JP4912066B2 - Game media transport device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a game medium transport apparatus for transporting and supplying game media to a game machine or a game medium lending machine disposed on a game machine island, and in particular, a game medium transport apparatus for transporting game media on a flat transport path. About.

  A transport device for transporting and supplying gaming media to gaming machines and gaming media lending machines installed on gaming machine islands is generally tilted above gaming machine islands. The game media supplied from the supply tank to the supply route by using the inclination is transferred from the upstream to the downstream in the supply route formed in the transport device so that the game media can be transferred to the respective gaming machines and game media. It was supplied to a lending machine. However, in the gaming machine island provided with the transfer device having such an inclined supply route, it is inevitable that the upper part of the gaming machine island is high and becomes large. This tends to appear more prominently as the supply amount of game media increases and the supply route becomes longer. For this reason, in the hall where the gaming machine island is enlarged, the scene of the security camera installed in the hall is obstructed by the gaming machine island (conveyance device), or there are many shadow parts where the lighting does not stop, In addition to problems such as the need to increase the number of lights in order to eliminate shadows, there was a risk of hindering the degree of freedom in designing the interior equipment of the game hall.

  For this reason, in order to solve these problems, the pachinko ball that has flowed down to the fixed path portion as in Japanese Patent No. 2518490 (Patent Document 1) is rotated by a drive motor 26 (reference numeral in Patent Document 1). Is conveyed horizontally by a driven roller 22 (reference numeral in Patent Document 1), a driven roller 23 (reference numeral in Patent Document 1), and a horizontal conveying belt 21 (reference numeral in Patent Document 1) suspended therebetween. The structure to perform is disclosed.

  And in this structure, the separator 41 (code | symbol in patent document 1) is provided in the side part of the replenishment path | route 10 (code | symbol in patent document 1), and the bulging side wall 44 (patent document) adjoined to this separator 41 is provided. 1), the pachinko balls sent by the horizontal conveyance belt 21 (reference in Patent Document 1) are distributed and the pachinko balls are supplied to the pachinko machine 2 (reference in Patent Document 1).

Prior art documents related to the invention of this application include the following.
Japanese Patent No. 2518490 (JP-A-6-39136) None

  However, in the transport structure that transports such pachinko balls by the horizontal transport belt 21 (reference numeral in Patent Document 1), in contrast to the case where a transport device having an inclined supply path is arranged at the upper part of the gaming machine island, Eliminates problems such as the upper part of the gaming machine island becoming taller and larger, the obstacles that the gaming machine island hinders the view of the security camera, and the design flexibility of the interior equipment of the amusement hall However, since the horizontal conveyance belt 21 (reference numeral in Patent Document 1) itself is rotationally driven, it is difficult to cope with a long game machine island, and the horizontal conveyance belt 21 (reference numeral in Patent Document 1). ), It is necessary to stop and repair the entire apparatus. For example, it is not easy to construct and maintain the apparatus, and the horizontal conveyor belt 21 (reference numeral in Patent Document 1) itself is also used. Always stretch the belt The tension roller 24 (reference numeral in Patent Document 1), the belt support member 25 (reference numeral in Patent Document 1), and the like, which are parts for that purpose, are essential, and the number of parts inevitably increases. There was a risk of cost increase. Further, since the horizontal conveyance belt 21 is stretched between the driving roller 22 (reference numeral in Patent Document 1) and the driven roller 23 in an endless state, the upper side surface of the horizontal conveyance belt 21 (reference numeral in Patent Document 1) is arranged. It is necessary to secure a storage space on the lower surface of the horizontal conveyor belt 21 (reference numeral in Patent Document 1) as a device in spite of the use of the pachinko ball to be used, and to reduce the height of the upper part of the gaming machine island. There was a limit.

