JP4553679B2 - Thin piece conveyor - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a thin piece transport apparatus, and as one form thereof, a gaming machine and an identification machine for identifying an inserted thin piece are provided side by side, and the thin piece identified by the identification unit is conveyed in one direction behind the game machine. The present invention relates to a technique that can be applied to a thin piece transfer device for a game facility.

  As a prior art, a gaming machine, an identification unit having a function of identifying inserted bills, and a lending machine equipped with a supply device for game media such as pachinko balls and medals are arranged in a straight line to form a group. Yes. A group in which a gaming machine and a rental machine are provided in this way is called a gaming island, an island of gaming machines, or simply an island because it appears to form an “island” in the gaming facility. As for such amusement islands, those arranged by the group back to back are referred to as “both island types”, and those on only one side are referred to as “Katashima types”.

  On the rear side of this group, there is one provided with a banknote transport device that forms a transport path for transporting the genuine banknotes identified by the identification unit in a straight line toward one end side of the group. Normally, this banknote transport device is also a general management system associated with amusement islands. In addition, a form is adopted in which the management of gaming machines related to the supply of pachinko balls and medals to gaming machines on the gaming islands, the situation of the launching, etc., and the management of the identification machines are integrated.

  In such a game facility, the banknotes transported toward the one end side of the group by the banknote transporting device are collected in a banknote storage unit (usually referred to as a safe) provided at the terminal end of the banknote transporting device. It is the structure which is made. This banknote storage part is a mechanism for holding the banknotes conveyed in a state of being sequentially stacked by a device called a stacker. The bills stored in the stacker can be taken out by a manager of a game facility that manages keys.

Such a banknote transport apparatus is identified by the relay transport apparatus that transports the banknotes by sandwiching and transporting the banknotes by a pair of front and rear belts spanned by a pair of rotors provided on the entrance side and the exit side of the thin piece, respectively. There are some which form a conveyance path for conveying the banknotes in one direction by alternately combining the merged apparatus for introducing the genuine banknotes to the entrance side of the relay conveyance apparatus (see, for example, Patent Document 1). ).
JP 2000-88410 A

  In such a banknote transport apparatus, each of the relay transport apparatus and the merging apparatus is provided with an electric motor device, the operation stop control of these motor devices, the game medium supply control of the lending machine, and the sending of the flakes from the identification unit When performing control, a binary code switch called a dip switch is provided for each rental machine, an address is set for each rental machine by this dip switch, and a game medium provided in each rental machine using this address Control of the supply device and delivery control of banknotes from the banknote recognition unit are performed. For this reason, there are problems such as the necessity of each dip switch and the troublesome setting.

  In addition, since the relay conveying device and the merging device are alternately combined, a complicated merging device is required, and the relay conveying device requires a pair of front and rear belts to convey the banknote between them. Since the position of the device is limited, there may be restrictions when installing gaming machines and rental machines in the gaming facility.

  The present invention uses a control board in common to reduce costs and employs an address setting method instead of a setting method using a dip switch. In addition, as described above, the position of the merging device is not limited, and control is performed when it is possible to attach an introduction device such as banknotes at an arbitrary position of the belt conveyance unit in accordance with the installation state of the gaming machine and the lending machine. A suitable control device is also provided. In addition, the number of the banknote introduction devices for introducing the banknotes identified by the banknote identification unit of the lending machine into the transport path of the transport unit is set to each transport unit. Understand and enable accurate control. Furthermore, it is possible to set an address in accordance with the conveyance direction by the belt for each conveyance unit so that accurate control can be performed.

  For this reason, as a structure of the transport device, a transport path for sandwiching the flakes is formed between one endless belt and a cover member disposed opposite to the endless belt, and the flake introduction device is provided adjacent to the cover member. A transport unit configuration that attaches and transports flakes, and this transport unit is connected in series to form a transport device so that it can be arranged according to the state of installation of gaming machines and lending machines in a gaming facility. Therefore, both island types and Katashima types can be effectively installed in the game facility.

  In the present invention, the flake is a generic name including not only banknotes but also prepaid cards and other cards that can be supplied with game media (pachinko balls, medals, etc.). Any material can be used for bills and cards.

  A control device for a thin piece transport device according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a thin piece identification device having a function of identifying a thin piece inserted to receive supply of game media, a game medium supply unit for supplying game media, and an electrical equipment unit. A thin piece forming a thin piece conveyance path for conveying a thin piece identified by the thin piece identifying device along the group in one direction along the group behind the group. A conveying device is provided, and this thin piece conveying device is configured such that a plurality of conveying units that convey thin pieces by one-way conveying driving of an endless belt are connected in series to form the thin piece conveying path, and the conveying unit has one end thereof The endless belt is bridged between rotors arranged on the side and the other end side, respectively, and includes an electric motor device that drives either one of the two rotors, and is adjacent to the transport direction of the transport unit. A control board having two matching transport paths as control units is provided, to which the control line of the leasing machine corresponding to the two adjacent transport paths is connected, and each control board is controlled by the group. In the state where the serial number for the lending machine connected to each control board is attached by the overall control unit, the control of the electric motor device for each control unit, and the lending machine Control is performed.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control device for a thin piece transporting device comprising a thin piece identifying device having a function of identifying a thin piece inserted to receive supply of a game medium, a game medium supply unit for supplying a game medium, and an electrical unit. A thin piece forming a thin piece conveyance path for conveying a thin piece identified by the thin piece identifying device along the group in one direction along the group behind the group. A conveying device is provided, and this thin piece conveying device is configured such that a plurality of conveying units that convey thin pieces by one-way conveying driving of an endless belt are connected in series to form the thin piece conveying path, and the conveying unit has one end thereof The endless belt is bridged between rotors arranged on the side and the other end side, respectively, and includes an electric motor device that drives either one of the two rotors, and is adjacent to the transport direction of the transport unit. A control board having two matching transport paths as control units is provided, to which the control line of the leasing machine corresponding to the two adjacent transport paths is connected, and each control board is controlled by the group. In the state where a serial number address is assigned to the lending machine connected to each control board by the overall control unit, the operation stop control of the motor device for each control unit, and the lending The game media supply control of the machine and the feeding control of the slices from the slice identification device are performed.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the control device of the leasing machine corresponding to the maximum number that can be installed in the transport path of the transport unit is provided on the control board. A terminal for connection is provided, and the serial number of the address is assigned only to the terminal to which the rental machine is connected.

  The controller for a flake conveying apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first to third aspects, the serial number of the address is a serial number assigned in a direction away from the thin piece storage side. To do.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the control device for the thin piece conveying device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the control board is configured so that each of the conveying units is provided when both sides of the conveying unit are thin piece conveying paths. Two conveyance paths adjacent to each other on the surface are provided as control units.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the control device for the flake conveying device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein each control board is provided with a setting switch for setting a conveying direction of the endless belt by the electric motor device. It is characterized by that.

  In 1st invention, the control part which concerns on two conveyance units is provided in one control board, For example, on the basis of the case where the whole group is comprised with 20 conveyance units, the control part for 20 units | sets is provided. When a group is formed with 10 transfer units when the group is formed on one substrate, the control unit for 10 units is wasted, and when a control substrate is provided for each transfer unit, the transfer unit This is not preferable because the number of control boards increases with each increase, but the present invention can solve both of them and can save labor in manufacturing and assembly. The overall control unit controls the control unit of the control board, so that the microcomputer of the control unit of the control board controls the transport unit and the lending machine corresponding thereto, and the overall control of the group is controlled by the overall control unit. The so-called main computer and slave computer control, in which the microcomputer communicates with and controls the microcomputer of the control unit of the control board, can be easily controlled. Since the control is performed by the serial number address assigned to the lending machine actually connected to the control board, which transport unit is compared with the case where the serial number address is assigned to all the terminal numbers of the control board. It is also easy to determine whether the trouble is in the machine or in which lending machine, and to determine the trouble location.

  In addition to the effects of the first invention, the second invention is a control that can accurately determine the clogging of the flakes on the transport unit and prevent the flakes from overlapping and transporting on the transport unit.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the maximum number of terminals that can be installed in the corresponding transport unit is provided, so that the transport unit can be used to the maximum extent. Since it is based on the address, the same effect as that of the first invention can be obtained.

  In the fourth invention, in addition to the effects of any one of the first to third inventions, the installation of the transport unit and the rental machine is not restricted by the address of the serial number given in the predetermined direction, and the installation work is simple. In addition, it is easy to determine which transport unit has a trouble and which lending machine has a trouble and to determine the trouble location.

  In the fifth aspect of the invention, in addition to the effects of any one of the first to fourth aspects of the invention, in the case of a two island type in which both sides of the carrying unit are thin piece carrying paths, two conveying paths adjacent to each other are provided. The control unit is the same as the configuration where the Katashima type with a single-sided conveyance path is placed back-to-back, and it is not necessary to completely separate the Katashima type and both islands type control methods. Cost can be reduced.

  In the sixth invention, in addition to the effects of any one of the first to fifth inventions, the rotation direction of the motor device for driving the endless belt can be set by a setting switch provided on each control board. In this case, the conveyance direction can be arbitrarily set in accordance with the position where the flake storage and the overall control unit are installed, which is convenient. And after this setting, the address can be unified with the serial number starting from the flake storage side, so it is easy to check at which part the flakes are clogged when repairing and inspecting the transport device .

