JP5600544B2 - Paper sheet take-in device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a paper sheet take-in device that inserts paper sheets into a transport pipe of a paper sheet transport apparatus that transports paper sheets such as banknotes by the action of an air flow generated in the transport pipe.

  Inside the gaming machine island that houses multiple sets of gaming ball lending machines that lend gaming balls (pachinko balls, etc.) to players upon receipt of banknotes and pachinko machines, A transport device is provided along the longitudinal direction of the gaming machine island for transporting bills inserted into each gaming ball lending machine to a safe provided at the end of the gaming machine island. At various locations along the transport path of the transport device, banknote take-in devices are provided corresponding to the respective game ball lending machines in order to take bills discharged from the back of the game ball lending machine into the transport path.

  For example, in Patent Document 1 below, a conveying device that conveys a banknote between a belt that is driven to circulate along a conveying path and a plurality of rollers that are disposed along the belt, and in the middle of the conveying path. The banknote taking-in apparatus which pays out the leading end of a banknote from the provided discharge outlet is disclosed. When the banknote taking-in device feeds the leading edge of the banknote from the discharge port into the transport path, the banknote is transported as the belt moves, after which the leading edge of the banknote is sandwiched between the belt and the roller. Yes.

  In addition, there is a conveyance device that generates an air flow with a blower inside a cylindrical conveyance tube and conveys paper sheets such as banknotes by the action of the air flow (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent No. 2766945 Japanese Patent No. 4130697

  When transporting the paper sheet between the belt and the roller, if the banknote taking-in device feeds a part of the starting edge of the paper money between the belt and the roller, then the paper money is taken in by the belt force. However, when transporting by the action of airflow, the banknote cannot be taken into the transport pipe simply by feeding the leading edge of the banknote into the transport pipe.

  The present invention is intended to solve the above-described problem, and is a paper that can reliably feed paper sheets into a transport pipe of a transport device that transports paper sheets by the action of an air flow generated in the transport pipe. It aims at providing a leaf taking-in device.

  The gist of the present invention for achieving the object lies in the inventions of the following items.

[1] In a paper sheet take-in device that feeds paper sheets into the transport pipe of the paper sheet transport apparatus that transports paper sheets with an air flow generated in the transport pipe,
A passage part that is inserted in the transport pipe and provided with an opening for inserting paper sheets;
A standby unit that communicates with the opening and waits for paper sheets to be sent into the passage unit;
A sending section for sending the paper sheets waiting in the waiting section into the passage section from the opening until the end of the paper sheets comes into the passage section;
Have
The sending section is
Annularly driven along the direction of conveyance of the paper sheets in the passage section, and is driven to circulate while being obliquely spanned so that the downstream side in the conveyance direction is exposed to the opening and the upstream side in the conveyance direction is separated from the passage section. A discharge assist belt;
Near the opposite side of the discharge auxiliary belt along the path portion side belt, a discharge path for paper sheets is formed between the discharge auxiliary belt and the apex on the opening side of the discharge auxiliary belt. a guide portion that terminates at the opening there,
A paper sheet take-in device, comprising: a conveyance unit that sends the paper sheets waiting in the standby unit into the discharge path.

  In the above invention, from the vicinity of the end of the standby unit to the opening, the paper sheet is transported by the discharge auxiliary belt through the discharge path formed between the discharge auxiliary belt that is circulated and the guide unit that is disposed in close proximity to the belt. To do. Thereby, the paper sheet can be reliably sent out and taken into the transport pipe of the transport device that transports the paper sheet using the air flow.

[2] The transport unit includes a pair of discharge rollers disposed at a terminal portion of the standby unit,
The sheet take-in device according to [1] , wherein the upstream side in the transport direction of the discharge auxiliary belt is stretched over one of the pair of discharge rollers.

  In the above invention, one end of the discharge assist belt is stretched over the discharge roller. If the discharge roller is driven to rotate, the discharge auxiliary belt follows and rotates.

[3] The width of the discharge auxiliary belt is shorter than the length of the discharge roller,
A portion of the discharge roller where the discharge auxiliary belt is stretched is smaller in diameter than other portions, and the sum of the radius of the small diameter portion and the thickness of the discharge auxiliary belt is equal to or less than the radius of the other portion. The paper sheet taking-in device according to [2], which is characterized in that

  In the above invention, the discharge auxiliary belt is stretched around the small diameter portion provided on the discharge roller. Further, the portion where the discharge assist belt is stretched is prevented from protruding from the peripheral surface of the discharge roller.

[4] The discharge auxiliary belt is provided around one end of the discharge roller.
A second small-diameter portion is provided near the other end of the discharge roller to form a slope extending from the opening to a recess formed by the second small-diameter portion, and disposed in close proximity to the slope, The paper sheet take-in device according to [3], wherein a paper sheet discharge path is formed between the second guide portions that terminate at the opening.

  In the above invention, the discharge roller is provided with a discharge auxiliary belt near one end of the discharge roller, and the sheet is guided from the discharge roller to the opening by the inclined surface and the second guide portion near the other end. A discharge path is formed.

[5] A sensor for detecting paper sheets is provided in the opening,
[1] to [4], wherein the sensor is used for both the detection of the completion of the feeding of the paper sheet from the opening into the transport pipe and the detection of the paper sheet passing through the passage portion. The paper sheet taking-in apparatus as described in any one of these.

[6] Of the passage portion, the wall portion facing the opening is detachable.
The sensor is an optical sensor including a light emitting unit that emits light toward the facing wall part, and a light receiving unit that receives light from the opposing wall part side,
The paper sheet capturing device according to [5], wherein an optical path changing unit that changes a light path so that light from the light emitting unit is directed to the light receiving unit is provided on the opposing wall unit. .

  In the said invention, since an electrical wiring is unnecessary to an optical path change part, even if an optical path change part is provided in the wall part with which it can be attached or detached, there will be no trouble in attachment or detachment.

[7] The paper sheet transport device is configured to transport the paper sheet from the upstream side by a transport auxiliary body that moves in the transport pipe by the air flow,
The transport pipe includes a rib projecting inward so that the transport auxiliary body moves in a predetermined posture,
The passage portion has guide rails corresponding to the ribs on the inner side,
The paper discharge device according to any one of [1] to [6], wherein the discharge assist belt is provided at a location corresponding to the guide rail.

  In the above invention, since the discharge assist belt is provided at a position corresponding to the guide rail provided in the passage portion corresponding to the rib in the transport pipe, the end of the bill can be sent to the top of the rib by the discharge assist belt.

  According to the paper sheet taking-in device according to the present invention, the paper sheet can be reliably inserted into the transport pipe of the transport apparatus that transports the paper sheet by the action of the air flow generated in the transport pipe.