  Further, in order to supply the pachinko balls to the pachinko machine 2 (reference numeral in Patent Document 1), the horizontal conveying belt 21 (reference numeral in Patent Document 1) is provided with a barrel-like tension roller 24 (reference numeral in Patent Document 1) and a plate. The belt support members 25 (reference numerals in Patent Document 1) are alternately provided and supported, and the pachinko balls are supplied from the horizontal conveying belt 21 (reference numerals in Patent Document 1) to the replenishment path 10 (reference numerals in Patent Document 1). ) In the separator 41 (reference numeral in patent document 1) by the bulging side wall 44 (reference numeral in patent document 1) after being transferred to the ball standby path portion 40 (reference numeral in patent document 1) formed on the side of It was distributed to. Accordingly, the pachinko ball transport flow flows from the horizontal transport belt 21 (reference numeral in Patent Document 1) to the inclined surface of the barrel-shaped tension roller 24 (reference numeral in Patent Document 1), and once the ball standby path section 40 (patent document 1). The pachinko ball transferred to the reference numeral 1 in the document is distributed to the separator 41 (reference numeral in the patent document 1) by the pressing force of the pachinko ball conveyed later, so the pachinko machine 2 (patent document) It was difficult to quickly supply the pachinko balls to the sign 1). Furthermore, in the case of such a configuration, some processing is performed on the conveyance path surface or parts are added. For this reason, not only is the configuration of the conveyance path complicated, but it becomes difficult to balance with other apparatuses, and there is a possibility that the tendency to use dedicated parts becomes strong, resulting in an obstacle to cost reduction.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and its purpose is to drive the conveyance path itself without performing any processing or adding parts to the conveyance path surface of the conveyance path. By transporting game media in a substantially horizontal direction, the height of the gaming machine island can be kept low, the number of parts is small, and the construction and maintenance of the equipment is easy, which is advantageous in terms of cost. In addition, since the game medium is always transferred on the transfer road surface by the rotation of the rotating member, a game medium transport device that can quickly supply the game medium to the game machine or the game medium rental machine is provided. Is.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in the present invention, a game machine and a game medium rental machine are installed on an upper part of a gaming machine island in which the game machines are alternately arranged, and the game medium is transported in a substantially horizontal direction, and the game medium being transported A game medium transport device for supplying the game medium to at least one of a game machine and a game medium lending machine, the game medium transport device comprising a partition, a transport path having a flat transport path surface, a game medium transport belt, A plurality of transport plates formed on the surface in the transport direction of the game medium with a guide belt, comprising a rotating member disposed in the transport path, and a driving mechanism of the rotating member, by the rotation of the rotating member, The game medium thrown into the transport path is transported from the transport path upstream to the downstream by the game medium transport band, and is unloaded from the guide band to a replenishment chute disposed on the side of the transport path. At least one of skill machine and game media lending machine is obtained by supplying the recreation medium.

  As a result, the game machine island is transported in a substantially horizontal direction without performing any processing or adding parts to the transport road surface of the transport device, and without driving the device itself. The height can be kept low, the number of parts is small, the construction and maintenance of the device is easy, the cost is advantageous, and the game medium is always transferred on the conveyance road surface by the rotation of the rotating member. At the same time, since the replenishment chute is replenished, it is possible to quickly replenish the game medium to the gaming machine or the game medium lending machine.

  The rotating member disposed in the transport passage projects from an endless belt and an outer periphery of the endless belt at an interval, and is connected to the game medium transport band and the transport band on the surface in the transport direction of the game medium. A caterpillar shape having a plurality of transport plates formed with a guide band opened in the direction is formed, and the game medium thrown into the transport path is rotated from the upstream of the transport path by the game medium transport band by the rotation of the rotating member. In addition to being transported downstream, the game medium is transported from the guide belt to a supply chute disposed on the side of the transport path, so that the game medium is supplied to at least one of the game machine and the game medium rental machine.

  Thus, the position of the replenishment chute can be arbitrarily set within the range of the endless belt of the rotating member, and the degree of freedom in designing the game medium transport device can be increased.

  The rotating member disposed in the transport passage has a cylindrical shape and a watermill shape having a plurality of transport plates protruding at intervals on the outer periphery of the cylindrical body. A game medium transport band and a guide band that communicates with the transport band and is opened to the side are formed on the surface of the game medium in the transport direction, and the game medium loaded into the transport passage is rotated by the rotation member. The transport medium is transported from the transport path upstream to the downstream by the transport band, and is transported from the guide band to a replenishment chute disposed on the side of the transport path, so that at least one of the gaming machine and the game medium rental machine Is supplied.

