JP5683853B2 - Transport auxiliary body insertion device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a paper sheet in which an air flow is generated in a transport pipe, and paper sheets inserted into the transport pipe are transported by being pushed from behind by a transport auxiliary body that receives the air flow and moves in the transport pipe. The present invention relates to a conveyance auxiliary body insertion device provided in a conveyance device.

  When paper sheets such as banknotes are transported by airflow, when the paper sheets are stretched straight, the airflow flows along the paper surface, so that it is difficult to receive wind pressure as a driving force and the paper sheets are The phenomenon of being attracted to the wall surface occurs, making it difficult to carry. Therefore, when a paper sheet is fed into the transport pipe, a part of the paper sheet (for example, the rear end portion) is deformed into a rounded curved surface or an L shape, and the paper sheet is subjected to wind pressure acting on the deformed portion. Has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 4130697

  In the method of deforming a part of the paper sheet, a mechanism for applying the deformation is required, and accordingly, the apparatus cost and the running cost related to the maintenance increase. Moreover, in paper sheets, such as a banknote, when collect | recovering the conveyed banknotes to a safe etc., a banknote with a wrinkle, a bend, etc. is detected as a bad banknote, and it accommodates in a storage part different from a normal banknote However, if deformation is applied for conveyance, the ratio of defective banknotes increases. In addition, when stored in a deformed state, it is bulky, and there is a problem that the number of sheets that can be stored is less than the specified number.

  In order to solve the above problems, there is a transport device that transports a paper sheet by pushing the paper sheet from behind by a transport auxiliary body that is moved by an air flow generated in the transport pipe. In this transport device, each time a paper sheet is collected, the transport auxiliary body is sent to the upstream side of the paper sheet to be collected, and the paper sheet and the transport auxiliary body are separated at the transport end position. Therefore, it is desirable to automate such work efficiently.

  The present invention is intended to solve the above-described problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a conveyance auxiliary body insertion device that can automatically perform reliable insertion of a conveyance auxiliary body.

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

[1] Paper sheet transport that generates an air flow in the transport pipe, and transports the paper sheet inserted in the transport pipe from behind by a transport auxiliary body that receives the air flow and moves in the transport pipe. A conveyance auxiliary body insertion device provided in the apparatus,
A standby unit for waiting for the conveyance auxiliary member,
A delivery unit that sends the conveyance auxiliary member waiting in the standby unit into the conveyance pipe, and
The delivery unit holds the conveyance auxiliary body to be sent out next by the standby unit, and moves to a position where the conveyance auxiliary body enters the air flow in the held state, and in the air flow A transport auxiliary body movable holding portion for sending out the transport auxiliary body that has entered the air flow, and a delivery passage connected to the start end side of the transport pipe, and the transport auxiliary body in the standby section to the transport pipe Sending out through the delivery passage,
A transport auxiliary body inserting device , wherein a posture correcting mechanism for correcting the posture of the transport auxiliary body is provided in the delivery passage .

  In the above invention, the conveyance auxiliary body inserting device causes the standby unit to wait for the conveyance auxiliary body, and sends the standby conveyance auxiliary body into the conveyance pipe by the sending unit.

In the above-described invention, the conveyance auxiliary member is waiting on the standby unit while being held by the conveyance auxiliary member movable holding unit, and the conveyance auxiliary member held by the conveyance auxiliary member movable holding unit is moved by moving the conveyance auxiliary member movable holding unit. Move to the delivery position in the air stream. After the movement, the conveyance auxiliary body is fed into the conveyance pipe by the air flow. In the above invention, the delivery passage is provided in front of the transport pipe, and the posture of the transport auxiliary body is corrected while traveling through the delivery passage.
[2] Paper sheet conveyance in which an air flow is generated in the conveyance pipe, and paper sheets inserted into the conveyance pipe are pushed and moved from behind by a conveyance auxiliary member that receives the air flow and moves in the conveyance pipe. A conveyance auxiliary body insertion device provided in the apparatus,
A standby unit for waiting for the conveyance auxiliary member,
A delivery unit that sends the conveyance auxiliary member waiting in the standby unit into the conveyance pipe, and
The standby unit, communicates provided in an opening of the side wall of the connected delivery passageway into starting end side of the conveying pipe, it has a hollow chamber for stand a transport assisting member next feeding from the opening to the delivery passage ,
The delivery section has a delivery path connected to the start end side of the transport pipe, and sends the transport auxiliary body in the standby section to the transport pipe through the delivery path,
A transport auxiliary body inserting device , wherein a posture correcting mechanism for correcting the posture of the transport auxiliary body is provided in the delivery passage .

  In the above invention, the delivery passage is provided in front of the transport pipe, and the posture of the transport auxiliary body is corrected while traveling through the delivery passage.

[ 3 ] On the inner surface of the side wall of the delivery passage, upper and lower guide rails for guiding the conveyance auxiliary body toward the conveyance pipe are provided,
One of the upper and lower guide rails has an upstream end shorter than the other, and the posture correction mechanism is provided at a position on the upstream side of the shorter guide rail and facing the longer guide rail,
The posture correction mechanism corrects the forward tilt or the rear tilt of the conveyance auxiliary member by gradually shortening the distance between the opposing longer guide rails [1] or [2] The conveyance auxiliary body insertion device described in 1.

  When the conveyance auxiliary body is directly sent from the delivery position to the guide rail, the conveyance auxiliary body may be in a state of being obliquely collapsed with respect to the conveyance direction or in a state of being collapsed to the left and right. Clogging is likely to occur. Therefore, in the above invention, the attitude of the conveyance auxiliary body can be corrected by the attitude correction mechanism and sent out to the guide rail, so that the conveyance auxiliary body can be prevented from being clogged. That is, the posture of the conveyance auxiliary body is corrected by the posture correction mechanism while regulating the position of the conveyance auxiliary body between the longer guide rail and the posture correction mechanism disposed opposite thereto, and a correct posture is obtained. Then, a conveyance auxiliary body advances between a pair of guide rails.

