JP5089104B2 - GAME MEDIUM CONVEYING UNIT AND GAME MEDIUM CONVEYING SYSTEM - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a game medium transport unit and a game medium transport system for transporting game media for playing on a gaming device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, in a game device generally called “pachinko”, a transport device that transports a pachinko ball as a game medium in a predetermined direction is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  What is described in Patent Document 1 is a lifting and polishing apparatus including a transport unit that transports a pachinko ball of a lower storage tank upward. The lifting unit of the lifting polishing apparatus is configured to cause pachinko balls stored in the lower storage tank to flow into the lifting unit from the inflow path, and to engage with a lifting sprocket that is rotationally driven with a recess formed in the peripheral surface. A configuration is adopted in which the pachinko ball and the lifting sprocket are disengaged by the lifting guide and released into the discharge passage.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-104341 (refer to pages 3 to 4 and FIG. 1)

  By the way, in the conventional technology as described above, in the lifting unit of the lifting and polishing apparatus, when the pachinko balls are clogged, for example, when the pachinko balls are distributed on the protruding portion of the recess of the lifting sprocket, the operation is poor. May be caused. In such a case, for example, there is a problem that if the lifting sprocket continues to be driven as it is, the lifting sprocket and other members may be damaged, resulting in an unrecoverable state.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a game medium transport unit and a game medium transport system for transporting game media satisfactorily.

The game medium transport unit of the present invention is provided continuously from the carry-in port for carrying in game media, the carry-out port for carrying out the game medium, the carry-in port and the carry-out port, and carried in from the carry-in port. In addition, a transport path portion having a transport path surface for guiding the game medium to the carry-out port, and the game medium loaded from the carry-in port facing the transport path surface, along the transport path surface. A transport member transported to the carry-out side, a driving means for driving the transport member, and provided in the vicinity of the carry-in entrance side of the transport path portion, when a predetermined amount or more of the game medium is carried in a predetermined direction Recognizing that a predetermined amount or more of the game medium has been carried in based on a moving part that moves, a detection unit that detects a movement state of the movable part, and a movement state of the movable part detected by the detection unit The driving hand The drive comprises a control means for controlling to stop, and the conveying member, the game medium which has been carried in from the carry-in port with at least a part is movable along a substantially the transport path surface A plurality of fins that are pushed and moved toward the carry-out side, and the movable portion moves in the pressing direction by being pressed by the fins in a state where the game media overlaps on the movable portion; Features.
According to the present invention, the game medium transport unit includes a carry-in port through which a game medium is carried in, a carry-out port through which the game medium is carried out, and a game medium carried by the carry-in port and the carry-out port. A transport path portion having a transport path surface for guiding the transport path, a transport member that is provided facing the transport path surface and transports the game medium substantially along the transport path surface, and a driving unit that drives the transport member; It has. A movable portion that moves in a predetermined direction when a predetermined amount or more of game media is loaded is provided in the vicinity of the carry-in entrance in the transfer path portion of the game medium transfer unit. When the control means recognizes that a predetermined amount or more of game media has been loaded based on the detected moving state of the movable part, the control of the driving means is stopped.
Thereby, when the amount of game media carried into the carry-in port is a predetermined amount, for example, an amount exceeding the storage limit, the movable unit moves in a predetermined direction, and the control unit can stop driving of the drive unit. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the inside of the game medium transport unit from being clogged due to carry-in of game media exceeding the predetermined limit storage number, and the transport member from malfunctioning. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a non-recoverable state such as breakage of the transport member or the transport path portion due to continuous driving of the transport member in a state where the game medium is jammed, and the game medium can be transported satisfactorily. .

In the game medium transport unit of the present invention, the transport member is provided so that at least a part of the transport member can move substantially along the transport path surface, and pushes the game medium transported from the transport port toward the transport port. comprising a plurality of fins to move Te, said movable part, characterized in that the game medium on the movable portion moves in the pressing direction by being pressed by the fin in a state overlapping the multiplex.
According to this, the transport member includes a plurality of fins that move substantially along the transport path surface, and the movable portion is pressed by the multi-stage game media being pressed on the movable portion by the fins. Moving in the direction. For this reason, when a predetermined amount of game media is carried in from the carry-in entrance and the game media overlap in multiple stages, the movable portion can be moved by pressing the game media with the fins, while the amount of game media carried in Is less than a predetermined amount, the game media do not overlap and the fins move without being pressed against the game media. Therefore, it is possible to satisfactorily detect that a predetermined amount or more of game media has been carried in by the detection means, and it is possible to stop driving of the drive means only when a predetermined amount or more of game media has been carried.

In the game medium transport unit of the present invention, the movable portion is continuously provided on the transport inlet side of the transport path surface in the transport path portion, and the transport member is a part of the fin by the driving means. Is preferably driven in a state of being close to the movable part at a position facing the movable part.
According to this invention, the movable part is provided continuously on the conveyance path surface on the carry-in entrance side of the conveyance path part, and the conveyance member is driven in a state in which the fin moves in the direction approaching the movable part. . For this reason, according to the quantity of the game medium carried in, a movable part can be moved with a fin. Therefore, the control means can determine whether or not more than a predetermined amount of game media has been loaded by detecting the amount of movement of the movable part by the detection means. Clogging of game media in the transport unit can be prevented more reliably.
Further, since the movable part is continuously provided on the carry-in side of the transfer path surface in the transfer path part, it is possible to detect the carry-in amount until the loaded game medium reaches the transfer path surface. Further, it is possible to prevent the game media exceeding a predetermined limit storage amount from being sent out to the transport path surface. Therefore, clogging of game media between the transport path surface and the fins of the transport member can be prevented.

Here, in the game medium transport unit according to the present invention, the transport member is a drum provided with a plurality of fins projecting from a peripheral surface thereof and rotatable about a shaft portion, and the transport path surface includes: It is preferable that the drum is formed in a substantially arc shape having substantially the same curvature as the peripheral surface of the drum from a position below the shaft portion toward the carry-out port.
According to the present invention, the conveying member is a drum provided with fins projecting on the peripheral surface and rotatably provided around the shaft portion, and the conveying path surface extends from a position below the shaft portion of the drum to the carry-out port. A circular arc is formed with the same curvature as that of the peripheral surface of the drum. For this reason, when the drum is rotated in a state in which the fin moves from the carry-in port side to the carry-out port side substantially along the transport path surface, the fin moving on the carry-in port side of the drum moves toward the movable portion. Therefore, the game medium carried in by the fin on the carry-in side of the drum can be pressed toward the movable portion, and the carry-in amount of the game medium can be detected with a simple configuration. Further, since the fin on the carry-out side of the drum can be moved substantially along the arc-shaped transfer path surface simply by rotating the drum, the game medium introduced to the transfer path surface can be carried with a simple configuration. It can be conveyed to the exit side.

In the game medium transport unit according to the present invention, it is preferable that the movable portion is a plate-like member that is rotatably provided at one end side, and the detection means detects a rotation distance of the movable portion.
According to this invention, the movable part is a plate-like member provided so that one end side can be rotated. For this reason, even if the game medium is pressed at any position and orientation on the movable part, the moving direction of the movable part is the rotational direction about the rotational axis, and the movement in the rotational direction is not performed. The amount of movement of the movable part can be easily detected only by detection by the detection means. Further, since the amount of game media carried in can be detected regardless of the direction and force of pressing the game media, it is possible to reliably detect the amount of game media carried into the game media transport unit. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the game media from being jammed in the transport path, and to transport the game media satisfactorily.

Here, in the game medium transport unit of the present invention, it is preferable that the movable portion is provided so as to be rotatable about a downstream end portion in a traveling direction of the game medium.
According to this invention, the movable part is provided so as to be rotatable about the downstream end in the traveling direction of the game medium, that is, the transport path surface side. For this reason, even when the game medium is pressed by the fin, there is no step between the transport path surface and the movable portion, and a continuous state can be maintained. Therefore, it is possible to move the game medium from the carry-in entrance to the transfer path surface satisfactorily without the game medium moving from the movable part moving to the transfer path surface being caught by a step or the like and being disturbed.

  In the game medium transport unit of the present invention, the movable part includes a biasing unit that biases the movable part in a state where a contact surface that contacts the game medium is continuous with the transport path surface and the carry-in port. It is preferable.

  According to this invention, the movable part is urged by the urging means so that the abutting surface with which the game medium of the movable part abuts is continuous with the conveyance path surface and the carry-in port by the urging means. Thereby, in a state where the game medium is not pressed by the fin, the movable part is continuously connected to the carry-in entrance and the transfer path surface and connects the carry-in entrance and the transfer path surface, and the game medium loaded from the carry-in entrance Can be satisfactorily guided to the transport path surface. Even when the movable part is pressed by the fin, the movable part can be pushed up again by the urging force of the urging means when the amount of game media carried in from the carry-in port decreases.

Here, in the game medium of the present invention, the biasing means is preferably a torsion spring.
By using such a torsion spring, the space for providing the biasing means can be reduced, and the game medium transport unit can be downsized.

In the game medium transport unit of the present invention, the detection means is a switch provided in the moving direction of the movable portion and pressed down by the movement of the movable portion, and the control means is configured to check that the switch is pressed down. When detected, it is preferable to control to stop the driving of the driving means.
According to this invention, the detection means is a switch that is pressed by the movement of the movable portion, and the control means performs control to stop driving of the drive means when detecting that the switch is pressed. For this reason, by disposing the switch at a predetermined position in the moving direction of the movable portion, it is possible to easily detect that the movable portion has moved by a predetermined amount because the switch has been pressed only by moving the movable portion by a predetermined amount. Therefore, it is possible to detect the amount of movement of the movable part with a simple configuration in which only a switch is provided, and it is possible to easily detect the amount of game media loaded into the game medium transport unit.