  The control device for a thin piece conveying apparatus according to the present invention includes a thin piece conveying apparatus that forms a thin piece conveying path for conveying a thin piece in one direction along a group in which a rental machine and a gaming machine are provided side by side. The endless belt is configured by a series connection of a plurality of transport units that transport thin pieces by one-way transport driving by an endless belt, and a control board having a transport unit of two adjacent transport units as a control unit is provided. The control lines of the lending machines corresponding to the two transport paths are connected, and each control board is connected to the overall control unit of the group, and the serial number address is assigned to the lending machine connected to each control board by this overall control part. In the attached state, the control of the electric motor device and the control of the rental machine are performed for each control unit. Examples of the invention are described below.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention in which a thin piece is represented by a representative banknote will be described. FIG. 1 is a front view of a gaming apparatus having a medal lending machine with a built-in thin piece identification device, FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a medal lending machine with a built-in thin piece identifying apparatus, and FIG. FIG. 4, FIG. 4 is a plan view of the arrangement of the transfer device in the both-island type gaming device, FIG. 5 is a front view of the state where the transfer unit is connected, and FIG. 7 is a front view of the cover attached to the transport unit, FIG. 8 is a front view showing the relationship between the belt and the inner member of the transport unit, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the relationship between the rotating portion and the slide portion of the cover of the transport unit. FIG. 10, FIG. 10 is a front view showing the relationship between the rotation part and the slide part of the cover of the transport unit, FIG. 11 is a top view showing the joined state of the cover of the transport unit, and FIG. FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of FIG. Released state diagram of the coupling portion of the bar, 14 is a top view showing the rotation state and the rotation of the cover of the transport unit, Fig. 15 is an explanatory view of a spring bias structure of the cover of the roller,
FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the transport unit in the case of Katashima, FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the transport unit in the case of both islands, and FIG. 18 is a side view of the internal structure seen through the transparent main body portion of the thin piece introduction device. FIG. 19 is a perspective view seen from the back side of the thin piece introducing device, and FIG. 20 is a control configuration diagram of the conveying device.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Reference numeral 1 denotes a gaming machine, which indicates a pachinko machine or a gaming machine such as a pachislot machine that is a combination of a pachinko function and a slot machine function. 2 is a lending device provided with a thin piece identification device 10 having a function of identifying a thin piece 100 such as a bill or a valuable card inserted for receiving a supply of game media (pachinko balls, medals, etc.) and a game medium supply unit 20. Machine. Since the lending machine 2 is arranged between the gaming machines 1, it is also referred to as an inter-table lending machine, and the lending machine 2 is arranged adjacent to the side of the gaming machine 1 to form an island of the gaming machine. The gaming machine 1 and the rental machine 2 are formed at the same height in order to adjust the appearance of the island of the gaming device.

  As a valuable card, a monetary value is stored in a card such as a prepaid card or other cards, and the game medium is supplied from the lending machine 2 by inserting the card into the slice identification device 10. It is something that can be done. Hereinafter, the lending machine 2 will be described as a medal lending machine 2 in which the lending machine 2 lends medals, and the slice is a bill. The medal lending machine 2 has a thin piece identifying device 10 for identifying the authenticity of a bill, which is one of the thin pieces, in the upper part of the housing 2A, and a medal paying unit 20 for supplying a medal, which is one of the game media, to the lower part. And the electrical equipment part 30 is built in the intermediate part.

  The medal lending machine 2 includes a front door 16 so that the front side of the thin piece identifying device 10 and the electrical component 30 can be opened and closed, and the front door 16 is provided with the banknote insertion portion 11 on the front side corresponding to the thin piece identifying device 10. I have. The front door 16 is closed by a locking device 18 that can be opened and closed by the administrator of the gaming device. However, by opening the front door 16, the slice identification device 10 and the electrical component 30 can be inspected and repaired.

  The banknote insertion unit 11 includes a banknote insertion port 12 opened on the front surface of the medal lending machine 2 and a denomination display unit 13 for banknotes to be inserted on the lower side or upper side of the banknote insertion port 12. In the form shown in the figure, a denomination display unit 13 for insertion applicable banknotes is provided on the lower inclined surface of the banknote insertion slot 12. The display of the denomination display unit 13 indicates that the insertion application banknote is ¥ 1000. \ 1000 is marked. The authenticity determination of the banknote inserted from the banknote insertion slot 12 is performed by the thin piece identifying device 10, and the identified authentic banknote 100 is introduced into the thin piece introducing device 3 described later. The banknote applicable to the medal lending machine 2 can be, for example, one or a plurality of banknotes of 2000 yen, 5000 yen, and 10000 yen other than 1000 yen.

  The medal payout unit 20 includes a medal payout device 21 and a medal storage portion 22 provided on the medal payout device 21. The medal payout device 21 pays out a predetermined number of medals stored in the medal storage portion 22 one by one. The replenishment of medals to the medal storage unit 22 is possible by opening the front door 23 for replenishing medals provided on the front surface of the medal lending machine 2 corresponding to the medal storage unit 22. The front door 23 is closed by a locking device 24 that can be opened and closed by an administrator of the gaming device. By opening the front door 23, the medal payout unit 20 can be inspected and repaired. The medal payout device 21 is a mechanism for paying out medals in the medal storage unit 22 one by one by the rotation of a payout disc that is rotated by an electric motor mechanism at the lower end of the medal storage unit 22. The paid-out medals are discharged through a guide bar 25 to a tray portion provided on the front surface of the gaming machine 1.

  The electrical component section 30 is electrically connected to the thin piece identification device 10 and the medal payout section 20. For this reason, the electrical equipment section 30 controls the reading of the amount data of the genuine banknote 100 inserted from the banknote insertion slot 12 and identified by the thin piece identification device 10, the control for displaying this amount data on the display 17, and the genuine banknote. Control for displaying the number of medals to be paid out from the medal payout device 21 corresponding to the amount of money on the display 17, control for paying out a predetermined number of medals from the medal payout device 21 in accordance with the amount of the genuine banknote, Control is performed such that a shortage of stored medals in the storage unit 22 is detected by a detection sensor and notified by a lamp or the like.

  The gaming machine 1 and the rental machine 2 are alternately arranged in a row on the base 210 to form groups P and Q, and it seems that the islands also form “islands” in the gaming facility. It is called the device island or simply the island. In such a game island, the groups P and Q arranged back to back are referred to as “both island types”, and the islands on only one side of the groups P or Q are referred to as “Katashima types”. 3 and 4 show a configuration of both island types in which groups P and Q are arranged back to back. On the back side of the groups P and Q, there is provided a flake conveying device 5 that forms a conveying path M for conveying the flakes 100 in one direction along the groups P and Q. The authentic thin piece 100 identified by 10 is introduced into the thin piece conveying device 5 by the thin piece introducing device 3. A storage 700 for counting and storing the thin pieces 100 is provided at the conveyance end portion of the thin piece conveying device 5.

  The thin piece transport device 5 forms a transport path M1 for transporting the thin piece 100 while sandwiching the thin piece 100 between a single endless belt 51 that is transported and driven in one direction and a cover member 52 disposed opposite to the endless belt 51. A plurality of transport units 50 (also referred to as transport cassettes 50) are connected in series to form the thin-film transport path M. The conveyance unit 50 includes support members 53 arranged in parallel above and below the endless belt 51, and the thin piece introduction device 3 and the cover member 52 for introducing the thin piece 100 introduced from the thin piece identification device S into the conveyance path M1 are the vertical support members. The cover member 52 and the thin piece introduction device 3 can be attached to the upper and lower support members 53 at arbitrary positions on the upstream side and the downstream side with respect to the conveyance path M1.

  On one end side and the other end side of the thin piece transport path M1 of the transport unit 50, rotors 54A and 54B are rotatably supported by the upper and lower support members 53, respectively. The endless belt 51 is disposed on the rotors 54A and 54B. It is held with a predetermined tension. One of the rotors 54A and 54B is rotationally driven in one direction by the electric motor device 55. The electric motor device 55 is configured by a combination of an electric motor and a plurality of gears rotated by the electric motor, and is attached to one of the upper and lower support members 53. The figure shows a form in which the box of the electric motor device 55 is attached to the lower support member 53, and the electric motor device 55 drives the rotor 54 </ b> A.

  The cover member 52 includes a fixed cover member 52A attached to both upper and lower ends of the upper and lower support member 53, a rotation cover member 52B rotatably supported by the shaft support portion 57 on the fixed cover member 52A, and a fixed cover member. A slide cover member 52C combined to be slidable in the length direction thereof is combined with 52A or the rotation cover member 52B. For this reason, the cover member 52 includes only the fixed cover member 52A, a form in which the rotating cover member 52B is combined with the fixed cover member 52A, and a form in which the slide cover member 52C is combined with the fixed cover member 52A. There is a form in which a slide cover member 52C is combined with a rotating cover member 52B attached to the fixed cover member 52A. 9 and 10 show a configuration in which the slide cover member 52C is combined with the rotating cover member 52B attached to the fixed cover member 52A.

