JP4946371B2 - Input medal sorting device and game machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an inserted medal sorting device that sorts medals inserted into a gaming machine such as a slot machine, and more particularly to an inserted medal sorting device and a gaming machine having accurate medal removal performance.

  Conventionally, the inserted medal sorting device (medal selector) sorts the medals inserted from the slot machine slot into appropriate medals and inappropriate medals based on the size of the medals, and the appropriate medals are taken inside. Inappropriate medals and medals exceeding a predetermined number, that is, surplus medals are removed from the medal passage and returned to the return slot (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  By the way, this type of apparatus is required to be an apparatus that has a short selection distance required for selecting medals, and an apparatus that is suitable for continuous insertion conditions that permit the insertion of medals continuously at short insertion intervals.

  However, since the inserted medal has a low flow speed due to its own weight, the medal selector with a short medal insertion interval opens and closes the medal path when forcibly removing inappropriate medals and surplus medals. The switching operation of the plates is not in time for the medal flow, which has caused medal exclusion errors such as swallowing medals (taking wrong medals and surplus medals by mistake) and clogging medals. Further, the medal exclusion error becomes more prominent as the medal flow-out speed is faster and the medal insertion interval is shorter.

  Therefore, in order to prevent a medal removal error, there is a time lag between the medal removal signal output by the control unit that controls the switching operation of the opening and closing plate and the member that actually receives the medal according to the signal. Therefore, the medal removal operation (switching of opening and closing plates) is performed in consideration of this time lag. However, there is a possibility that the flow rate of the medal will be slow due to some factors such as dirt on the medal passage surface, deformation of the medal, etc. When the flow rate of this medal is slow, it does not correspond exactly to the time lag, It will cause medal elimination errors such as swallowing, clogging, and error elimination.

  When the medals are swallowed, the returned medals are originally taken into the storage unit in the slot machine without being counted, which causes a disadvantage to the player. In addition, when medals are clogged or mistakenly excluded, the slot machine notifies the error, so that it takes time and labor for recovery, and the game is interrupted to reduce the player's preference.

  As means for solving such a problem, it is considered to reduce the medal flow speed by using a speed reducing member disposed on the passage, or to forcibly keep the medal acceptance interval at a constant interval. However, when such a solution is taken, the smooth continuous throwing ability of medals is lowered and the player's preference is lowered. As another solution, a medal selector that removes medals by opening the bottom of the medal passage is known (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

  However, in this case, there is a problem that a medal passage (selection distance) in the medal selector becomes long. The reason why the sorting distance becomes long is divided into an area for selecting an appropriate medal and an improper medal by distinguishing the outer diameter dimensions of medals inserted in the medal passage, and an area for returning a medal rejected to be accepted. Because it is necessary to do. Furthermore, if the bottom surface on which the medal rolls is opened and closed, the movable surface that opens and closes will be loose and the reference surface on which the medal rolls will change, reducing the ability to select the medal based on the outer diameter. End up. In addition, when trying to suppress the backlash of the movable part, high accuracy is required for the movable parts and the cost is increased. In particular, the two members of the substrate and the opening / closing plate are joined to each other, and a medal passage is formed between the opposing surfaces. In this case, at present, the upper guide portion of the medal passage for guiding the upper edge portion of the medal in a concave shape is provided on the substrate side, and the lower guide portion of the medal passage for guiding the lower edge portion of the medal in a concave shape is provided on the opening / closing plate side. It has been. For this reason, it is difficult to adjust the medal passage maintaining the predetermined accuracy by positioning and fixing the upper guide portion and the lower guide portion that span the two members, and the adjustment man-hour is increased. For example, there has been a problem that assembling takes time and effort to adjust and set the size of the small diameter medal exclusion port that is opened between the upper and lower guide portions.

JP 2002-172203 A JP 2004-113313 A

  Therefore, the present invention secures smooth insertion of medals with a short insertion interval even when the selection distance of medals is short, and can prevent swallowing of medals during the medal removal operation, erroneous exclusion, clogging, and assembly. It is an object to provide an inserted medal sorting device and a gaming machine that can be improved.

  According to the present invention, an L-shaped medal passage that allows a medal to roll from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction by its own weight is provided between the opposing surfaces of the substrate and the opening and closing plate that face each other in a standing position, and passes through the medal passage. An inserted medal sorting device that accepts proper medals and rejects improper medals in the middle of passing, and on the substrate side, the upper side of the inserted medals is inclined toward the opening / closing plate, and one side of the medals is inclined. A side guide portion for guiding, an upper guide portion for guiding the upper edge portion of the medal facing the side guide portion on the opening / closing plate side, and a lower edge portion of the medal facing the side guide portion A lower guide part that guides the upper and lower guide parts between the upper guide part and the lower guide part. Open and close the lower side of the open / close plate Provided standing, characterized by having a lower exclusion means for excluding is opened by the medal between lower opposing surfaces of the substrate and said closing plate.