The game medium transport system of the present invention is a game medium transport system that is provided in an island structure in which a plurality of game devices that are played using game media are arranged substantially in parallel, and that distributes the game media to the game devices. A first transport lane that is provided in a longitudinal direction substantially in the same direction as the arrangement direction of the gaming devices and inclines at an inclination angle at which the game medium can be moved by its own weight, and substantially in the same direction as the alignment direction of the gaming devices. Provided in the longitudinal direction, the game medium is inclined at an inclination angle at which the game medium can be moved by its own weight, and an upstream end in the movement direction of the game medium is downstream in the movement direction of the game medium in the first transport lane. A second transport lane provided at a height position higher than the end, and provided in the first transport lane and the second transport lane; The game medium supply unit to be supplied and the downstream end portion of the first transport lane are connected to the carry-in port, and the upstream end portion of the second transport lane is connected to the carry-out port, and is loaded from the first transport lane. The game medium transport unit according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the game medium is transported upward and carried to the second transport lane.
According to this invention, the game medium transport unit connects the downstream end in the moving direction of the game medium in the first transport lane inclined downward to the carry-in port of the game medium transport unit as described above, and descends to the carry-out port. The upstream end of the inclined second transport lane is connected, and the game medium transported from the first transport lane is transported to the second transport lane by the game medium transport unit. Therefore, the game medium can be moved up and down along the longitudinal direction of the island structure. For example, the height of the island structure is made lower than when the game medium is transported by one transport lane. be able to. In addition, since the game medium transport unit as described above is used, the carry-in amount is detected based on the moving amount of the movable part, so that the game medium has been loaded into the game medium transport unit in excess of the storage limit amount. Even so, the drive of the drive means can be stopped by the control means, malfunction due to clogging can be prevented, and the game medium can be transported satisfactorily.

  Hereinafter, a gaming system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a pachinko game device called a “pachinko” will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, a slot machine for playing using a spherical game medium, an arcade video game machine. It can also be applied.

[Game system configuration]
FIG. 1 is a front view showing a part of the gaming system in the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view showing a part of the ball conveying device at the top of the gaming system. FIG. 3 is an enlarged front view of the vicinity of the ball transport unit of FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a replenishing rod in the ball conveying device. FIG. 5 is an enlarged front view in which the ball transport unit of FIG. 3 is enlarged. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the ball transport unit. FIG. 7 is a plan view of the ball transport unit as seen from the top side. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view in which the transport drum member in the ball transport unit is sectioned in a direction substantially orthogonal to the axis. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a core portion constituting the transport drum member. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the fin-installed cylinder portion that constitutes the transport drum member.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 100 denotes a game system, and this game system 100 includes an island structure 200, a game main body 300, a game medium lending device 400, and a ball transfer device 500 as a game medium transfer system. Yes. This gaming system 100 is configured as an island structure 200 that is a single independent structure in which a plurality of gaming main bodies 300 and a gaming medium lending device 400 are integrally installed on a floor of a store called “Hall”. ing. The game main body 300 and the game medium lending device 400 constitute a game device of the present invention.

And this island structure 200 is comprised on the rectangular frame, for example with a timber, aluminum alloy, etc. As shown in FIG. On both side surfaces of the island structure 200 with respect to the longitudinal direction, a gaming machine window portion 210 into which the game main body 300 is inserted and closed, a lending machine window portion 220 into which the game medium lending device 400 is inserted and closed, A plurality of openings are formed so as to form a pair with an unillustrated lifting machine window portion into which the lifting device 250 is inserted and closed. In the present embodiment, the case where the number of gaming machine window portions 210 and the number of lending machine window portions 220 provided on both side surfaces of the island structure 200 is the same will be described. It is good also as a structure opened only to the one surface side provided in the wall.
In addition, a lower portion of the island structure 200 is provided with a recovery storage portion 260 where the island recovery means 240 is provided, and an upper portion of the island structure 200 is provided with a transfer storage portion 270 where the ball transfer device 500 is provided. Yes. The island structure 200 includes a power supply means for supplying power to the game main body 300, the game medium lending device 400, the lifting device 250, and the ball transfer device 500, and the game main body 300 and the game medium lending device 400. , A control device for controlling the operation of the lifting device 250 and the ball conveying device 500, and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the island collection unit 240 includes a collection basket 241 and a plurality of collection hoppers 242. The collection basket 241 is formed in a substantially bowl shape, for example, and is provided so as to be inclined downward from the end side of the island structure 200 toward the lifting device 250. The collection hoppers 242 are provided above the collection basket 241 in a number corresponding to the number of game main bodies 300. The collection hopper 242 sends a substantially spherical pachinko ball P (see FIGS. 5 and 6) as a game medium collected by each game main body 300 to the collection basket 241.

  As described above, the lifting device 250 is provided adjacent to the game main body 300 and the game medium lending device 400 at a substantially central position of the island structure 200. This lifting device 250 collects the pachinko balls P that have flowed through the collection basket 241 and transports the collected pachinko balls P to the ball transport device 500 as a game medium transport device provided on the upper part of the island structure 200. To do. Specifically, the lifting device 250 includes a ball collecting port 251 having a lower end portion connected to a recovery basket 241, a ball outlet port 252 provided at the upper end portion, and a pachinko ball from the ball collecting port 251 to the ball outlet port 252. An unillustrated lifting means for conveying P and a driving source (not shown) for driving the lifting means are provided. Further, the lifting device 250 is provided with a cleaning means (not shown), and the pachinko balls P collected by the cleaning means are cleaned.

[Configuration of ball transport device]
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the ball transport device 500 includes a replenishment basket 510 serving as a plurality of transport lanes, a ball transport unit 520 that connects these replenishment baskets 510, and a control device as a control unit (not shown). , Etc. Here, the replenishment rod 510 provided on the lifting device 250 side across the ball transport unit 520 constitutes the first transport lane in the present invention, and is provided on the end side of the island structure 200 across the ball transport unit 520. The supplied replenishing rod 510 constitutes the second transport lane.

The replenishment basket 510 is formed in a longitudinal shape in substantially the same direction as the arrangement direction of the game main body 300 and the game medium lending device 400 of the island structure 200, and is directed from the transfer device 250 toward the end of the island structure 200, for example. It is provided in a state of descending and tilting at an angle of 5 minutes (2.86 degrees). The length dimension of the supply basket 510 in the longitudinal direction is set to the length dimension of two game main bodies 300 and game medium lending devices 400 as shown in FIG. Among these replenishing rods 510, the end of the replenishing rod 510 disposed adjacent to the lifting device 250 on the side of the lifting device 250 is connected to the ball discharge port 252 of the lifting device 250. Further, the replenishment rod 510 disposed at the end of the island structure 200 is connected to an end recovery hopper (not shown), and the pachinko balls P that have reached the end of the replenishment reed 510 are recovered from the end recovery hopper. It is transported to the collection basket 241 of the means 240. Further, a ball transport unit 520 serving as a game medium transport unit is disposed between the replenishing rods 510 disposed adjacent to each other, and the end portions of the respective replenishing rods 510 are connected to the ball transport unit 520. .
As shown in FIG. 4, the replenishing rod 510 includes a replenishing rod main body 511, a saddle side member 512, a roof plate 513, and the like.

  The replenishment rod main body 511 includes a pair of holding portions 511A provided in parallel with each other along the longitudinal direction. The holding portion 511A is formed in a substantially U shape with a side opening at the lower end. The replenishing bowl main body 511 is held by locking the holding portion 511 </ b> A to a locking portion (not shown) provided in the transport storage portion 270.

In addition, a lower side wall portion 511B is formed to rise from the upper end portion of the holding portion 511A. On the inner surface side of the lower side wall portion 511B, that is, the side facing the other lower side wall portion 511B, a transport plate holding portion 511C protrudes.
A conveying plate foot 511D is formed upright from the protruding tip of the conveying plate holding portion 511C so as to face the lower side wall 511B. Further, a concave groove 511D1 is formed along the longitudinal direction of the replenishing rod main body 511 on the surface of the conveying plate foot portion 511D facing the lower side wall portion 511B.

  Further, the replenishing rod main body 511 is provided with a conveyance plate 511E that connects the rising tips of the pair of conveyance plate legs 511D. The transport plate 511E is formed in a curved shape with a central portion raised upward along a direction substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the replenishment rod main body 511. Thereby, the pachinko ball P that rolls on the transport plate 511E moves to the side of the transport plate 511E.

  In addition, a pair of substantially hook-like engaging portions 511 </ b> F projecting downward are provided at the lower portion of the transport plate 511 </ b> E. These engaging portions 511F are formed with hook portions in directions opposite to each other, and are provided in parallel with the substantially central portion of the transport plate 511E along the longitudinal direction of the transport plate 511E.

The heel side member 512 is a substantially plate-like member erected along the side surface along the longitudinal direction of the replenishment jar body 511. A lower portion of the saddle side member 512 has a convex portion 512 </ b> A that protrudes inward of the replenishing rod main body 511. Then, the heel side member 512 has a lower portion inserted between the lower side wall portion 511B of the replenishing jar body 511 and the transport plate foot portion 511D, and the convex portion 512A is engaged with the concave groove 511D1 of the transport plate foot portion 511D. Thus, it is fixed to the replenishment bowl main body 511.
Further, a top surface engaging portion 512B having a substantially circular cross section is provided at the upper end portion of the heel side member 512.

Furthermore, a ball outlet 512C (see FIGS. 1 and 2) is formed in the heel side member 512 so as to correspond to a predetermined position above the game main body 300 and the game medium lending device 400, for example.
Each ball outlet 512C is provided with a ball supply chute 514 as a game medium supply unit. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ball supply chute 514 is connected to the game main body 300 or the game medium lending device 400, respectively.
The ball supply chute 514 is provided with an electric opening / closing valve (not shown), and the electric opening / closing valve is electrically connected to the game main body 300 and the game medium lending device 400. For example, when a predetermined signal is input from the game main body 300 or the game medium lending device 400, the electric on-off valve is opened, and the pachinko ball introduced to the ball replenishment chute 514 from the transport plate 511E via the ball outlet 512C. P is supplied to the game main body 300 or the game medium lending device 400 connected to the ball supply chute 514.

Furthermore, the movement state of the pachinko ball P rolling on the upper surface of the conveying plate 511E is detected at the end side of the island structure 200 of the side surface member 512, that is, on the downstream end side, at a position of a predetermined dimension from the end. A heel side detection sensor C1 is provided.
For example, the heel side detection sensor C1 emits light such as infrared rays from one heel side member 512 toward the other heel side member 512, and is emitted by a light receiving unit provided on the other heel side member 512. Receives light. And the heel side detection sensor C1 is electrically connected to the control device, and when light is detected by the light receiving unit, a predetermined detection signal is appropriately output to the control device. Note that the heel side detection sensor C1 is not limited to the above-described optical sensor and infrared sensor. For example, a light receiving portion is provided on the heel side member 512 on the light emitting side, and the light reflected by the pachinko ball P is received. Then, a configuration for outputting to the control device or a configuration using other sensors may be used.