  The vertical support member 53 is formed with a locking wall 53A protruding in the longitudinal direction at the front and rear end portions, and a protruding portion 53F opposite to the locking walls 53A, 53A is formed at the inlet so that the inlet is A narrowed groove 53B is formed in the length direction of the vertical support member 53. The groove 53B forms a rib 53C that rises from the bottom wall toward the inlet in order to define the depth. In order to integrally form the locking walls 53A, the grooves 53B, and the ribs 53C, the upper and lower support members 53 are constituted by linear members that extend over substantially the entire length of the transport unit 50, and the linear members are formed by extrusion molding of aluminum. It is made of material, synthetic resin or the like. For this reason, the upper and lower support members 53 can be referred to as rail-like support members.

  As a mounting portion 520 for attaching the cover member 52 to the vertical support member 53, the fixed cover member 52A has locking portions 52D that are elastically locked to the locking walls 53A of the vertical support member 53 at the upper and lower ends. . When the fixed cover member 52A has a short size, the number of the locking portions 52D may be one each on the top and bottom, but in order to obtain a stable attachment as the left and right dimensions of the fixed cover member 52A become longer, the number of the attachment portions 520 You can increase it.

  When the fixed cover member 52A is attached to the vertical support member 53, the fixed cover member 52A is opened in the state where the elastic lock portion 52D is opened by pressing the lever portion 52E integrated with the elastic lock portion 52D by hand. The elastic locking portion 52D is elastically locked to the locking wall 53A of the upper and lower support members 53 by abutting against the vertical surface of 53 and releasing the pressing force of the lever portion 52E in this state, and the fixed cover The member 52A is held by the vertical support member 53. The fixed cover member 52A can be removed from the upper and lower support members 53 by pressing the lever portion 52E by hand to open the elastic locking portion 52D and removing it from the locking wall 53A of the upper and lower support members 53.

  Due to such a configuration, the fixed cover member 52A is detachable at an arbitrary position of the upper and lower support members 53 by elastically locking the elastic locking portion 52D, and further with respect to the conveyance path M1. It becomes possible to attach to arbitrary positions on the upstream side and the downstream side.

  The slide cover member 52C slidably combined with the fixed cover member 52A or the rotary cover member 52B is engaged with the upper and lower ends of the fixed cover member 52A or the rotary cover member 52B on the back side of the upper and lower ends. A joint portion 56 is formed. The figure shows a form in which three engaging portions 56 are formed in the vertical direction.

  The cover member 52 is attached to an arbitrary position of the upper and lower support members 53 with an elastic locking portion 52D so as to cover substantially the entire front and rear surfaces of the transport unit 50. In this case, the cover member 52 has a length over the entire length of the transport unit 50. If one long cover member 52 is configured to cover both front and rear surfaces of the transport unit 50, when the transport unit 50 is as long as 1 to 2 m, a single cover member 52 without warping is formed. Difficult to do. Further, when repairing the transport path M1 in the transport unit 50 or removing the thin piece 100 when the thin section 100 is clogged in the transport path M1 in the transport unit 50, one long cover member 52 must be removed each time. It is not preferable because it is inconvenient.

  In the present invention, in view of such points, the cover member 52 has a short length and is elastically locked to the upper and lower support members 53 so as to cover substantially the entire front and rear surfaces of the transport unit 50 with the plurality of cover members 52. It is set as the form attached with the part 52D. As one form thereof, in FIG. 9, the cover member 52 is formed by a relatively long fixed cover member 52A, a rotating cover member 52B, and a slide cover member 52C, and is attached to the fixed cover member 52A. A form in which the slide cover member 52C is combined with the cover member 52B is shown. In this case, the fixed cover member 52A is attached to the upper and lower support members 53 with elastic locking portions 52D. The rotation cover member 52B is pivotally supported by the fixed cover member 52A with a shaft support portion 57, and the slide cover 52C has engaging portions 56 at both upper and lower ends thereof fitted into the rotation cover member 52B. Therefore, it can slide left and right. The conveyance path M1 is opened by opening the rotating cover member 52B, and the conveyance path M1 is opened by sliding the slide cover member 52C. For this reason, it becomes easy to check the conveyance path M1 and to remove the flakes 100 clogged in the conveyance path M1.

  In FIG. 10, the cover member 52 includes a short fixed cover member 52A, a rotating cover member 52B that is rotatably supported by the fixed cover member 52A with a shaft support portion 57, and an upper and lower surfaces of the rotating cover member 52B. A form is shown that is formed by a cover member 52C that can be slid in the left-right direction by fitting the engaging portions 56 at both ends. 9 and 10 has a configuration in which the slide cover member 52C is not removed by sliding. As shown in FIG. 10, one configuration is that from the rotating cover member 52 </ b> B by the relationship in which the hook-like locking projection 59 of the slide cover member 52 </ b> C fits in the left / right slit 58 formed in the rotating cover member 52 </ b> B. When the slide cover member 52C is pulled out, the hook-like locking projection 59 is locked to the end portion of the slit 58 and is prevented from coming off.

  FIG. 7 shows a state in which a plurality of cover members 52 having such a configuration are arranged close to each other in series and attached so as to cover substantially the entire front and rear surfaces of the transport unit 50. As is clear from this, the fixed cover member 52A is attached to the upper and lower support members 53 by the elastic locking portion 52D of the attachment portion 520, and the slide cover member 52C is arranged in a relation to be connected to the adjacent fixed cover member 52A. The slide cover member 52 </ b> C and the adjacent fixed cover member 52 </ b> A are detachably engaged with and connected to each other by the engaging portion 60. By this engagement, the slide cover member 52C is prevented from being lifted, and the rotating cover member 52B is also prevented from being lifted, so that substantially the entire front and rear surfaces of the transport unit 50 are covered with a plurality of cover members 52. .

  In the above, as one of the configurations of the engaging portion 60, the side of the fixed cover member 52A is provided between the elastic protrusion 61A that is formed to protrude sideways above and below the end of the slide cover member 52C and the side 61A1 that faces the elastic protrusion 61A. The engagement receiving portion 61B formed at the end portion is fitted, and the coupling between both is held by the elastic engagement of the elastic protrusion 61A. In this case, since a plurality of reinforcing ribs 62 are formed along the conveying direction of the thin piece 100 on the back side of the fixed cover member 52A, that is, the surface on the belt 51 side, the side 61A1 is formed between the ribs 62. Inserted. With this configuration, by rotating the slide cover member 52C against the elastic engagement of the elastic protrusion 61A, the rotating cover member 52B can be opened and closed with respect to the fixed cover member 52A while supporting the slide cover member 52C. It is.

  Further, the cover member 52 on the left end side in FIG. 7 is a combination of a rotating cover member 52B that is rotatably supported by a shaft support portion 57 on a fixed cover member 52A, and does not include a slide cover member 52C. However, in this case as well, as described above, the end portion of the rotating cover member 52B and the side end portion of the adjacent fixed cover member 52A are connected to each other by the engagement of the engaging portion 60 similar to the above. Or a different configuration. Further, the cover member 52 may be configured by only the fixed cover member 52A. Also in this case, the side end portion of the cover member 52 and the side end portion of the adjacent fixed cover member 52A are configured to be connected to each other by the engagement of the engagement portion 60 similar to the above, or separately. It is the composition.

  For this reason, if the number and type of cover members 52 are set in accordance with the length of the transport unit 50, and the length of the transport unit 50 is adjusted by adjusting the pull-out length of the slide cover member 52C, the cover member 52 It is possible to cover substantially the entire front and rear surfaces of the transport unit 50. Therefore, for example, when the thin film transport device 5 is configured by connecting a transport unit 50 having a length of 1 m in series, and when the thin film transport device 5 is connected by connecting a transport unit 50 having a length of 1.5 m in series. Both the case where the thin piece transport apparatus 5 is configured by connecting the transport units 50 having a length of 2 m in series can be dealt with. Also, it can be easily applied to the case where the length of the transport unit 50 is selected by combining different lengths such as 1 m, 1.5 m, and 2 m and connected in series to configure the thin film transport device 5. It can be done.

  The endless belt 51 and the cover member 52 need to form a transport path M1 that sandwiches and transports the flakes 100 from both sides in the thickness direction and sandwiches the slices 100 in a horizontally long state. For this reason, although the structure which forms the conveyance path M1 which clamps and conveys the thin piece 100 with the endless belt 51 and the rib 62 of the back side of the cover member 52 is also considered, as a more sufficient clamping structure, in this invention, it is a cover member. The roller 65 and the endless belt 51 provided in 52 form a conveyance path M1 that conveys the thin piece 100 while being sandwiched from both sides in the thickness direction.

  A plurality of reinforcing ribs 62 </ b> A and 62 </ b> B are formed on the back side of the fixed cover member 52 </ b> A and the rotating cover member 52 </ b> B, i.e., the surface on the belt 51 side along the conveying direction of the thin piece 100. A plurality of reinforcing ribs 62C are also formed on the back side of the slide cover member 52C, that is, the surface on the belt 51 side, along the conveyance direction of the thin piece 100. Since the fixed cover member 52 </ b> A and the rotation cover member 52 </ b> B are coupled by the shaft support portion 57, the rib 62 </ b> A and the rib 62 </ b> B are equivalent to the belt 51 in a state in which both members are attached to the vertical support member 53. It is set to be close. On the other hand, since the slide cover member 52C slides to the side from the rotation cover member 52B, the rib 62C is positioned farther from the belt 51 than the ribs 62A and 62B.