It is a top view which shows schematic structure of the paper sheet conveying apparatus which attached the banknote taking-in apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the paper sheet conveyance apparatus which attached the banknote taking-in apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which a conveyance auxiliary body pushes and moves the banknote in a conveyance pipe from the rear end side of this banknote. It is sectional drawing of the conveyance pipe in a straight part (portion of an outward path and a return path). It is a figure which shows the plane and front of a conveyance auxiliary body. It is sectional drawing which shows a conveyance pipe and a conveyance auxiliary body in the state which inserted the conveyance auxiliary body in the conveyance pipe. It is a front view which shows the turn part of a conveyance pipe. It is a front view of a banknote taking-in apparatus. It is AA sectional drawing of the banknote taking-in apparatus shown in FIG. It is a side view which shows the banknote conveyance direction downstream of a banknote taking-in apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows a detachable wall surface part. It is a perspective view which shows the state which looked at the channel | path part side of the banknote taking-in apparatus of the state which removed the detachable wall surface part B from the diagonally upstream side. It is a perspective view which shows the banknote taking-in apparatus of the state which connected the upstream and downstream conveyance pipes to the channel | path part, and removed the detachable wall surface part. It is explanatory drawing which notched and showed a part of edge part of the conveyance pipe connected to this with the banknote taking-in apparatus which removed the detachable wall surface part. It is explanatory drawing which shows a discharge roller, a discharge auxiliary belt, etc. It is explanatory drawing which shows a discharge roller, a discharge auxiliary belt, a slope part, etc. It is explanatory drawing which shows a discharge roller, a slope part, a 2nd guide part, etc. It is explanatory drawing which shows a bill sensor and the optical path change part by the side of a detachable wall surface part. It is the perspective view which looked at the banknote taking-in apparatus from the back side. It is the perspective view which looked at the banknote taking-in apparatus of the state which opened and closed the door from the back side. It is the perspective view which looked at the banknote taking-in apparatus of the state which removed the opening / closing door from the back side. It is a perspective view which shows an opening / closing door. It is explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement of the banknote taking-in apparatus after accepting a banknote until it sends out in a channel | path part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the continuation of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the installation state of the banknote taking-in apparatus for front surfaces, and the banknote taking-in apparatus for back surfaces. It is explanatory drawing which illustrated the installation state in the various positional relationships of the banknote taking-in apparatus for front surfaces, and the banknote taking-in apparatus for back surfaces.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a paper sheet transport apparatus 10 to which a banknote take-in device 24 according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached, and FIG. 2 is a front view of the paper sheet transport apparatus 10. In the present embodiment, the paper sheet transport device 10 is a set of a gaming ball lending machine 3 that lends a gaming ball (pachinko ball) to a player upon receipt of a bill and a gaming machine 4 such as a pachinko machine. Are provided in a gaming machine island 2 that accommodates a plurality of sets on the front and back surfaces so that they are back-to-back with each other, and the banknotes 6 discharged from the back of each gaming ball lending machine 3 are taken in to end the gaming machine island It is comprised as a banknote conveyance apparatus conveyed to the safe 5 provided in the section.

  The paper sheet transport apparatus 10 includes a transport pipe 12 that serves as a transport path for banknotes (paper sheets) and an air flow generator 14 that generates an air flow that flows in the extending direction in the transport pipe 12. . In the paper sheet transport apparatus 10, a transport auxiliary body 16 that can move in the transport pipe 12 by receiving an air flow is inserted into the transport pipe 12 upstream from the banknote to be transported, and transported by the transport auxiliary body 16. The banknote in the pipe 12 is pushed and moved from the rear to be conveyed downstream.

  In this example, as shown in FIG. 2, an air flow generator 14 and a safe 5 are arranged at one end of the gaming machine island 2, and the transport pipe 12 of the paper sheet transport device 10 A forward path 12a extending from the start end to the other end of the gaming machine island 2 at the end of the gaming machine island 2 on the side where the generator 14 is installed, and the other end A turn part 12b that is folded in a U-shape at the part, and a return path 12c that is folded back at the turn part 12b and then extended to the end part.

  In the transport pipe 12, the forward path 12a and the return path 12c of the transport pipe 12 correspond to a predetermined length, for example, a lateral width corresponding to one set of the gaming machine 4 and the gaming ball lending machine 3 housed together on the gaming machine island 2. The length is divided into units, and the required number of these are connected by the connecting unit 18 so that the path length can be adjusted according to the length of the gaming machine island 2 in the longitudinal direction. At the construction site, the transport pipe 12 is cut to the required length and used on the spot.

  The air outlet 14a of the air flow generator 14 is connected to the start end side of the transport pipe 12 (outward path 12a), and the suction port 14b of the air flow generator 14 is connected to the terminal end side of the transport pipe 12 (return path 12c). ing. The air flow generator 14 blows air from the start end side into the transport pipe 12 by rotating the fan with a motor, and sucks out the air in the transport pipe 12 from the terminal end side, so that the air flow generator 14 enters the transport pipe 12. An air flow from the start end to the end (flows along the extending direction of the transfer pipe 12) is generated. The air flow generator 14 sends a part of the air in the transport pipe 12 sucked out from the suction port 14b to the transport pipe 12 through the blowout port 14a and circulates it again.

  At the start end of the transport pipe 12, a transport auxiliary body insertion device 21 that feeds the transport auxiliary body 16 into the transport pipe 12 is provided. Moreover, the banknote separator 20 is arrange | positioned at the terminal part of the conveyance pipe 12, and the conveyance auxiliary body separator 22 is arrange | positioned in the upstream of the banknote separator 20 slightly. Further, in the middle of the return path 12 c of the transport pipe 12, a banknote take-in device 24 that takes the banknote 6 discharged from the back of the game ball lending machine 3 into the transport pipe 12 at a position corresponding to each game ball lending machine 3. Is arranged. The banknote capturing device 24 includes a banknote 6 from the gaming ball lending machine 3 disposed on the front surface side of the gaming machine island 2, and a banknote 6 from the gaming ball lending machine 3 disposed on the back side of the gaming machine island 2. Is provided on both sides of the side wall of the transport pipe 12, and is used for the front side (right side when viewed from the safe 5) and the rear side (left side when viewed from the safe 5) banknote taking device. There are 24L. The banknote taking-in device 24 is interposed between the transport pipe and the transport pipe constituting the return path 12c to connect them and also serves as a path for the banknote 6 at the connecting portion.

  The banknote 6 taken in from the banknote taking-in device 24 into the return path 12c of the transport pipe 12 stays at the take-up completion position with the paper surface in a posture along the extending direction of the transport pipe 12. The conveyance auxiliary body 16 is fed into the conveyance pipe 12 by the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 21 in order to convey and collect the bill 6 that has been taken in and stayed in the conveyance pipe 12 to the safe 5. The conveyance auxiliary body 16 sent into the conveyance pipe 12 from the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 21 moves in the forward path 12a toward the turn portion 12b under the action of the air flow generated by the air flow generation device 14, After making a U-turn at the turn part 12b, the inside of the return path 12c further moves toward the terminal part. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 pushes and moves the banknote 6 in the conveyance pipe 12 from the rear end side of the banknote 6 toward the end of the conveyance pipe 12 (in the drawing). The bill 6 is transported in the transport direction F).

  The conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 21 includes a delivery path connected between the starting end of the conveyance pipe 12 and the outlet 14a, a standby unit for waiting for the conveyance auxiliary body to be sent out next, and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 in the standby unit. The conveyance auxiliary body has a conveyance auxiliary body movable holding portion that holds and holds the conveyance auxiliary body in a reciprocating manner between the delivery passage and the standby portion in the held state. The conveyance auxiliary body movable holding part holds the conveyance auxiliary body 16 by a holding part having a U-shaped cross section whose front is opened, and a ventilation hole is formed in the U-shaped part. When the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 21 sends out the conveyance auxiliary body, the conveyance auxiliary body movable holding portion is moved into the delivery passage. Then, the conveyance auxiliary body moves forward by riding on the air flow from the air blowing hole of the U-shaped portion, is detached from the holding portion, and is sent out into the conveyance pipe.