The roof plate 513 is a plate-like member that is formed in a longitudinal direction in substantially the same direction as the longitudinal direction of the replenishing bowl main body 511. On both sides along the longitudinal direction of the roof plate 513, a substantially U-shaped top surface mounting portion 513A protruding downward is formed. The ceiling plate 513 is attached so as to cover the transport plate 511E by engaging the top surface attaching portion 513A with the top surface engaging portion 512B of the side surface member 512.
Here, a region surrounded by the transport plate 511E, the saddle side member 512, and the transport plate top surface portion 513 of the replenishing spear body 511 is a transport region for rolling and transporting the pachinko balls P.

As described above, the ball transport unit 520 is disposed between the replenishing rods 510 adjacent to each other, and connects the end portions of the replenishing rods 510. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ball transport unit 520 is fixed to a bracket 280 fixed in advance to the transport storage unit 270 of the island structure 200 by, for example, bolting.
The ball transport unit 520 is configured to transfer the pachinko ball P introduced from the replenishment basket 510 arranged on the lifting device 250 side, that is, the upstream side in the moving direction of the pachinko ball P, to the end side of the other island structure 200. That is, it is conveyed to the replenishment basket 510 arranged on the downstream side in the moving direction of the pachinko ball P.
The ball transport unit 520 includes a lower case 530, an upper case 540, a transport drum member 550 as a transport member, a drive unit 560 as a drive unit, and the like.

  The lower case 530 is formed of a synthetic resin such as polyoxymethylene (POM: polyoxymethylene, generic name: Duracon). As shown in FIGS. 3, 5 to 7, the lower case 530 has a first side surface 530 </ b> A that faces the replenishment rod 510 disposed on the upstream side, and a first surface that faces the replenishment rod 510 disposed on the downstream side. Two side surfaces 530B, a front surface 530C in the same direction as the front surface of the game body 300 of the island structure 200, a rear surface 530D facing the front surface 530C, and the first side surface 530A, the second side surface 530B, the front surface 530C, and the rear surface 530D It is formed in a substantially box shape having an adjacent bottom surface (not shown). Further, an opening window 531 through which the transport drum member 550 can be taken in and out is formed on the upper surface side of the lower case 530. Further, an attachment portion (not shown) is provided on the bottom surface of the lower case 530, and the lower case 530 is fixed to the island structure 200 by, for example, bolting the attachment portion to the bracket 280.

On the lower side of the first side surface 530 </ b> A of the lower case 530, a first connection portion 532 serving as a carry-in port having a substantially rectangular cross section is formed to protrude toward the lifting device 250. A wall-shaped first stopper 532 </ b> A that rises from the bottom surface of the first connection portion 532 is formed at the base end portion of the first connection portion 532, that is, the inner side of the lower case 530.
The first stopper 532A is formed to have substantially the same height as the length from the lower end of the holding portion 511A of the replenishing rod main body 511 of the replenishing rod 510 to the conveying plate 511E. Further, the upper end portion of the first stopper 532A is provided with a not-shown flexible tongue piece portion that protrudes substantially in parallel with the conveying plate 511E of the replenishing rod 510 disposed on the upstream side. .
The first connecting portion 532 is inserted so that the end portion of the replenishing rod 510 arranged on the upstream side is in contact with the first stopper 532A. At this time, the tongue piece is engaged with the engaging portion 511F provided on the lower surface side of the conveying plate 511E, so that the height position of the upper surface of the conveying plate 511E and the height position of the upper end portion of the first stopper 532A are set. They substantially coincide with each other and prevent the generation of a gap between the transport plate 511E and the first stopper 532A.

In addition, a second connection portion 533 serving as a carry-out port having a substantially U-shaped cross-section opening on the upper side is formed on the upper side of the second side surface 530B of the lower case 530 so as to protrude downstream. A wall-like second stopper 533 </ b> A that rises from the bottom surface of the second connection portion 533 is formed at the base end portion of the first connection portion 532, that is, the inner side of the lower case 530. The second connecting portion 533 is placed and installed from above so that the end of the replenishing rod 510 disposed on the downstream side comes into contact with the second stopper 533A.
In addition, it is good also as a structure by which a flexible tongue piece part is provided from the 2nd stopper 533A of the 2nd connection part 533 similarly to the 1st connection part 532, In this case, this tongue piece part is good for the conveyance board 511E. By engaging with the engaging portion 511F, the replenishing rod 510 can be reliably connected, and the height positions of the transport plate 511E and the second stopper 533A can be reliably aligned.

  In the lower case 530, a transport path portion 534 that connects from the upper end edge of the first stopper 532A of the first connecting portion 532 to the upper end edge of the second stopper 533A of the second connecting portion 533 has a front surface 530C and a rear surface. It is arranged in a state sandwiched between 530D. The conveyance path portion 534 is adjacent to the movable plate 535 as a movable portion, the curved surface portion 534A disposed adjacent to the second connection portion 533 side of the movable plate 535, and the second connection portion 533 side of the curved surface portion 534A. And a carry-out surface 534B connected to the upper end edge of the second stopper 533A.

The movable plate 535 is a plate-like member that connects the upper end edge of the first stopper 532A and the first connecting portion 532 side of the curved surface portion 534A, and is, for example, a synthetic resin such as polyoxymethylene (POM: polyoxymethylene, generic name: Duracon). It is formed by. A bearing portion 535A that protrudes downward is formed at the end of the movable plate 535 on the curved surface portion 534A side.
The bearing portion 535A is formed in a cylindrical shape that is coaxial with a direction from the front surface 530C toward the rear surface 530D, and a pin 535B protruding from the front surface 530C and the rear surface 530D is engaged therewith. The pin 535B is provided at a position where the height position is lower than the upper end edge of the first stopper 532A. Accordingly, by engaging the bearing portion 535A with the pin 535B, the movable plate 535 is slightly inclined at an inclination angle of, for example, 5 minutes (2.86 degrees) from the upper end edge of the first stopper 532A toward the curved surface portion 534A. And is attached so as to be rotatable about the bearing portion 535A.
Further, below the movable plate 535, an urging spring 535C as urging means is provided, for example, on at least one of the front surface 530C and the rear surface 530D. The biasing spring 535C is a torsion spring, one end of which is fixed to the front surface 530C or the rear surface 530D, and the other end is in contact with the movable plate 535. The urging spring 535C is configured such that when the movable plate 535 rotates downward about the bearing portion 535A, the distal end portion of the movable plate 535 on the first connecting portion 532 side is the upper end edge of the first stopper 532A. The movable plate 535 is urged upward so as to reach the height position. That is, the biasing spring 535C has a contact surface on the upper surface side that contacts the game medium of the movable plate 535, the first connection of the upper end edge of the first stopper 532A of the first connection portion 532 and the curved surface portion 534A of the transport path portion 534. The movable plate 535 is biased so as to be continuous with the part 532 side.
Further, below the movable plate 535, a movable detection switch C2 is provided as detection means. For example, the movable detection switch C2 is fixed to a surface facing the rear surface 530D of the front surface 530C, and has a button that can freely move forward and backward. For example, in the state where the pachinko balls are stacked in three or more stages on the upper portion of the movable plate 535 and pressed downward by the fins 554, the movable detection switch C2 is configured such that the upper end surface of the button contacts the lower surface side of the movable plate 535. It is arranged at the position to be pushed in contact.
The movable detection switch C2 is electrically connected to the control device. In the movable detection switch C2, when the movable plate 535 is rotated downward by a predetermined distance, the button is pushed by the lower surface of the movable plate 535, and a predetermined detection signal is output to the control device.

  For example, when a predetermined number or more of pachinko balls P are carried into the conveyance path portion 534 in the ball conveyance unit 520, the movable plate 535 is moved downward by the rotation of the conveyance drum member 550. The movable plate 535 is rotated.

  The curved surface portion 534A constitutes the transport path surface of the present invention. As described above, the curved surface portion 534A is provided adjacent to the second connecting portion 533 side of the movable plate 535 and is connected to the second connecting portion 533. It is connected to the first connecting portion 532 side. The curved surface portion 534A extends from the end portion of the movable plate 535 on the second connection portion 533 side to the end portion of the carry-out surface 534B on the first connection portion 532 side so that the curvature of the transport drum member 550 described later is substantially the same curvature. In other words, the curved surface is curved upward with a curved surface having a predetermined radius around the rotation axis of the transport drum member 550. Moreover, the central angle with respect to the circular arc which connects the 2nd connection part side edge part from the 1st connection part side edge part of curved surface part 534A is set to substantially right angle. Note that although an example in which the central angle of the curved surface portion 534A is substantially a right angle is described in this embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and any configuration may be used as long as the central angle is 90 degrees or less.

The carry-out surface 534B is integrally formed with the curved surface portion 534A and the second stopper 533A. In addition, the carry-out surface 534B is formed to slightly tilt upward from the upper end edge of the second stopper 533A of the second connecting portion 533, for example, in 5 minutes (2.86 degrees), and to extend toward the first connecting portion 532. Has been.
A carry-out sensor C3 is provided on the front surface 530C side of the carry-out surface 534B. The carry-out sensor C3 is fixed to the outside of the front surface 530C, for example. That is, a sensor hole 530C1 that penetrates the inside and outside of the lower case 530 is formed in the vicinity of the carry-out surface 534B of the front surface 530C, and a carry-out sensor C3 is provided facing the sensor hole 530C1. Examples of the carry-out sensor C3 include an optical sensor and an infrared sensor. That is, sensor light for detection is emitted from the sensor hole 530C1 toward the inside, and the sensor light emitted by a light receiving unit (not shown) provided on the rear surface 530D side is received. In the carry-out sensor C3, the light reception time interval of the sensor light received by the light receiving unit is output to the control device. The carry-out sensor C3 is not limited to this. For example, the light receiving unit may be configured to detect the sensor light reflected by the pachinko ball P, or may use another sensor.