[ 4 ] The conveyance auxiliary body insertion device according to [ 3 ], wherein the posture correction mechanism is a circular rotating body that rotates in a feeding direction of the conveyance auxiliary body.

  In the above-described invention, when the conveyance assisting body whose posture is disturbed contacts the circular rotating body, the circular rotating body rotates, so that the posture of the conveying assisting body can be smoothly corrected without clogging.

[ 5 ] The conveyance auxiliary body has a columnar shape with a circular cross section,
The sending section sends the transport auxiliary body into the transport pipe in such a direction that its axis is along the plane of the paper sheet transported through the transport pipe and perpendicular to the transport direction. [1] to [ 4 ] The conveyance auxiliary body insertion device according to any one of [ 4 ].
[ 6 ] Paper sheet transport that generates an air flow in the transport pipe, and transports the paper sheets inserted into the transport pipe from the rear by a transport auxiliary body that receives the air flow and moves in the transport pipe. A conveyance auxiliary body insertion device provided in the apparatus,
A standby unit for waiting for the conveyance auxiliary member,
A delivery unit that sends the conveyance auxiliary member waiting in the standby unit into the conveyance pipe, and
The conveyance auxiliary body has a columnar shape with a circular cross section,
The sending section sends the transport auxiliary body into the transport pipe in such a direction that its axis is along the plane of the paper sheet transported through the transport pipe and perpendicular to the transport direction. Transport auxiliary body insertion device.

  According to the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device according to the present invention, it is possible to reliably and automatically perform the operation of inserting and feeding out the conveyance auxiliary body waiting in the standby section into the conveyance pipe.

It is a top view which shows schematic structure of the paper sheet conveying apparatus containing the conveyance auxiliary body insertion apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the paper sheet conveyance apparatus containing the conveyance auxiliary body insertion 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 perspective view which shows the general view seen from the conveyance pipe connection part side of a conveyance auxiliary body circulation utilization apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the general appearance seen from the air flow path connection part side of a conveyance auxiliary body circulation utilization apparatus. It is a disassembled perspective view of a conveyance auxiliary body separation apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of a separation collection part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state in which a separation collection part exists in a separation collection position, and the state in a discharge position. It is a disassembled perspective view of a conveyance auxiliary body insertion apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state in which a movable accommodating part is in a standby position, and the state in a sending position. It is explanatory drawing which shows a mode that an attitude | position correction mechanism correct | amends the attitude | position of a conveyance auxiliary body. It is a flowchart which shows the circulation utilization operation | movement of the conveyance auxiliary body which a conveyance auxiliary body circulation utilization apparatus performs. It is explanatory drawing which shows the isolation | separation collection | recovery operation | movement of the conveyance auxiliary body by a conveyance auxiliary body separation apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows a mode that a conveyance auxiliary body falls and is guided to the movable accommodating part of a conveyance auxiliary body insertion apparatus from the separation collection part of a conveyance auxiliary body separation apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the delivery operation | movement of the conveyance auxiliary body by a conveyance auxiliary body insertion apparatus. FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram showing a continuation of the operation in FIG. 19.

  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 including a transport auxiliary body insertion apparatus 40 according to an embodiment of the present invention, 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.

  A transport auxiliary body circulation utilization device 22 is provided so as to be inserted into the transport pipe 12 at each position from the predetermined position of the start end of the transport pipe 12 to the vicinity of the end of the transport pipe 12 positioned above the predetermined position. It is. The conveyance auxiliary body circulation utilization device 22 pushes the bill 6 and this from the rear in the vicinity of the end of the conveyance pipe 12 and the function as the conveyance auxiliary body insertion apparatus 40 for sending the conveyance auxiliary body 16 into the conveyance pipe 12 on the start end side. It has the function of a transport auxiliary body separating device 70 that separates the transport auxiliary body 16 that has been moved and transported, and collects the transport auxiliary body 16, and the transport auxiliary body 16 that is recovered by the transport auxiliary body separator 70 The function of circulating back to the insertion device 40 is achieved. Details of the conveyance auxiliary body circulation utilization device 22 will be described later.

  A banknote separator 20 that collects the separated banknotes and takes them into the safe 5 is provided downstream of the transport auxiliary body separator 70 of the transport auxiliary body circulation utilization device 22.

  In the middle of the return path 12 c of the transport pipe 12, a banknote take-in device 24 that takes in the banknote 6 discharged from the back of the game ball lending machine 3 into the transport pipe 12 is arranged at a position corresponding to each game ball lending machine 3. It is installed. 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. Are provided on both sides of the side wall of the transport pipe 12. The banknote taking-in device 24 also plays a role of interposing between the transport pipe and the transport pipe constituting the return path 12c.

  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. 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 is moved into the conveyance pipe 12 by the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 40 of the conveyance auxiliary body circulation utilization device 22. It is sent to. The conveyance auxiliary body 16 sent into the conveyance pipe 12 moves in the forward path 12a toward the turn part 12b in response to the action of the air flow generated by the air flow generation device 14, and makes a U-turn at the turn part 12b. Thereafter, the vehicle further moves in the return path 12c toward the terminal portion. 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 circulation utilization apparatus 22, the banknote separating apparatus 20, and the banknote taking-in apparatus 24 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 take-in operation is completed, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is fed into the conveyance pipe 12 from the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 40 of the conveyance auxiliary body circulation utilization device 22. 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 separation device 70 of the conveyance auxiliary body circulation utilization 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 the recovered conveyance auxiliary body 16 is used for the next time. It is guided to the auxiliary transport body insertion device 40 in preparation for delivery. The banknote 6 separated by the conveyance auxiliary body separating apparatus 70 reaches the downstream banknote separating apparatus 20, and when the banknote separating apparatus 20 detects the banknote 6, the conveyor 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 easily affected by the 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 conveyance auxiliary body circulation utilization apparatus 22 will be described.