  As a result, the rotating member can be arranged in accordance with the position of the replenishment chute, and the game medium transport device can be constructed relatively easily according to the type of the gaming machine island. Even in the event of a failure, the entire device can be repaired without stopping.

  In the next invention, the transport plate has a wiping member disposed on the surface thereof or is formed of a wiping member.

  As a result, by wiping off dust, oil, and the like attached to the game medium while the game medium is being transported, the game medium can always be kept clean, and there is little risk of discomfort to the player.

  As described above, according to the present invention, a game medium is transported in a substantially horizontal direction without performing any processing or adding parts to the transport path surface of the transport device and driving the device itself. Therefore, the height of the gaming machine island can be kept low, the number of parts is small, the construction and maintenance of the device are easy, and the cost is advantageous. It is an object of the present invention to provide a game medium transport apparatus that can quickly supply game media to game machines and game media rental machines because game media are transferred on the transport path surface.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a gaming machine island provided with a game medium transport device of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the main part showing a first embodiment of the game medium carrying device of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the main part showing the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a main part showing the transport plate of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of a main part showing an endless belt of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view of a main part showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the game medium transport device 1 of the present invention is constructed above a gaming machine island 100 constructed from a plurality of gaming machines 2 and a gaming medium lending machine 3 disposed between the gaming machines 2. Has been. And the storage tank 5 of the game medium 4 (refer FIG. 1) is provided in the longitudinal direction approximate center part of this game machine island 100, The game medium 4 stored in the storage tank 5 is needed as needed. It is supplied to the game medium transport device 1. The aforementioned game medium transport device 1 transports the supplied game medium 4 to the end side (downstream) of the gaming machine island. In this transport process, the game medium 4 is supplied to at least one of the game machine 2 and the game medium rental machine 3 via the supply chute 6 (see FIG. 2). In addition, the storage tank 5 side which supplies the game media 4 to the game media transport apparatus 1 is called upstream, and the edge part side of an island is called downstream. For example, considering the adjacent replenishment chutes 6, the replenishment chute 6 side close to the storage tank 5 is referred to as the upstream side, and the replenishment chute 6 side far from the storage tank 5 is referred to as the downstream side.

  Details will be described below with reference to the drawings. 2 to 5 show a first embodiment of the game medium transport apparatus of the present invention. This game medium transport apparatus 1 includes two game machines 2 and game medium rental machines 3 arranged alternately in parallel. A transport passage 10 is installed on the upper part of each row of game machine islands 100 called so-called “both islands” arranged opposite to each other. A rotation member 20 is disposed in the transport passage 10 and is configured to be rotated by a drive mechanism 30. Hereinafter, the conveyance path 10 laid mainly on one side of the row will be described.

  The conveyance path 10 includes a flat conveyance path surface 11 and partition walls 12 provided upright on both sides of the conveyance path surface 11. In other words, it is formed in the shape of a bowl having a cross-sectional channel shape extending from the upstream to the downstream of the gaming machine island 100. In the partition wall 12, bearings (not shown) that support rotating shafts 21 a and 21 b of the rotating member 20 described later and holes (not shown) communicating with the supply chute 6 are formed at appropriate intervals. A replenishment chute 6 is attached outside the hole (not shown) of the partition wall 12.

  The rotary member 20 includes a drive gear 22 and a driven gear 23 that are spaced apart from each other along the partition wall 12 in the conveyance path 10, and an endless belt 24 that is wound around the drive gear 22 and the driven gear 23. It has a caterpillar shape. The rotation shaft 21a and the rotation shaft 21b of the drive gear 22 and the driven gear 23 are rotatably fixed to the partition wall 12, respectively, but the end of the rotation shaft 21a of the drive gear 22 protrudes from the partition wall 12 ( The game machine island 100 is connected to the drive mechanism 30 at the center in the short direction of the gaming machine island 100. In the embodiment, the two rotating members 20 are arranged in parallel in the transport direction of the game medium 4 in the transport passage 10, but the number is not limited to this.