Attaching pieces 536 that protrude outward are provided in a flange shape on the upper end edges of the front surface 530C and the rear surface 530D of the lower case 530, respectively, at positions adjacent to the first side surface 530A and the second side surface 530B. The attachment piece 536 is formed with an insertion hole through which a bolt penetrates when the upper case 540 is attached.
Further, a U-shaped groove 537 communicating with the opening window 531 is formed at the upper end edges of the front surface 530C and the rear surface 530D. The U-shaped groove 537 is formed in a longitudinal shape from the approximate center position of the upper edge of the front surface 530C and the rear surface 530D toward the bottom surface. A shaft portion 551 of a transport drum member 550 described later is inserted into the U-shaped groove 537. Here, the U-shaped groove 537 has a distance dimension from the center line in the width direction along the longitudinal direction to the connecting portion of the curved surface portion 534A and the carry-out surface 534B, and the fin 554 from the center of the shaft portion 551 of the transport drum member 550. Is formed at a position that substantially coincides with the sum of the distance dimension to the tip end portion and the gap dimension between the tip end portion of the fin 554 and the curved surface portion 534A. Further, the longitudinal dimension of the U-shaped groove 537 is the sum of at least the distance dimension from the center of the shaft part 551 of the transport drum member 550 to the tip part of the fin 554 and the gap dimension between the tip part of the fin 554 and the curved surface part 534A. It is formed as described above. That is, the U-shaped groove 537 is formed so that the tip end portion of the fin 554 is rotated when the transport drum member 550 is rotated in a state where the upper case 540 is attached to the lower case 530 and the shaft portion 551 of the transport drum member 550 is inserted. The position and the length dimension in the longitudinal direction are set so that is moved substantially along the curved surface portion 534A.

  Further, a motor attachment hole 538 is formed below the corresponding positions of the curved surface portion 534A and the carry-out surface 534B of the front surface 530C of the lower case 530. A motor 561 of the driving unit 560 is fitted and fixed in the motor mounting hole 538. Further, a transmission gear 562 of the drive unit 560 is rotatably supported on the front surface 530C.

  In the present embodiment, the first side surface 530A, the second side surface 530B, the front surface 530C, the rear surface 530D, the first connection portion 532, the second connection portion 533, the curved surface portion 534A, and the carry-out surface 534B of the lower case 530 are provided. Although the structure currently formed integrally is illustrated, it is not restricted to this. For example, the first side surface 530A, the second side surface 530B, the first connection portion 532, the second connection portion 533, the curved surface portion 534A, and the carry-out surface 534B are synthetic resins such as polyoxymethylene (POM: polyoxymethylene, generic name: Duracon). The front surface 530C and the rear surface 530D are formed of, for example, a metal member, etc., and the first side surface 530A, the second side surface 530B, the first connection portion 532, the second connection portion 533, the curved surface portion 534A, and the carry-out surface It is good also as the structure currently fixed to the front surface 530C side and back surface 530D side of 534B.

  The upper case 540 is formed of, for example, a metal member. The upper case 540 is detachably attached to the lower case 530 and holds a conveyance drum member 550 described later rotatably. The upper case 540 includes a top surface 541, a front holding surface 542, and a rear holding surface 543 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 to 7.

  The top surface 541 is formed with a drum insertion port 541A through which a part of the transport drum member 550 can be inserted. In addition, at four corners of the top surface 541, that is, at positions corresponding to the attachment pieces 536 of the lower case 530, attachment / detachment pieces 541B projecting to the front surface 530C side and the rear surface 530D side are provided. Each of the detachable pieces 541B is formed with an insertion hole through which a bolt is inserted. Then, the upper case 540 is detachably attached to the lower case 530 by bringing the attachment / detachment piece 541B into contact with the attachment piece 536 of the lower case 530 and bolting.

  The front holding surface 542 and the rear holding surface 543 are formed continuously adjacent to the top surface 541. The front holding surface 542 and the rear holding surface 543 are arranged so as to cover the front surface 530C and the rear surface 530D of the lower case 530, respectively, in a state where the upper case 540 is fixed to the lower case 530. Further, the front holding surface 542 and the rear holding surface 543 are formed such that a drum mounting piece 544 protrudes downward at a substantially central position. A shaft insertion groove 545 formed in a longitudinal shape toward the top surface 541 is formed at the lower end edge of the drum mounting piece 544. The drum attachment piece 544 includes a drum holding member 551A that rotatably holds the shaft portion 551 in a state where the shaft portion 551 of the transport drum member 550 is inserted into the shaft insertion groove 545 of the drum attachment piece 544. For example, the transport drum member 550 is detachably attached to the upper case 540 via the drum holding member 551A by being fixed by screwing or the like. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the drum holding member 551A is formed in a longitudinal shape in a direction from the first side surface 530A to the second side surface 530B, and has a diameter substantially the same as that of the shaft portion 551 at a substantially central position in the longitudinal direction. A shaft holding hole 551A1 having a size is formed. In the shaft portion holding hole 551A1, the tip end side of the shaft portion 551 is rotatably held. The drum holding member 551A is detachably attached to the upper case 540 by, for example, screwing the both ends in the longitudinal direction with the shaft portion 551 held in the shaft portion holding hole 551A1.

  The conveyance drum member 550 includes a shaft portion 551, a core portion 552, a fin installation cylinder portion 553, and a plurality of fins 554 having a conveyance blade portion 554C.

The shaft portion 551 is disposed on a substantially central axis of the transport drum member 550.
A drum gear 551B that can mesh with the transmission gear 562 of the drive unit 560 is fixed at a predetermined position on one end side of the shaft portion 551 on the front surface 530C side. For example, the drum gear 551B is fixed to the shaft portion 551 by notching a part of the shaft portion 551 and forming a hole through which the shaft portion 551 of the drum gear 551B is inserted into a shape corresponding to the notch.
Further, a pressing member 551C is inserted and fixed on the further end side of the fixing position of the drum gear 551B of the shaft portion 551. The pressing member 551C is engaged with the drum gear 551B to prevent the drum gear 551B from falling off. In addition, it is good also as a structure etc. which fix a drum gear 551B to the axial part 551 by inserting a pin member etc. in the radial direction of the axial part 551, and making this pin member and the drum gear 551B latch.
Further, an operation knob 551D is fixed to the end portion of the shaft portion 551 on the front surface 530C side. Specifically, a male screw portion (not shown) is provided at the end portion of the shaft portion 551 on the front surface 530C side, and an operation knob 551D is screwed and fixed to the male screw portion. Accordingly, the transport drum member 550 can be forcibly rotated by manually rotating the operation knob 551D. Therefore, for example, when the pachinko ball P is clogged in the ball conveyance unit 520, the conveyance drum member 550 is rotated by rotating the operation knob 551D, and the clogging can be eliminated.

  Further, the drum holding member 551A as described above is rotatably provided on the inner side of the fixed position of the drum gear 551B, that is, on the other end side. Further, similarly, a drum holding member 551A is rotatably provided at a predetermined position on the other end portion side on the rear surface 530D side of the shaft portion 551. Then, as described above, the drum holding member 551A is screwed to the drum mounting piece 544 of the upper case 540, for example, so that the transport drum member 550 is rotatably and detachably fixed to the upper case 540. Yes.

  Furthermore, the other end portion of the shaft portion 551 is provided with a drum torque sensor C4 as shown in FIG. The drum torque sensor C4 includes a meniscus C41 provided at the other end of the shaft portion 551, an infrared sensor (not shown) that detects infrared rays reflected from the meniscus by irradiating, for example, infrared rays toward the half moon pieces. Etc. The infrared sensor of the drum torque sensor C4 is electrically connected to the control device, and the detection interval of the meniscus C41 is input to the control device as a detection signal. Thus, the control device can calculate the rotational speed of the transport drum member 550 based on the detection interval of the half-moon C41 of the infrared sensor.

  The core part 552 is made of a synthetic resin such as Duracon. As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the core portion 552 includes an inner cylinder portion 552A into which the shaft portion 551 is inserted, an outer cylinder portion 552B inserted through the fin installation cylinder portion 553, and these inner cylinder portions 552A. And a plurality of radiation connecting portions 552C for connecting the outer cylinder portions 552B. The inner cylinder part 552A, the outer cylinder part 552B, and the radiation connection part 552C are integrally formed of, for example, synthetic resin.

  The inner cylinder portion 552A is formed such that the diameter of the inner peripheral surface is substantially the same as the diameter of the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 551, and the shaft portion 551 is fitted into the inner peripheral portion. Accordingly, when the shaft portion 551 is rotationally driven, the inner cylinder portion 552A is also rotated, and the transport drum member 550 is rotationally driven. In addition, although it was set as the structure which inserts the axial part 551 in the inner cylinder part 552A, it is not limited to this, For example, in the state which inserted the axial part 551 in the inner cylinder part 552A, the axial part 551 from the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder part 552A. It is good also as a structure fixed so that the axial part 551 may not rotate with respect to the inner cylinder part 552A by inserting a pin member toward the center axis | shaft. Further, a plurality of radial coupling portions 552C are formed in the radial direction on the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical portion 552A. As described above, the inner cylindrical portion 552A and the outer cylindrical portion 552B are coupled by the radial coupling portion 552C. Has been.

  As described above, the outer cylindrical portion 552B is connected and fixed to the inner cylindrical portion 552A by the radiation connecting portion 552C. When the inner cylindrical portion 552A is rotationally driven by the rotation of the shaft portion 551, the outer cylindrical portion 552B is also rotationally driven. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, positioning pins 552B1 protruding in the outer diameter direction are formed at predetermined intervals, for example, at intervals of 90 degrees, as shown in FIG. These positioning pins 552B1 are formed at the end portion on the front surface 530C side in the axial direction of the outer cylinder portion 552B. Further, on the outer peripheral surface of the outer cylinder portion 552B, rotation stop portions 552B2 that protrude in the outer diameter direction at predetermined intervals and are formed in a longitudinal shape in parallel with the axial direction of the core portion 552 are formed. These rotation stoppers 552B2 are disposed, for example, two at equal intervals between adjacent positioning pins 552B1.