  Since both the upper and lower guide portions are provided on the opening / closing plate side, the upper and lower guide portions of the medal path are accurately positioned at a fixed position when the opening / closing plate is attached to the board. As a result, the adjustment of the exclusion port opened between the upper guide portion and the lower guide portion can be adjusted with high accuracy, the adjustment becomes easy, and the assemblability is improved. Since the upper guide portion and the lower guide portion formed on the opening / closing plate are likely to be worn with much contact with medals, it is suitable to use a material having good wear resistance. Then, if the opening / closing plate with the substrate as a pivot is opened, the medal passage is opened, and the medal can be dropped by its own weight and removed from between the open portions. Further, if a medal clogging occurs, it can be resolved instantly by opening the opening / closing plate.

  Further, according to the present invention, an L-shaped medal passage that allows a medal to roll from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction by its own weight is provided between the opposing surfaces of the substrate and the opening and closing plate that face each other in a standing position, and passes through the medal passage. An insertion medal sorting device that accepts proper medals to be accepted and rejects improper medals in the middle of passage, wherein the opening / closing plate is divided into upper and lower parts, and is pivotally supported by the substrate so as to rotate. An upper opening / closing plate whose upper side is opened and closed on the moving fulcrum and opened on the upper side, and is pivotally supported by the upper opening / closing plate so that the lower side can be opened and closed on the rotating fulcrum. A lower opening / closing plate disposed on the lower side, and the lower opening / closing plate opens a portion facing the medal passage to pass a small diameter medal passing through the medal passage to a side perpendicular to the medal passage direction. A lateral exclusion port for removing from the direction, the substrate and the opening and closing plate It characterized by having a lower exclusion means for excluding the medals is opened between the lower facing surface.

  The upper opening / closing plate is provided with an opening / closing function with the substrate as a pivot, so that the lower opening / closing plate connected to the lower side is also opened / closed in conjunction with the opening / closing of the upper opening / closing plate. Therefore, if the upper opening / closing plate is opened, the upper and lower opening / closing plates are integrally opened, so that the space between the opposing surfaces of the substrate forming the medal path is greatly opened. Therefore, when medals are jammed, the clogged medals fall downward by their own weight by opening the upper opening / closing plate, so that the medals can be instantly eliminated.

  By providing the lower opening / closing plate with an independent opening / closing function with the upper opening / closing plate as a rotation fulcrum, the opposing surfaces constituting the medal path can be opened when the lower opening / closing plate is opened. In this case, since the lower part of the one-sided medal passage is largely opened, it is possible to remove the medals to be removed by dropping downward from the medal passage. When this medal is removed, the lower opening / closing plate is mechanically opened to forcibly remove the medal to be excluded from the lower exclusion port opened downward. Is naturally removed from the side exit in the middle of the medal passage. In addition, the medal passage is provided so as to be inclined with respect to a vertical plane where the weight of the medal acts in the direction of exclusion. As a result, the medals to be eliminated are stably guided to the lateral exclusion opening and the lower exclusion opening.

  As an aspect of the present invention, an inverted L-shaped guide portion that guides an upper edge portion of a medal that rolls in a standing position is provided on the substrate side that is one side surface of the medal passage, and a guide corresponding to one side surface of the medal in a plane An upper guide portion that guides the upper edge of the medal in a concave shape between the opposed surfaces of the inverted L-shaped guide portion on the lower opening / closing plate side that is the other side surface of the medal passage. A lower guide portion that guides the lower edge portion of the medal in a concave shape between the surfaces facing the flat guide portion can be configured.

  When the lower opening / closing plate is closed, a vertically long passage space for rolling medals in a standing position between the lower opening / closing plate and a substrate facing the lower opening / closing plate, and a concave upper guide portion serving as a medal guide portion above and below the passage space And a medal passage having a lower guide portion. On the other hand, when the lower opening / closing plate is opened, the opposing surface between the flat guide portion of the substrate forming the lower guide portion and the concave forming side of the lower opening / closing plate is separated to open the bottom surface holding the medal. . Therefore, the medal is dropped by its own weight from the medal passage and is eliminated.

  In this case, since the upper guide portion and the lower guide portion are simultaneously opened in the medal path, the medal is instantly freed and is quickly and reliably removed. In particular, since there is no bottom surface of the medal passage on the substrate side, there is no possibility that the bottom surface of the medal will be caught when dropping and removing the medal, and there is no element that causes medal clogging. The substrate only needs to create an inverted L-shaped guide portion and a planar guide portion on one side surface that forms the medal passage, and all the side surfaces of the substrate are planar guide portions, and the lower opening / closing plate that is in contact with the planar opening / closing plate. You may comprise so that the concave part corresponding to a plane may be formed in a side surface.

As an aspect of the present invention, the lower- exclusion means includes a driving means for opening and closing the lower opening / closing plate to an open position and a closed position, and an opening operation of the lower opening / closing plate driven by the driving means. An opening / closing guide member that moves the opening / closing plate to the open position and permits the lower opening / closing plate to move to the closed position in conjunction with the closing operation of the lower opening / closing plate can be provided.

  For example, when the driving means uses a solenoid as a driving source and is interlocked with ON / OFF of the solenoid, only the lower opening / closing plate can be opened / closed. Further, the opening / closing guide member may be interlocked with the output of the driving means. For example, when the opening / closing guide member interlocked with ON / OFF of the solenoid is caused to protrude from the substrate side to the lower opening / closing plate side, the opening / closing guide member Can open and close the lower opening and closing plate.