  The conveyance auxiliary body separating device 22 performs a function of separating the conveyance auxiliary body 16 and the banknote 6 conveyed by the conveyance auxiliary body 16 and collecting the conveyance auxiliary body 16. Specifically, in the conveyance auxiliary body separating device 22, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 that has been moved by the action of the air flow and the banknote 6 that has been moved by being pushed by the conveyance auxiliary body 16 flow in from the inlet, and only the banknote 6 is transferred. It has a passage-shaped separation and recovery part having a narrow outlet that can pass through. The conveyance auxiliary body is supplemented and held in the separation and recovery unit. The separation / collection unit is configured to be rotatable about the inlet side as a fulcrum, and when rotated to a position directly above the standby unit of the conveyance auxiliary body inserting device 21, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 falls from the opening at the bottom, The transfer auxiliary body is dropped into the standby section from the opening of the ceiling of the standby section and is held by the transfer auxiliary body movable holding section. In this way, one conveyance auxiliary body is recycled.

  The conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 21, the banknote separation device 20, and the conveyance auxiliary body separation device 22 operate under the control of a control unit (not shown) including CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like as main parts. In this example, the air flow generator 14 is always operated, and the control unit detects the bill 6 discharged from the back of the game ball lending machine 3 by the sensor provided in the bill pickup device 24. 24 is operated to take the bill 6 into the transport pipe 12. When this taking-in operation is completed, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is fed into the conveyance pipe 12 from the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 21. Then, this conveyance auxiliary body 16 receives the effect | action of an air flow, moves the inside of the conveyance pipe 12, and pushes and moves the banknote 6 from back. When the conveyance auxiliary body separating device 22 detects the arrival of the conveyance auxiliary body 16, it performs a separation and recovery operation to collect the conveyance auxiliary body 16, and inserts the collected conveyance auxiliary body 16 for the next delivery. Guide to the standby section of the device 21. The banknote 6 separated by the conveyance auxiliary body separating device 22 reaches the downstream banknote separating apparatus 20, and when the banknote separating apparatus 20 detects the banknote 6, the transport belt of the banknote separating apparatus 20 is driven to move the banknote 6 to the safe 5. And so on.

  The air flow generator 14 is operated only when necessary (for example, from when the banknote take-in device 24 detects a banknote from the game ball lending machine 3 to when the banknote has been transported to the safe 5). You may control.

  In this way, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is moved under the action of the airflow, and the banknote 6 is pushed and conveyed from the rear end side by the conveyance auxiliary body 16, so that the banknote 6 itself receives the airflow and propulsion force. No need to get. Therefore, the banknote 6 can be conveyed by the airflow without taking measures such as bending the banknote 6 to receive the airflow.

  Next, the shape of the conveyance pipe | tube 12 and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is demonstrated in detail.

  FIG. 4 shows the shape of a cross section perpendicular to the extending direction F of the transport pipe 12 of the transport pipe 12 (= the banknote transport direction F = the direction in which the airflow flows) in the straight section (the forward path 12a and the return path 12c). Show. The conveyance tube 12 is formed of a resin having a thickness of about 1.5 mm. The conveyance pipe 12 is formed by extrusion molding, for example.

  The straight portion of the transport pipe 12 has a cylindrical shape having the cross-sectional shape of FIG. 4 and extending linearly. The cross section perpendicular to the extending direction of the conveying pipe 12 has a substantially rectangular flat shape, and a pair of opposing side wall portions 32 forming the long side (longitudinal direction) are a plurality of ribs 34 and guide rails 36, extended. A portion 38 is formed to be uneven. The pair of opposing wall portions 33 forming the short side (short direction) side of the substantially rectangular cross section are substantially flat.

  Hereinafter, the short side direction in the substantially rectangular cross section perpendicular to the extending direction of the transport pipe 12 (transport direction F) is defined as the X direction (or width direction), and the long side direction is defined as the Y direction (or height direction).

  The side wall part 32 is a pair of inner walls facing the paper surface of the bill 6 to be conveyed. The banknote 6 has a rectangular shape and is transported in the transport tube 12 with the long side in the direction of the transport direction F. In other words, the paper surface is transported in such a direction that the paper surface faces the side wall portion 32 of the transport pipe 12 and one short side of the banknote 6 is the front end side in the transport direction and the other short side is the rear end side.

  The distance Dy between the pair of opposing wall portions 33 of the transport pipe 12 is slightly longer than the short side of the banknote 6. The distance Dx between the pair of side wall portions 32 where the ribs 34, the guide rails 36, and the extended portions 38 are not formed (referred to as a reference plane portion) is set to about 2 cm.

  The guide rail 36 is formed at the center of the side wall 32 in the Y direction (height direction). The guide rail 36 protrudes from the reference plane portion to the outside of the transport tube 12 in a “U” shape, and also serves as a rectangular expansion portion 38 that expands the internal space of the transport tube 12. The distance between the inner walls of the guide rail 36 in the Y direction is about 23 mm. Further, the protruding amount of the guide rail 36 from the reference flat portion to the outside is about 5 mm.

  A plurality of ribs 34 are formed so as to protrude from the side wall part 32 toward the inside of the transport pipe 12 (opposite side wall part 32). The height from the reference plane portion to the top of the rib 34 is about 2 mm. What is necessary is just to set the height of the rib 34 suitably. The ribs 34 are formed along both edges of the guide rail 36. Further, they are also provided at positions 10 mm away from the center in the Y direction.

  FIG. 5 shows a plane and a front surface of the conveyance auxiliary body 16. The conveyance auxiliary body 16 has a columnar shape with a circular cross section having a different diameter at each portion. The conveyance auxiliary body 16 is used by being inserted into the conveyance pipe 12 so that the central axis of the cylinder is in the Y direction (height direction) of the conveyance pipe 12. The conveyance auxiliary body 16 is light and strong with polystyrene foam, extruded polystyrene foam or the like. The conveyance auxiliary body 16 may be formed with a hollow inside.

  FIG. 6 shows a cross section perpendicular to the extending direction F and passing through the central axis of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 in a state where the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is inserted into the conveyance pipe 12. The diameter of each part of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 corresponds to the inner edge shape of the conveyance pipe 12. That is, the cross-sectional shape passing through the central axis of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is a shape corresponding to the inner edge shape of the conveyance pipe 12 in the cross section perpendicular to the extending direction F, and the inside of the conveyance pipe 12 is between the inner wall. It has a shape that closes with a predetermined clearance.

  In this way, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 forms a shape corresponding to the inner edge shape of the conveyance pipe 12 (substantially the same shape with a slight clearance) and closes almost the entire cross section of the conveyance pipe 12. Receive and move efficiently. Further, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 serves to block the air flow from the upstream from reaching the downstream and suppress the disturbance of the air flow on the downstream side.

  The banknote 6 tends to stick to the side wall 32 when it receives an action from the air flow in the transport pipe 12. That is, the interval between one paper surface of the banknote 6 and the side wall portion 32 opposite to the paper surface and the interval between the other paper surface and the side wall portion 32 opposite to the paper surface are hardly uniform. When narrower than the other, the flow velocity of the air flow is faster on the narrow interval side than on the wide interval side, so that the air pressure on the narrow interval side is lower than the air pressure on the wide interval side. As a result, the gap on the narrow gap side is further narrowed, and a phenomenon occurs in which the banknote 6 is stuck to the side wall 32 and sucked.

  If the banknote 6 sticks strongly to the side wall part 32, it becomes difficult to push and move the banknote 6 with the transport auxiliary body 16, but the transport auxiliary body 16 blocks the flow of air to the downstream side as described above ( Therefore, the force with which the bill 6 is stuck and attracted is small, and smooth conveyance is realized.