  8 and 9 show an overview of the conveyance auxiliary body circulation utilization device 22. The conveyance auxiliary body circulation utilization device 22 is arranged so as to overlap the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 40 for sending the conveyance auxiliary body 16 into the conveyance pipe 12 and the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 40. A conveyance auxiliary body separating device 70 that separates and collects is integrally configured.

  First, details of the conveyance auxiliary body separating apparatus 70 will be described.

  FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the conveyance auxiliary body separating apparatus 70. The conveyance auxiliary body separation device 70 is connected to the terminal end of the conveyance pipe 12, and separates and collects a separation recovery unit 71 as a collection passage into which the bill 6 and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 that has been conveyed by pushing the bill 6 from the rear flow in. The main body case part 73 which supports 71 so that rotation is possible and accommodates it in the inside, and the 1st drive part 74 which provides the motive power which rotates the separation collection | recovery part 71 in the main body case part 73 are comprised. The separation and recovery unit 71 has a shaft portion 72 that protrudes up and down from the upper and lower surfaces of its upstream end. In addition, in order to accommodate the separation / recovery unit 71 inside, the main body case unit 73 is configured to be split vertically between the upper frame portion 73a and the lower frame portion 73b.

  The main body case portion 73 has a transport pipe connecting portion 75 that is inserted into the end portion of the transport pipe 12 closely at a predetermined length and connected to one end (see FIG. 8), and the other end side is It becomes the banknote path | route connection part 76 opened to the rectangle to which the banknote path | route leading to the downstream banknote separator 20 is connected (refer FIG. 9). In the transport auxiliary body separating apparatus 70, the side where the transport pipe connection part 75 is located is called the upstream side, and the side where the banknote passage connection part 76 is located is called the downstream side.

  Between the transport pipe connecting portion 75 and the bill passage connecting portion 76, a fan-shaped (arc is on the downstream side (the bill passage connecting portion 76) so as to accommodate the separation and recovery portion 71 so as to be rotatable about the shaft portion 72 by a predetermined angle. It is a storage room that is expanded into a fan-shaped side. A passage from the storage chamber to the bill passage connection portion 76 is referred to as a bill discharge passage 76a. A duct connection port 76b to which a duct 83 (see FIG. 9) is connected is provided on the side surface of the banknote discharge passage 76a of the lower frame portion 73b.

  Further, a shaft hole 73 d is provided in the upper frame portion 73 a of the main body case portion 73 at a position corresponding to the shaft portion 72 of the separation and recovery portion 71. The lower frame portion 73b is provided with a bearing portion (or shaft hole) at a position corresponding to the shaft portion 72 below the housed separation and recovery portion 71.

  An arm portion 72a extending in the radial direction of the shaft portion 72 is provided at the head of the shaft portion 72 that passes through the shaft hole 73d of the upper frame portion 73a of the main body case portion 73, and the arm portion 72a has a radial length. There is a hole. The first drive unit 74 is composed of a solenoid, and a pin at the tip of an actuator 74a that advances and retreats is engaged with the elongated hole of the arm portion 72a. By moving the actuator 74a of the first drive unit 74 forward and backward, the separation / collection unit 71 is separated and recovered (position shown in FIG. 12 (a)) on the extension line of the transport pipe 12 connected to the transport pipe connection section 75. ) And a discharge position (position shown in FIG. 12B) in which the downstream end of the separation and recovery unit 71 is moved sideways. Further, an operation detection sensor 74b for detecting whether the separation / collection unit 71 is at the separation / recovery position or the discharge position is provided. Here, as the motion detection sensor 74b, an optical sensor in which light is transmitted / blocked by the advance / retreat of the actuator 74a is used.

  The separation and recovery unit 71 has a passage shape through which the conveyance auxiliary body 16 passes (see FIG. 11), and an end portion (upstream end) on the shaft portion 72 side is opened so as to receive the bill 6 and the conveyance auxiliary body 16. ing. The other end (downstream end) is formed with a bill passage port 77 that allows the bill 6 to pass downstream, but the conveyance auxiliary body 16 abuts and stops. Specifically, the separation and recovery unit 71 is formed so that the passage width is narrowed immediately before the bill passage port 77, and the maximum diameter portion 16 m of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 abuts on the left and right edges of the bill passage port 77. To stop. A position where the conveyance auxiliary body 16 abuts and stops in the separation / collection unit 71 is defined as a collection position.

  The banknote passage port 77 has an opening width that allows the banknote 6 to pass even in a state where dozens of banknotes 6 are bundled. In addition, a circular discharge hole 78 is provided on the bottom surface of the downstream end of the separation and collection unit 71 so that the conveyance auxiliary body 16 that contacts the edge of the bill passage port 77 and stops at the collection position can fall downward.

  Guide rails 79 (FIGS. 10 and 11) are provided on the inner sides of both side walls of the separation and recovery unit 71 at positions corresponding to the extensions of the ribs 34b (see FIG. 4) provided at the edge of the extended portion 38 of the transport pipe 12. Reference) is provided. The guide rail 79 includes an upper guide rail 79A and a lower guide rail 79B so as to sandwich the maximum diameter portion 16m of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 from above and below. The upper and lower guide rails 79A and 79B regulate the upper and lower positions of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 in the separation and recovery unit 71, and the upper and lower surfaces of the maximum diameter portion 16m of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 and the guide rail 79A. 79B is in contact with each other and plays a role of regulating the conveyance auxiliary body 16 so as not to be inclined in the front-rear direction.