  In such a configuration, the roller 65 slightly protrudes toward the belt 51 side from the ribs 62A and 62B, and the conveyance path for conveying the thin piece 100 from both sides in the thickness direction by the roller 65 and the endless belt 51. M1 is formed.

  In the embodiment, the roller 65 is provided on the fixed cover member 52A, and the roller 65 is moved by a spring 67 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction, that is, in the direction of the belt 51 in the storage case 66 attached to the outer surface of the fixed cover member 52A. The roller 65 is rotatably attached to the biased vertical shaft 68, and the roller 65 protrudes from the fixed cover member 52 </ b> A and is kept in contact with the belt 51. One end of the spring 67 is fitted and held in a boss 69 formed in the storage case 66, and the other end pushes the vertical axis 68. In this case, the vertical axis 68 pressed by the spring 67 is configured to contact the fixed cover member 52A at the maximum pressing pressure position so as not to be detached from the fixed cover member 52A.

  When attaching the cover member 52 to the upper and lower support members 53, the fixed cover member 52 </ b> A is attached to the upper and lower support members 53 so that the left and right intervals of the rollers 65 are shorter than the left and right lengths of the thin piece 100. Then, the interval between the fixed cover members 52A attached in this way is adjusted so as to be closed by the rotation cover member 52B and the slide cover member 52C. In this way, in the both islands type, substantially the entire front and rear surfaces of the transport unit 50 are covered by the plurality of cover members 52 disposed adjacent to the upper and lower support members 53, and in the island type, the entire front and rear surfaces are supported vertically. Covered by a plurality of cover members 52 arranged adjacent to the member 53. Even if the end or intermediate portion of the thin piece 100 shifts to the cover member 52 side during the transfer, the shift is limited by the ribs 62A and 62B, so that stable transfer can be achieved.

  The fixed cover member 52A includes a type in which one roller 65 is provided and a type in which two or three rollers 65 are provided. FIG. 7 shows a type in which one roller 65 is provided, and FIG. 9 shows a type in which two rollers 65 are provided. FIG. 6 shows the transport unit 50 attached to the upper and lower support members 53 by combining a type in which one roller 65 is provided and a type in which two rollers 65 are provided. 50U is a U-turn portion provided at the end of the transport unit 50 disposed at the end of the transport device 5. In FIG. 6, the thin piece 100 transported through the transport path M1 on the near side of the transport unit 50 is This U-turn portion 50U is a portion that is moved and transported to the transport path M1 beyond the transport unit 50.

  In the type in which two or three rollers 65 are provided on the fixed cover member 52A, the distance between the left and right rollers 65 is set to be sufficiently shorter than the length of the thin piece 100 conveyed along the conveyance path M1. And when each cover member 52 is attached including the type provided with one roller 65, the distance between the left and right of each roller 65 is shorter than the length of the thin piece 100 conveyed in the conveyance path M1. Like that. In particular, in order to perform stable conveyance so that the thin piece 100 does not fall off during the conveyance, the thin piece 100 to be conveyed may be in a state where it always extends over at least two rollers 65. Therefore, in the type in which two or three rollers 65 are provided on the fixed cover member 52 </ b> A, the left and right intervals of the rollers 65 are set such that at least two rollers 65 enter the length of the thin piece 100. In addition, when various cover members 52 are attached, including a type in which one roller 65 is provided, the distance between the left and right of each roller 65 is such that the conveyed thin piece 100 is always held across at least two rollers 65. In this state, each cover member 52 is attached to the vertical support member 53.

  The fixed cover member 52A, the rotation cover member 52B, and the slide cover member 52C can be seen through from the outside in order to grasp the condition of the conveyance path M1, the conveyance state of the thin piece 100, the clogging position of the thin piece 100, and the like. It is made of a material, and is formed into a predetermined shape by a transparent synthetic resin including the ribs 62A, 62B, 62C and the storage case 66.

  FIG. 17 shows the transport unit 50 that constitutes the both-island type transport device 5 in which the cover member 52 is attached to both front and rear surfaces of the transport unit 50 and the slices 100 are transported by the front and rear surfaces of the transport unit 50. The transport unit 50 constituting the Katashima type transport device 5 is shown in FIG. In this Katashima type, the thin piece 100 is transported only on one side of the transport unit 50, that is, only on the front surface, so the cover member 52 is attached only on the front surface, and no dust or the like enters the other surface, that is, the rear surface. In order to do so, the protective cover 160 is removably attached to the locking grooves 161 of the upper and lower support members 53. The protective cover 160 has substantially the same length as the transport unit 50 and is detachably attached to each transport unit 50.

  The transport unit 50 is joined by fitting a coupling protrusion 73 projecting toward one end to a receiving portion of the other transport unit 50 adjacent to the transport unit 50, and the transport plate 50 is secured to the transport unit 50 by screwing the coupling plate 170. Are combined to form a series of transport paths. Specifically, the coupling units 170 fitted in the grooves 53B of the upper and lower support members 53 of the left and right transport units 50 are fixed to the upper and lower support members 53 by screws 134, whereby the transport units 50 are connected and fixed to each other.

  The fixed cover member 52A is provided with an optical sensor device 70 that detects whether or not the thin piece 100 being conveyed exists by using an optical sensor. The optical sensor device 70 includes a detection lever 71 that is operated by the thin piece 100 being conveyed. When the thin piece 100 being conveyed is not present in the conveyance path M1, the detection lever 71 protrudes into the conveyance path M1 by a spring force. When the detection lever 71 is retracted from the light path between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit of the optical sensor and the thin piece 100 being conveyed exists in the conveyance path M1, the detection lever 71 is pressed and rotated by the thin piece 100. Thus, the detection lever 71 blocks the light path between the light emitting part and the light receiving part of the optical sensor, and the state in which the thin piece 100 does not exist and the state in which the thin piece 100 is present depending on whether the light receiving part receives light or not. Detect existing conditions. In the optical sensor device 70, a cover member 52 is attached so that one unit corresponds to each lending machine 2, and three lending machines 2 are provided on one side of one transport unit 50 as described later. In the case of the arrangement of the transport unit 50 having a length to be arranged (six units on both sides of the transport unit 50), the optical sensor device 70 has three units so that one unit corresponds to each lending machine 2. Cover members 52 are attached so that the optical sensor devices 70 are arranged on one side of one transport unit 50 at substantially equal intervals.

  When the thin piece 100 exists in the conveyance path M1 on the upstream side of the conveyance as viewed from one thin piece introduction device 3 by the detection by the optical sensor device 70, the thin piece 100 is introduced from the thin piece identification device 10 corresponding to the thin piece introduction device 3. The pair of rollers 10A of the slice identification device 10 is stopped so that the slice 100 is held between the pair of rollers 10A. The optical sensor device 70 in the downstream conveyance path M1 detects that the thin piece 100 in the upstream conveyance path M1 has been conveyed and conveyed to the conveyance path M1 downstream of the thin film introduction device 3. In this state, the slice identification device 10 is configured so that the slice 100 that has been temporarily waiting is introduced into the slice introduction device 3 and conveyed to the conveyance route M1 on the downstream side in a state where the slice 100 does not exist in the upstream conveyance path M1. Control is performed to rotate the pair of rollers 10A. Thus, based on the detection of the optical sensor device 70, in the conveyance of the thin piece 100 in the conveyance path M1, the operation of the pair of rollers 10A of each thin piece identification device 10 is stopped and the conveyance is performed so that the thin pieces 100 are not conveyed in an overlapping manner. Controls of the control boards 301 to 304 and 401 to 403, which will be described later, and the overall control unit 701 perform the control of stopping the operation of the electric motor device 55 of the unit 50 and taking the transfer timing.

  The transport unit 50 is attached between the support members 53 arranged in parallel vertically in order to suppress the inward bending of the endless belt 51 on the inner side surrounded by the belts 51A and 51B on the front and rear sides of the endless belt 51. The inner member 120 is provided. The inner member 120 is formed with flat portions and ribs for suppressing the endless belt 51 when it is bent inward at a position in contact with or close to the belts 51A and 51B on the two front and rear sides of the endless belt 51. However, in the embodiment, the roller 121 is provided to reduce the contact resistance with the belt 51.

  The inner member 120 is made of synthetic resin, and has upper and lower engaging portions 123 that fit into engaging portions 122 that protrude from the upper and lower support members 53. The engaging portion 123 has a dovetail shape with a narrow inlet, and has elasticity so that the engaging portion 122 fits while expanding the inlet of the engaging portion 123. Alternatively, the inner member 120 can be combined by sliding from the end portions of the upper and lower support members 53 so that the engaging portion 123 is fitted to the engaging portion 122 by sliding. The upper and lower support members 53 are connected to each other by the fitting of the engaging portions 122 and 123. In addition, in order to strengthen the coupling between the upper and lower support members 53 and maintain the distance between the upper and lower support members 53 at a predetermined size, the length across the upper and lower support members 53 at the left and right end portions of the transport unit 50. The upper and lower support members 53 are coupled to each other by a connecting member 130 that is fixed to the upper and lower support members 53 with screws 131. Thus, since the upper and lower support members 53 are connected to each other by the inner member 120, when the upper and lower support members 53 are long, the inner member 120 prevents the upper and lower support members 53 from bending. The inner member 120 can also be referred to as a connecting member.