  A portion of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 corresponding to the guide rail 36 is an engaging portion that engages with the guide rail 36. In this example, since the guide rail 36 is provided near the center of the transport pipe 12 in the Y direction, the transport auxiliary body 16 can be moved while being maintained in a stable posture. Moreover, since the attitude | position of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is stabilized, it can contact | abut to the rear end of the banknote 6 appropriately, can provide the stable conveyance force, and the banknote 6 is caught between the conveyance pipe | tube 12 and the conveyance auxiliary body 16. FIG. It is easy to avoid the situation.

  Further, the guide rail 36 is an extended portion 38 that expands the internal space of the transport pipe 12 to the outside, and the transport auxiliary body 16 also has a shape (engagement portion) corresponding to the shape of the guide rail 36. Yes. Thereby, the area of the part which receives the effect | action of an airflow expands, and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 can receive the force for moving efficiently. Moreover, since the width | variety (Dx) in the conveyance pipe 12 in parts other than the expansion part 38 can be narrowed by providing the expansion part 38, the fall of the banknote 6 can be prevented.

  Furthermore, the presence of the plurality of ribs 34 provided on the side wall portion 32 prevents the banknote 6 from sticking to the side wall portion 32 exactly. That is, the contact area between the bill 6 and the side wall portion 32 is reduced, friction is reduced, and generation of static electricity can be suppressed. Even when the banknote 6 sticks to the side wall portion 32, the banknote 6 is supported by the tip portions of the plurality of ribs 34. A gap is secured between the bill 6 and the sticking force is kept small.

  Further, the plurality of ribs 34 projecting inward from the side wall portion 32 serve to narrow the passage width W of the banknote 6 in the width direction (X direction) of the transport pipe 12 to be smaller than the distance Dx between the reference plane portions. . Thereby, it becomes difficult for the banknote 6 to fall down in the conveyance pipe 12, and the attitude | position of the banknote 6 is hold | maintained along a Y direction. In particular, by providing a plurality of ribs 34, the banknote 6 can be prevented from falling down and sticking to the side wall 32 of the banknote 6 can be effectively prevented. Note that Dx can be increased by the amount of the ribs 34 provided, thereby increasing the cross-sectional area of the transport pipe 12 and making the transport auxiliary body 16 susceptible to the action of airflow.

  In the case of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 according to the present embodiment, the diameter of the portion corresponding to the guide rail 36 is the largest, so that the maximum diameter portion 16m comes into contact with the rear end of the bill 6 as shown in FIG. It comes to push.

  FIG. 7 is a front view of the turn portion 12b. The turn part 12b has a shape in which the transport pipe 12 is extended so as to draw a 180-degree arc with the Y direction as the radial direction. The rib 34 and the guide rail 36 are also formed in the turn portion 12b. However, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is not turned on when the conveyance auxiliary body 16 moves in the arc shape in the turn portion 12b. The rib 34 and the guide rail 36 are allowed to escape from the range of the trajectory passing through the arc (the clearance is larger than that of the straight line portion). Thereby, the rotation radius in the turn part 12b can be made small. The relief portion Q such as the rib 34 is larger on the inner side where the turning radius is smaller.

  Next, the banknote taking device 24 will be described.

  8 is a front view of the front surface banknote capturing device 24L, FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in the banknote capturing device 24L of FIG. 8, and FIG. The side surface seen from the pipe downstream side is shown. As shown in FIG. 9, the banknote taking-in device 24 has a cylindrical passage portion 40 in which the transport pipe 12 is closely inserted at both ends and connected thereto, and a rectangular box-like shape provided along the passage portion 40. And a main body frame portion 60.

  The passage part 40 has a first transport pipe connection part 41 at one end and a second transport pipe connection part 42 at the other end. An arrow F in the figure indicates the conveyance direction (air flow direction) of the banknote 6 in the conveyance tube 12. 9, the upstream transport pipe 12 (12U) is connected to the first transport pipe connecting portion 41, and the downstream transport pipe is connected to the second transport pipe connecting portion 42. 12 (12D) is connected.

  Between the 1st conveyance pipe connection part 41 and the 2nd conveyance pipe connection part 42, it is the banknote channel | path 43 which has the inner side shape corresponding to the inner side shape of the conveyance pipe | tube 12. As shown in FIG. On the wall surface of the bill passage 43 on the main body frame portion 60 side, an opening 44 is provided as an insertion port for taking the bill 6 into the bill passage 43 of the passage portion 40. The passage portion 40 includes an opening-side passage frame 40A that has a wall surface on the side where the opening portion 44 is provided and upper and lower wall surfaces, has a U-shaped cross section, and is integrally formed with the main body frame portion 60, and an opening portion. It is composed of a detachable wall surface portion 40B that is detachably attached to the opening-side passage frame 40A by a ny latch 47 or the like, forming a wall surface opposite to the wall surface provided with 44.

  FIG. 11 shows the detachable wall surface portion 40B, FIG. 12 shows the state where the passage portion 40 side of the banknote capturing device 24L with the detachable wall surface portion 40B removed is seen from the oblique upstream side, and FIG. The state where the upstream and downstream transport pipes 12U and 12D are connected to the passage portion 40 and the detachable wall surface portion 40B is removed is shown. FIG. 14 shows the banknote taking-in device 24L from which the detachable wall surface portion 40B has been removed, with a part of the end of the transport pipe 12 connected thereto being cut away.

  As shown in FIGS. 11, 12, 13, and 14, the inner wall of the banknote passage 43 of the passage portion 40 has a first extension line corresponding to each rib 34 of the transport pipe 12 to be connected. A guide rail 46 that extends along the transport direction F from the vicinity of the transport pipe connecting portion 41 to the front of the second transport pipe connecting portion 42 is provided. However, the guide rail 46 provided on the inner wall on the opening side passage frame 40A side is not formed in the opening 44, and this portion is interrupted. Here, four guide rails 46 are provided on the inner wall on the opening side passage frame 40A side and on the inner wall of the detachable wall surface portion 40B in correspondence with the ribs 34 in the transport pipe 12. By the guide rail 46, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 can pass through the passage portion 40 with a stable posture equivalent to the case of passing through the conveyance pipe 12.

  As shown in FIG. 8, FIG. 9, and the like, a bill accepting port 61 that accepts bills from the game ball lending machine 3 is opened at the back end of the main body frame 60. The banknote receiving port 61 is a rectangular opening slightly longer than the short side of the banknote 6 and accepts the banknote 6 with the short side as the starting end. As shown in FIG. 9, a standby unit 62 is formed between the banknote receiving port 61 and the opening 44 of the passage unit 40 as a passage for waiting for the banknote 6 to be fed into the banknote passage 43 from the opening 44 next. Has been. The standby section 62 is a narrow passage (curved passage) curved in an S-shape (narrow in the thickness direction of the bill 6) so that one bill 6 can be kept waiting in the curved passage. It has become.

  From the banknote receiving port 61, the banknote 6 enters substantially at right angles to the conveyance direction F in the passage portion 40. The curved path of the standby section 62 is curved by changing the course about 110 degrees so as to follow the conveyance direction immediately after entering from the bill receiving port 61, and then becomes a substantially linear path, before the pair of discharge rollers 64. The path is turned again to the side of the passage portion 40 and is bent to form a passage for feeding the bill 6 between the pair of discharge rollers 64. In the curved path, the first curve and the subsequent curve are in the direction in which the bill 6 is bent in the opposite direction (concave and convex relationship). Further, the curved portion is not curved gently using the entire length of the standby portion, but is curved with a relatively small radius in the vicinity of the start end portion and the end portion of the curved passage.

  As described above, since the standby unit 62 (curved passage) is curved with irregularities and a small curvature, the folding of the bill 6 can be extended. In particular, it is possible to correct or eliminate the folds along the longitudinal direction of the banknotes, thereby removing or reducing the folds.