As an aspect of the present invention, the lower- exclusion means causes a restricting member to enter the medal passage for closing the medal passage in conjunction with the opening operation of the lower opening / closing plate, and opens the medal passage in conjunction with the closing operation of the lower opening / closing plate. For this purpose, the restricting member can be retracted from the medal passage, and the medal passage can be closed and opened.

  When the restricting member is inserted into the medal passage, the restricting member can close the medal passage and restrict the passage of the medal. Further, if the regulating member is retracted from the medal passage, the medal passage can be opened to allow passage of medals. Therefore, when removing the medal, in addition to opening the lower opening / closing plate, by projecting the restricting member into the medal passage, the open space in the medal passage is formed in a fan shape in the downward direction, so that the lower opening / closing is performed. An element that causes medal clogging such that a medal is sandwiched between the opposing surfaces of the plate and the regulating member is reliably eliminated. In addition, since the medal can be accurately eliminated by the action of restricting the medal flow by the restricting member, the swallowing of the medal is reduced as much as possible.

  By using a gaming machine with a built-in medal sorting device configured in this way, it can be operated as a highly reliable gaming machine free from medal elimination errors such as medal swallowing, medal clogging, and error elimination.

  According to the present invention, the lower portion of the medal passage is opened in a single-open manner, and the medal is dropped from the medal passage to be eliminated, thereby eliminating the medal's own weight, which is likely to occur when the medal is removed. It is possible to prevent medals from being swallowed, clogged, and mistakenly excluded. In addition, each medal is provided with two types of exclusion ports: a lower exclusion port for dropping medals downward and removing a non-applicable small-diameter medal horizontally in the middle of the flow. Can be eliminated according to the purpose of removal, and a highly reliable and stable removal process can be performed. Further, even during assembly, the adjustment of the lateral exclusion port can be adjusted with high accuracy, the adjustment work becomes easy, and the assemblability is improved.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
The drawing shows a slot machine installed in a game hall as an example of a gaming machine, and FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the slot machine. This slot machine 11 has a panel 12 and a reel portion 13 at the upper front as a customer service surface, three parallel stop buttons 14 in the width direction at the center of the front, and a start lever 15 and a multiplying number set on the left side thereof. The button 16 has a return button (clearing button) 17 on the right side and an insertion port 18 for inserting medals M one by one, and has an upper plate 19 and a lower plate 20 at the lower front of these.

  Then, when the player uses the slot machine 11 for games, medals M are inserted into the insertion slot 18 one by one. The inserted medals M are selected inside, the appropriate medals M selected as valid are taken in, and the medals selected as inappropriate and the surplus medals exceeding a predetermined number of acceptable medals are returned to the medal return passage ( It has a medal sorting function for returning it to the lower plate 20 via 26). The medal M is also returned to the lower plate 20 when the player depresses the clearing button 17 to stop the game.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the door in which the front door 11a of the slot machine 11 is opened in a single opening manner. On the opened slot machine main body 11b side, a control unit 11c is installed at the upper part, and three rows of reel units 13 for using the game by rotating and stopping the position of the pattern on the outer peripheral surface at the center are installed. A medal taking-out and paying-out medal paying device 21 is installed in the center of the lower part, a power supply device 22 is installed on the left side, and an overflow tank 23 is installed on the right side. The controller 11c processes the signal of the medal selector 25 and controls the entire slot machine.

  On the other hand, the front door 11a has a reel cover 24, a medal sorting device (medal selector) 25 for selecting the suitability of medals, a medal return passage 26, and a return port 27 in this order from the upper part to the lower part of the inner surface. ing. The medal M inserted into the insertion slot 18 is once guided to the medal selector 25, and after being selected here, the accepted medal is passed through the medal transport passage 25a connected to the outlet of the medal selector 25. The medal hopper 21 a provided at the upper part of the medal payout device 21 is received. On the other hand, the excluded medals rejected by the medal selector 25 are returned to the lower plate 20 through the medal return passage 26.

  3 is an external perspective view seen from the front side of the medal selector, FIG. 4 is an external perspective view seen from the back side of the medal selector, FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view seen from the front side of the medal selector, and FIG. It is the disassembled perspective view seen from the back side.

  Next, the configuration of the medal selector 25 will be described. The medal selector 25 includes a U-shaped substrate 28 that is slightly inclined with respect to a vertical plane so that standing medals can be easily removed, and an opening / closing plate 29 facing the substrate 28. The substrate 28 has a square front surface in a standing state, and one surface of a passage for conveying and guiding medals is formed on the inner surface side of the square shape, and each member for selecting the medals is attached to the outer surface. .

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the opening / closing plate 29 includes an upper opening / closing plate P <b> 1 and a lower opening / closing plate P <b> 2 that are divided into upper and lower portions corresponding to the square shape of the substrate 28. A support shaft 31 of the upper opening / closing plate P1 is rotatably supported by a bearing portion 30 provided on the upper portion of the upper opening / closing plate P1. The lower side is allowed to open and close in a single-opening manner and is arranged on the upper side. Further, the lower opening / closing plate P2 is supported by the bearing portion 32 of the upper opening / closing plate P1 so that the support shaft 33 of the lower opening / closing plate P2 can be freely pivoted. Further, the lower side of the lower opening / closing plate P2 is allowed to open and close in a single-opening manner and is disposed on the lower side.