  In addition, the roller 121 is supported by the inner member 120 so as to be rotatable by a vertical axis, and the roller 121 is provided in contact with the front and rear belts 51 </ b> A and 51 </ b> B of the endless belt 51. The transport unit 50 has a length of about 1 m to 2 m, and the upper and lower support members 53 have a length over substantially the entire length of the transport unit 50 in order to stably form the linear transport unit 50. It is made of integrally formed aluminum having On the other hand, the inner member 120 may be formed by integral molding having substantially the same length as the upper and lower support members 53, and the rollers 121 may be arranged at substantially equal intervals. However, in consideration of ease of manufacture and assembly. In this embodiment, the roller 121 arranged on both the left and right sides is taken as one unit.

  The interval between the left and right rollers 121 provided on the inner member 120 of this unit is set to be shorter than the length of the thin piece 100 to be conveyed. The inner member 120 may have a configuration in which the plurality of units are arranged in series. However, in the illustrated embodiment, an auxiliary inner member that does not include the roller 121 is provided so that the rollers 121 are arranged at substantially equal intervals. 125, and a configuration in which the inner member 120 including the roller 121 and the auxiliary inner member 125 are alternately arranged is employed. With this arrangement, the interval between the rollers 121 is set to be shorter than the length of the thin piece 100 to be conveyed.

  The interval between the left and right rollers 121 provided on the inner member 120 of this unit is set to be shorter than the length of the thin piece 100 to be conveyed. Further, as described above, since the interval between the rollers 65 of the cover member 52 is also set to be shorter than the length of the thin piece 100 to be conveyed, the thin piece 100 conveyed through the conveyance path M1 of the conveyance unit 50 is at least The cover member 52 is conveyed in a state of being sandwiched between the endless belt 51 and the roller 65 in a state where the roller 65 extends over the two rollers 65.

  If it is an assembly in which the roller 65 of the cover member 52 is disposed between the rollers 121 provided on the inner member 120, the roller 121 and the roller 65 are brought into contact with the endless belt 51. A predetermined tension can also be applied. Further, in order to form the transport path M1 of the transport unit 50 in a straight line, the rollers 121 of the inner member 120 and the rollers 65 of the cover member 52 are assembled so that they correspond to each other. The belt 51 can be maintained in a straight state. Further, the left-right distance between the rollers 65 of each cover member 52 is set so that the conveyed thin piece 100 is always held across at least two rollers 65, and the left-right distance between the rollers 121 provided on each inner member 120 is set. Is set to a state in which the thin piece 100 to be conveyed is always held across at least two rollers 121, so that stable conveyance in which the thin piece 100 does not fall off from the conveyance path M1 can be achieved.

  As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the roller 121 provided on the inner member 120 contacts the belts 51 </ b> A and 51 </ b> B on the two front and rear sides of the endless belt 51 so that the endless belt 51 does not shift in the vertical direction. The diameter of the central portion of the roller 121 is large, and the diameter decreases from the upper and lower ends to the upper and lower ends. The vertical length of the roller 121 is substantially equal to the vertical width of the endless belt 51. Further, the vertical length of the roller 65 of the cover member 52 is shorter than that of the roller 121 of the inner member 120, and the roller 65 corresponds to the substantially central portion of the vertical width of the endless belt 51 in the transport unit 50. It is configured.

  The authentic thin piece 100 identified by the thin piece identification device 10 is introduced into the inlet 81A of the thin piece introduction path 81 of the thin piece introduction device 3 by the roller 10A of the thin piece identification device 10. On the inlet 81A side of the thin piece introduction path 81, a pair of introduction rollers 80A and 80B are provided, and the thin piece introduction path 81 forms a path bent in a streamline shape toward the conveyance downstream direction of the belt 51. A pair of drive rollers 82 </ b> A and 82 </ b> B are provided along the conveyance direction of the belt 51 on the conveyance downstream side of the outlet 81 </ b> B of the flake introduction path 81. The driving rollers 82A and 82B abut on the belt 51 and are rotated by the rotational movement of the belt 51. The rotation of the driving rollers 82A and 82B is transmitted through a transmission gear device 83 including a plurality of gears 83A, 83B, and 83C. In this configuration, the introduction roller 80B is rotationally driven. Thereby, the authentic thin piece 100 delivered from the thin piece identification device 10 is conveyed from the inlet 81A of the thin piece introduction path 81 of the thin piece introduction apparatus 3 to the outlet 81B by the introduction rollers 80A and 80B, and is delivered to the thin piece conveyance path M1. In the figure, the roller 10 </ b> A is constituted by a pair of delivery rollers, and the roller 10 </ b> A may also serve as the identification conveyance roller for the thin piece 100.

  The configuration of the flake introduction device 3 will be described in further detail. The thin piece introduction device 3 protrudes from the plate-like main body portion 3A to form an inlet 81A of the thin piece introduction passage 81. As will be described later, introduction rollers 80A and 80B, drive rollers 82A and 82B, an intermediate gear 85, a transmission gear device. A housing portion 88 that accommodates gears 83A, 83B, and 83C constituting the portion 83 is provided to protrude from the main body portion 3A. The drive rollers 82A and 82B are rotatably supported by the portal holder 84 via their shafts 82A1 and 82B1, and an intermediate gear 85 that meshes with the drive rollers 82A and 82B is provided via the shaft 85A. A shaft 84 is rotatably supported by 84.

  With such a configuration, the driving rollers 82 </ b> A and 82 </ b> B rotate with the conveyance driving of the belt 51, and the introduction roller 80 </ b> B is rotationally driven via the transmission gear device 83. The introduction roller 80A is in contact with the introduction roller 80B, and the introduction roller 80A is rotated by the rotation of the introduction roller 80B. Therefore, the thin piece 100 introduced between the introduction rollers 80A and 80B is introduced by the introduction rollers 80A and 80B. It passes through the path 81, is introduced from the exit 81 </ b> B to the transport path M <b> 1, and is transported by the belt 51.

  The introduction rollers 80A and 80B, the drive rollers 82A and 82B, the intermediate gear 85, and the gears 83A, 83B, and 83C of the transmission gear device 83 are rotatably housed in the housing portion 88. The shafts 80A1 and 80B1 of the introduction rollers 80A and 80B are attached to the opposing wall of the housing portion 88, and the shaft 83C1 of the gear 83C is attached to the opposing wall of the housing portion 88. Further, in order to bias the introduction roller 80A toward the introduction roller 80B, the shaft 80A1 of the introduction roller 80A is pushed toward the introduction roller 80B by the coil spring 91 supported by the positioning boss 92 formed in the housing portion 88. It is supported by the opposing wall of the housing part 88 so that a movement is possible.

  As described above, based on the detection of the optical sensor device 70, in the conveyance of the thin piece 100 in the conveyance path M1, the operation of stopping the pair of delivery rollers 10A of the thin piece identification device 10 and the conveyance are performed so that the thin pieces 100 are not conveyed overlapping each other. The control unit and the overall control unit 701 of the control boards 301 to 304 and 401 to 403, which will be described later, perform control for stopping the operation of the electric motor device 55 of the unit 50 and taking the transfer timing. In this case, the rear portion of the thin piece 100 is sandwiched between the feeding rollers 10A of the thin piece identification device 10, but in a state where the leading end portion of the thin piece 100 is introduced between the introduction rollers 80A and 80B of the thin piece introduction device 3. As described above, in order to stop the feeding roller 10A of the slice identification device 10 and cause the slice identification device 10 to temporarily wait for the slice 100, the holding force for holding the slice 100 by the delivery roller 10A is the introduction roller 80A, 80B is set to be sufficiently larger than the introduction force for taking in the flake 100, the introduction rollers 80A and 80B idle around the surface of the flake 100, and the flake 100 is held by the feeding roller 10A of the flake identification device 10. .

  More specifically, when the optical sensor device 70 detects the conveyance state of the thin piece 100 on the conveyance unit 50 and sets the holding state in which the thin piece 100 is sandwiched between the feeding rollers 10A of the thin piece identification device 10, Since the endless belt 51 of the transport unit 50 is rotated for transporting the flakes 100 transported from the upstream, the driving rollers 82A and 82B of the flake introduction device 3 are rotated. Therefore, even if the introduction roller 80B of the thin piece introduction device 3 is rotated by the driving rollers 82A and 82B, the introduction roller 80B slides on the thin piece 100 while the thin piece 100 is sandwiched between the thin piece identification devices 3. The thin piece 100 is not introduced into the thin piece introducing device 3. For this reason, the introduction of the flakes 100 into the conveyance unit 50 can be prevented until the flakes 100 conveyed from the upstream pass, the overlap conveyance of the flakes 100 can be prevented, troubles due to the overlap conveyance of the flakes 100, Trouble in the storage 700 is also eliminated. In this way, the state in which the thin piece 100 is temporarily held as described above can be stably maintained, and the control for preventing the thin pieces 100 from being overlapped and conveyed is stabilized.