  The sending unit that transports the banknote 6 waiting in the standby unit 62 into the banknote passage 43 includes a first roller 63 provided in the vicinity of the end on the banknote receiving port 61 side in the curved path of the standby unit 62, and the like. A pair of discharge rollers 64 provided on the end side, a discharge auxiliary belt 65 that conveys the banknote 6 from the discharge roller 64 to the opening 44, and the first roller 63, the discharge roller 64, and the discharge auxiliary belt 65 are driven to rotate. Motor 66 (see FIG. 10), a gear for transmitting the rotation of the motor 66 to the first roller 63 and the discharge roller 64, a transmission belt 67 (see FIG. 12), and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the first roller 63 is a narrow roller that presses the banknote 6 that has entered from the banknote receiving port 61 at a substantially central portion in the short side (width) direction of the banknote 6 and waits. It rotates in the direction of taking in the curved passage of the portion 62. The pressing force by the first roller 63 is set to be relatively weak so that the game ball lending machine 3 can pull back the banknote 6. Here, the first roller 63 has a polygon (for example, a triangle) with rounded corners. Even if the pressing force against the bill 6 at the corner portion is increased by using the polygon, the pressing force is weakened (or disappears) at the side (string) portion. Pulling back becomes easy. That is, the ease of pulling back is ensured while increasing the conveyance force of the bills 6 at the corners. The first roller 63 may be circular.

  The discharge roller 64 is composed of a pair of cylindrical rollers that are slightly longer than the length of the short side of the bill 6. The surface of the discharge roller 64 has elasticity, and the pair of discharge rollers 64 are arranged so as to be pressed and in close contact with each other, and the banknote 6 is nipped between the pair of discharge rollers 64 and conveyed.

  The discharge roller 64 does not protrude into the passage portion 40 so as not to contact the maximum diameter portion 16m of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 passing through the passage portion 40 (that is, the main body portion 60 side outside the passage portion 40). Is installed. In order to reliably feed the banknote 6 into the passage portion 40, it is necessary to send the end of the banknote 6 to the top of the guide rail 46, and the transport from the discharge roller 64 to the top of the guide rail 46 is performed by the discharge auxiliary belt 65. .

  As shown in FIGS. 9, 15, and 16, the discharge assist belt 65 is along the conveyance direction F of the banknote 6 in the passage portion 40, and the downstream side in the conveyance direction is exposed in the opening 44, and the conveyance direction This is an annular belt that is inclined and stretched so that the upstream side is separated from the passage portion 40. As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the discharge roller 64 </ b> A closer to the opening 44 of the pair of discharge rollers 64 is provided with a small diameter portion 64 b (see FIG. 16) having a smaller diameter than other portions. One end of the discharge assist belt 65 is stretched over the small diameter portion 64 b, and the other end side is stretched over a pulley 65 a provided in the vicinity of the opening 44. The discharge assist belt 65 rotates by obtaining a driving force from the discharge roller 64A.

  The discharge assist belt 65 is an annular round belt having a circular cross section of about 2 mm in diameter, and uses rubber having elasticity and a high surface friction coefficient. The diameter of the small diameter portion 64b is set such that the sum of the radius of the small diameter portion 64b and the thickness (diameter) of the discharge auxiliary belt is equal to or less than the radius of the other portion of the discharge roller 64A (here, equal). That is, the discharge auxiliary belt 65 is prevented from protruding from the peripheral surface of the discharge roller 64 at the portion that spans the small diameter portion 64 b.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 15, a guide portion 68 is provided along a discharge assist belt 65 that is slanted from the discharge roller 64 </ b> A to the opening 44. Specifically, the guide portion 68 is disposed in close proximity to and along the belt on the passage portion 40 side of the discharge assist belt 65, forms a discharge path 69 for the banknote 6 between the belt 68, and terminates at the opening 44. It is provided to do.

  The bill 6 fed out from the discharge roller 64 advances into the discharge path 69. The discharge auxiliary belt 65 conveys the banknote in the discharge path 69 and sends it out from the opening 44 into the passage 40. The guide part 68 plays the role which makes the banknote 6 contact | abut to the discharge auxiliary belt 65, and the direction which the banknote 6 advances into the channel | path part 40 from the opening part 44 to the direction along the conveyance direction F.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the discharge assist belt 65 is provided at a position corresponding to the guide rail 46 provided on the inner wall of the opening-side passage frame 40 </ b> A of the passage portion 40. As described above, the guide rail 46 is interrupted at the portion of the opening 44, and the discharge assist belt 65 is exposed at this interrupted portion. Further, as shown in FIG. 15, the guide portion 68 is formed by making the end of the guide rail 46 </ b> A interrupted on the upstream side of the opening portion 44 an inclined surface along the discharge assist belt 65.

  Since the discharge assist belt 65 is stretched to a height corresponding to the top of the guide rail 46 at a position corresponding to the guide rail 46, the banknote 6 can be sent out to the top of the guide rail 46 by the discharge assist belt 65. it can. That is, the guide rail 46 corresponds to the rib 34 of the transport path 12, and this portion is the smallest diameter portion of the transport auxiliary body 16, so if the end of the bill 6 is sent to the top of the guide rail 46, the transport auxiliary body 16. The bill 6 is not caught in the large-diameter portion 16m, and the bill 6 can be reliably discharged into the passage portion 40.

  In addition, you may make it extend the guide part 68 further downstream than what is shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 15, the guide portion 68 does not reach the vicinity of the top of the end portion on the opening portion 44 side of the discharge assist belt 65, but the banknote 6 is directed toward the discharge assist belt 65 by the air flowing in the transport direction F. Since it is pressed, the portion after the guide portion 68 ends is also brought into contact with the discharge assist belt 65 and conveyed.

  As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, a second small diameter portion 64c is provided near the end of the discharge roller 64A opposite to the side where the discharge auxiliary belt 65 is stretched. In addition, as shown in FIG. 17, a slope 70 extending from the opening 44 to the second small diameter part 64 c (the depression of the discharge roller 64) is provided, and is disposed in close proximity along the slope, and between this slope. The 2nd guide part 71 which forms the discharge path 72 of the banknote 6 and terminates in the opening part 44 is provided. The discharge path 72 configured by the slope portion 70 and the second guide portion 71 changes the traveling direction of the banknote 6 sent out from the pair of discharge rollers 64 in a direction along the conveyance direction F of the banknote 6 in the passage section 40. Play a regulatory role.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the slope portion 70 and the second guide portion 71 are provided at positions corresponding to the guide rail 46. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 17, the inclined surface portion 70 is the start end of the guide rail 46 </ b> B downstream of the opening portion 44 of the guide rail 46 provided on the inner wall of the passage portion 40 on the opening side passage frame 40 </ b> A side. Is formed as an inclined surface that reaches the second small diameter portion 64c. The second guide portion 71 is formed such that the end of the upstream guide rail 46 </ b> A is a slope that faces the slope portion 70 in the vicinity.

  As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, a banknote sensor 80 that detects a banknote 6 passing therethrough is provided in the vicinity of the downstream side of the opening 44. In this example, the banknote sensor 80 is attached in the vicinity of the downstream side of the slope portion 70 so as to be embedded in the wall portion of the opening-side passage frame 40A. By providing at such a position, the banknote sensor 80 can detect that the feeding of the banknote 6 from the opening 44 into the passage section 40 has been completed to the end of the banknote 6, and the banknote 6 passing through the passage section 40. Can be detected and used for these purposes.