As shown in FIG. 10, the fin installation cylinder portion 553 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape using, for example, a synthetic resin. The inner peripheral diameter of the fin installation cylinder 553 is substantially the same as or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the outer cylinder 552B of the core 552. Further, the length dimension in the axial direction of the fin installation cylinder portion 553 is formed to be approximately the same as the distance dimension between the front surface 530C and the rear surface 530D of the lower case 530.
And this fin installation cylinder part 553 is provided with a pin insertion hole 553A and a rotation stop insertion groove 553B at positions facing the positioning pins 552B1 and the rotation stop part 552B2 formed on the outer cylinder part 552B of the core part 552, respectively. Yes. Further, the pin insertion hole 553A is formed on the end side on the front surface 530C side of the fin installation cylinder portion 553, and a sliding groove is formed from the pin insertion hole 553A toward the end portion of the fin installation cylinder portion 553. Thereby, when inserting the core part 552 in the fin installation cylinder part 553, the positioning pin 552B1 can be slid along the sliding groove and moved to the pin insertion hole 553A, and the assemblability is improved.

  In addition, a plurality of fin installation holes 553C penetrating the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface and extending in the axial direction are formed in the fin installation cylinder portion 553 at predetermined intervals. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, the fin installation holes 553C are arranged at equal intervals, for example, at intervals of 30 degrees, between the adjacent pin insertion holes 553A and the rotation stop insertion grooves 553B, and between the rotation stop insertion grooves 553B adjacent to each other. Each is provided in between. The fins 554 are inserted through the fin installation holes 553C so as to protrude from the inner peripheral side to the outer peripheral side. In this embodiment, an example in which the fin installation holes 553C are formed at intervals of 30 degrees is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a pachinko ball conveyed by the fin 554 to the curved surface portion 534A of the conveyance path portion 534 The distance is not particularly limited as long as it can be lifted and conveyed.

The fins 554 are substantially plate-like members formed of, for example, flexible synthetic resin such as urethane rubber, and are formed in a longitudinal shape along the axial direction of the transport drum member 550. As shown in FIG. 8, the fin 554 includes a fixed end portion 554A, an insertion portion 554B, and a conveying blade portion 554C. The fixed end portion 554A, the insertion portion 554B, and the conveying blade portion 554C are integrally formed.
The fixed end portion 554A is provided at an end portion of the fin 554, and is formed in a substantially T shape with respect to the insertion portion 554B. The fixed end portion 554A is a portion that is sandwiched and fixed between the core portion 552 and the fin installation cylinder portion 553. The length dimension in the tangential direction of the core part 552 and the fin installation cylinder part 553 is formed to be larger than the groove width of the fin installation hole 553C of the fin installation cylinder part 553. As a result, the fixed end portion 554A prevents the fin 554 from falling off the transport drum member 550.

  The insertion portion 554B is formed to rise substantially vertically from a substantially center position in the tangential direction of the fin installation cylinder portion 553 of the fixed end portion 554A. The insertion portion 554B is inserted into the fin installation hole 553C of the fin installation cylinder portion 553.

The conveying blade portion 554C is formed continuously with the insertion portion 554B and is inclined with respect to the insertion portion 554B at a predetermined angle. Here, the conveying blade portion 554 </ b> C is formed at a predetermined inclination angle that inclines in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the conveying drum member 550 toward the outer diameter side of the conveying drum member 550.
Further, the length dimension of the conveying blade portion 554C in the radial direction of the conveying drum member 550 is such that the gap between the tip end portion of the conveying blade portion 554C and the curved surface portion 534A of the lower case 530 is at least the diameter of the pachinko ball P to be conveyed. The size is smaller than the size.

  The drive unit 560 includes a motor 561, a transmission gear 562, and the like. As described above, the motor 561 is fitted into the motor mounting hole 538 provided in the front surface 530C of the lower case 530, and is fixed by, for example, screwing. The motor 561 is electrically connected to the control device, and rotates a motor shaft that projects from the front surface 530C side when predetermined power is supplied from the control device. A motor gear 561A is fixed to the tip of the motor shaft of the motor 561, and the rotational driving force of the motor 561 is transmitted to the transmission gear 562.

  As described above, the transmission gear 562 is rotatably attached to the front surface 530C and meshes with the motor gear 561A of the motor 561. The transmission gear 562 meshes with a drum gear 551B fixed to the shaft portion 551 of the transport drum member 550 in a state where the upper case 540 is fixed to the lower case 530. Then, the rotational driving force transmitted from the motor 561 is transmitted to the drum gear 551B, and the transport drum member 550 is rotationally driven.

The control device controls the overall operation of the ball conveying device 500.
Specifically, as described above, the control device is electrically connected to the lifting device 250, the heel side detection sensor C1, the movable detection switch C2, the carry-out sensor C3, the drum torque sensor C4, the motor 561, and the like. A predetermined power is supplied to these.
Further, the control device recognizes various detection signals input from the heel side detection sensor C1, the movable detection switch C2, the carry-out sensor C3, and the drum torque sensor C4, and the motor of the lifting device 250 and each ball transport unit 520. The drive of 561 is controlled.

  Specifically, the control device determines the clogged state of the pachinko ball P moving on the transport plate 511E based on the detection signal input from the heel side detection sensor C1. That is, the control device recognizes the time when the detection signal is not input from the heel side detection sensor C1. When the time during which this detection signal is not input is equal to or longer than a predetermined time set in advance, it is determined that the replenishment basket 510 is in a clogged state, for example, a ball transport unit 520 disposed on the upstream side of the replenishment basket 510. The motor 561 is temporarily stopped and driven again after a predetermined time.

  Further, when the control device recognizes the detection signal from the movable detection switch C2, the control device stops the motor 561 of the ball transport unit 520 of the ball transport device 500 and the lifting device 250.

  Further, the ball transport unit 520 recognizes the time when the detection signal is not input from the carry-out sensor C3 based on the detection signal input from the carry-out sensor C3. If the time during which this detection signal is not input is equal to or longer than a predetermined time, it is determined that the pachinko ball P on the carry-out surface 534B has not moved, that is, the replenishment basket 510 on the downstream side of the ball transport unit 520 is clogged. Then, control is performed to stop the motor 561 of the ball transport unit 520 provided with the carry-out sensor C3. Further, when the detection signal is input from the carry-out sensor C3 with the motor 561 stopped, the control to drive the motor 561 again is performed.

  Furthermore, the control device recognizes the rotational speed of the transport drum member 550 based on the detection signal input from the drum torque sensor C4. When the rotational speed of the transport drum member 550 is lower than a predetermined rotational speed set in advance, the control device urgently stops the motor 561 of the ball transport unit 520 of the ball transport device 500 and the transport operation of the transport device 250. To control.

[Game system operation]
Next, the operation of the ball transport device 500 in the installed gaming system 100 will be described.

  The pachinko balls P introduced into the collection hopper 242 provided in the game main body 300 arranged in the island structure 200 and the pachinko balls P introduced from the counting means (not shown) provided at, for example, the end of the island structure 200 are Then, it is stored in the collection tank 241 of the island collection means 240.

  Then, the control device controls the lifting means of the lifting device 250 to convey the pachinko balls P stored in the collection basket 241 from the ball collection port 251 to the ball discharge port 252.

  The pachinko balls P discharged from the ball discharge port 252 are introduced into the ball transport device 500. That is, the pachinko balls P are discharged onto the transport plate 511E of the replenishing basket 510 connected to the ball discharge port 252 and flow on the transport plate 511E to be transported downstream.

At this time, since the transport plate 511E of the replenishing rod 510 is formed in a substantially arc shape with the substantially central portion on the upper side, the pachinko ball P moves on the transport plate 511E along the saddle side surface member 512. Then, the pachinko balls P are conveyed and supplied to the game main bodies 300 and the game medium lending devices 400 from the ball outlets 512 </ b> C provided on the heel side member 512 through the ball supply chute 514.
In addition, when the pachinko balls P are sufficiently supplied to the ball supply chute 514, about 1/4 of the pachinko balls P in the vicinity of the final tail among the pachinko balls P supplied to the ball outlet 512C are balls. Projecting from the outlet 512C onto the conveying plate 511E. As a result, the pachinko balls P conveyed from the upstream side of the conveying plate 511E come into contact with some of the pachinko balls P near the final tail, bounce back to the central side of the conveying plate 511E, and are conveyed downstream. Is done.

  Further, the control device recognizes the number of transport movements per unit time of the pachinko balls P transported on the transport plate 511E based on a detection signal input from the heel side detection sensor C1 provided on the downstream side of the replenishment jar 510. . Then, when the number of transport movements is smaller than a predetermined number, the control device determines that the replenishment basket 510 is clogged with pachinko balls P conveyed from the upstream side, and the upstream of the replenishment basket 510 The motor 561 of the ball conveying unit 520 arranged on the side, that is, the upstream side, or the lifting means of the lifting device 250 is controlled to be temporarily stopped, and the lifting of the motor 561 and the lifting device 250 is again performed after a predetermined time. Control to drive the feeding means.

  Thereafter, the pachinko balls P transported by the replenishing basket 510 are carried into the first connecting portion 532 of the ball transport unit 520.

  Further, the control device controls the motor 561 of the ball transport unit 520 to rotate the transport drum member 550. Thereby, the fins 554 of the transport drum member 550 lift the pachinko balls P transported to the first connecting portion 532 to the unloading surface 534B side along the curved surface portion 534A. At this time, since the fins 554 are formed in a shape that is inclined in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the transport drum member 550, for example, the problem that the pachinko balls P are picked up by the fins 554 and are not discharged to the carry-out surface 534B is prevented. It becomes possible.

  And a control apparatus recognizes the detection signal input from the carrying-out sensor C3 provided in the side of the carrying-out surface 534B, and recognizes the movement state of the pachinko ball P in the carrying-out surface 534B. When the control device determines that the pachinko ball P on the carry-out surface 534B is clogged, the control device controls the motor 561 to stop. Then, when the control device recognizes that the clogged state of the pachinko balls P on the carry-out surface 534B has been eliminated based on the detection signal input from the carry-out sensor C3, the control device drives the motor 561 again and uses the conveyance drum member 550. Control to resume the lifting operation of the pachinko ball P is performed.