  Among these, the upper opening / closing plate P1 always urges the upper opening / closing plate P1 toward the substrate 28 by a coil spring 34 wound around the support shaft 31. On the other hand, the lower opening / closing plate P2 is pivotally supported by the upper opening / closing plate P1 and is in a suspended state. A medal passage 35, which will be described later, is formed between the opposing surfaces of the substrate 28 and the upper and lower opening and closing plates P1 and P2.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the medal passage 35 described above is formed in an L-shape that connects between the inlet 36 that is connected to the insertion port 18 and opens upward, and the lower outlet 37. The vertical side portion L1 extends, the horizontal side portion L2 extends obliquely downward and reaches the outlet 37, and the curved portion L3 connects the side portions L1 and L2 in a smooth curved shape.

  Among these, the curved portion L3 is a position where the medal M changes from free fall to rolling motion, and when the medal starts rolling motion at this position, the force to maintain the rotation axis by rotation of the medal. Occurs, making it difficult for the medal to fall. Therefore, if the medal passing through here is a small-diameter medal to be excluded, it cannot be eliminated unless it falls down. Therefore, the hemisphere for promoting the tilting of the small-diameter medal at the position where the upper portion of the medal contacts the upper portion of the board 28 corresponding to the curved portion L3. A protruding portion 38 (see FIG. 5) is provided. As a result, the rolling movement of the medal M passing there is suppressed and it flows down while sliding, and in the case of a small diameter medal, the upper part of the small diameter medal is pushed by the hemispherical protrusion 38 and surely laid down and eliminated. . For this reason, the performance of eliminating small diameter medals is improved.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the lower opening / closing plate P2 opens the small-diameter medals passing through the medal passage 35 at a portion opposed to the medal passage 35 and is arranged in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the medal passage direction. A lateral exclusion port 39 that is excluded from the direction is opened. Further, during the opening operation of the lower opening / closing plate P2, the space between the opposing surfaces of the substrate 28 and the lower opening / closing plate P2 is opened, and the lower exclusion port 40 for dropping medals is opened.

  On the inner surface side of the substrate 28 which is one side surface of the medal passage 35, an inverted L-shaped guide portion 41 that guides the upper edge portion of the medal M that rolls in a standing position, and one side surface of the medal M corresponding to a plane. And a planar guide portion 42 for guiding. Opposing this, on the lower opening / closing plate P2 side, which is the other side of the medal passage 35, the upper edge of the medal is placed between the opposed surfaces of the inverted L-shaped guide portion 41 and the upper edge guide plate 47 described later. An upper guide portion 43 that guides in a concave shape and a lower guide portion 44 that guides the lower edge portion of the medal in a concave shape between the opposing surfaces of the planar guide portion 42 (see FIG. 12).

  Further, the bottom surface on the upstream side of the horizontal side portion L2 is a high-speed flow-down area where the medal descends from the vertical side portion L1 to the horizontal side portion L2, and the bottom surface on the downstream side of the horizontal side portion L2 The flow velocity is a relatively stable flow velocity region. Therefore, when the medal is removed by opening the lower opening / closing plate P2, there is an element that causes medal clogging along the high-speed flow of the medal on the upstream side of the lateral side portion L2. In consideration of such a situation, it is suitable that the bottom surface on the upstream side of the lateral side portion L2 is always formed on the side of the substrate 28 existing at a fixed position. Therefore, the bottom surface of the medal passage 35 is divided into the upstream side and the downstream side of the lateral side portion L2, the upstream side bottom plate 45 is provided on the substrate 28 side, and the downstream side bottom plate 46 is provided on the lower opening / closing plate P2 side. Thus, when the medals are dropped and eliminated, there is no clogging of medals. Since these bottom plates 45 and 46 are easily worn, it is suitable to use a material having good wear resistance.

  When the lower opening / closing plate P2 is closed, a medal passage 35 as a vertically long passage space for rolling the medal M in a standing position is formed between the opposing surfaces of the lower opening / closing plate P2 and the substrate 28 facing each other. Further, the upper guide portion 43 and the lower guide portion 44 that are concave in the vertical direction are formed in the passage space of the medal passage 35.

  On the other hand, when the lower opening / closing plate P2 is opened, the upper guide portion 43 and the lower guide portion 44 are simultaneously opened. In particular, the opposing surface between the flat guide part 42 of the substrate 28 forming the lower guide part 44 and the concave part of the lower opening / closing plate P2 is separated and the bottom face holding the medal is opened. Accordingly, the medal M is dropped and removed from the medal passage 35 by its own weight.