  As shown in FIG. 18, the banknote sensor 80 used in this example includes a light emitting unit 80 a that emits light toward the detachable wall surface portion 40 </ b> B that is disposed to be opposed, and a light receiving unit that receives light from the detachable wall surface portion 40 </ b> B side. It is an optical sensor provided with 80b. A portion of the detachable wall surface portion 40B that faces the bill sensor 80 is provided with an optical path changing portion 81 that changes the light path so that the light from the light emitting portion 80a goes to the light receiving portion 80b. The optical path changing unit 81 is configured by a prism or a mirror, and electrical wiring to the optical path changing unit 81 is not necessary. Although the detachable wall surface portion 40B is attached to and detached from the opening-side passage frame 40A, since the electrical wiring to the optical path changing portion 81 is unnecessary, the optical path changing portion 81 does not hinder the attachment and detachment.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 9, a first sensor 87 that detects the bill 6 existing in the corresponding portion of the curved passage of the standby unit 62 in the vicinity of the end on the bill receiving port 61 side is in the middle of the curved passage. The 2nd sensor 88 which detects the banknote 6 which exists (or passes) in the said location is provided. The 1st sensor 87 is comprised by the optical sensor which detects the presence or absence of the interruption | blocking of the light by a banknote. The second sensor 88 is configured by a switch having an actuator 88a that is displaced so as to project into the curved passage and is erected so as to protrude into the curved passage and is urged so as to be in the erected state.

  The curved passage curved in the S shape of the standby portion 62 has a predetermined interval with respect to the main body side guide surface 62A formed on the main body frame portion 60 and forming a S curved surface, and the main body side guide surface 62A. The door 62 </ b> B is provided with an S-shaped curved surface that is opposed and disposed inside. 19 is a perspective view showing the back side (the opposite side of the passage portion 40) of the bill taking-in device 24. FIG. 20 shows a state in which the open / close door 62B is opened, and FIG. 21 shows that the open / close door 62B is removed. In the state, the main body side guide surface 62A and the like are shown. FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the open / close door 62B.

  The open / close door 62B has a shaft projection 62c (see FIG. 22) provided at a base end near the curved portion on the banknote receiving port 61 side, and a receiving hole 62d (FIG. 21) opened at a corresponding position on the main body frame 60 side. And is attached to the main body frame 60 so as to be rotatable. Further, a protrusion 62e (see FIG. 22) provided at the front end of the opening / closing door 62B and a locking hole 62f (FIG. 21) on the main body frame 60 side opened at a position corresponding to the protrusion 62e of the opening / closing door 62B in a closed state. And the door 62B is held in a closed state.

  As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, the main body side guide surface 62 </ b> A and the inner side surface 62 </ b> K of the open / close door 62 </ b> B each have a plurality along the extending direction of the curved passage (the conveyance direction of the bills 6 in the curved passage). The rib 85 is provided. The rib 85a provided on the main body side guide surface 62A and the rib 85b provided on the inner side surface 62K of the open / close door 62B are provided at positions facing each other. The space between the opposing ribs 85a and 85b is substantially the passage width (referred to as inter-rib passage width) in the thickness direction of the bill 6 of the standby portion (curved passage) 62. The passage formed by the ribs 85 extends toward a portion (boundary portion) where the pair of discharge rollers 64 are in contact with each other.

  The distance between the main body side guide surface 62A and the inner side surface 62K of the open / close door is wider on the outlet side (discharge roller 64 side) than the inlet side of the curved passage. Further, the height of the rib 85a provided on the main body side guide surface 62A of the curved passage and the height of the rib 85b provided on the inner side surface 62K of the open / close door 62B is higher on the outlet side than the inlet side of the curved passage. Here, the heights of the ribs 85a and 85b are made higher on the outlet side than on the inlet side so as to correspond to the distance between the main body side guide surface 62A and the inner side surface 62K of the opening / closing door spreading on the outlet side. By these cancellations, the rib width between the ribs is substantially uniform from the entrance side to the exit side of the curved passage.

  By providing the ribs 85 in this way, the banknote 6 contacts only the ribs 85 in the curved passage of the standby unit 62, and does not contact the main body side guide surface 62A or the inner side surface 62K of the open / close door 62B. The bills 6 can be smoothly conveyed in the standby unit 62.

  The banknote 6 may have a large number of wrinkles (creases), and the wrinkles give a large number of fine irregularities to the banknote to increase the practical thickness (bulk). It becomes easy to rub against the inner surface 62K of the opening / closing door 62B. However, since the height of the ribs 85a and 85b is higher on the outlet side than on the inlet side, the drop between the top of the ribs 85a and 85b and the inner side surface 62K of the main body side guide surface 62A and the open / close door 62B is large on the outlet side. Thus, even when a large number of uneven banknotes 6 are in contact with the ribs 85a and 85b, other parts of the banknote 6 are unlikely to contact the main body side guide surface 62A and the inner side surface 62K of the open / close door.

  On the other hand, when the distance between the main body side guide surface 62A and the inner side surface 62K of the open / close door 62B is constant from the entrance to the exit of the curved passage, increasing the height of the ribs 85a and 85b increases the substantial passage of the curved passage. The width (passage width between ribs) becomes narrower on the outlet side. Therefore, in order to compensate for this, the distance between the main body side guide surface 62A and the inner side surface 62K of the open / close door is made higher toward the outlet side corresponding to the height of the ribs 85a and 85b, so The passage width between ribs is uniform.

  In addition, as the bill advances toward the exit side of the curved passage, the contact area between the inner wall surfaces 62A and 62K and the ribs 85a and 85b of the curved passage and the bill 6 tends to increase, and the resistance tends to increase. The interval between both inner wall surfaces 62A and 62K is increased and the heights of the ribs 85a and 85b are increased. Thereby, even if it is a banknote 6 with many wrinkles, the inside of a curved channel | path can be advanced smoothly.

  23 and 24 show the operation from when the banknote taking-in device 24 receives the banknote 6 until it is fed into the passage section 40. The banknote taking-in device 24 drives the motor 66 when the banknote 6 arrives from the game ball lending machine 3 and the 1st sensor 87 detects the front-end | tip (FIG. 23 (a)). Thereby, the 1st roller 63 and the discharge roller 64 rotate, and the 1st roller 63 sends out the banknote 6 toward the discharge roller 64 side. Thereafter, after the second sensor 88 detects the banknote 6, the motor 66 is stopped after a predetermined time when the leading edge of the banknote 6 reaches the discharge roller 64 to stop the rotation of the first roller 63 and the discharge roller 64 (FIG. 23 (b) Thereby, the banknote 6 is in a standby state at the standby position of the standby unit 62. The control unit (not shown) is notified that the banknote 6 has waited at the standby position, and the control unit that has received this notification , A bill discharge permission signal is transmitted to the bill capture device 24.

  In response to this, the bill taking-in device 24 drives the motor 66. Accordingly, the discharge roller 64 rotates, and the discharge auxiliary belt 65 also circulates with this rotation. The banknote 6 in the standby position is conveyed to the discharge roller 64 and the discharge auxiliary belt 65, passes through the discharge path 69 between the discharge auxiliary belt 65 and the guide part 68, and passes from the opening 44 to the passage part 40 (banknote path 43). Proceed inside. At this time, the banknote 6 advances into the passage portion 40 in a direction along the inclination of the guide portion 68 with the traveling direction being restricted by the guide portion 68.

