[0011]
In the figure, the medal supply vehicle 9 has only one medal storage / dispensing hopper 21, but by installing two medal storage / dispensing hoppers 21 symmetrically with respect to the medal transfer pipe 23, Replenishment work can be performed at a higher speed, and even if one of them becomes unable to be replenished due to a failure or the like, replenishment can be performed with the remaining one. This medal supply vehicle 9 can be equipped with a sound generating device, or can be equipped with display means such as a liquid crystal screen on the front and back sides to display pictures and characters. Can be changed. For example, when a big hit is made, the player's interest can be raised by running the medal supply vehicle 9 while playing gorgeous music together with a display such as “LUCKY”. The screen display can change the pattern on the front side and the back side, and the music can be different when going to replenish medals and when returning. Therefore, it is desirable that the medal supply vehicle 9 be installed so that its position can be visually recognized by the player, and a transparent plate such as an acrylic resin is used when covering the upper part of the gaming machine island for the purpose of preventing fraud. Is appropriate. Note that the sound generation device and the display means can be used as an abnormality occurrence notification means in the case where fraud is performed. In addition, a decorative member that can be replaced with a medal supply vehicle can be mounted to enhance the decoration effect.
[0012]
On the other hand, four traveling wheels 32 driven by a driving motor 31 are disposed below the traveling carriage 22, and four conduction wheels 33 for receiving power are disposed substantially perpendicular to the traveling wheels 32. Yes. Conductive rails 34 for power feeding are respectively laid inside the two traveling rails 8, and the driving motor 31 is moved to the traveling rail 8 by bringing the conductive wheels 33 into contact with the conductive rails 34. The medal supply vehicle 9 placed on the top can be driven. In addition, two photosensors 35 having openings toward the rails are provided at the lowermost part of the traveling carriage 22, and one piece of each is associated with each gaming machine 1 at the lower part of the traveling rail 8. A light-shielding plate 36 is provided, and the light-shielding plate 36 and the photosensor 35 constitute position detection means. Further, the medal supply vehicle 9 is provided with a control signal receiving unit (not shown) for receiving control signals such as running / stopping, and a certain gaming machine 1 outputs a medal supply request signal. The control signal receiving unit accepts the signal and outputs a medal supply command signal to the medal supply vehicle 9. The medal supply vehicle 9 that has received the medal supply instruction travels by identifying the number of the gaming machine 1 and stops at the position of the corresponding gaming machine 1 when the photo sensor 35 is shielded by the light shielding plate 36 of the corresponding gaming machine. Then, the rotating disk 24 can be rotated to replenish medals.
[0013]
Since a large number of medals are replenished at one time, a bridge may be formed during transfer, causing clogging and making it impossible to replenish. In order to detect such an abnormality quickly and solve the trouble, a detector such as a contact switch is provided at the outlet of the medal transfer pipe 23 or a medal discharge passage in the middle thereof to constantly monitor the flow of the medal. When an abnormality such as clogging occurs, it is desirable to immediately notify the store clerk by an abnormality occurrence notifying means such as voice or screen display.
[0014]
In a gaming machine such as a slot machine, a predetermined number of medals are paid out as a winning medal when a big hit or a small win is made. However, there are frequent crimes in which a player uses a prop such as a wire or a pick or illegal radio waves to malfunction a gaming machine and acquire a large number of medals. Therefore, in order to prevent such injustices, the number of medals paid out in the gaming machine 1 or the number of revolutions of the rotating disk 24 provided in the medal storage / dispensing hopper 21, the number of medals paid out in the medal lending machine 12, or the medal storage / payout The number of rotations of the rotating disk 24 provided in the hopper 21 is detected, and when the counted value exceeds a preset value set in the hall, an abnormality is notified to alert the store clerk. For example, when a medal replenishment request signal is output even though a winning such as a big win has not occurred, the medal resupply vehicle 9 displays the number of the gaming machine that has output the illegal medal replenishment request signal as image display means. The car clerk immediately checks whether or not the cheating has been done by stopping at the corresponding gaming machine while notifying the operator that the test is to be conducted, for example. can do. Furthermore, by installing a monitoring system, it is possible to check whether or not an illegal medal has been paid out by comparing the number of medals replenished per unit time of each gaming machine with the number of winning occurrences such as big wins. . Also, the number of rotations of the rotating disk 24 is checked every time a prize is awarded, and if the number of revolutions in one payout exceeds a specified number, or the number of medals paid out is directly counted, and the number is determined by winning. If the number is more than the planned number to be paid out, there is a high possibility that fraudulent acts have been performed, so that fraudulent acts can be prevented by notifying the occurrence of abnormalities using voice or the like. As described above, since the medal replenishing device is provided with double and triple fraud prevention means, fraud can be prevented.
In addition, by counting the number of medals replenished per unit time and outputting the count value to the hall computer, the operating status of the gaming machine 1 at each hour and each gaming machine island can be understood, and the staffing of the hall clerk can be allocated accordingly. It becomes possible to do.
[0015]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, in the medal replenishing device of the present invention, the traveling rail is laid on the upper part of the gaming machine island, and the self-propelled medal replenishing vehicle provided with the medal storage and dispensing hopper is disposed on the traveling rail. So, if a big hit occurs and a medal is insufficient or an illegal act is performed, the medal supply vehicle can be run to the gaming machine to quickly supply the medal or notify the employee of the fraud. it can. In addition, even when the gaming machine island is formed in a curved shape, the medal supply vehicle can be easily traveled by simply bending the rail. In addition, since the medal supply vehicle is equipped with an abnormality notification means that generates warning sounds, displays warning screens, etc., when an illegal medal replenishment request signal is output, the occurrence of fraud is reliably transmitted to the store clerk. In addition, the number of medals replenished per unit time can be counted, the number of the gaming machine that has replenished more than the number of winnings can be notified, and the number of medals paid out per winning can be counted Since the abnormality is notified when the number exceeds the predetermined number, acquisition of medals by unauthorized means can be surely prevented. Furthermore, by making it possible to visually recognize the running / operating state of the medal supply vehicle, providing a display means, and changing the design member, it is possible to give the player an unprecedented interest. Therefore, the medal replenishing device of the present invention can quickly replenish medals, can be easily installed on curved gaming machine islands, and can prevent fraud. It ’s a big one.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view of a gaming machine island equipped with a medal supply vehicle.
FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of FIG.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged front view of the upper part of the gaming machine island equipped with a medal supply vehicle.
4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the side surface of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the medal supply vehicle of FIG. 3;
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Game machine 2 Medal guidance cage | basket | 3 Collection | recovery cage | basket 4 Medal collection vehicle 5 Collection base 6 Polishing and lifting device 7 Supply base 8 Traveling rail 9 Medal supply vehicle 10 Winning medal slot 11 Rental medal slot 12 Medal lending machine 21 Medal storage / dispensing hopper 22 Traveling carriage 23 Medal transfer tube 24 Rotating disk 25 Driving motor 26 Circular recess 27 Medal discharge port 28 Inclined surface 31 Driving motor 32 Traveling wheel 33 Conducting wheel 34 Conducting rail 35 Photo sensor 36 Light shielding plate 41 Rotating piece 51 conveyor