  On the outer periphery of the endless belt 24 of the rotating member 20, a plurality of conveying plates 25 are protruded at intervals. As shown in FIG. 4, a game medium transport band 27 is formed on the transport plate 25 at the center in the width direction of the endless belt 24 from the belt body 26 to the tip (outside). The game medium transport band 27 has a concave shape opened in the transport direction of the game medium 4 on the transport plate 25. A guide band 28 communicates with the leading end side of the game medium transport band 27. The guide band 28 has a shape in which a tip thereof is cut out in an L shape and is opened in the transport direction. And the inclined surface 29 which inclines down in the direction opposite to a conveyance direction from the communicating part of the game medium conveyance belt | band | zone 27 to a side edge is formed.

  The drive mechanism 30 is disposed between the conveyance passages 10 installed at the upper part of each row of the gaming machine island 100, and synchronously rotates the rotating members 20 disposed in both rows. That is, the rotary gears 31 are fixed to the rotary shafts 21a to which the drive gears 22 of the adjacent rotary members 20 are attached, and the drive belt 32 is wound between the rotary gears 31a. And the endless belt 24 provided in each rotating member 20 is rotated in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 3 by rotating the rotating gear 31 with a drive motor (not shown).

  Due to the rotation of the rotating member 20, the game medium 4 supplied from the supply tank 5 to the transport path 10 is scraped by the transport plate 25 from the drive gear 22 side of the rotating member 20. Generally, since the replenishment tank 5 is disposed above the transport path 10, the game medium 4 supplied to the transport path 10 rolls on the flat transport path surface 11 and is carried toward the rotating member 20. The game medium 4 scraped by the transport plate 25 is accommodated in the space defined by the partition wall 12 and the transport plate 25 in the transport passage 10 and rolls on the transport path surface 11 as the transport plate 25 moves. When the transport plate 25 passes through the replenishment chute 6, the game medium 4 accommodated in the game medium transport belt 27 and the guide belt 28 is inclined from the hole (not shown) formed in the partition wall 12. It is carried out along the surface 29 into the supply chute 6. The remaining game medium 4 that has not been carried out (mainly stored in the game medium transport belt 27) is transported to the next supply chute 6 and repeats the same operation. Further, the remaining game medium 4 is sent to the downstream rotary member 20.

  In this way, the game media 4 are transferred downstream, and when they are transported to the most downstream side and stop, they are sequentially accumulated and stored in the upstream direction. In this embodiment, the game medium transport device 1 is arranged on the gaming machine island where the most downstream side is dammed up, but the game media 4 is arranged below the game machine island from the tip portion (not shown). ) And can be placed on a recirculation type gaming machine island that is circulated again to the supply tank 5.

  FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment of the game medium transport apparatus 1, and this embodiment shows a configuration in which a water wheel-shaped rotating member 20 is used in the game medium transport apparatus 1. That is, the rotating member 20 is formed by forming the transport plate 25 on the outer periphery of the columnar body 21 having the rotating shaft 21c. As in the first embodiment, a guide band 28 having a game medium transport band 27 and an inclined surface 29 is formed on the transport plate 25. The rotating member 20 is rotated by connecting the rotating shaft 21c to a drive motor (not shown) via a transmission mechanism (not shown).

  The main difference from the first embodiment is the arrangement relationship between the rotating member 20 and the replenishment chute 6. That is, in the first embodiment, the rotating member 20 is configured in a caterpillar shape, and the transport plate 25 is protruded with a gap between the belt members 26. Accordingly, the transport plate 25 is Then, it moves a certain distance in parallel with the transport path surface 11. For this reason, if the replenishment chute 6 is arranged within the movement range, the game medium 4 is carried out from the transport passage 10 to the replenishment chute 6, but in the second embodiment, the rotating member 20 is configured as a water wheel. Since the transport plate 25 rotates about the same point as the rotation center of the rotating member 20 and does not move in parallel, the supply chute 6 is located slightly away from the rotating member 20 in the transport direction of the game medium 4. Need to be placed. That is, it is desirable that the opening end of the replenishment chute 6 is located at a position where the leading end of the transport plate 25 starts to rise in the transport direction of the game medium 4 from the position closest to the transport road surface 11. Naturally, the partition wall 12 is formed with a hole (not shown) communicating with the supply chute 6 at that position. When the space between the replenishing chutes 6 is large, it is possible to cope with a change in the length of the gaming machine island 100 by disposing a relay rotating member 20 only for the purpose of transporting the game medium 4 in the middle. it can.