  Further, the upper guide portion 43 is opposed to the inverted L-shaped guide portion 41 of the substrate 28 that is provided long from the upstream side to the downstream side of the lateral side portion L2 and the open surface side of the inverted L-shaped guide portion 41. A concave upper guide portion 43 is constituted by a planar upper edge guide plate 47 (see FIG. 6) provided on the opening / closing plate P2 side. This upper guide portion 43 guides the upper edge portion of the medal M in the transport direction. Further, since the upper side of the medal passage 35 is inclined in the direction of the lateral exclusion port 39, the medal passing through the medal passage 35 slightly leans against the upper edge guide plate 47 and passes. Also, in the case of the upper edge guide plate 47, since there are many contacts with the medal M, it is suitable to use a material having good wear resistance.

  On the other hand, the lower guide portion 44 has both the bottom plates 45 and 46 of the upstream side bottom plate 45 (see FIG. 5) and the downstream side bottom plate 46 (see FIG. 6) as concave bottom surfaces, and both sides of the substrate 28 and the lower opening / closing plate. A concave lower guide portion 44 that guides the lower edge portion of the medal M when the inner surfaces of the P2 face each other is formed. The lower guide portion 44 guides the lower edge portion of the medal M in the passage direction.

  As described above, when the medal passage 35 drops and removes the medal from below, the upper guide portion 43 and the lower guide portion 44 are simultaneously opened. It will be excluded from the lower exclusion port 40. In particular, the medal passage side of the substrate 28 is provided with the inner surface of the substrate 28 in the flat guide portion 42 so that the dropped medal does not fall, so that the medal is not caught and the inner surface of the substrate 28 and the medal M are separated. It becomes easy and can eliminate the element that causes medal clogging with high reliability. In addition, the inner surface of the medal passage 35 is formed with a plurality of ribs 35a parallel to the flow-down direction to reduce the contact resistance with the medal M and to smoothly flow down the medal.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a blocker 48 as a medal discharging member provided in a horizontally long lever shape is provided on the back side of the substrate 28 described above. The blocker 48 has a base end blocker shaft 48b rotatably supported by a bearing portion 49 at the bottom of the substrate. The shaft support portion serves as a rotation fulcrum and the tip portion serves as a medal block portion 48a. The medal passage 35 is allowed to enter and exit freely from the block opening 50 opened to the top. Further, the blocker 48 always urges the medal block portion 48 a at the tip portion toward the medal passage 35 by a blocker spring 51. For this reason, when the medal block portion 48a is protruded into the medal passage 35, the medal block portion 48a can close the medal passage 35 and restrict passage of the medal M.

  Further, the blocker 48 is integrally provided with an opening / closing guide protrusion 52. The opening / closing guide protrusion 52 is suspended and integrated at the lower part of the blocker 48, moves integrally with the medal block part 48 a, and opens at the lower part of the substrate 28 below the bottom face on the downstream side of the medal passage 35. It faces the lower opening / closing plate P2 side from the lower window 53 freely. When the lower opening / closing plate P2 is opened, the opening / closing guide projection 52 is urged by the blocker spring 51 and protrudes from the substrate 28 side to the lower opening / closing plate P2 side to assist in opening the lower opening / closing plate P2. I try to secure it.

  The blocker 48 is rotated by receiving a driving force of a solenoid 54, which will be described later, and when the blocker 48 is rotated, the medal block portion 48a and the opening / closing guide protrusion 52 are moved in and out. Therefore, the movement of the blocker 48 protrudes in conjunction with the opening operation of the lower opening / closing plate P2 which is opened by driving the solenoid 54.

  Further, the blocker 48 sets the distance between the medal block portion 48a and the blocker shaft 48b which is the center of rotation as long as possible in order to cause the medal block portion 48a to protrude quickly and to reliably pass the medal. On the other hand, the distance between the opening / closing guide protrusion 52 and the blocker shaft 48b is set as short as possible in order to open the lower opening / closing plate P2 after the passage of medals is restricted. These are set in consideration of the suction force of the solenoid 54, the biasing force of the blocker spring 51, and the like.

  In addition, a solenoid 54 and a movable plate 55 that moves forward and backward toward the lower opening / closing plate P2 in conjunction with the ON / OFF of the solenoid 54 are provided on the back side of the substrate 28, and the free end 55a of the movable plate 55 is opened / closed downward. When the solenoid 54 is ON, the upper end 56 of the lower opening / closing plate P2 is pushed by the free end 55a of the movable plate 55 to turn the lower opening / closing plate P2. As a result, as shown in FIG. 12, the lower opening / closing plate P2 is urged by the lower side of the lower opening / closing plate P2 toward the substrate 28 with the support shaft 33 as a rotation fulcrum. A medal passage 35 through which one medal passes is formed between the opposing surfaces.

  As a result, when the solenoid 54 is turned on, the lower opening / closing plate P2 is rotated, and the planar guide portion 42 of the substrate 28 is closed. At this time, the lower opening / closing plate P2 and the lower portion of the substrate 28 are in plane contact with each other and the opening / closing guide protrusion 52 protruding from the substrate 28 side is pushed back, so that the medal block portion 48a and the opening / closing guide protrusion 52 are moved to the back side of the substrate 28. It will be in the medal acceptance permission state withdrawn. Accordingly, the medal M that is accepted is passed through the medal passage 35 and conveyed to the medal payout device 21. Small-sized medals whose upper edge portion of the medal M does not hang on the upper edge guide plate 47 are laid down by the hemispherical protrusion 38 and discharged from the lateral exclusion port 39 of the lower opening / closing plate P2 to the external return port 27. And returned.