  When the optical sensor device 70 of the transport unit 50 detects that the thin film 100 transported from the upstream has passed to the downstream side of the thin film introducing device 3, the overall control unit 701 uses a pair of rollers of the thin film identification device 10. Control is performed to rotate the roller 10A so as to release the holding state of the thin piece 100 sandwiched between 10A. In this way, control is performed so that the thin pieces 100 do not overlap and be conveyed.

  The gears 83A, 83B, 83C are rotatably supported on the holder 86 by the respective shafts 83A1, 83B1, 83C1 in a state in which the gears are sequentially engaged with each other. The driving rollers 82A and 82B and the intermediate gear 85 are rotatably supported by the holder 84 by the shafts 82A1, 82B1, and the shaft 85A. In the housing 88, the holder 86 can be rotated with respect to the housing 88 by the shaft 83C1 of the gear 83C. In the housing 88, the holder 84 can be rotated with respect to the housing 88 by the shaft 82A1 of the driving roller 82A. Furthermore, the holder 84 and the holder 86 are rotatable with respect to each other by the shaft 82A1. For this reason, the meshing between the drive roller 82A and the gear 83A can be stably maintained.

  The holders 84 and 86 are urged toward the belt 51 by a linear spring 87 whose base is attached across the shaft 83C1 of the gear 83C or the shaft 80B1 and the shaft 83C1. For this reason, the linear spring 87 spans the intermediate portion thereof on the shaft 83 </ b> A <b> 1, and the leading end is locked to the locking portion 84 </ b> A of the holder 84.

  For this reason, the driving rollers 82A and 82B are urged into contact with the endless belt 51 by the urging of the linear spring 87, and the meshing between the transmission gear device 83 and the driving roller 82A is properly maintained. Further, even if the endless belt 51 moves irregularly during the conveyance driving, the contact between the driving rollers 82A and 82B and the endless belt 51 is maintained, so that the driving rollers 82A and 82A accompanying the conveyance driving of the endless belt 51 are maintained. The rotation of 82B can be maintained. Even if the driving roller 82A is separated from the endless belt 51 due to assembly or some other cause, the driving roller 82B comes into contact with the endless belt 51 due to the urging of the linear spring 87. The driving roller 82A that has floated via the intermediate gear 85 is rotated by the conveyance drive, and this rotation is accurately transmitted to the introduction roller 80B via the transmission gear device 83.

  The flake introduction device 3 includes an attachment portion 90 having the same configuration as the elastic locking portion 52D and the lever portion 52E for attaching the cover member 52 to the vertical support member 53. In other words, the attachment portion 90 is formed with locking portions 90A and lever portions 90B that are elastically locked to the locking walls 53A of the upper and lower support members 53 at the upper and lower ends of the thin piece introducing device 3. In the figure, in order to obtain a stable attachment of the flake introduction device 3, two attachment portions 90 are provided on the top and the bottom.

  When attaching the thin piece introducing device 3 to the vertical support member 53, the thin piece introducing device 3 is brought into contact with the vertical surface of the vertical support member 53 with the lever 90 </ b> B pressed by hand to open the elastic locking portion 90 </ b> A. In this state, by releasing the pressing force of the lever portion 90 </ b> B, the elastic locking portion 90 </ b> A is elastically locked to the locking wall 53 </ b> A of the vertical support member 53, and the thin piece introduction device 3 is attached to the vertical support member 53. Retained. When removing the flake introduction device 3 from the upper and lower support members 53, the lever portion 90 </ b> B is manually pressed and opened to open the elastic locking portion 90 </ b> A and be removed from the locking wall 53 </ b> A of the upper and lower support members 53. A cover member 52 is disposed adjacent to or in contact with the thin piece introducing device 3.

  With such a configuration, each of the cover member 52 and the thin piece introducing device 3 is provided on the upstream side with respect to the conveyance path M1 by elastically locking the mounting portions 520 and 90 formed at the upper and lower portions to the upper and lower support members 53, respectively. And can be attached at an arbitrary position on the downstream side. In the embodiment, three thin piece introducing devices 3 can be attached to each conveying unit at approximately equal intervals on one side, and in the island type, a total of six thin piece introducing devices are provided for one conveying unit. 3 can be attached. As described above, each of the cover member 52 and the thin piece introduction device 3 includes the attachment portions 520 and 90 that can select the attachment position with respect to the transport unit 50.

  The flake introduction device 3 can be arranged so as to cross between the left and right transport units 50. Also in this case, the interval between the rollers is determined so that stable conveyance can be performed, the guide roller 115 corresponds to the belt 51 of the upstream conveyance unit 50, and the driving rollers 82A and 82B and the guide roller 116 are arranged on the downstream side. If it arrange | positions so that it may respond | correspond to the belt 51 of the conveyance unit 50, the thin piece 100 can be stably conveyed from the upstream side to the downstream conveyance unit 50. FIG.

  In FIG. 20, the control block diagram of the conveying apparatus 5 is shown. In this figure, a plurality of gaming machines 1, a discriminating apparatus 10 having a function of discriminating the inserted thin piece 100, and a lending machine 2 provided with a game medium supply unit 20 such as a pachinko ball or a medal are provided in a straight line. The groups P and Q are configured, and the two islands P and Q are arranged back to back. Between these two groups P and Q, a transfer device 5 in which A, B, C, D, E, F, and G, which are transfer units 50, are connected in series is disposed. The transport direction 100 is transported in the right direction on the transport path M1 on the group Q side and transported in the left direction on the transport path M1 on the group P side as shown by the arrows in the figure. Then, the flakes 100 transported in the transport path M1 on the group Q side make a U-turn to the transport path M1 on the group Q side by the U-turn portion 50U at the right end, and are transported leftward by the transport path M1 on the group Q side. The The flakes 100 transported to the left in the transport path M1 on the group P side are stored in a storage 700 installed at the terminal end of the transport device 5.

  A control board having two transport paths M1 and M1 adjacent to each other in the transport direction of the transport unit 50 as a control unit is provided. In FIG. 20, in group P, among the transport units 50, A, B, C, D, E, and F, two transport paths adjacent in the transport direction, that is, the transport path M1 of the transport unit A and the transport unit B Control boards 301, 302, and 303, each having a control unit of the transport path M1, the transport path M1 of the transport unit C, the transport path M1 of the transport unit D, the transport path M1 of the transport unit E, and the transport path M1 of the transport unit F, respectively. I have. In group Q, among the transport units 50, A, B, C, D, E, and F, two transport paths adjacent to each other in the transport direction, that is, the transport path M1 of the transport unit A and the transport of the transport unit B Control boards 401, 402, and 403 each having a control unit of the path M1, the transport path M1 of the transport unit C, the transport path M1 of the transport unit D, the transport path M1 of the transport unit E, and the transport path M1 of the transport unit F are provided. Yes. For G, which is the transport unit 50, the transport path M1 on the group Q side and the transport path M1 on the group P side of the transport unit G correspond to two adjacent transport paths. A substrate 304 is provided.

  In the group P, the ranges of the lending machines 2 that are arranged corresponding to the transport paths M1 of A, B, C, D, E, F, and G, which are transport units 50, are A1, B1, C1, D1, E1, F1, G1, and in Group Q, A2, B2, C2, D2, E2, F2, G2.

  The control boards 301, 302, 303, and 304 are provided with terminals 301A, 302A, 303A, and 304A to which control lines corresponding to the maximum number of lending machines 2 that can be installed corresponding to each transport unit are connected. 402, 403 are provided with terminals 401A, 402A, 403A to which control lines corresponding to the maximum number of lending machines 2 that can be installed corresponding to each transport unit 50 are connected. FIG. 20 shows the case where the maximum number is three, and since three lending machines 2 can be connected to the left and right transport units 50, the control boards 301, 302, 303, and 304 have , Each having six terminals 301A, 302A, 303A, and 304A. The same applies to the control boards 401, 402, and 403.

  Each control board is connected to the overall control unit 701 of the groups P and Q, and with this overall control part 701, the addresses of the serial numbers for all the lending machines 2 connected to each control board are attached, Based on the operation stop control of the electric motor device 55 for each control unit, the game medium supply control of the game medium supply unit 20 of the lending machine 2, and the detection of the optical sensor device 70, the operation of the pair of rollers 10A of each slice identification device 10 is performed. The overall control unit 701 performs control and the like of stopping and stopping the operation of the electric motor device 55 of each transport unit 50 to take the transport timing. The overall control unit 701 is provided adjacent to the storage 700 provided on the terminal side of the transfer device 5 and is in a state managed by the administrator of the gaming facility, like the storage 700.