  Further, on the upper side of the upper guide rail 79A, a posture guide plate 80 for gradually narrowing the passage width is provided at a position corresponding to the neck 16n (see FIGS. 5 and 10) of the conveyance auxiliary body 16. The posture guide plate 80 functions to restrict the conveyance auxiliary body 16 from being inclined to the left and right by restricting the position of the neck portion 16n from both the left and right sides (both sides in the radial direction of the conveyance auxiliary body 16). The distance between the pair of left and right posture guide plates 80 is wide on the upstream side and narrow on the downstream side. At the collection position where the conveyance auxiliary body 16 comes into contact with the edge of the bill passage port 77 and stops, the posture guide plate 80 is in contact with the neck 16n of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 from both the left and right sides, and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is upright with almost no inclination. Regulate the posture. Further, the posture guide plate 80 guides the conveyance auxiliary body 16 so as to correctly reach the collection position without being shifted left and right.

  The lower guide rail 79 </ b> B ends before the collection position where the conveyance auxiliary body 16 comes into contact with the edge of the bill passage port 77 and stops. That is, the lower guide rail 79B does not exist at least in a range in which the maximum diameter portion 16m of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is projected downward so as not to prevent the conveyance auxiliary body 16 stopped at the collection position from dropping from the discharge hole 78. It is.

  FIG. 12A shows a state where the separation / collection unit 71 is at the separation / recovery position and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is stopped at the recovery position. The air flow from the transport pipe connecting portion 75 flows into the separation and recovery portion 71 and flows downstream from the bill passage port 77. The banknote 6 conveyed by the conveyance auxiliary body 16 passes through the banknote passage port 77 as it is and proceeds further downstream. FIG. 12B shows a state in which the separation and collection unit 71 is rotated to the discharge position while the conveyance auxiliary body 16 stopped at the collection position is accommodated. The conveyance auxiliary body 16 is dropped at a position at the bottom of the lower frame portion 73b of the main body case section 73 and directly below the conveyance auxiliary body 16 held at the collection position of the separation / collection section 71 moved to the discharge position. The drop hole 73c for making it open is opened (refer Fig.12 (a)). The drop hole 73c is located immediately above the standby unit 42 of the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 40 described later. At the discharge position, the air flow from the transport pipe connecting portion 75 flows into the separation and recovery portion 71 and flows out from the discharge hole and the drop hole 73c.

  In addition, the conveyance auxiliary body separating device 70 detects a conveyance auxiliary body detection sensor 82 (FIGS. 9 and 9) for detecting whether or not the conveyance auxiliary body 16 exists at the collection position of the separation and recovery unit 71 at the separation and collection position. 17).

  Next, the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 40 will be described.

  The conveyance auxiliary body inserting device 40 is provided in communication with a delivery passage 41 serving as a passage for the conveyance auxiliary body 16 to be fed to the conveyance pipe 12 and an opening of the side wall of the delivery passage 41, and then into the delivery passage 41 from this opening. A hollow chamber-shaped standby unit 42 that waits for the conveyance auxiliary body 16 to be fed out, and holds the conveyance auxiliary body 16, and supports the inside of the standby unit 42 and the inside of the transmission path 41 through the opening of the side wall of the transmission path 41 so as to be reciprocally movable. The movable storage unit 43 (see FIG. 13) and a second drive unit 44 that provides the movable storage unit 43 with reciprocating power. In addition, in order to accommodate the movable storage part 43 in the inside, the delivery passage 41 and the standby part 42 are divided into upper and lower parts.

  The delivery passage 41 is a passage having a substantially rectangular cross section, and has a transport pipe connecting portion 45 that is connected to one end portion by inserting the start end portion of the transport pipe 12 into the inner side for a predetermined length. 8), the other end portion is a blower pipe connection portion 46 opened in a rectangle to which the blowout port 14a (blower pipe) of the airflow generator 14 is connected (see FIG. 9). In the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 40, the conveyance pipe connection part 45 side is the downstream side, and the air pipe connection part 46 side is the upstream side.

  The movable storage portion 43 (see FIG. 13) includes a holding portion 43a having a semi-cylindrical shape with a U-shaped cross section extending vertically, and one surface of the downstream end portion of the flat plate shape (the surface on the standby portion 42 side). ) Along the U-shaped arm portion of the holding portion 43a to support the holding portion 43a so that the upper portion of the U-shape faces the downstream side, and the other of the upstream end portions of the supporting plate 43b The arm portion 43c that extends obliquely downstream from the surface of the arm portion 43, and a rotating shaft 43d provided at the tip of the arm portion 43c.

  The U-shaped arc portion of the holding portion 43 a is curved with a diameter slightly larger than the maximum diameter portion 16 m of the conveyance auxiliary body 16. The lower part of the holding part 43a is a step part 43e whose inner shape is a U-shape that is slightly smaller than its upper part. The step portion 43e has a size corresponding to the diameter of the neck portion 16n of the conveyance assisting body 16, and the lower surface of the maximum diameter portion 16m of the conveyance assisting body 16 comes into contact with and catches on the upper end of the stepped portion 43e. Hold the body 16.

  Each portion of the holding portion 43a corresponding to the U-shaped curved portion is provided with a ventilation hole 43f for ventilation. Further, a ventilation hole 43g is provided in the upstream portion of the support plate 43b.