  When the banknote 6 advances into the passage portion 40, the banknote sensor 80 detects this. A broken line 90 in FIGS. 23 and 24 indicates a detection position of the banknote 6 by the banknote sensor 80. Further, when the bill 6 is fed out to the passage portion 40 and the end of the bill 6 passes through the discharge roller 64, thereafter, as shown in FIG. 24 (a), between the discharge auxiliary belt 65 and the guide portion 68 that circulate. The discharge assist belt 65 feeds the banknote 6 to the opening 44 so as to sandwich the terminal portion of the banknote 6. As a result, the bill 6 is completely fed into the passage portion 40 up to the end of the bill 6.

  The banknote 6 completely discharged into the passage portion 40 is slightly carried downstream by the air flow flowing in the transport pipe 12, and when the banknote sensor 80 no longer detects the banknote 6, the banknote 6 is completely delivered. And the motor 66 is stopped (FIG. 24B). As described above, the bill taking-in device 24 sends out the bill 6 from the game ball lending machine 3 into the transport pipe 12. When the banknote taking-in device 24 completes the delivery of the banknote 6, it notifies the control unit to that effect. The control part which received this collects this banknote 6 by sending out the conveyance auxiliary body 16 from the conveyance auxiliary body insertion apparatus 21.

  Next, the difference between the front surface banknote capturing device 24R and the back surface banknote capturing device 24L will be described. As shown in FIG. 25, in the banknote taking-in device 24L, the banknote receiving port 61 is on the upstream side in the transport direction F from the pair of discharge rollers 64, and the standby section (curved passage) 62 is downstream from the upstream side in the transport direction. The auxiliary discharge belt 65 is stretched from the discharge roller 64A on the opposite side of the bill receiving port 61 to the opening 44 on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the pair of discharge rollers 64 at the end thereof.

  On the other hand, in the banknote capturing device 24R, the banknote receiving port 61 is located on the downstream side in the transport direction from the pair of discharge rollers 64, and the standby portion (curved passage) 62 is extended from the downstream side in the transport direction to the upstream. Among the pair of discharge rollers 64 at the end, a discharge auxiliary belt 65 is stretched from the discharge roller 64A on the banknote receiving port 61 side to the opening 44 on the downstream side in the transport direction. Therefore, in the banknote taking-in device 24R, it is curved so that the course of the banknote 6 is substantially reversed at the discharge roller 64.

  Except for the differences in the arrangement of the standby unit 62 and the discharge assist belt 65 as described above, the bill taking device 24R and the bill taking device 24L have the same configuration.

  By using the banknote capturing device 24R and the banknote capturing device 24L, the banknote receiving position from the game ball lending machine 3 on the front surface side of the gaming machine island 2 and the banknote receiving position from the game ball lending machine 3 on the back surface side The game ball lending machine 3 and the game machine 4 can be arranged on the front and back of the game machine island 2 in a well-balanced manner.

  Moreover, since the banknote taking-in device 24 and the banknote taking-in device 24 are connected and connected by the conveyance pipe 12 cut into an appropriate length, the front-side game ball lending machine 3 and the back-side game ball Even when the lending machine 3 is arranged with the back surfaces substantially opposed to each other, or when the lending machine 3 is arranged with a shifted position, the front surface banknote capturing device 24R and the back surface banknote capturing device 24L This can be handled by adjusting the length of the conveying pipe 12 connecting the two by cutting at the site.

  For example, FIG. 26A shows a case where the front-side game ball lending machine 3 and the back-side game ball lending machine 3 are arranged so that the back surfaces thereof are substantially opposed to each other. The banknote receiving port 61 of 24R and the banknote receiving port 61 of the banknote taking-in apparatus 24L are arrange | positioned without a position shift in the conveyance direction. In this case, between the 1st conveyance pipe connection part 41 (R) of passage part 40 of bill taking device 24R, and the 1st conveyance pipe connection part 41 (L) of passage part 40 of bill intake device 24L. May be connected by a transport pipe 12 (L1) cut to a length suitable for the distance (L1).

  Moreover, if the banknote receiving port 61 of the banknote taking-in device 24R and the banknote receiving port 61 of the banknote taking-in device 24L are displaced, for example, 8 cm as shown in FIG. The distance (L2 = L1 + 8 cm) between the first transport pipe connecting portion 41 (R) of the passage portion 40R of 24R and the first transport pipe connecting portion 41 (L) of the passage portion 40 of the bill receiving device 24L. What is necessary is just to connect with the conveyance pipe | tube 12 (L2) cut | disconnected by the length corresponding to. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 5C, if the bill accepting port 61 of the bill accepting device 24R and the bill accepting port 61 of the bill accepting device 24L are displaced by 16 cm, the passage of the bill accepting device 24R Corresponding to the distance (L3 = L1 + 16 cm) between the first transport pipe connecting portion 41 (R) of the section 40 and the first transport pipe connecting portion 41 (L) of the passage section 40 of the bill receiving device 24L. What is necessary is just to connect with the conveyance pipe | tube 12 (L3) cut | disconnected in length.

  As described above, since it is possible to cope with various installation situations simply by cutting the transport pipe 12 at the site, it is not necessary to prepare the transport pipe 12 of various lengths in advance, and the parts management is made efficient.

  Further, when the banknote accepting position from the game ball lending machine 3 approaches the end of the gaming machine island 2 and the banknote taking-in device 24L cannot be used, the banknote taking-in device 24R (a) in FIG. If the banknote taking-in device 24R is inverted and installed, this can be dealt with.

  In this way, it is possible to cope with various installation situations simply by preparing the front surface banknote capturing device 24R and the back surface banknote capturing device 24L.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to that shown in the embodiment, and there are changes and additions within the scope of the present invention. Are also included in the present invention.

  In the embodiment, the discharge auxiliary belt 65 is hung on one end side of the small-diameter portion 64b of the discharge roller 64, but may be configured to be hung on another pulley provided in the vicinity of the discharge roller 64A.

  Further, the discharge assist belt 65 is not limited to a round belt, and may be a flat belt, for example. In this case, the flat belt may be narrow (for example, about 5 mm) or may be widened so as to occupy the entire width of the bill 6 in the short side direction. Even when a narrow or wide flat belt is used, the discharge auxiliary belt may be hung on the discharge roller 64 or may be hung on another pulley provided near the discharge roller 64. Also good. The shape and arrangement of the discharge assist belt 65 may be set in accordance with the shape of the transport assisting body 16. That is, the discharge assist belt 65 plays a role of transporting the banknote 6 from the discharge roller 64 to a position corresponding to the minimum diameter portion of the transport assist body 16 (the position of the guide rail 46 in the embodiment). The position, width, and shape of 65 may be matched to the position and shape of the minimum diameter portion of the conveyance auxiliary body 16.

  In the embodiment, the two rotation shafts of the pair of discharge rollers 64 are arranged in parallel with each other in the conveyance direction F, and the feeding direction of the bills 6 from the pair of discharge rollers 64 is substantially the same as the conveyance direction F. It was vertical. Accordingly, the main body required for arranging the pair of discharge rollers by arranging the discharge rollers 64 in common in the front-side banknote pickup device 24R and the back-side banknote pickup device 24L. The thickness at 61 can be minimized. The arrangement of the pair of discharge rollers 64 is not limited to this. For example, the two discharge rollers 24 are shifted obliquely so that the bill 6 is fed out in a direction along the inclination of the discharge auxiliary belt 65 and the guide portion 68. May be arranged.

  A plurality of discharge assist belts 65 may be provided in a distributed manner in the longitudinal direction of the discharge roller 64. For example, instead of the slope portion 70, the second discharge assist belt 65 may be provided so as to span the second small diameter portion 64c of the discharge roller 64A.