  In addition, when a predetermined number or more of the pachinko balls P conveyed from the upstream side are carried into the ball conveyance unit 520, the pachinko balls P are stacked on the movable plate 535 in multiple stages. When the transport drum member 550 is rotationally driven in this state, the movable plate 535 is pushed downward, and the movable detection switch C2 is pushed. In such a case, the control device recognizes the detection signal input from the movable detection switch C2, and urgently stops the motor 561 of the ball transport unit 520 in which the movable detection switch C2 is pressed.

  Further, the control device calculates the rotation speed of the transport drum member 550 based on the detection signal input from the drum torque sensor C4. When the rotation speed calculated in a state where the motor 561 is driven is equal to or lower than a predetermined speed set in advance, the ball transport unit 520 and all the balls disposed on the upstream side of the ball transport unit 520 are arranged. The motor 561 of the ball transport unit 520 and the lifting device of the lifting device are stopped in an emergency.

  Further, when the pachinko ball P starts to accumulate in the replenishing rod 510 due to the stop of the motor 561 as described above, the clogging of the pachinko ball P is detected by the carry-out sensor C3 and the rod-side detection sensor C1 of the upstream ball conveyance unit 520. Then, the motor 561 of the upstream ball conveying unit 520 is also stopped. Here, when the motor 561 of the ball transport unit 520 located on the downstream side of the lifting device 250 is stopped, the control device performs control to stop driving of the lifting means of the lifting device 250.

  On the other hand, the pachinko balls P carried out to the carry-out surface 534 </ b> B are carried out to the supply basket 510 connected to the second connecting portion 533. Then, the replenishment basket 510 connected to the second connection portion 533 transports the pachinko balls P to the downstream side and introduces them into the ball transport unit 520 disposed on the downstream side, similarly to the above-described supply basket 510. Hereinafter, similarly, the pachinko balls P are transported by the replenishment basket 510 and the ball transport unit 520 to the end of the island structure 200, and each game body 300 and the Pachinko balls P are supplied to each game medium lending device 400.

[Effects of Embodiment]
As described above, the ball transport unit 520 of the ball transport device 500 of the gaming system as described above includes the first connection portion 532 into which the pachinko balls P are carried, the second connection portion 533 that discharges the pachinko balls P, A conveying path portion 534 having a curved surface portion 534A for guiding the pachinko ball P from the first connecting portion 532 to the second connecting portion 533, and a conveying blade portion 554C which is provided substantially along the curved surface portion 534A and conveys the pachinko ball P. A conveying drum member 550 having a plurality of fins 554 having a driving force and a driving unit 560 for driving the conveying drum member 550 are provided. A movable plate 535 that can rotate in the pressing direction when the pachinko balls P are pressed by the fins 554 of the conveyance drum member 550 on the first connecting portion 532 side of the curved surface portion 534A, and the movable plate 535 are located. And a movable detection switch C2 that outputs a predetermined detection signal when the fixed amount of rotation is performed. When the control device recognizes the detection signal from the movable detection switch C2, the control unit controls the motor 561 of the drive unit 560 to stop driving. doing.
For this reason, when a pachinko ball P exceeding a predetermined storage limit amount is carried into the ball transport unit 520, the movable plate 535 rotates by a predetermined amount or more, and the movable detection switch C2 is pressed. The control device can stop the driving of the motor 561, and can prevent inconvenience such as malfunction caused by the pachinko ball P clogged between the conveyance drum member 550 and the curved surface portion 534A. . Therefore, a non-recoverable state due to damage to the transport drum member 550 and the curved surface portion 534A can be avoided, and the game medium can be transported satisfactorily. Further, the pachinko ball P can be pressed by the fins 554 of the transport drum member 550 to move the movable plate 535, and no other configuration for pressing the pachinko ball P on the movable plate 535 is required. Can be easy.

Further, the transport drum member 550 is formed in a drum shape, and the shaft portion 551 is rotatably held at a position above the end of the curved surface portion 534A on the first connection portion 532 side. The curved surface portion 534A is a transport drum member. It is formed in a circular arc curved surface having substantially the same curvature as that of the outer peripheral surface of the fin installation cylinder portion 553. In other words, the fin 554 having the conveying blade portion 554C that moves on the first connecting portion 532 side around the shaft portion 551 of the conveying drum member 550 moves downward toward the movable plate 535. For this reason, by pressing the pachinko ball P carried on the movable plate 535 downward by the fins 554, the movable plate 535 can be easily and reliably rotated according to the amount of the pachinko ball carried in. The amount of the pachinko balls carried in can be detected more reliably with a simple configuration.
Further, the pachinko ball P can be transported from the first connecting portion 532 side to the second connecting portion 533 side with a simple configuration in which the transport drum member 550 is rotationally driven about the shaft portion 551, and the ball transport unit. The configuration of 520 can be simplified.

Further, the movable plate 535 is provided so as to be rotatable about a bearing portion 535A provided at one end.
For this reason, even when pachinko balls P exceeding the storage limit amount are carried from the first connecting portion 532 and only some of the pachinko balls P overlap, for example, they are pressed by the conveying blade portions 554C of the fins 554. As a result, the entire movable plate 535 can be rotated. That is, the movable plate 535 can be moved uniformly regardless of the position of the movable plate 535. Therefore, the moving amount of the movable plate 535 can be accurately detected by the movable detection switch C2, and the motor 561 of the driving unit 560 can be reliably stopped when the carry-in amount is excessive.

  Further, the bearing portion 535A is provided at the end portion of the movable plate 535 on the curved surface portion 534A side. For this reason, even when the movable plate 535 rotates, the upper surface of the movable plate 535 and the curved surface portion 534A can be in a continuous state. Therefore, for example, when the pachinko balls P that do not overlap each other are pressed, the movable plate 535 is slightly lowered, and the curved surface portion 534A continues on the movable plate 535 even when the movable detection switch C2 is not pressed. Therefore, no step or gap is generated between the movable plate 535 and the curved surface portion 534A. Therefore, the pachinko ball P on the movable plate 535 can be moved onto the curved surface portion 534A without hindering the conveyance of the pachinko ball P due to a step or a gap, and the pachinko ball P can be transported satisfactorily.

  Then, below the movable plate 535, the movable plate 535 is urged upward, and the contact surface of the upper surface of the movable plate 535 serves as the upper end edge of the first stopper 532A and the end of the curved surface portion 534A on the first connection portion 532 side. An urging spring 535 </ b> C is provided so as to be continuous with the part. For this reason, for example, even if the movable plate 535 is pushed downward by pressing the pachinko balls P that do not overlap, the movable plate 535 is biased upward by the biasing spring 535C, so that the movable plate 535 is moved to the first stopper 532A. It is possible to return the pachinko ball P to a state in which the pachinko ball P can be guided to the curved surface portion 534A from the upper end of the.

  Further, since the biasing spring 535C is a torsion spring, it can be attached with a simple configuration by fixing one end of the torsion spring to the movable plate 535 and fixing the other end to the lower case 530. Further, the torsion spring can be disposed along the front surface 530C or the rear surface 530D, and the space for disposing the biasing spring can be reduced. Therefore, the downsizing of the ball transport unit 520 can be promoted.

Then, the pachinko balls P are carried into the first connecting portion 532 from the replenishment basket 510 arranged on the upstream side. Then, the conveyance drum member 550 is driven to rotate by the driving force of the motor 561 and the fins 554 are moved along the curved surface portion 534A, whereby the carried pachinko balls P are moved along the curved surface portion 534A to the second connecting portion 533 side. The pachinko balls P lifted to the replenishment basket 510 disposed downstream from the second connecting portion 533 are carried out.
For this reason, the pachinko ball P is scraped by the fins 554 from the first connecting portion 532 arranged at the low position to the second connecting portion 533 arranged at the high position with a simple configuration in which the transport drum member 550 is rotationally driven. It can be extruded and transported as if fried.
Further, since a plurality of such ball transport units 520 are provided and the ball transport units 520 are connected by a replenishing rod 510, the height of the ball transport device 500 can be reduced, and the island structure The installation work 200 can be easily performed. Moreover, since the height dimension of the island structure 200 becomes low, the efficiency of air conditioning can be improved. Furthermore, when a security camera or the like is installed on the ceiling, the height of the island structure 200 is reduced so that the field of view of the security camera is improved, the illegal use of the game main body 300 can be prevented, and the crime prevention side should be strengthened. Can do.

  Since the center angle of the arcuate curved surface of the curved surface portion 534A is formed to be 90 degrees or less, the pachinko ball P lifted up to the height position of the carry-out surface 534B can be satisfactorily carried out by the inclination of the fins 554 and the like. Can be carried out to the side.

  Further, the gap between the tip of the conveying blade 554C of the fin 554 and the curved surface 534A is formed to be smaller than the diameter of the pachinko ball P. For this reason, the pachinko ball P is not sandwiched between the conveying blade portion 554C and the curved surface portion 534A of the fin 554, and malfunction can be prevented. Further, the pachinko balls P conveyed to the curved surface portion 534A by the fins 554 can be reliably transported to the carry-out surface 534B without missing.

  The conveyance blade portion 554C of the fin 554 is provided so as to be inclined in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the conveyance drum member 550 with respect to the radial direction of the conveyance drum member 550 from the fin installation cylinder portion 553 of the conveyance drum member 550. Yes. For this reason, when the front-end | tip part of the conveyance blade | wing part 554C moves to the same height position as the carrying-out surface 534B, the pachinko ball P can be rolled out to the carrying-out surface 534B along the inclination of the conveyance blade part 554C. Further, while the pachinko ball P is sandwiched between the fin 554 and the fin installation cylinder portion 553, the pachinko ball P is rotated together with the conveyance drum member 550 and returned to the first coupling portion 532 side, or the other such as the outside of the ball conveyance unit 520. Without being transported to the part, it can be reliably transported to the transport surface 534B.

  Furthermore, the control device drives the motor 561 of the drive unit 560 of each ball transport unit 520 based on detection signals input from the heel side detection sensor C1, the movable detection switch C2, the carry-out sensor C3, and the drum torque sensor C4. The state is controlled. For this reason, the conveyance of the pachinko balls P in each ball conveyance unit 520 can be controlled according to the clogged state of the pachinko balls P in each ball conveyance unit 520.