  The upper and lower ends of the rotation shaft 43d are inserted into shaft holes 47 formed in the ceiling surface and the bottom surface of the delivery passage 41 on the upstream side of the standby portion 42. An arm portion 43h (see FIGS. 9 and 18) extending in the radial direction of the shaft is provided at the lower end of the rotating shaft 43d, and a long hole in the radial direction is provided in the arm portion 43h. The second drive unit 44 is composed of a solenoid, and the pin at the tip of the advancing / retreating actuator 44a is engaged with the elongated hole of the arm portion 43h. By moving the actuator 44a of the second drive unit 44 forward and backward, the movable storage unit 43 has a standby position where the holding unit 43a is housed in the standby unit 42 (position of FIG. 14A), and the holding unit 43a is the delivery passage 41. It turns to the delivery position (position of FIG.14 (b)) which moved in. In addition, an operation detection sensor 44b (see FIG. 13) for detecting whether the movable storage portion 43 is in the standby position or the delivery position is provided. Here, as the motion detection sensor 44b, an optical sensor in which light is transmitted / blocked by the advance / retreat of the actuator 44a is used.

  A circular opening is provided in the ceiling surface of the standby unit 42 at a position directly below the drop hole 73c of the transfer auxiliary body separating device 70 for receiving the transfer auxiliary body 16 that has dropped from the drop hole 73c. And a drop hole 73c of the conveyance auxiliary body separating apparatus 70 are connected by a cylindrical guide portion 91. As shown in FIG. 14A, when the movable storage portion 43 is in the standby position, the movable storage portion 43 receives the conveyance auxiliary body 16 that has fallen through the guide portion 91 from the drop hole 73c of the conveyance auxiliary body separation device 70, and has a maximum diameter portion. The lower surface of 16 m is caught by the step portion 43e and is held by the holding portion 43a.

  The standby unit 42 is provided with a conveyance auxiliary body sensor 48 that detects whether or not the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is waiting at a standby position (see FIG. 13). Here, as the conveyance auxiliary body sensor 48, light is blocked by the conveyance auxiliary body 16 waiting at the standby position, and when there is no conveyance auxiliary body 16 at the standby position, the transmission type sensor is arranged so that the light is not blocked. An optical sensor is used.

  An opening for connecting the duct 83 is provided on the wall surface of the standby unit 42, and the duct 83 connects the standby unit 42 and a duct connection port 76 b provided in the banknote discharge passage 76 a of the auxiliary conveyance separator 70. .

  As shown in FIG. 14A, in the state where the movable storage portion 43 is in the standby position, the support plate 43b (the portion without the air blowing hole 43g) is in contact with the side wall of the delivery passage 41, and the delivery passage 41 And the opening communicating with the standby unit 42 is sealed. Further, in this state, the support plate 43 b is in contact with the side wall of the delivery passage 41, so that the air flow from the blower pipe connection part 46 flows sufficiently toward the transport pipe connection part 45.

  As shown in FIG. 14 (b), when the movable storage portion 43 moves to the delivery position, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 held by the holding portion 43 a of the movable storage portion 43 is just positioned within the passage of the delivery passage 41. Moved to. At this time, the airflow from the blower pipe connection part 46 flows toward the transport pipe connection part 45 side (downstream side) through the blower hole 43g provided in the support plate 43b and the blower hole 43f provided in the holding part 43a. With this air flow, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is detached from the holding portion 43 a, travels in the delivery passage 41, and is sent out from the conveyance pipe connection portion 45 into the conveyance pipe 12.

  On the left and right inner walls of the delivery passage 41, at positions corresponding to the extensions of the ribs 34b (see FIG. 4) forming the edge of the extended portion 38 of the transport pipe 12 connected to the transport pipe connecting portion 45. A guide rail 49 protruding inward is provided. The guide rail 49 includes an upper guide rail 49A and a lower guide rail 49B so as to sandwich the maximum diameter portion 16m of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 from above and below. Among these, the lower guide rail 49B extends from the transport pipe connecting portion 45 to just before the movable storage portion 43 at the delivery position, and the upper guide rail 49A is terminated at the upstream side shorter than the lower guide rail 49B. (See FIG. 15). An attitude correction mechanism 51 is provided upstream of the shorter upper guide rail 49A and at a position facing the longer lower guide rail 49B. Here, the posture correction mechanism 51 is a circular rotating body that rotates along the delivery direction of the conveyance auxiliary body 16, and the rotation shaft is inserted through a bearing hole 52 (see FIG. 13) provided in the side wall of the delivery passage 41. And is supported rotatably. The posture correction mechanism 51 is arranged such that its lowest point is slightly below the lower surface of the upper guide rail 49A.

  As shown in FIG. 15A, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 delivered from the holding portion 43a of the movable storage portion 43 moved to the delivery position is slightly out of posture (in this example, tilted backward) and delivered. There is a case. The lower guide rail 49 </ b> B contacts the lower surface of the maximum diameter portion 16 m of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 and regulates the lower limit position of the conveyance auxiliary body 16. The upper surface of the maximum diameter portion 16m of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 abuts on a freely rotating posture correction mechanism 51 and advances while being guided by the rotation, so that the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is shown in FIG. Is gradually corrected to an upright state by correcting the posture. The conveyance auxiliary body 16 in the correct posture proceeds as it is and is sent toward the start end of the conveyance pipe 12 while the position of the maximum diameter portion 16m is regulated between the upper guide rail 49A and the lower guide rail 49B.

  Since the posture correction mechanism 51 is a freely rotating circular rotating body, even when the posture correction mechanism 51 comes into contact with the conveyance auxiliary body 16 whose posture has collapsed, the posture can be smoothly restored without the conveyance auxiliary body 16 being caught. Further, since the lowest point of the posture correction mechanism 51 is located slightly below the lower surface of the upper guide rail 49A, after passing through the posture correction mechanism 51, the conveyance auxiliary body is not caught by the upstream end of the upper guide rail 49A. 16 can enter between the upper and lower guide rails 49 and proceed while being regulated.