Claims (13)

A traveling rail is laid on the upper part of the gaming machine island where a large number of gaming machines for playing medals are placed, and a medal storage / dispensing hopper is provided on the traveling rail toward the target gaming machine. A medal replenishing device, characterized in that a self-propelled medal replenishing vehicle that travels is arranged, and the medal replenishing vehicle is provided with display means for displaying an operation state or the like .   The medal replenishing device according to claim 1, wherein a power feeding unit is provided in the vicinity of the traveling rail, and the medal replenishing vehicle is provided with a power receiving unit for receiving power by contacting the power feeding unit.   The medal replenishing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the medal replenishing vehicle is provided with a control signal receiving unit for receiving a control signal for running / stopping.   The medal supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising position detection means for stopping the medal supply vehicle at a target position of the gaming machine.   The medal supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a plurality of medal storage / dispensing hoppers are mounted on the medal supply vehicle.   The medal replenishing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the medal replenishing vehicle is disposed at an upper part of the gaming machine island so that a running / operating state of the medal replenishing vehicle can be visually recognized. Below the running rails and above the gaming machines, medals are replenished to the slot for supplying medals to the gaming machines arranged in two rows on the front and back and the medal lending machine provided between the adjacent gaming machines. The medal replenishing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the insertion ports are arranged in a row . The medal replenishing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a detector for detecting passage of medals is provided in a medal discharge passage provided in the medal replenishing vehicle. The medal replenishing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the medal replenishing vehicle is equipped with an abnormality occurrence notifying means for generating a warning sound and displaying a warning screen when an illegal medal replenishment request signal is output. . The medal supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising an output unit that counts the number of medals supplied per unit time of each gaming machine and outputs the count value . Counts the number of medals paid out in a gaming machine or the number of rotations of a rotating disk provided in the medal storage and payout hopper, and if the count value exceeds a predetermined value, an abnormal sound is generated and a warning screen is displayed. The medal replenishing device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the notifying means is provided in a medal replenishing vehicle. Abnormality in which the number of medals paid out by the medal lending machine or the number of rotations of the rotating disk provided in the medal storage / dispensing hopper is counted and a warning sound is generated or a warning screen is displayed when the counted value exceeds a predetermined value. The medal replenishing device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the occurrence notifying means is provided in a medal replenishing vehicle. The medal supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein a design member of the medal supply vehicle can be replaced .

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