  When the solenoid 54 is turned off, as shown in FIG. 13, the pressing force applied to the lower opening / closing plate P2 that has been pressed through the movable plate 55 is released by releasing the suction of the solenoid 54. Therefore, the lower opening / closing plate P2 is moved by its own weight. With the support shaft 33 as a rotation fulcrum, the lower side of the lower opening / closing plate P2 is pivoted in a single-opening manner in a direction away from the substrate 28, and the space between the opposing surfaces of the substrate 28 and the lower opening / closing plate P2 is opened. The lower exclusion port 40 is greatly opened below the bottom.

  Further, the medal block portion 48a protrudes from the block opening 50 to the downstream side of the medal passage 35 with the opening of the lower opening / closing plate P2 that is opened in conjunction with the solenoid 54 being turned off. Will be in an acceptance refusal state that restricts the flow of medals. At this time, the open / close guide protrusion 52 that advances and retreats integrally with the medal block portion 48a also protrudes toward the lower open / close plate P2 by the urging force of the blocker spring 51, and pushes the lower open / close plate P2 to open the lower open / close plate 40. Is surely opened and an exclusion space is secured when the lower exclusion opening 40 is opened.

  Incidentally, since the upper opening / closing plate P1 has an opening / closing function, the lower opening / closing plate P2 connected to the lower side is also opened / closed in conjunction with opening / closing with the substrate 28 of the upper opening / closing plate P1 as a rotation fulcrum. Accordingly, if the upper opening / closing plate P1 is opened, both the opening / closing plates P1 and P2 are integrally opened, so that the space between the opposing surfaces of the board 28 forming the medal passage 35 can be greatly opened. . Therefore, when a clogged token occurs between the opposing surfaces of the substrate 28 and the two open / close plates P1 and P2, the upper open / close plate P1 can be opened and the clogged clog can be dropped by its own weight. Clogging can be eliminated instantly. Further, a return operation piece 58 is pivotally supported on the substrate 28 via a support shaft 57 on the back side of the substrate 28 corresponding to the upper opening / closing plate P1, and for return by pressing the return button 17. The operation piece 58 is rotated and the upper opening / closing plate P1 is pushed from the upper window 59 of the substrate 28 to open. On the other hand, the lower opening / closing plate P2 opens the lower opening / closing plate P2 by driving the solenoid 54 only when the controller 11c determines that it is necessary to remove the medal. Further, since the lower part is opened by the opening operation of the lower opening / closing plate P2, dust or the like does not accumulate on the upstream side bottom plate 45 or the downstream side bottom plate 46, and the structure is difficult to be contaminated. Therefore, the medal passage 35 maintains an appropriate passage state.

  The horizontal side portion L2 of the medal passage 35 guides the upper and lower edge portions of the appropriate medal by a parallel distance between the upper guide portion 43 and the lower guide portion 44 formed above and below the horizontal side portion L2 in parallel with each other. Pass while rolling. A large elliptical lateral exclusion port 39 is opened along the lateral side L2 between the upper and lower guides 43 and 44 of the lower opening / closing plate P2. Sorting is performed based on the outer diameter dimension that excludes small-diameter medals out of the passage through the horizontal exclusion port 39, and only medals having an appropriate size are allowed to pass through and counted. In this case, the opening interval between the upper and lower sides of the horizontal exclusion port 39 is a medal discriminating unit that distinguishes the appropriate medal from the small-diameter medal.

  Therefore, from the exit 37, only a medal M of an appropriate size having a disk shape provided exclusively for the slot machine is accepted. On the passage wall of the substrate 28 immediately before the outlet 37, a first sensor S1 and a second sensor S2 that detect and count the medal M passing through the lateral side portion L2 of the medal passage 35 are sequentially arranged in the passage direction. It is installed.

  Both the sensors S1 and S2 can be constituted by optical detection sensors that project and receive light and detect the passage of the medal M. The medal M rolls on the medal passage 35 and moves to the downstream side. The passage of the medal M is detected by blocking the optical axes of both the sensors S1 and S2 in this order. Specifically, in addition to detecting the direction of medals, the sensor output time, phase difference, output order, etc. are detected, and the medal authenticity and the number of medals passed are counted. Two sensors S1 and S2 are arranged at an interval shorter than that. These two sensors S1, S2 are arranged on the back side of the substrate 28 by a unitized medal counting sensor unit S.

  When assembling the medal selector 25, first, the upper opening / closing plate P1 and the lower opening / closing plate P2 are made to correspond vertically, and the support shaft 33 of the lower opening / closing plate P2 is inserted into the bearing portion 32 of the upper opening / closing plate P1. The lower opening / closing plate P2 is integrated with the upper opening / closing plate P1 in a suspended state. Subsequently, a hooking portion 34a having a spring property is formed in a connecting hole 60 that is opened to a small size in the upper corner portion of the substrate 28, and is projected from the central portion of the coil spring 34 provided on the shaft support portion of the upper opening / closing plate P1. Is inserted and hooked on the back surface side of the substrate 28, the substrate 28 and the upper opening / closing plate P1 are joined together by the urging action of the hook portion 34a.