  As shown in FIG. 13 and the like, the delivery passage 41 is provided with a manual insertion port 53 for manually inserting the conveyance auxiliary body 16 on one side wall downstream of the posture correction mechanism 51. An open / close door 54 is attached to the manual insertion port 53. A guide rail 49 is provided at a corresponding portion inside the opening / closing door 54. The opening / closing door 54 is normally closed and used. When the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 40 breaks down, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is manually moved into the conveyance pipe 12 by opening the opening / closing door 54 and inserting the conveyance auxiliary body 16 into the delivery passage 41 and releasing the hand. Can be sent out.

  Next, the movement of the conveyance auxiliary body circulation utilization device 22 will be described.

  The transport auxiliary body circulation utilization device 22 is controlled by a control unit (not shown) mainly including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., and the flow shown in FIG. Works with. The control unit indicates that the banknote 6 has been taken into the transport pipe 12 by any of the banknote take-in devices 24 provided corresponding to each game ball lending machine 3. If it recognizes based on a detection signal (step S101), it will be confirmed by the detection signal of the conveyance auxiliary body sensor 48 whether the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is waiting in the standby part 42 of the conveyance auxiliary body insertion apparatus 40 (step S102). .

  If it can be confirmed that the camera is waiting (step S102; Y), the second drive unit 44 is operated to move the movable storage unit 43 to the delivery position (step S103). Then, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 held by the holding portion 43a of the movable storage portion 43 rides on the airflow from the airflow generation device 14 and is sent out into the conveyance pipe 12 through the delivery passage 41 (step S104). .

  Thereafter, after a predetermined time has elapsed, the control unit controls the second driving unit 44 to move the movable storage unit 43 to the standby position in the standby unit 42 (step S105).

  The conveyance auxiliary body 16 sent out from the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 40 moves in the conveyance pipe 12 by the air flow, and eventually comes into contact with the rear end of the banknote 6 taken in the conveyance pipe 12 by the banknote taking-in apparatus 24. The bill 6 is pushed and moved from behind (step S106).

  The control unit monitors whether or not the conveyance auxiliary body 16 has reached the collection position in the separation collection unit 71 of the conveyance auxiliary body separation device 70 and stopped based on the detection signal of the conveyance auxiliary body detection sensor 82, and collects the collection position. When it is confirmed that the operation has stopped (step S107; Y), the first drive unit 74 is operated to move the separation and recovery unit 71 to the discharge position (step S108).

  The conveyance auxiliary body 16 falls downward from the discharge hole 78 of the separation and recovery unit 71 moved to the discharge position, enters the standby unit 42 through the guide unit 91, and is received and held by the holding unit 43 a of the movable storage unit 43. . When the control unit confirms that the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is waiting at the standby position of the standby unit 42 by the output signal of the conveyance auxiliary body sensor 48 (step S109; Y), the control unit operates the first driving unit 74 to separate and collect the recovery unit. 71 is moved to the separation and recovery position (step S110). This completes the one-time operation sequence related to the circulation use of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 by the conveyance auxiliary body circulation utilization device 22.

  Next, the movement of each part of the conveyance auxiliary body circulation utilization device 22 and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 in the above-described circulation utilization operation will be described.

  First, the separation and recovery operation by the conveyance auxiliary body separation device 70 will be described. FIG. 17A shows a state where the banknote 6 has been conveyed to the conveyance auxiliary body separating device 70 by being pushed by the conveyance auxiliary body 16. The conveyance auxiliary body separating device 70 sets the separation and recovery unit 71 at the separation and recovery position and waits for the banknote 6 and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 to arrive.

  FIG. 5B shows a state where the tip of the bill 6 has passed through the bill passage port 77 of the separation and recovery unit 71. The conveyance auxiliary body 16 enters the separation and recovery unit 71. At this time, the maximum diameter portion 16m of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 enters between the upper and lower guide rails 79A and 79B, and thereafter proceeds in the separation and recovery portion 71 while being vertically regulated by the guide rails 79A and 79B. Further, the right and left positions are regulated by the attitude guide plate 80.

  As shown in FIG. 11A, the posture guide plate 80 is narrower as the entrance side is wider and closer to the banknote passage port 77 as shown in FIG. 11A. The neck 16n of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 smoothly enters between the guide plates 80. After that, as the bill passage port 77 is approached, the interval between the left and right posture guide plates 80 becomes narrower to the extent that it abuts on the neck 16n of the conveyance auxiliary body 16, and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is corrected to a straight posture without tilting left and right. The

  FIG. 17C shows a state in which the conveyance auxiliary body 16 comes into contact with the bill passage port 77 and stops at the collection position. The bill 6 passes through the bill passage port 77 and proceeds to the downstream bill separator 20. When the recovery position is reached, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is in a substantially straight vertical posture due to the position restriction by the upper and lower guide rails 79 and the posture guide plate 80. Further, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is positioned immediately above the discharge hole 78 by being regulated in position.

  After the conveyance auxiliary body 16 stops at the collection position and is separated from the bill 6, when the separation and collection unit 71 is rotated to the discharge position by the first driving unit 74, as shown in FIG. Falls downward from a discharge hole 78 provided at the bottom of the separation and recovery unit 71. In the conveyance auxiliary body separating apparatus 70, the separation and collection unit 71 is rotated and moved to the discharge position while holding the conveyance auxiliary body 16 at the collection position of the separation and collection unit 71, so that the conveyance assistance is performed while maintaining a stable posture. The body 16 can be transferred to the discharge position and dropped from the discharge hole 78 to be discharged.

  The conveyance auxiliary body 16 dropped downward from the discharge hole 78 is received by the holding portion 43 a of the movable storage portion 43 in the standby portion 42 of the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 40 through the guide portion 91. In this manner, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 separated and collected from the banknote 6 is waited in the standby unit 42 in preparation for the next delivery.