  In the configuration of FIG. 20, on the control board 301, the control of the game medium supply unit 20 of each of the lending machines 2 of group P A1 and B1, the control of the slice identification device 10 based on the detection of the optical sensor device 70, and the conveyance A control unit that controls the motor devices 55 of A and B of the unit 50 is provided, and these control units are controlled by the overall control unit 701. With such a relationship, the control boards 301, 302, and 303 have control of the game medium supply unit 20 of the rental machine 2 in the range of A1, B1, C1, D1, E1, F1, and G1 of the group P, Control units for controlling the thin piece identification device 10 based on the detection of the optical sensor device 70 and for controlling the A, B, C, D, E, F, and G motor devices 55 of the transport unit 50 are provided. The control unit is controlled by the overall control unit 701. The control boards 401, 402, and 403 are based on the control of the game medium supply unit 20 of the rental machines 2 of the groups A, B2, C2, D2, E2, F2, and G2, and the detection of the optical sensor device 70. A control unit that controls the thin piece identification device 10 and the motor devices 55 of A, B, C, D, E, F, and G of the transport unit 50 is provided, and these control units are controlled by the overall control unit 701. Be controlled.

  The overall control unit 701 controls the control unit of each control board, and the microcomputer of the control unit of the control board controls the transport unit 50 and the lending machine 2 corresponding thereto, and the overall control of the group is controlled. The microcomputer of the unit 701 controls the microcomputer of the control unit of these control boards. In this case, the overall control unit 701 is a main computer, and the control unit of each control board constitutes a slave computer controlled by the main computer, and can be controlled by a shared operation, which facilitates control.

  A specific control method in such control will be described. For example, regarding the lending machine 2 and the transport units A and B in the range of A1 and B1 of the group P, the length of the three lending machines 2 arranged on one side of one transport unit 50 as described above. Therefore, three photosensor devices 70 are provided on one side of the transport unit A at substantially equal intervals in the transport direction so that one photosensor device 70 corresponds to each lending machine 2. Are arranged, and three optical sensor devices 70 are arranged on one side of the conveyance unit B at substantially equal intervals in the conveyance direction. Then, the state of each optical sensor device 70 of the transport unit A and transport unit B is detected by the microcomputer of the control unit of the control board 301, and the state of sending the flakes 100 from the flake identification device 10 is detected. Control is performed so that the flakes 100 are not overlapped and conveyed on the path M1. That is, when the optical sensor device 70 corresponding to one lending machine 2 detects the flake 100, the operation of the pair of delivery rollers 10A of the flake identification device 10 on the upstream side is stopped to temporarily hold the flake 100. State. And when this thin piece 100 leaves | separates from the optical sensor apparatus 70 by conveyance, the thin piece 100 which cancel | released this temporarily hold | maintained state and was hold | maintained sends out to the thin piece introduction apparatus 3, By this, the thin piece 100 on the conveyance path M1. Are not transported in an overlapping manner. Such control is performed for each control board.

  In addition, each of the electric motor devices 55 of the transfer unit A and the transfer unit B is not operated continuously during the business hours of the amusement facility, but is operated only when the thin piece 100 needs to be transferred, so that the belt 51, the electric motor device In order to ensure the durability of the rollers 55 and each roller, etc., the microcomputer of the control unit of the control board 301 detects the flakes 100 by the optical sensor devices 70 of the transport unit A and the transport unit B. Control of shutdown is performed. For example, when there is no identification of the flakes 100 in the flake identification device 10 in the lending machine 2 corresponding to the transport unit B within a predetermined time after the transport of the flakes 100 by the transport unit B is completed, this predetermined time Control is performed by the microcomputer of the control unit of the control board 301 so that the operation of the electric motor device 55 of the transport unit B is stopped in the course. Then, after the predetermined time has elapsed, when the slice 100 is identified by the slice identifying device 10 in the lending machine 2 corresponding to the transport unit B, the motor device 55 of the transport unit B is controlled to operate again. . Such control is performed for each control board.

  In addition, such an operation stop control of the electric motor device 55 is performed, for example, by a thin piece by the optical sensor device 70 in the upstream conveyance unit A within a predetermined time after the conveyance of the thin piece 100 in the conveyance unit B is completed. When 100 is not detected, control is performed by the microcomputer of the control unit of the control board 301 so that the operation of the electric motor device 55 of the transport unit B is stopped after the predetermined time has elapsed. When the thin piece 100 is detected by the optical sensor device 70 in the transport unit A after the predetermined time has elapsed, the motor device 55 of the transport unit B is controlled to operate again. Thus, the durability of the belt 51, the electric motor device 55, each roller, and the like can be ensured by operating only when the thin piece 100 needs to be conveyed. Such control is performed for each control board.

  Moreover, the installation interval of each rental machine 2 is not constant, and is different in each game facility. For this reason, the conveyance time is set corresponding to the installation interval of each rental machine 2, and the set time is set in the memory of the control unit of the control board 301. Based on this time, the electric motor device as described above is set. 55, or the setting time is set in the memory of the overall control unit 701. Based on this time, the microcomputer of the overall control unit 701 becomes the microcomputer of the control unit of the control board 301. It is possible to control the operation stop of the electric motor device 55 as described above, so that the belt 51, the electric motor device 55, each roller, etc. are operated only when the thin piece 100 needs to be conveyed. Durability can be ensured and finer economic operation can be achieved.

  As described above, the control unit of each control board controls the motor devices 55 of the corresponding two transport units and the corresponding rental machine 2. The above control is transmitted to the microcomputer of the overall control unit 701, and the status is stored in the memory as information for each terminal for each address assigned to the terminal of each control board. Every time the memory is updated. The control unit of each control board stores operation information of each unit corresponding thereto, and this information is stored in the memory of the overall control unit 701 by the microcomputer of the overall control unit 701. For this reason, when the flakes 100 are clogged with any one of the transport units 50 of the groups P and Q, the operation of all the motor devices 55 of the groups P and Q is stopped and all of the groups P and Q are stopped. Control is performed so that the operation of the lending machine 2 is stopped and the identification operation of the slice 100 is stopped.

  The clogging of the flakes 100 in the transport unit 50 occurs when the flakes 100 remain detected for a predetermined time or more by one photosensor device 70 of the transport unit 50 (the flakes 100 at a portion of the photosensor device 70 for a predetermined time or more). Or when the flake 100 is not detected by the next photosensor device 70 even after a predetermined time elapses from the time when the flake 100 is detected by one photosensor device 70, The control unit detects that the thin piece 100 is clogged in the conveyance path M1 of the conveyance unit 50, and based on this information, the microcomputer of the overall control unit 701 stops the operation of all the electric motor devices 55 of the groups P and Q. The operation of the rental machine 2 is stopped. This information is stored in the memory of the overall control unit 701, and the display LEDs arranged on the island patterns of the groups P and Q are turned on to indicate where they are clogged. The clogging removal operation can be speedily performed by, for example, displaying a special display indicating the clogging at the clogged portion. In addition, the overall control unit 701 has a function of performing a clogging history of the transport unit 50 and a sales total of the groups P and Q.

  With the overall control unit 701 assigned the serial number addresses for all the rental machines 2 connected to each control board, the operation stop control of the electric motor device 55 for each control unit, and the game medium of the rental machine 2 Based on the game medium supply control of the supply unit 20 and the detection of the optical sensor device 70, the feeding control of the thin piece 100 from the thin piece identification device 10 is performed. Therefore, regardless of whether or not the lending machine 2 is connected, it is more likely that the trouble in the transport unit 50 at which location, or which lending machine 2 is compared with the case where serial number addresses are assigned to all the numbers of terminals of the control board. It is easy to determine whether there is a trouble and to determine the trouble location.

  As described above, the address serial number is assigned only to the terminal of each control board to which the lending machine 2 is connected, and this serial number is attached in a direction away from the terminal side of the transfer device 5 in sequence. It is a serial number. In the group Q, the serial numbers are displayed as serial numbers from 1 to 14 in the right direction on the terminals of the control boards 401, 402, 403, and 304 corresponding to A2 to G2. In the group P, the control boards 301, 302, 303, and 304 corresponding to A1 to G1 are displayed with serial numbers from 1 to 14 in the right direction.

  Each control board is provided with setting switches 501, 502, 503, 504, 601, 602, and 603 for setting the conveying direction of the endless belt 51 by the electric motor device 55. When this setting switch is in the black position as shown in FIG. 20, the transport directions of the endless belts 51 of the transport units 50 A, B, C, D, E, F, G are the group Q as shown by the arrows. In the group P, the corresponding control units of the board are set so as to be in the right direction and the rotation direction of the electric motor device 55 is set so as to be in the left direction in the group P. Further, when this setting switch is switched to the white position in FIG. 20, the rotation direction of the electric motor device 55 is set so that the conveyance state in the opposite direction is obtained. For this reason, depending on the situation of the game facility, how to arrange the Katashima type and the both islands type, and whether the transfer terminal part is on the left or right side of the transfer device 5, etc. This is suitable for arbitrarily setting.

  Regarding the transport unit G, since there is one transport unit 50, there is one electric motor device 55, and the transport direction of the thin piece 100 is from the transport path M1 on the group Q side of the transport unit G to the transport path on the group P side. It is converted to M1 at the U-turn section 50U. Since this part of the control board 304 controls the transport paths M1 on both sides of the group P side and the group Q side, the transport unit G is a return transport unit on this part of the control board 304. Setting is required. For this reason, a folding setting switch 801 is provided for the control unit of the control board 304, and when the folding setting switch 801 is in the upper black position in FIG. 20, for example, the conveyance unit G is a conveyance unit for folding. Make certain settings be made. Further, when the transport unit 50 is added and the control board 304 is in a state of controlling the two transport units 50 like the control board 301, two transports are performed by switching the setting switch 801 to the lower white position. It is set that the unit 50 has been controlled.