  At the time of joining, the guide portions 43 and 44 of both the upper guide portion 43 and the lower guide portion 44 are provided not on the substrate 28 side but on the lower opening / closing plate P2 side, so the upper opening / closing plate P1 is attached to the substrate 28. At this point, the upper guide portion 43 and the lower guide portion 44 of the medal passage 35 are accurately positioned at the fixed positions between the opposing surfaces of the lower opening / closing plate P2 and the substrate 28 that are suspended from the upper opening / closing plate P1. Be joined. Further, the lateral exclusion port 39 opened between the upper guide portion 43 and the lower guide portion 44 can be arranged with high accuracy corresponding to the fixed position and can be easily adjusted, thereby improving the assemblability.

Next, the processing operation of the medal selector 25 will be described.
When the slot machine 11 is in a control state in which the medal M is permitted to be received, the control unit 11c of the slot machine 11 continues to supply power to the solenoid 54 to maintain the excitation state (ON) of the solenoid 54. . At this time, the lower opening / closing plate P2 rotates in the closing direction in conjunction with the excitation action of the solenoid 54, and as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the lower opening / closing plate P2 is pressed flatly against the substrate 28 side. A medal passage 35 is formed.

  When the player inserts a medal into the insertion slot 18 in a state where the medal passage 35 is formed, the inserted medal M is guided to the medal selector 25 corresponding to the position directly below, and the medal passage 35 of the medal selector 25 is inserted. It is guided by and flows down. The standing medals M rolling down the horizontal side portion L2 of the medal passage 35 have upper and lower outer peripheral portions of the medals M that are guided by the upper guide portion 43 and the lower guide portion 44 that are guided in a concave shape. A sensor provided on the downstream side of the medal passage 35 is selected based on whether or not the medal M is an appropriate medal according to whether or not the outer diameter of the medal M is satisfied. Each sheet is detected in S1 and S2, and the number of passing sheets is counted. On the other hand, the small-diameter medal is rejected and laid down in the middle of the flow of the lateral side portion L2, and is naturally tilted to the lateral exclusion port 39 opened in the lateral direction and eliminated. Then, the medals excluded from the lateral exclusion port 39 are returned to the lower plate 20 of the slot machine 11 through the medal return passage 26.

  On the other hand, when the control unit 11c of the slot machine 11 refuses to accept the medal M, the solenoid 54 is not supplied with power and is in a non-excited state (OFF). Therefore, the lower opening / closing plate P2 does not receive the exciting action of the solenoid 54, and rotates in the opening direction by its own weight, and as shown in FIG. 13, the opening / closing guide protrusion 52 of the blocker 48 pushes the lower portion of the lower opening / closing plate P2. The lower opening / closing plate P2 rotates in a direction away from the substrate 28, the medal passage 35 is opened, and a lower exclusion port 40 is formed below the medal passage 35. Further, the medal block portion 48a of the blocker 48 also rotates and protrudes into the medal passage 35, and the medal M such as surplus medals is surely removed from the lower exclusion port 40 by restricting the passage of the medal M guided here. .

  Further, since the medal passage 35 is provided so as to be inclined from the vertical plane so that the upper part of the medal M is inclined to the side of the side exclusion port 39 and the weight of the medal acts in the direction of exclusion, the medal passage 35 or the side exclusion port 39 or The medals M to be eliminated to the lower exclusion port 40 are stably eliminated. In particular, when the lower opening / closing plate P2 is opened to remove medals, the medal passage 35 is opened at the same time because the upper guide portion 43 and the lower guide portion 44 are simultaneously opened, so that the medal passage 35 becomes free. The medal M drops down from the medal passage 35 and is surely eliminated without being affected by the dirt or the deformation of the medal M.

  Further, when the medals M are excluded, there is a risk of clogging of medals such that the medal is sandwiched between the lower opening / closing plate P2 and the medal block portion 48a as the open space in the medal passage 35 is formed in a fan shape in the downward direction. Disappears. Further, in addition to opening the lower opening / closing plate P2, the medal block portion 48a is protruded into the medal passage 35, so that the medal M can be prevented from flowing down and the medal can be reliably removed, so that the medal can be swallowed. Reduced to

  As described above, when a medal is forcibly excluded, the medal can be dropped by dropping the medal path downward from the medal path. For this reason, it is possible to eliminate the medal quickly by effectively using its own weight, and in particular, it has a configuration that does not catch when the medal is dropped, and there are no elements that cause medal clogging. , Can prevent false exclusion. Further, it can be operated as a highly reliable slot machine with no medal elimination error.