  When the movable storage portion 43 is in the standby position, the standby portion 42 is closed from the delivery passage 41 by the support plate 43b of the movable storage portion 43. Therefore, the air flow that flows into the standby unit 42 through the guide unit 91 from the discharge hole 78 of the separation collection unit 71 of the conveyance auxiliary body separation device 70 is released through the duct 83. That is, the air flowing from the guide portion 91 into the standby portion 42 flows into the bill discharge passage 76 a of the auxiliary conveyance body separator 70 through the duct 83 and is exhausted. By securing such an air flow, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is pushed to the collection position of the separation / collection unit 71 on the air flow, and when the separation / collection unit 71 reaches the discharge position, it is The fall of is promoted.

  Next, the movement of the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 40 will be described.

  The conveyance auxiliary body 16 waiting to be sent is waiting at a standby position in the standby section 42 as shown in FIGS. 14 (a) and 19 (a). At the standby position, as described above, the opening leading to the standby unit 42 is blocked by the support plate 43 b of the movable storage unit 43. Thereby, the air flow from the blower pipe connection portion 46 is not wastefully discharged from the standby portion 42 through the duct 83, and the air flow can be efficiently sent to the transport pipe 12.

  When the waiting transport auxiliary body 16 is sent out, the second drive unit 44 is operated to move the movable storage unit 43 to the sending position as shown in FIGS. 14 (b) and 19 (b). Moved). In the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 40, the movable storage portion 43 is rotated and moved to the delivery position while being held in the holding portion 43a of the movable storage portion 43, so that the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is maintained in a stable posture. Can be delivered into the delivery passage 41.

  When the movable storage portion 43 moves to the delivery position, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is pushed away from the holding portion 43a by the air flow blown from the blower pipe connection portion 46 and moves through the delivery passage 41 toward the conveyance pipe 12 side. Start moving.

  Even if the movable storage portion 43 advances into the delivery passage 41, the airflow flows toward the transport pipe 12 through the air blowing holes 43 g opened in the support plate 43 b and the air blowing holes 43 f opened in the holding portion 43 a. At this time, in the delivery position, the opening communicating with the standby unit 42 is not closed by the support plate 43b. For this reason, part of the air flow also flows into the standby unit 42 side. However, a sufficient air flow is ensured for the conveyance auxiliary body 16 to leave the holding portion 43a and advance into the delivery passage 41. Further, by returning the movable storage portion 43 to the standby position immediately after the completion of the delivery, a stronger air flow can be sent into the transport pipe 12.

  As described with reference to FIG. 15, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 that has moved away from the holding portion 43 a of the movable storage portion 43 and started to advance in the delivery passage 41 is substantially upright by the posture correction mechanism 51 and the upper and lower guide rails 49 </ b> A and 49 </ b> B. The correct posture is corrected and sent out into the transport pipe 12. FIG. 20A shows a state in which the posture is corrected by the posture correction mechanism 51, and FIG. 20B shows a state in which the position is regulated by the upper and lower guide rails 49A and 49B toward the transport pipe connecting portion 45. A mode that the auxiliary body 16 advances is shown.

  In this way, by using the conveyance auxiliary body circulation utilization device 22, one conveyance auxiliary body 16 can be used cyclically in the paper sheet conveyance device 10. Further, the bill 6 and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 are separated, and the separated conveyance auxiliary body 16 is again guided to the standby unit to be on standby, and the standby conveyance auxiliary body 16 is sent into the conveyance pipe 12 when necessary. It is possible to automatically perform a series of recycle operations. Thereby, the work burden for inserting, separating, and collecting the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is reduced.

  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 transport auxiliary body separating device 70 is stacked on the upper side of the transport auxiliary body inserting device 40 and configured as an integrated transport auxiliary body circulation utilization device 22, but the transport auxiliary body inserting device 40 and the transport auxiliary body separating device are configured. 70 may be configured separately. For example, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 collected by the conveyance auxiliary body separating device 70 is collected in a collection box or the like, and this collection box is transported to the installation location of the conveyance auxiliary body insertion apparatus 40, and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is sequentially conveyed from the collection box to assist the conveyance. You may comprise so that it may send out to the standby position of the body insertion apparatus 40 sequentially.

  Further, for example, the guide 91 is lengthened, and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 discharged from the conveyance auxiliary body separation device 70 is conveyed to the standby section 42 by the air flow in the passage, or is conveyed to the standby section 42 by a belt conveyor or the like. If the configuration is such that the auxiliary body 16 is transported, the transport auxiliary body inserting device 40 may be arranged in an arbitrary arrangement away from the transport auxiliary body separating device 70.

  In the embodiment, the separation / recovery unit 71 is rotated to be displaced between the separation / recovery position and the discharge position. However, the displacement method is not limited to the rotation, and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 that has stopped contact is stopped. What is necessary is just to be able to discharge | emit to the exterior from the conveyance path | route by an airflow. For example, the separation / collection unit holding the conveyance auxiliary body 16 stopped at the collection position may be linearly moved to the side. Similarly, the method of moving the conveyance auxiliary body 16 waiting in the standby section 42 to the delivery passage 41 is not limited to the method of rotating the movable storage section 43, and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is held in the standby section. The member may be moved linearly from the standby section into the delivery passage.

  In addition, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is inserted and ejected by moving the members holding the conveyance auxiliary body 16 (separation collection unit 71 and movable storage unit 43). It may be moved by applying force. For example, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 stopped at the collection position may be moved from the side by a rod or the like to move to the discharge position. Similarly, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 waiting in the standby portion may be moved into the delivery passage by being pushed from the side with a rod or the like.

  In the embodiment, a circular rotating body is used as the posture correction mechanism 51. However, for example, a linear or curved guide plate inclined downward toward the end of the upper guide rail 49A may be used. Further, the lower guide rail 49B may be shorter than the upper guide rail 49A, and the posture correction mechanism 51 may be disposed on the end side of the lower guide rail 49B so as to face the upper guide rail 49A. Further, the posture correction mechanism 51 may be arranged both vertically.