That is, the control device recognizes the transport state of the pachinko balls P in the vicinity of the carry-out surface 534B and the second connecting portion 533 based on the detection sensor input from the carry-out sensor C3. Then, when the control means recognizes that the transport state of the pachinko balls P in the vicinity of the carry-out surface 534B and the second connecting portion 533 is clogged, it stops driving the ball transport unit 520 provided with the carry-out sensor C3. I am letting.
For this reason, for example, even if a trouble occurs in the ball transport unit 520 on the downstream side of the ball transport unit 520 and the pachinko ball P is clogged in the replenishing basket 510, the control device uses the detection signal from the carry-out sensor C3 to Since the clogged state of the pachinko balls P near the two connecting portions 533 and the carry-out surface 534B is recognized and the motor 561 is stopped, inconveniences such as malfunction due to clogging of the pachinko balls P of the ball transport unit 520 can be prevented. .

Further, the control means supplies the predetermined driving power to the motor 561 of the driving unit 560, but the rotation speed of the transport drum member 550 detected by the drum torque sensor C4 is equal to or lower than the predetermined speed. The drive of the motor 561 is stopped.
For this reason, the pachinko balls P are clogged between the fins 554 and the curved surface portion 534A of the conveyance drum member 550, or the pachinko balls P are clogged in other portions, and the rotational driving force of the conveyance drum member 550 is reduced. In such a case, the abnormality of the transport drum member 550 can be detected and stopped.

  Further, in the ball transport unit 520, a transport drum member 550 is attached to the upper case 540, and the upper case 540 is detachably attached to the lower case 530. Therefore, as described above, even when clogging or the like occurs in the ball transport unit 520, the transport drum member 550 can be removed simply by removing the upper case 540, and the jammed pachinko balls P can be easily removed. Can do. Therefore, the maintenance is easy, and an emergency maintenance such as when the pachinko ball P is clogged can be dealt with immediately.

  The first connecting portion 532 of the ball conveying unit 520 is provided with a flexible tongue piece, and this tongue piece is attached to an engaging portion 511F provided below the conveying plate 511E of the replenishing rod 510. Is engaged. For this reason, the replenishment basket 510 and the ball transport unit 520 can be easily positioned. In addition, since the tongue piece portion is flexible even if the inclination angle of the replenishing rod 510 changes, the gap between the replenishing rod 510 and the first connecting portion 532 can be filled, and the pachinko balls P are smoothly conveyed. be able to.

  An operation knob 551D is fixed to the end of the shaft portion 551 of the transport drum member 550. For this reason, the conveyance drum member 550 can be rotated around the shaft portion 551 by manually rotating the operation knob 551D. Therefore, for example, even when the pachinko ball P is jammed inside the ball transport unit 520, the jammed pachinko ball P can be easily removed by rotating the operation knob 551D to eliminate the jam. Therefore, the maintainability of the ball transport unit 520 can be improved.

[Modification of Embodiment]
The present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various improvements and design changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Is possible.

  For example, although the configuration in which the operation knob 551D is provided at the end portion on the front surface 530C side of the shaft portion 551 is shown, it may be configured to be provided on the rear surface 530D side of the shaft portion 551, for example.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the drive unit 560 is attached to the motor attachment hole 538 provided in the front surface 530C of the lower case 530 is shown. However, for example, a configuration as shown in FIG. That is, in FIG. 11, the upper case 540 includes a drive mounting piece 546 that extends from the top surface 541 to the first side surface 530 </ b> A side to which the replenishing rod 510 is connected. The tip of the drive mounting piece 546 has a substantially plate-shaped drive mounting portion 546A that is bent downward. Then, the drive mounting portion 546A is brought into contact with the drive mounting portion 546A in a state where the upper surface of the drive motor 571 of the drive unit 570 is brought into contact with the drive mounting piece 546 and the surface adjacent to the upper surface is brought into contact with the drive mounting portion 546A. The drive motor 571 is fixed by, for example, bolting the 571. The lower case 530 is provided with a transmission gear 572 between the drive motor 571 and the conveyance drum member 550. The transmission gear 572 is connected to the motor gear 571A of the drive motor 571 and the drum gear 551B of the conveyance drum member 550. Is engaged. Even in such a configuration, the transport drum member 550 can be rotationally driven by driving the drive motor 571 as in the above embodiment. Further, since the drive motor 571 is fixed to the upper case 540, the drive motor 571 can be easily removed by removing it from the upper case. Therefore, maintenance of the drive unit 570 such as replacement of the drive motor 571 can be easily performed.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the upper case 540 showed the example detachably fixed to the lower case 530 by bolting, it is not restricted to this. For example, the attachment piece 536 of the lower case 530 includes a pin member protruding upward, and the pin member is engaged with a hole provided in the attachment / detachment piece 541B of the upper case 540 so that the lower case 530 is engaged with the upper case 530. It is good also as composition which attaches case 540.

  Moreover, it is good also as a structure which attaches the lower case 530 and the upper case 540 detachably using the locking mechanism 580 as shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. That is, in FIGS. 12 and 13, the lock mechanism 580 is provided at, for example, three locations on the front surface 530 C side of the ball transport unit 520, the second side surface 530 B side on the rear surface 530 D side, and the first side surface 530 A side. Is provided. The lock mechanism 580 includes a first lock member 581 fixed to the lower case 530 and an upper second lock member 582.

The first lock member 581 includes a lock plate 582, a rotating claw 583, and an arm 584.
The lock plate 582 is a flat plate member, and is formed in a longitudinal shape in a direction away from the upper case 540. The end of the lock plate 582 that is separated from the upper case 540 is fixed to the lower case 530 by, for example, screwing. In addition, shaft support pieces (not shown) facing each other are provided on both ends of the lock plate 582 close to the upper case 540 along both side edges substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. Is provided with a claw rotation shaft 582A.

  The rotating claw 583 is formed in a longitudinal shape in a direction away from the upper case 540 and is provided to face the lock plate 582. A claw rotation shaft 582A is inserted into one end of the rotation claw 583 on the side close to the upper case 540, and the claw rotation shaft 582A is attached to the lock plate 582 so as to be rotatable about the claw rotation shaft 582A. Yes. Further, an arm rotation shaft 583A is provided on the other end side of the rotation claw 583 which is separated from the upper case 540, and supports the arm 584 in a freely rotatable manner. Further, a claw member 583B extending in a direction away from the upper case 540, for example, is provided at the other end of the rotating claw 583.

The arm 584 includes a pair of first arms 584A facing each other, a pair of second arms 584B facing each other, an engagement shaft 584C, and a coil spring 584D.
The first arm 584A is formed in a longitudinal shape, and one end thereof is rotatably supported by the arm rotation shaft 583A. Further, the other end of the first arm 584A is provided with a pair of first spring stoppers 584A1 protruding in a direction substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the first arm 584A, and is formed in a substantially T-shape. Yes.
The second arm 584B is formed in a longitudinal shape in substantially the same direction as the first arm 584A. Further, the second arm 584B is disposed so that one end side on the arm rotation shaft 583A side overlaps with the other end side separated from the arm rotation shaft 583A of the first arm 584A, and the second arm 584B is longer than the first arm 584A. It is provided so as to be relatively movable along the direction. In addition, a pair of second spring stoppers 584B1 projecting in a direction substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the second arm 584B is provided at one end of the second arm 584B on the arm rotation shaft 583A side. It is formed in a letter shape. Further, a shaft support portion 584B2 is provided at the other end of the second arm 584B. The shaft support portion 584B2 supports the engagement shaft 584C by the shaft support portion 584B2 of the other second arm 584 facing each other.
The engagement shaft 584C is a shaft member supported between the shaft support portions 584B2 facing each other, and is provided so as to be engageable with the hook portion 585A of the second lock member 585.
The coil spring 584D is provided between the first spring stopper 584A1 of the first arm 584A and the second spring stopper 584B1 of the second arm 584B. The coil spring 584D has a first arm 584A and a second arm 584B inserted through the center of the coil, and has an inner diameter smaller than the T-shaped width of the first spring stopper 584A1 and the second spring stopper 584B1. Thus, the coil spring 584D prevents the first arm 584A and the second arm 584B from being detached. Further, when the first spring stopper 584A1 and the second spring stopper 584B1 move in the approaching direction, the spring stoppers 584A1 and 584B1 are urged away from each other, and the engagement shaft 584C is rotated. The shaft 583A is biased.

  The second lock member 584 is fixed to the upper case 540 by, for example, screwing. A hook portion 584 </ b> A capable of locking the engaging shaft 584 </ b> C is formed in a part near the lower case 530 of the second lock member 584.

In the lock mechanism 580, with the upper case 540 placed at a predetermined position of the lower case 530, the rotating claw 583 is moved away from the lock plate 582, and the engagement shaft 584C is engaged with the hook portion 585A. Stop. Thereafter, the first claw stopping portion 584A1 and the second spring stopping portion 584B1 move in a direction in which they are moved by rotating the turning claw 583 to the lock plate 582 side. At this time, the coil spring 584D biases the first spring stop portion 584A1 and the second spring stop portion 584B1 in a direction away from each other, so that the engagement shaft 584C is also biased toward the arm rotation shaft 583A. As a result, the engagement shaft 584C is firmly engaged with the hook portion 585A, and the upper case 540 is fixed to the lower case 530.
By using the lock mechanism 580 having such a configuration, the upper case 540 and the lower case 530 can be easily attached and detached simply by rotating the rotating claw 583 to disengage the engaging shaft 584C. . Therefore, the maintainability can be improved and the assemblability of the ball transport unit 520 can be improved.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the fins 554 are projected from the peripheral surface of the substantially cylindrical transport drum member 550 as the transport member, and the fins 554 are moved upward along the arcuate curved surface of the curved surface portion 534A. However, it is not limited to this.
For example, as the conveying member, an annular belt may be wound around a plurality of rotating shafts, and a plurality of fins may be provided on the belt. In such a configuration, a plate-like member that is inclined upward can be used as the transport path surface of the transport path unit 534. That is, the rotation shafts of the conveyance members are arranged to face the lower end position and the upper end position of the conveyance path portion 534, respectively, and a belt having fins on the circumferential surface is wound around these rotation shafts. Then, the driving means moves the rotating shaft so that the belt facing the conveyance path portion 534 moves upward, so that the fins provided on the belt also move upward along the conveyance path portion. Here, for example, one of the rotation shafts is provided on the belt above the movable plate 535 by configuring the rotation shaft to be disposed above the end of the conveyance path surface on the first coupling portion 532 side. The fin thus moved moves downward, and the pachinko ball P can be pressed toward the movable plate 535 by the fin 554. Even in such a configuration, it is possible to detect the amount of the pachinko balls P carried in the ball transport unit by detecting the amount of movement of the movable plate 535.