  The game medium 4 supplied from the supply tank 5 to the transport path 10 rolls on the flat transport path surface 11 to reach the first rotating member 20, and is defined by the transport plate 25 and the partition wall 12. It is stirred inside. The game medium 4 that has been scraped is accommodated in the game medium transport band 27 and the guide band 28, and as the transport plate 25 rotates, the game medium 4 stored in the game medium transport band 27 is The portion discharged from the rotating member 20 in the conveying direction and the flow from the guide band 28 to the supply hopper 6 through the inclined surface 29 are divided. On the other hand, the game medium 4 accommodated in the guide band 28 rolls on the inclined surface 29 and reaches the supply hopper 6. At this time, at the position where the replenishment hopper 6 is not disposed, the game medium 4 accommodated in the guide band 28 is also discharged in the transport direction and transported to the downstream rotary member 20.

  In each of these embodiments, the drive mechanism 30 is disposed between the transport passages 10, but the transport passages 10 are enlarged in the width direction to form a row in the central longitudinal direction of the gaming machine island 100. Along with this, the rotation member 20 may be enlarged and formed in the width direction of the transport path 10, and the drive mechanism 30 may be disposed outside the transport path 10. With this configuration, the game medium 4 can be supplied to the supply chutes 6 on both sides with one rotating member 20.

  Reference numeral 7 denotes a wiping member that is attached to the surface of the transport plate 25 in the transport direction of the game medium 4. By sticking the wiping member 7 in this way, when the game medium 4 is transported, the game medium 4 is brought into contact with the wiping member 7 and the surface of the game medium 4 is cleaned to reduce discomfort to the player. ing. In addition, by forming the rotating member 20 itself from a material suitable for wiping, the game medium 4 can be constantly cleaned to reduce discomfort to the player.

It is the perspective view which showed the game machine island which arrange | positioned the game medium conveying apparatus of this invention. It is the principal part schematic plan view which showed the 1st Example of the game media conveying apparatus of this invention. It is principal part side surface sectional drawing which showed the 1st Example of this invention. It is a principal part schematic perspective view which showed the conveyance plate of this invention. It is the principal part schematic perspective view which showed the endless belt of this invention of this invention. It is principal part side surface sectional drawing which showed the 2nd Example of the game media conveying apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Game machine island 1 Game medium conveyance apparatus 10 Conveyance path 11 Conveyance path surface 12 Partition 20 Rotating member 21 Cylindrical main body 21a, 21b, 21c Rotating shaft 22 Drive gear 23 Driven gear 24 Endless belt 25 Conveyance plate 26 Band 27 27 Game medium conveyance belt 28 Guide belt 29 Inclined surface 30 Drive mechanism 31 Rotating gear 32 Drive belt 2 Game machine 3 Game medium lending machine 4 Game medium 5 Game medium storage tank 6 Supply chute 7 Wiping member

Claims (1)

A game machine and a game medium lending machine are installed on an upper part of a gaming machine island in which the game machines and the game medium lending machines are alternately arranged, and the game medium is transported in a substantially horizontal direction. A game medium transport device for supplying to at least one
The game medium transport device has a rotating member disposed in a transport passage having a partition wall and a flat transport path surface ,
The rotating member has a watermill shape having a cylindrical main body and a plurality of transport plates protruding at intervals on the outer periphery of the cylindrical main body,
The transport plate is formed with a game medium transport band on the surface of the game medium in the transport direction and a guide band that communicates with the transport band and is opened laterally.
Due to the rotation of the rotating member, the game medium thrown into the transport path is transported from the upstream side to the downstream side of the transport path by the game medium transport band, and is transported from the guide band to the replenishment chute disposed on the side of the transport path. Therefore, the game medium transporting apparatus is characterized in that the game medium is supplied to at least one of the game machine and the game medium rental machine.

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