  Moreover, the shape of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is not limited to what was shown in embodiment. For example, it is good also as columnar shapes, such as a cross-sectional rectangle and a polygon. Moreover, although the conveyance auxiliary body 16 was made into the object shape with respect to the Y direction center part, you may make it an asymmetrical shape in a Y direction.

  In the embodiment, the bill 6 is described as an example of the paper sheets, but other types of paper sheets such as tickets and cards may be used. Moreover, the shape of paper sheets is not limited to a rectangle. Further, the paper sheet transporting apparatus 10 is not limited to the one installed in the gaming machine island 2, and may be configured to go around a plurality of gaming machine islands 2 or a management room in the game hall, for example.

  In the embodiment, an example in which only one sheet is conveyed is shown in FIG. 3 and the like. However, when the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is inserted in a state where a plurality of banknotes 6 exist in the middle of the conveyance tube 12. It is also possible to transport the plurality of banknotes 6 at a time. For example, when the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is fed from the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 21 in a state where the banknotes 6 are stopped at the completion positions of the respective banknote acquisition devices 24 in the middle of the return path 12c of the conveyance pipe 12, the conveyance assistance The number of banknotes 6 that the body 16 pushes increases in order on the way through the return path 12c, so that all banknotes 6 can be conveyed. Such a large conveying force is due to the fact that the conveyance auxiliary body 16 has a shape that substantially closes the cross section of the conveyance tube 12, the sticking / adsorption of the bills 6 is reduced, and the presence of the expansion portion 38. It is ensured by the large area that receives the action of In addition, since the conveyance auxiliary body 16 has a columnar shape that does not deform, a large number of sheets can be conveyed at a time, which is not realized with a wing or the like.

  In the embodiment, the cross section of the transfer tube 12 is substantially rectangular, but may be other shapes such as a circle or an ellipse. However, it is preferable that the conveyance auxiliary body closes substantially the entire cross section with a shape corresponding to the inner edge shape. Moreover, it is good to provide a some rib and to narrow the substantial channel | path width | variety of paper sheets.

  In addition, the gaming machine island is not limited to the configuration that accommodates the pachinko machine and gaming ball lending machine exemplified in the embodiment, and may be a gaming machine island that accommodates medal lending machines and slot machines.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 ... Game machine island 3 ... Game ball lending machine 4 ... Game machine 5 ... Safe 6 ... Banknote 10 ... Paper sheet conveyance apparatus 12 ... Conveyance pipe 12U ... Upstream conveyance pipe 12D ... Downstream conveyance pipe 12a ... Outbound path 12b ... Turn part 12c ... Return path 14 ... Air flow generator 14a ... Blowout 14b ... Suction 16 ... Transport auxiliary body 18 ... Connecting unit 20 ... Bill separation device 21 ... Transport auxiliary body insertion device 22 ... Transport auxiliary body separation device 24 ... Billing device 24R ... Banknote taking device for front surface 24L ... Banknote taking device for back surface 32 ... Side wall portion 33 ... Wall portion 34 ... Rib 34a ... Slope 36 ... Guide rail 37 ... Connecting wall portion 38 ... Expansion portion 40 ... Passage Part 40A ... Opening side passage frame 40B ... Detachable wall surface part 41 ... First transport pipe connection part 42 ... Second transport pipe connection part 43 ... Banknote passage 44 ... Opening part 46 ... Guide rail 46a ... Upstream gas Doreru 46b ... downstream guide rail 47 ... nylon latches 60 ... main frame portion 61 ... bill acceptor 62 ... waiting section (curved passage)
62A ... Main body side guide surface 62B ... Open / close door 62K ... Open / close door inner surface 62c ... Shaft projection 62d ... Receiving hole 62e ... Protrusion 62f ... Locking hole 63 ... First roller 64 ... Discharge roller 64A ... Discharge auxiliary belt Discharge roller 64b ... small diameter portion 64c ... second small diameter portion 65 ... discharge assist belt 65a ... pulley 66 ... motor 67 ... transmission belt 68 ... guide portion 69 ... discharge path 70 ... slope portion 71 ... second guide portion 72 ... Discharge path 80 ... bill sensor 80a ... light emitting unit 80b ... light receiving unit 81 ... optical path changing unit 85, 85a, 85b ... rib 87 ... first sensor 88 ... second sensor 88a ... actuator 90 ... bill sensor detection position Dx ... transport tube Dy ... Inner dimension in the Y direction of the transfer pipe F ... Extension direction of the transfer pipe Q ... Relief part W ... Passage width X ... Passage pipe passage width The height direction of the direction Y ... transporting pipe

Claims (7)

In the paper sheet take-in device that feeds the paper sheet into the transport pipe of the paper sheet transport apparatus that transports the paper sheet with the air flow generated in the transport pipe,
A passage part that is inserted in the transport pipe and provided with an opening for inserting paper sheets;
A standby unit that communicates with the opening and waits for paper sheets to be sent into the passage unit;
A sending section for sending the paper sheets waiting in the waiting section into the passage section from the opening until the end of the paper sheets comes into the passage section;
Have
The sending section is
Annularly driven along the direction of conveyance of the paper sheets in the passage section, and is driven to circulate while being obliquely spanned so that the downstream side in the conveyance direction is exposed to the opening and the upstream side in the conveyance direction is separated from the passage section. A discharge assist belt;
Near the opposite side of the discharge auxiliary belt along the path portion side belt, a discharge path for paper sheets is formed between the discharge auxiliary belt and the apex on the opening side of the discharge auxiliary belt. a guide portion that terminates at the opening there,
A paper sheet take-in device, comprising: a conveyance unit that sends the paper sheets waiting in the standby unit into the discharge path. The transport unit has a pair of discharge rollers disposed at the end of the standby unit,
The sheet take-in device according to claim 1 , wherein the upstream side in the transport direction of the discharge auxiliary belt is stretched over one of the pair of discharge rollers. The width of the discharge auxiliary belt is shorter than the length of the discharge roller,
A portion of the discharge roller where the discharge auxiliary belt is stretched is smaller in diameter than other portions, and the sum of the radius of the small diameter portion and the thickness of the discharge auxiliary belt is equal to or less than the radius of the other portion. The paper sheet taking-in device according to claim 2, wherein the paper sheet taking-in device is provided. Provided around the discharge auxiliary belt near one end of the discharge roller,
A second small-diameter portion is provided near the other end of the discharge roller to form a slope extending from the opening to a recess formed by the second small-diameter portion, and disposed in close proximity to the slope, The paper sheet taking-in device according to claim 3, wherein a paper sheet discharge path is formed between the second guide portions that terminate at the opening. A sensor for detecting paper sheets is provided in the opening,
5. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is used for both detection of completion of feeding of the paper sheet from the opening into the transport pipe and detection of the paper sheet passing through the passage portion. The paper sheet taking-in apparatus as described in any one. Of the passage part, the wall part facing the opening is made removable.
The sensor is an optical sensor including a light emitting unit that emits light toward the facing wall part, and a light receiving unit that receives light from the opposing wall part side,
The paper sheet capturing device according to claim 5, wherein an optical path changing unit that changes a light path so that light from the light emitting unit is directed to the light receiving unit is provided on the opposing wall unit. . The paper sheet conveying device conveys paper sheets from the upstream side by a conveyance auxiliary body that moves in the conveyance pipe by the air flow,
The transport pipe includes a rib projecting inward so that the transport auxiliary body moves in a predetermined posture,
The passage portion has guide rails corresponding to the ribs on the inner side,
The paper sheet take-in device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the discharge assist belt is provided at a location corresponding to the guide rail.

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