  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 40 in a state where the bills 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 is performed. The number of banknotes 6 pushed by the body 16 increases in order on the way along the forward path 12a, and 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 conveying apparatus 12 ... Conveyance pipe 12a ... Outward path 12b ... Turn part 12c ... Return path 14 ... Airflow generator 14a ... Blowout port 14b ... Suction port 16 ... Conveyance aid 16n ... Neck 16m ... Maximum diameter 18 ... Connection unit 20 ... Bill separator 20 ... Conveyance aid circulation use device 24 ... Bill take-in device 32 ... Side wall 33 ... Wall 34, 34b ... ribs 34a ... slope 36 ... guide rail 37 ... connecting wall 38 ... expansion part 40 ... transport auxiliary body insertion device 41 ... delivery passage 42 ... standby part 43 ... movable storage part 43a ... holding part 43b ... support plate 43c ... Arm part 43d ... Rotary shaft 43e ... Step part 43f ... Blower hole 43g ... Blower hole 43h ... Arm part 44 ... Second drive part 44a ... Actuator 44b ... Motion detection sensor 4 ... transport pipe connection part 46 ... blower pipe connection part 47 ... shaft hole 48 ... transport auxiliary body sensor 49 ... guide rail 49A ... upper guide rail 49B ... lower guide rail 51 ... posture correction mechanism 52 ... bearing hole 53 ... manual insertion port 54 ... Opening / closing door 70 ... Transport auxiliary body separating device 71 ... Separating and collecting part 72 ... Shaft part 72a ... Arm part 73 ... Main body case part 73a ... Upper frame part 73b ... Lower frame part 73c ... Drop hole 73d ... Shaft hole 74 ... First Drive unit 74a ... Actuator 74b ... Motion detection sensor 75 ... Conveying pipe connection unit 76 ... Bill passage connection portion 76a ... Bill discharge passage 76b ... Duct connection port 77 ... Bill passage port 78 ... Discharge hole 79 ... Guide rail 79A ... Upper guide rail 79B ... Lower guide rail 80 ... Attitude guide plate 82 ... Conveyance auxiliary body detection sensor 83 ... Duct 91 ... Guide part Dx ... Reference flat of the transport pipe Part distance Dy ... inside dimension F ... height direction of the passage width direction Y ... transporting pipe extending direction Q ... relief portion W ... passage width X ... conveying tube of the conveying tube in the Y direction of the transport tube

Claims (6)

An air flow is generated in the transport pipe, and the paper sheet inserted in the transport pipe is pushed and moved from behind by a transport auxiliary body that receives the air flow and moves in the transport pipe. A transfer auxiliary body insertion device,
A standby unit for waiting for the conveyance auxiliary member,
A delivery unit that sends the conveyance auxiliary member waiting in the standby unit into the conveyance pipe, and
The delivery unit holds the conveyance auxiliary body to be sent out next by the standby unit, and moves to a position where the conveyance auxiliary body enters the air flow in the held state, and in the air flow A transport auxiliary body movable holding portion for sending out the transport auxiliary body that has entered the air flow, and a delivery passage connected to the start end side of the transport pipe, and the transport auxiliary body in the standby section to the transport pipe Sending out through the delivery passage,
A transport auxiliary body inserting device , wherein a posture correcting mechanism for correcting the posture of the transport auxiliary body is provided in the delivery passage . An air flow is generated in the transport pipe, and the paper sheet inserted in the transport pipe is pushed and moved from behind by a transport auxiliary body that receives the air flow and moves in the transport pipe. A transfer auxiliary body insertion device,
A standby unit for waiting for the conveyance auxiliary member,
A delivery unit that sends the conveyance auxiliary member waiting in the standby unit into the conveyance pipe, and
The standby unit, communicates provided in an opening of the side wall of the connected delivery passageway into starting end side of the conveying pipe, it has a hollow chamber for stand a transport assisting member next feeding from the opening to the delivery passage ,
The delivery section has a delivery path connected to the start end side of the transport pipe, and sends the transport auxiliary body in the standby section to the transport pipe through the delivery path,
A transport auxiliary body inserting device , wherein a posture correcting mechanism for correcting the posture of the transport auxiliary body is provided in the delivery passage . On the inner surface of the side wall of the delivery passage, upper and lower guide rails for guiding the conveyance auxiliary body toward the conveyance pipe are provided,
One of the upper and lower guide rails has an upstream end shorter than the other, and the posture correction mechanism is provided at a position on the upstream side of the shorter guide rail and facing the longer guide rail,
The posture correction mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the distance between the opposing the longer guide rail gradually shortened to correct anteversion or rearward tilting of the transport assisting member Transport auxiliary body insertion device. The conveyance auxiliary body insertion device according to claim 3 , wherein the posture correction mechanism is a circular rotating body that rotates in a feeding direction of the conveyance auxiliary body. The conveyance auxiliary body has a columnar shape with a circular cross section,
The sending section sends the transport auxiliary body into the transport pipe in such a direction that its axis is along the plane of the paper sheet transported through the transport pipe and perpendicular to the transport direction. The conveyance auxiliary body insertion apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4 . An air flow is generated in the transport pipe, and the paper sheet inserted in the transport pipe is pushed and moved from behind by a transport auxiliary body that receives the air flow and moves in the transport pipe. A transfer auxiliary body insertion device,
A standby unit for waiting for the conveyance auxiliary member,
A delivery unit that sends the conveyance auxiliary member waiting in the standby unit into the conveyance pipe, and
The conveyance auxiliary body has a columnar shape with a circular cross section,
The sending section sends the transport auxiliary body into the transport pipe in such a direction that its axis is along the plane of the paper sheet transported through the transport pipe and perpendicular to the transport direction. Transport auxiliary body insertion device.

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