In correspondence between the configuration of the present invention and the configuration of the above-described embodiment,
The inserted medal sorting device of the present invention corresponds to the medal selector 25 of the embodiment,
Similarly,
The side guide part corresponds to the planar guide part 42,
The lower exclusion means corresponds to the solenoid 54, the movable plate 55, and the lower opening / closing plate P2,
The driving means corresponds to the solenoid 54,
The opening / closing guide member corresponds to the opening / closing guide protrusion 52,
The restricting member corresponds to the medal block portion 48a,
Although the gaming machine corresponds to the slot machine 11, the present invention can be applied based on the technical idea shown in the claims, and is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the opening / closing plate is divided into the upper opening / closing plate P1 and the lower opening / closing plate P2. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the opening / closing plate may be constituted by a single undivided opening / closing plate. Further, the operation of moving the lower opening / closing plate P2 and the blocker 48 is not limited to the rotational motion, and may be configured as a linear motion.

The external appearance perspective view which shows a slot machine. The perspective view which shows the internal structure which opened the front door of the slot machine. The external appearance perspective view of the surface side of a medal selector. The external appearance perspective view of the back side of a medal selector. The disassembled perspective view which decomposed | disassembled the opening-and-closing board from the surface side of the medal selector. The disassembled perspective view which disassembled the opening-and-closing plate from the back side of a medal selector. The disassembled perspective view which decomposed | disassembled the upper opening-and-closing board and the lower opening-and-closing board from the surface side. The disassembled perspective view which decomposed | disassembled the upper opening-and-closing board and the lower opening-and-closing board from the back surface side. The perspective view which shows the flow-down state of a medal by removing a lower opening-and-closing plate. The perspective view which shows the removal operation | movement of the small diameter medal from a side exclusion port. The front view of a medal selector when forming a medal passage. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 11. The longitudinal cross-sectional view when the medal passage is opened.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Slot machine 18 ... Slot 25 ... Medal selector 28 ... Substrate P1 ... Upper opening / closing plate P2 ... Lower opening / closing plate 35 ... Medal passage 39 ... Side exclusion port 40 ... Lower exclusion port 41 ... Reverse L-shaped guide part 42 ... Planar guide Part 43 ... Upper guide part 44 ... Lower guide part 48a ... Medal block part 52 ... Opening / closing guide protrusion 54 ... Solenoid

Claims (6)

An L-shaped medal passage that allows a medal to roll from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction by its own weight is provided between the opposing surfaces of the substrate and the opening and closing plate that face each other in a standing position, and an appropriate medal that passes through the medal passage is An accepted medal sorting device that accepts and rejects inappropriate medals while passing,
The substrate side has a side guide part that tilts the upper side of the inserted medal to the opening and closing plate side and guides one side of the medal to tilt,
On the opening / closing plate side, an upper guide portion that guides the upper edge portion of the medal facing the side surface guide portion, a lower guide portion that guides the lower edge portion of the medal facing the side surface guide portion, It has an exclusion port that eliminates medals having a smaller diameter than the portion opened between the upper and lower guide portions of the upper guide portion and the lower guide portion,
A lower-exclusion means for removing a medal by providing an upper portion of the opening-and-closing plate as a rotation fulcrum so that a lower side of the opening-and-closing plate can be opened and closed in a single-opening manner; An input medal sorting device. An L-shaped medal passage that allows a medal to roll from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction by its own weight is provided between the opposing surfaces of the substrate and the opening and closing plate that face each other in a standing position, and an appropriate medal that passes through the medal passage is An accepted medal sorting device that accepts and rejects inappropriate medals while passing,
The opening / closing plate is divided into upper and lower parts, and is pivotally supported by the substrate so as to freely rotate. The upper opening / closing plate is arranged on the upper side with the lower end side opened and closed with the pivotal support as a rotation fulcrum. A lower opening / closing plate which is pivotally supported by the plate and freely pivoted at the lower portion of the shaft support portion, and is disposed on the lower side.
The lower opening and closing plate has a lateral exclusion port that opens at a portion facing the medal passage and excludes small diameter medals passing through the medal passage from a lateral direction orthogonal to the medal passage direction,
An inserted medal sorting device having a lower exclusion means that opens a space between lower facing surfaces of the substrate and the opening / closing plate to exclude medals. On the substrate side that is one side surface of the medal passage, there is an inverted L-shaped guide portion that guides the upper edge portion of the medal that rolls in a standing position, and a planar guide portion that guides one side surface of the medal in a plane. Have
On the lower opening / closing plate side, which is the other side of the medal passage, an upper guide portion that guides the upper edge of the medal in a concave shape between the opposed surfaces of the inverted L-shaped guide portion, and the opposed surface of the planar guide portion The inserted medal sorting device according to claim 2, further comprising a lower guide portion that guides a lower edge portion of the medal in a concave shape. The lower exclusion means includes a driving means for opening and closing the lower opening / closing plate to an open position and a closed position;
An opening / closing guide that moves the lower opening / closing plate to the open position in conjunction with the opening operation of the lower opening / closing plate driven by the driving means, and permits the lower opening / closing plate to move to the closed position in conjunction with the closing operation of the lower opening / closing plate. Members,
The inserted medal sorting device according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising: The lower- exclusion means causes the restricting member to enter the medal passage for closing the medal passage in conjunction with the opening operation of the lower opening / closing plate, and the restricting member for opening the medal passage in response to the closing operation of the lower opening / closing plate. The inserted medal sorting device according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein the inserted medal sorting device is retracted from the passage.   A gaming machine comprising the inserted medal sorting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

Images