  With this setting, the control unit of the control board 304 controls the game medium supply unit 20 of the rental machine 2 in the range of G1 connected to the terminal numbers 12, 13, and 14 on the left downstream side, and the optical sensor device 70. Control of the slice identification device 10 based on the detection of the machine and the control of the electric motor device 55 of the transport unit G, and supply of the game medium of the rental machine 2 in the range of G2 connected to the terminal number 14 on the right upstream side Control of the unit 20, control of the slice identification device 10 based on detection by the optical sensor device 70, and control of the electric motor device 55 of the transport unit G are performed, and this control unit is controlled by the overall control unit 701.

  As described above, the operation of the pair of rollers 10A of each thin piece identification device 10 is controlled to be stopped based on the detection of the optical sensor device 70 to prevent the thin pieces 100 from being overlapped on the conveyance path M1 of the conveyance unit 50. In this control, the microcomputer of the corresponding control board control unit controls the corresponding thin piece identification device 10 and the motor unit 55 of the transport unit, and the control units of each control board control each other. By performing 701, the flakes 100 can be smoothly conveyed without overlapping.

  Then, the control unit and the overall control unit 701 of each control board are based on the detection of the optical sensor device 70 of each transport unit 50, even if a predetermined time elapses after one of the optical sensor devices 70 detects the thin piece 100. When the other optical sensor device 70 on the downstream side of the conveyance does not detect the thin piece 100, it is determined that the thin piece 100 is clogged or the thin piece 100 has not been inserted into the lending machine 2, and the electric motor device 55 of the corresponding conveyance unit 50 is stopped. Can be controlled.

  The present invention includes a gaming machine and a device provided with an identification device for identifying a thin piece such as an inserted bill, and a thin piece for a gaming facility that conveys the thin piece identified by the identification device in one direction behind the gaming machine. The present invention is applicable to a transfer apparatus, and is not limited to the above-described embodiment. Various modifications can be considered without departing from the technical scope of the present invention, and various embodiments relating to the modification are included.

It is a front view of the game device which installed the medal lending machine incorporating the thin piece identification apparatus which concerns on this invention. Example 1 It is a front perspective view of a medal lending machine incorporating the thin piece identification device according to the present invention. Example 1 It is a side view of the game stand which attached the game device concerning this invention. Example 1 It is arrangement | positioning top view of the conveying apparatus in the both islands type game device which concerns on this invention. Example 1 It is a front view of the state which connected the conveyance unit which concerns on this invention. Example 1 It is a front perspective view of the conveyance unit which shows the relationship with the fixture which concerns on this invention. Example 1 It is a front view of the cover attached to the conveyance unit which concerns on this invention. Example 1 It is a front view which shows the relationship between the belt and inner member of the conveyance unit which concerns on this invention. Example 1 It is a perspective view which shows the relationship between the rotation part of a cover of the conveyance unit which concerns on this invention, and a slide part. Example 1 It is a front view which shows the relationship between the rotation part of a cover of the conveyance unit which concerns on this invention, and a slide part. Example 1 It is a top view which shows the combined state of the cover of the conveyance unit which concerns on this invention. Example 1 It is an enlarged view of the coupling | bond part of the cover of FIG. Example 1 It is a cancellation | release state figure of the coupling | bond part of the cover of FIG. Example 1 It is a top view which shows the rotation part of the cover of the conveyance unit which concerns on this invention, and its rotation state. Example 1 It is explanatory drawing of the spring urging | biasing structure of the roller of the cover which concerns on this invention. Example 1 It is sectional drawing of the conveyance unit in the case of Katashima which concerns on this invention. Example 1 It is sectional drawing of the conveyance unit in the case of both islands concerning this invention. Example 1 It is the side view of the internal structure seen through the transparent main-body part of the thin piece introduction apparatus which concerns on this invention. Example 1 It is the perspective view seen from the back side of the thin piece introduction apparatus which concerns on this invention. Example 1 It is a control block diagram of the conveying apparatus which concerns on this invention. Example 1

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 .... Game machine 2 .... Rental machine 3 .... Thin piece introduction device 3A ... Main part of thin piece introduction device 5 .... Conveyance device 10 .... Thin piece identification device 10A ... Roller 50 ... Conveying unit 51 ... Endless belt 52 ... Cover member 52A ... Fixed cover member 52B ... Rotating cover member 52C ... Slide cover member 52D ... Elastic locking part 52E ... Lever part 53 ... Upper and lower support members 53A ... Locking walls 53B ... Grooves 53C ... Ribs 53F ... Projections 54A, 54B ... Rotor 55 ... Electric motor device 56 ... Engagement part 57 ... Shaft support part 58 ... Slit 59 ... Hook-like locking projection 60 ... Engagement part 65 ... Roller 66 ... Storage case 67 ... Spring 68 ... Vertical shaft 70 ...・ Optical sensor device 71 ・ ・ ・ Detection level -80A, 80B .... Introduction roller 81 ... Thin piece introduction path 81A ... Opening of thin piece introduction path 81B ... Outlet of thin piece introduction path 82A, 82B ... Drive roller 83 ... Transmission gear device 83A, 83B, 83C ... Gear 84 ... Holder 85 ... Intermediate gear 86 ... Holder 87 ... Linear spring 88 ... Housing part 90 ... Mounting part 90A ... Elastic locking part 90B ... Lever Part 100 ·· Thin pieces 117 and 118 · · · Spring 120 · · Inner member 121 · · Rollers 122 and 123 · · Engagement portion 125 · · Auxiliary inner member 130 · · Connection member 140 · · Mounting member 141 · · Leg 142..Screw 143..Fixing member 144..Screw 145..Mounting member 147..Leg 150..Electric wiring 160..Protective cover 170..Connecting plate 30. 1, 302, 303, 304 ... Control board 301A, 302A, 303A, 304A ... Control board terminals 401, 402, 403 ... Control board 401A, 402A, 403A ... Control board terminals 501, 502, 503, 504, 601, 602, 603... Setting switch 520 ..Mounting unit 701 ..Overall control unit 801 ..Folding setting switch A, B, C, D, E, F, G. Units A1, B1, C1, D1, E1, F1, G1, ... Range of lending machines in group P A2, B2, C2, D2, E2, F2, G2 ... Range of lending machines in group Q P, Q .... Groups M and M1

Claims (6)

  A thin piece identification device having a function of discriminating a thin piece inserted to receive supply of game media, a rental machine equipped with a game medium supply unit for supplying game media and an electrical equipment unit, and a game machine are added to form a group. And a thin piece transport device is provided behind the group to form a thin piece transport path for transporting the thin piece identified by the thin piece identification device along the group in one direction. A plurality of conveyance units that convey thin pieces by one-way conveyance driving of an endless belt are connected in series to form the thin piece conveyance path, and the conveyance units are arranged on rotors arranged on one end side and the other end side, respectively. The endless belt is bridged, and includes an electric motor device that drives either one of the two rotors. The control unit includes two transport paths adjacent to each other in the transport direction of the transport unit. The control board of the lending machine corresponding to the two adjacent conveyance paths is connected to the control board, and the control boards are connected to the overall control section of the group. The thin film transport device is characterized in that the control of the electric motor device for each control unit and the control of the lending machine are performed in a state where the address of the serial number for the lending machine connected to each control board is attached by Control device.   A thin piece identification device having a function of discriminating a thin piece inserted to receive supply of game media, a rental machine equipped with a game medium supply unit for supplying game media and an electrical equipment unit, and a game machine are added to form a group. And a thin piece transporting device for forming a thin piece transporting path for transporting the thin piece identified by the thin piece identifying device along the group in one direction along the group. A plurality of conveyance units that convey thin pieces by one-way conveyance driving of an endless belt are connected in series to form the thin piece conveyance path, and the conveyance units are arranged on rotors arranged on one end side and the other end side, respectively. The endless belt is bridged, and includes an electric motor device that drives either one of the two rotors. The control unit includes two transport paths adjacent to each other in the transport direction of the transport unit. The control board of the lending machine corresponding to the two adjacent transport paths is connected to the control board, and the control boards are connected to the overall control section of the group. From the operation stop control of the electric motor device for each control unit, the game medium supply control of the lending machine, and the slice identification device with the address of the serial number for the lending machine connected to each control board by A control device for a flake conveying apparatus, wherein the flake feeding control is performed.   The control board is provided with a terminal for connecting the control line of the lending machine corresponding to the maximum number that can be installed corresponding to the transfer path of the transfer unit, and only for the terminal to which the lending machine is connected The control device of the flake conveyance device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the serial number of the address is given as follows.   4. The control device for a flake conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the serial number of the address is a serial number given in a direction away from the flake storage side.   2. The control board according to claim 1, wherein when both sides of the transfer unit are thin-piece transfer paths, two control paths adjacent to each other of the transfer unit are provided as control units. The control apparatus of the thin piece conveying apparatus in any one of Claim 4.   6. The control device for a thin piece conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the control boards is provided with a setting switch for setting a conveying direction of the endless belt by the electric motor device. .

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