  Moreover, although the conveyance drum member 550 which has the several fin 554 was illustrated as a conveyance member, it is good also as a structure etc. which convey the pachinko ball P with a belt conveyor etc. along the curved surface part 534A, for example. In this case, for example, when a pressing plate protruding downward is provided above the movable plate 535 and the pachinko balls P are carried in a predetermined amount or more from the first connecting portion 532, By adopting a configuration in which the pachinko ball P is pressed by the pressing plate and the movable plate 535 is rotated downward, the carry-in state of the pachinko ball P can be detected by the movement of the movable plate 535.

  Furthermore, the movable plate 535 is exemplified by a configuration in which the movable plate 535 is moved by being pressed by the pressing plate as described above, the fins 554 of the above-described embodiment, and the like, but is not limited thereto. When it is carried in, the movable plate 535 may be configured to rotate downward due to the weight of the pachinko ball P.

  Further, although the movable plate 535 is configured to rotate downward, it may be configured to move to at least one of the front surface 530C side and the rear surface 530D side, for example. In this configuration, when the pachinko balls P are pressed by the fins 554 and the pachinko balls P exceeding the predetermined storage limit are loaded, when the pachinko balls P are pressed by the fins 554, the pachinko balls P are on the front surface 530C side or the rear surface 530D. The movable plate 535 is moved by the movement of the pachinko ball P. The movable detection switch C2 is pressed when the moving amount of the movable plate 535 is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, and inputs a detection signal to the control device. The control device stops the motor 561 when the detection signal is input. To control. Even with such a configuration, similarly to the above-described embodiment, the amount of the pachinko ball P carried in can be detected with a simple configuration in which the movable plate 535 is moved.

In addition, although the movable plate 535 is configured to be rotatable about the bearing portion 535A provided at the end portion on the curved surface portion 534A side, the configuration is not limited thereto. For example, it may be provided so as to be rotatable about the first connection portion 532 side end, or may be provided so as to be rotatable about the front surface 530C side or the rear surface 530D side end.
Further, for example, the movable plate 535 may be provided so as to be slidable downward along sliding grooves provided on the front surface 530C and the rear surface 530D. Even in this case, when the pachinko ball P is pressed by the fin 554, the movable plate 535 can be moved downward, and the movement amount of the movable plate 535 can be detected by the movable detection switch C2.

  Furthermore, although the plate-shaped movable plate 535 is provided as the movable portion from the front surface 530C to the rear surface 530D, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, it is good also as a structure provided so that only a part along the moving direction of the pachinko ball P of the conveyance path | route part 534 could be rotated below.

  The movable detection switch C2 is exemplified as the detection means. For example, sensor light such as infrared rays is emitted from the front surface 530C side to the rear surface 530D side, and the movable plate 535 is moved to the sensor by the amount of movement of the movable plate 535. An optical sensor that outputs a predetermined detection signal to the control device when touched by light may be used, or another detection sensor may be used.

  In addition, although the example in which the urging spring 535C is a torsion spring has been shown, for example, a plate spring or a coil spring may be used, and a configuration in which an elastic member such as rubber is provided between the movable plate 535 and the lower case 530, etc. Any other biasing means may be used. Alternatively, the movable plate 535 itself may be a leaf spring protruding from the curved surface portion 534A toward the first connecting portion 532, and the flexible synthetic resin movable portion 535 is continuously formed from the curved surface portion 534A. It is good also as a structure.

  In the above description, the ball transport unit 520 is configured to connect the replenishment rod 510 that is inclined downward from the lifting device 250 side toward the end portion side of the island structure 200, but is not limited thereto. For example, the pachinko ball P carried into the first connecting portion 532 by a belt conveyor or the like may be transported to the second connecting portion 533.

  Further, the ball transport unit 520 that connects the pair of supply baskets 510 and transports the pachinko balls P from one supply basket 510 to the other supply basket 510 is illustrated. However, for example, a game medium such as a lifting device 250 is transported. The present invention may be applied to an apparatus.

  In the above embodiment, a substantially spherical pachinko ball P is used as the game medium. However, for example, a medals or the like formed in a substantially disc shape, a substantially oval sphere or the like, It may be of a shape.

Although the best configuration for carrying out the present invention has been disclosed in the above description, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the invention has been illustrated and described primarily with respect to particular embodiments, but may be configured for the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art in terms of materials, quantity, and other detailed configurations.
Therefore, the description limited to the shape, material, etc. disclosed above is an example for easy understanding of the present invention, and does not limit the present invention. The description by the name of the member which remove | excluded the limitation of one part or all of such is included in this invention.

  The present invention can be used for a game medium transport unit and a game medium transport system for transporting a game medium for playing with a gaming device.

It is a front view which shows a part of game system in one embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is a front view which shows a part of ball conveying apparatus of the upper part of a game system. It is the front view which expanded further the vicinity of the ball conveyance unit of FIG. It is a perspective view of the replenishment basket in a ball conveyance apparatus. It is the enlarged front view which expanded the ball | bowl conveyance unit of FIG. It is sectional drawing of a ball conveyance unit. It is the top view which looked at the ball conveyance unit from the top side. It is sectional drawing which cut | disconnected the conveyance drum member in the ball | bowl conveyance unit in the direction substantially orthogonal to an axial center. It is a perspective view of the core part which comprises a conveyance drum member. It is a perspective view of the fin installation cylinder part which comprises a conveyance drum member. It is a front view of the ball conveyance unit in other embodiments. It is a figure which shows the locking mechanism of the lower case and upper case in other embodiment. It is an enlarged view of the locking mechanism in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 200 ... Island structure 300 ... Game main body 400 which comprises a game device ... Game medium rental device 500 which comprises a game device ... Ball transport device 510 as a game media transport system ... Supply bowl 514 as a transport lane ... Game media supply part Ball replenishing chute 520 as a ball transport unit 532 as a game medium transport unit ... a first connection part 533 as a carry-in entrance ... a second connection part 534 as a carry-out exit ... a transport path part 534A ... a curved surface part as a transport path surface 535 ... Movable plate 535C as a movable part ... Biasing spring 550 as a biasing means ... Conveying drum member 551 as a conveying member ... Shaft part 554 ... Fin 560 ... Driving part C2 as driving means ... Movable detection as detecting means switch

Claims (8)

A carry-in entrance for a game medium;
A carry-out port for carrying out the game medium;
A transport path unit provided continuously with the transport port and the transport port, and having a transport path surface for guiding the game medium transported from the transport port to the transport port;
A conveying member that conveys the game medium carried in from the carry-in port to the carry-out port side along the carrying route surface, facing the carrying route surface,
Driving means for driving the conveying member;
A movable part provided in the vicinity of the carry-in entrance side of the carrying path part and moving in a predetermined direction when the game medium is carried in a predetermined amount or more;
Detecting means for detecting a moving state of the movable part;
Control means for controlling to stop driving of the driving means when recognizing that the game medium has been carried in a predetermined amount or more based on the moving state of the movable part detected by the detecting means;
Equipped with,
The transport member includes a plurality of fins that are provided so as to be movable at least partially along the transport path surface and move the game medium loaded from the carry-in port by pushing it toward the carry-out port side,
The game medium transport unit , wherein the movable part moves in a pressing direction by being pressed by the fins in a state where the game media overlaps on the movable part . The game medium transport unit according to claim 1 ,
The movable part is continuously provided on the carry-in entrance side of the transport path surface in the transport path part,
The game medium transport unit, wherein the transport member is driven by the driving means so that at least a part of the fin is close to the movable portion at a position facing the movable portion. The game medium transport unit according to claim 2 ,
The transport member is a drum provided with a plurality of fins projecting on a peripheral surface and rotatably provided around a shaft portion;
The game medium transport unit, wherein the transport path surface is formed in a substantially arc shape having substantially the same curvature as the peripheral surface of the drum from a position below the shaft portion of the drum toward the carry-out port. A game medium transport unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The movable portion is a plate-like member provided at one end side so as to be rotatable,
The game medium transport unit, wherein the detection means detects a rotating state of the movable part. The game medium transport unit according to claim 4 ,
The game medium transport unit, wherein the movable part is provided so as to be rotatable about a downstream end in a traveling direction of the game medium. A game medium transport unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
The movable part has a biasing means for biasing the movable part in a state where a contact surface that contacts the game medium is continuous with the transport path surface and the carry-in entrance. unit. A game medium transport unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6 ,
The detection means is a switch provided in the moving direction of the movable part and pressed down by the movement of the movable part,
When the control means detects that the switch is pressed, the control means controls to stop driving of the drive means. A game medium transport system that is provided in an island structure in which a plurality of gaming devices that are played using gaming media are arranged substantially in parallel, and that distributes the gaming media to the gaming devices,
A first transport lane that is provided longitudinally in the same direction as the line-up direction of the gaming devices, and the game medium is inclined at an inclination angle at which the game medium can be moved by its own weight;
The game apparatus is provided in a longitudinal direction substantially in the same direction as the arrangement direction of the game devices, and the game medium is inclined at an inclination angle at which the game medium can be moved by its own weight, and an upstream end in the movement direction of the game medium is the first transport. A second transport lane provided at a height position higher than the downstream end in the moving direction of the game medium in the lane;
A game medium supply unit that is provided in the first transfer lane and the second transfer lane, and supplies the game medium to the game device;
The downstream end of the first transport lane is connected to the carry-in entrance, the upstream end of the second transport lane is connected to the carry-out exit, and the game medium loaded from the first transport lane is transported upward. The game medium transport unit according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the game medium transport unit is carried out to the second transport lane.
A game medium transport system comprising: