JP5908753B2 - Game ball polishing apparatus, ball transport unit for the apparatus, and abrasive cassette for the apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a game ball polishing apparatus used in a gaming machine, a ball transport unit for the apparatus, and an abrasive cassette for the apparatus.

  In recent years, a game ball circulation path of a gaming machine is sealed from the outside of the gaming machine, and a game can be performed without causing the player to touch the ball. And the number of prize balls acquired) is displayed at a predetermined position and subtracted from the number of prize balls obtained each time the ball is fired. Various non-open gaming machines that record and acquire the number of acquisitions on a recording medium are known (Patent Documents 1 to 4).

  Even in non-open type gaming machines, although not as in the case of open type gaming machines, dirt may adhere to the balls due to static electricity, etc., so a ball polishing device for removing dirt and giving gloss to the balls is necessary. is there. Patent Document 1 discloses a non-open type gaming machine provided with a relatively small ball polishing device that polishes a ball in a ball circulation path in the gaming machine.

Utility Model Registration No. 2516345 Japanese Patent No. 2799612 JP-A-5-177050 Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-53188

  However, in the ball polishing apparatus described in Patent Literature 1, a pair of rod-shaped ball passage forming members are parallel to the ball circulation path for collecting the balls launched on the game board surface of the gaming machine with an interval smaller than the diameter of the balls. A screw conveyor having an axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the ball path formed by the ball path forming member is provided so that its head faces the ball path, and the screw conveyor is driven to rotate in a predetermined direction. And a polishing means comprising an abrasive fixed to the mounting plate on the upper side of the sphere passage so as to face the sphere passage, and an elastic member that urges the abrasive toward the sphere passage. The sphere that has entered from the sphere entrance at one end is transferred through the sphere passage by the screw conveyor, and the sphere is polished by the polishing means until it exits from the sphere exit at the other end of the sphere passage.

  Therefore, the abrasive is fixed to the mounting plate, and the mounting plate is fixed to the game machine main body by fixing means such as a screw. With this structure, the effective period of the abrasive is short, and it is not possible to check the degree of contamination of the abrasive during business hall operations. There was a problem that it took a lot of labor and cost to exchange means.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and a spherical polishing apparatus in which the effective period of the abrasive is extended and the polishing means can be easily replaced, and a spherical transport constituting the spherical polishing apparatus. An object is to provide a unit and an abrasive cassette.

  In order to achieve the above object, a ball polishing apparatus according to the present invention includes (A) a ball transport unit, a first abrasive material cassette, and a second abrasive material cassette, and (B) the ball transport unit is in a box shape. And (B1) the housing is provided with a sphere inlet and a sphere outlet that are open to the outside, and the first abrasive cassette and the second abrasive cassette. Abrasive material cassette housing space that can replace and fit any one of the material cassettes in a replaceable manner. (B2) The ball conveying means is rotatably provided around an oblique axis in the housing. A ball path extending in the axial direction is formed between the screw conveyor and the outer periphery of the screw conveyor, and one end of the ball path communicates with the ball inlet and the other end of the ball path. Is out The ball conveying guide communicated with the mouth and first driving means for rotating the screw conveyor in a predetermined direction. (C) The first abrasive cassette is fitted into the abrasive cassette housing space of the ball conveying unit. And a cassette body that can be fixed in a serpentine form in the cassette body. A part of the cassette body extends from an abrasive outlet provided on one side of the cassette body to an abrasive inlet provided on the other side. The endless belt-shaped abrasive that is exposed on the outer surface of the cassette body so as to be movable in the horizontal direction, and the abrasive material that is provided near the abrasive material inlet in the cassette body and is exposed to the outer surface from the abrasive material inlet to the cassette body And (D) the second abrasive cassette is formed in a box shape that opens to the rear side (the side facing the abrasive cassette housing space of the spherical transport unit), and has a spherical transport. Polishing unit A cassette body that can be fitted and fixed in the material cassette housing space, a roller-shaped abrasive that is rotatably provided with the shaft inclined in the cassette body, and is exposed on the back of the cassette body, Transmission means for transmitting rotational force to the roller-shaped abrasive, and (E) when the first abrasive cassette is fitted into the abrasive cassette housing space in the ball transport unit, the abrasive feed means; Second driving means for engaging and moving the endless belt-shaped abrasive in a predetermined direction is provided. (F) The first driving means of the ball transport unit rotates the screw conveyor in a predetermined direction, and the second abrasive. When the cassette is fitted in the abrasive cassette housing space of the ball transport unit, it is possible to rotate the roller-like abrasive in a predetermined direction by engaging with the transmission means of the second abrasive cassette, (G ) Ball transport unit When the cassette body of the first abrasive cassette is mounted, the spherical passage of the spherical transport unit faces the endless strip-shaped abrasive exposed on the outer surface of the cassette body of the first abrasive cassette, and the spherical passage A direction of rotation by the first drive means and the second drive means so that a polishing region is formed between the first endless belt and the endless belt-shaped abrasive, and the sphere is conveyed in an oblique direction with respect to the moving direction of the abrasive in the polishing region. (H) When the cassette body of the second abrasive cassette is mounted on the ball transport unit, a polishing area parallel to the axis of the screw conveyor is formed between the spherical passage and the roller-shaped abrasive. It is characterized by that.

  A sphere transport unit constituting a sphere polishing apparatus according to the present invention includes (A1) a box-shaped housing and sphere transport means provided in the housing, and (A2) the housing is a sphere that opens to the outside. It has an inlet and a sphere outlet, and has an abrasive cassette housing space in which any one of the first abrasive cassette and the second abrasive cassette can be accommodated in a replacement manner. (A3) Ball transport The means includes a screw conveyor provided in the housing so as to be rotatable around an oblique axis, and a ball path extending in the axial direction between the screw conveyor and the outer periphery of the screw conveyor. One end of the passage is communicated with the ball inlet, and the other end of the ball passage is composed of a ball conveyance guide communicating with the ball outlet, and first driving means for rotating the screw conveyor in a predetermined direction. 4) The ball transport unit has a second drive means, and the second drive means has a cassette body that can be fitted and fixed in the abrasive material cassette housing space of the ball transport unit, and a meandering shape in the cassette body. Endlessly exposed in such a manner that it can be moved horizontally in the outer surface of the cassette body between the abrasive outlet provided on one side of the cassette body and the abrasive inlet provided on the other side. A first abrasive cassette having a strip-like abrasive and an abrasive feed means provided near the abrasive inlet in the cassette body and exposed to the outer surface from the abrasive inlet into the cassette body is polished. The endless belt-like abrasive is moved in the horizontal direction by engaging with the abrasive feed means when fitted in the material cassette housing space. (A5) The first drive means is a box opened to the back side Formed in the shape of a ball A cassette body that can be fitted and fixed in the abrasive cassette housing space of the rack, and a roller shape that is rotatably provided with the shaft inclined in the cassette body and exposed on the back of the cassette body When the second abrasive cassette having the abrasive and the transmission means for transmitting the rotational force to the roller-like abrasive is fitted into the abrasive cassette housing space, it engages with the transmission means to form a roller. The polishing material is configured to apply a rotational force in a predetermined direction.

  When the cassette body of the first abrasive cassette is mounted on the ball transport unit, the ball passage of the ball transport unit faces the endless belt-like abrasive exposed on the outer surface of the cassette body of the first abrasive cassette, A polishing area is formed between the ball passage and the abrasive, and the rotation direction by the first driving means and the second driving means is such that the sphere is conveyed obliquely with respect to the moving direction of the abrasive in the polishing area. Is set. When the cassette body of the second abrasive material cassette is mounted on the ball transport unit, a polishing region parallel to the axis of the screw conveyor is formed between the ball path and the roller-shaped abrasive material.

  Further, the first abrasive material cassette constituting the ball polishing apparatus according to the present invention includes (B1) a cassette body that can be fitted and fixed in the abrasive material cassette housing space of the ball transport unit, and a meander in the cassette body. Part of the cassette body is exposed to be movable in the horizontal direction between the abrasive outlet provided on one side of the cassette body and the abrasive inlet provided on the other side. An endless belt-like abrasive, and an abrasive feed means provided near the abrasive inlet in the cassette body and pulling the abrasive exposed on the outer surface into the cassette body from the abrasive inlet, (B2) When fitted into the abrasive cassette housing space of the ball transport unit, the upper and lower ends of the endless belt-shaped abrasive are positioned above and below the upper and lower ends of the oblique ball path of the ball transport unit, respectively. Have width and The abrasive feed device, characterized in that the engagement with the second drive means of the sphere conveyor unit.

  Further, the second abrasive material cassette constituting the sphere polishing apparatus according to the present invention is formed in a box shape opened to the back side of (C1), and can be fitted and fixed in the abrasive material cassette housing space of the sphere transport unit. A cassette body and a roller-shaped abrasive that is rotatably provided in the cassette body with the rotation axis inclined, and the rotational force is transmitted to the roller-shaped abrasive exposed on the back of the cassette body. And (C2) the transmission means engages with the first drive means when fitted in the abrasive cassette housing space of the ball transport unit.

  In the sphere polishing apparatus according to the present invention, the sphere conveyance unit has a polishing material cassette housing space in which any one of the first polishing material cassette and the second polishing material cassette can be replaced and fixed. A second conveying means for engaging the abrasive feeding means to move the endless belt-like abrasive in a predetermined direction when the first abrasive cassette is fitted in the abrasive cassette housing space, The first drive means rotates the screw conveyor in a predetermined direction and engages with the transmission means of the second abrasive cassette when the second abrasive cassette is fitted in the abrasive cassette housing space of the ball transport unit. Since the roller-shaped abrasive can be rotated in a predetermined direction, either the first abrasive cassette or the second abrasive cassette is attached to the common ball transport unit, and the endless strip abrasive is Sphere polishing used The apparatus and the ball polishing apparatus using the roller-shaped abrasive can be selectively configured, or can be changed from one to the other.

  In the ball transport unit according to the present invention, the first abrasive cassette and the second abrasive cassette can be alternatively fitted and fixed in the abrasive cassette housing space, and the first abrasive cassette is fitted and fixed. The second driving means of the ball transport unit is engaged with the abrasive moving means of the first abrasive cassette, and when the second abrasive cassette is fitted and fixed, the first drive means of the ball transport unit is the second. Since it engages with the roller-like abrasive transmission means of the abrasive cassette, the sphere conveying unit can be used for a ball polishing device using an endless belt-like abrasive and a ball polishing device using a roller-like abrasive with a relatively simple configuration. Is possible. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the ball polishing apparatus can be reduced.

  Moreover, since the 1st abrasive | polishing material cassette which concerns on this invention is equipped with the endless-band-shaped abrasive | polishing material, the effective period of an abrasive | polishing material is extended. Also, a cassette body that can be fitted and fixed in the abrasive cassette housing space of the ball transport unit, and the cassette body is housed in a meandering manner and a part thereof is provided on one side of the cassette body. Between the abrasive outlet and the abrasive inlet provided on the other side, the endless belt-like abrasive exposed on the outer surface of the cassette body so as to be movable in the horizontal direction, and provided near the abrasive inlet in the cassette body, Abrasive material feeding means for drawing the abrasive material exposed on the outer surface into the cassette body from the abrasive material inlet, and the endless belt-like abrasive material is fitted into the abrasive material cassette housing space of the ball transport unit. Since the upper and lower ends have such a width that they are located above and below the upper and lower ends of the oblique ball path of the spherical transport unit, the lower end edge of the abrasive is not beaten by the transported ball, Abrasive Nor the medial portion is twisted.

  Further, the second abrasive material cassette according to the present invention is similar to the first abrasive material cassette because its transmission means engages with the first drive means when fitted in the abrasive material cassette housing space of the ball transport unit. In this way, it can be used by being mounted on a ball transport unit, and because it uses a roller-like abrasive, maintenance such as management and replacement of the abrasive is easier than when using an endless belt-like abrasive. is there.

It is a front view of an example of the game device which attached the ball polish device concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a perspective view showing three components of a ball polisher concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is the perspective view which looked at the ball conveyance unit which is the 1st component of a ball polisher from the front side. It is a front view of the ball conveyance unit of FIG. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. 4. It is drawing which shows the 1st abrasives cassette which is the 2nd component of a ball polisher, (a) is a perspective view seen from the front side of the 1st abrasives cassette in the state where an abrasive was removed, and (b). A front view and (c) are bottom views. It is a top view of the state which removed the upper box of the 1st abrasive material cassette. It is a perspective view of the 1st abrasive material cassette of FIG. It is a perspective view of the 1st type ball polisher formed by fitting the 1st abrasive material cassette to a ball conveyance unit. FIG. 10 is a front view of the sphere polishing apparatus of FIG. 9. It is the YY sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a perspective view explaining the positional relationship of the conveyance path | route of a ball | bowl and abrasive | polishing material in a 1st type ball grinding | polishing apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the relationship between the conveyance direction of a sphere in the sphere grinding | polishing apparatus of FIG. 12, and the moving direction of an abrasives. It is a perspective view of the 2nd abrasive material cassette which is the 3rd component of a ball polisher. It is a perspective view of the back side which shows the internal structure of the 2nd abrasive material cassette of FIG. It is an expanded view of the 2nd abrasive material cassette of FIG. It is a perspective view of the 2nd type ball polisher formed by fitting the 2nd abrasive material cassette in a ball conveyance unit. FIG. 18 is a front view of the ball polishing apparatus of FIG. 17. It is a perspective view explaining the positional relationship of the conveyance path | route of a ball | bowl and abrasive | polishing material in a 2nd type sphere grinding | polishing apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the relationship between the conveyance direction of a sphere in the sphere grinding | polishing apparatus of FIG. 19, and the moving direction of an abrasives. FIG. 19 is a ZZ cross-sectional view of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the other example of the 2nd abrasive material cassette in the 2nd type ball polisher.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
Recently, due to the complexity of the load of the ball polishing equipment and its supply control, and maintenance problems such as the trouble and cost of changing the abrasive material, the size of the amusement island has one or two or three game machines. A small gaming island has been developed that can successfully reuse a limited number of balls within that range. Here, the gaming machine is a pachinko machine that uses steel balls as balls.

  The ball polishing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is composed of one gaming machine or a small-scale gaming island composed of two gaming machines arranged side by side or back to back, or several gaming machines. It can be used on any of the normal scale amusement islands.

[Installation environment for ball polishing equipment]
FIG. 1 shows an example in which a ball polishing device M according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided when a gaming device G constituting a small game island is composed of two gaming machines G1 and G2 arranged side by side. . The ball polishing apparatus M is attached to the lower part of one of the gaming machines G1 and G2 or the lower part of the boundary between both. The mounting position of the ball polishing apparatus M is not limited to the lower part of the gaming machine, but may be the upper part or the inside.

  The two gaming machines G1 and G2 constituting the gaming device G each have a glass door 2 and a front plate 3 that are pivotally supported on the main body so that the game machine G can be opened and closed on one side. A board 4 is provided. The front plate 3 is provided with an operation unit 5 for inputting a ball launch command to a known ball launcher (not shown) and adjusting the ball launch speed.

  Each gaming machine G1, G2 is provided with a ball lending machine 8 on one side. The ball lending machine 8 is well known and has a display lamp 8a, a bill slot 8b, a coin slot 8c, a coin return slot 8d, and a card slot 8e. The ball lending machine 8 is provided with a ball lending pipe 15 for supplying a ball to an adjacent gaming machine.

  In FIG. 1, 16 is an upper plate, 17 is a lower plate, 18 is a funnel, and 19 is a tray. Reference numeral 20 denotes a display unit for displaying the number of remaining balls and the number of winning balls provided on the game board 4. The position where the display unit 20 is provided is not limited to the game board 4 and may be an arbitrary position that is easy for the player to see. The upper plate 16 and the lower plate 17 can see through from the outside the sphere accommodated therein.

  In the gaming machine G of FIG. 1, the function of collecting the falling balls from the gaming machines G1 and G2, the function of polishing the balls, and the function of supplying the balls to the gaming machines are completed in these two gaming machines. That is, the balls that have come off from the game board 4 of each gaming machine G1, G2 and entered the winning ball collection port h1 and the winning port h2 are received by the lowest funnel 18 of each gaming machine, and from the funnel 18 through the ball collection path 30 Then, after being temporarily stored in the lower tank 31, it flows into a sphere inlet 129, which will be described later, of the sphere polishing apparatus M, and the sphere conveyed and polished in the sphere polishing apparatus M as described later is stored in the sphere polishing apparatus M. It is discharged from a ball outlet 132, which will be described later, and is conveyed to the upper tank 33 by a known ball lifting means 32 such as a coil conveyor or a screw conveyor.

  The balls accommodated in the upper tank 33 are connected to the trays 19 of the gaming machines G1 and G2 through the first ball supply pipe 34 and to the upper end of the ball lending machine 8 through the second ball supply pipe 35. Each is supplied with a controlled quantity.

[Ball polishing equipment]
Next, the ball polishing apparatus M will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 2, the ball polishing apparatus M is configured by mounting the first abrasive material cassette 200 on the ball transport unit 100 or mounting the second abrasive material cassette 300 on the ball transport unit 100. As will be described in detail later, the first abrasive cassette 200 accommodates an endless belt-like abrasive in a state in which the first abrasive cassette 200 is partially exposed on the outer surface so as to be movable in the horizontal direction. Further, as will be described in detail later, the second abrasive cassette 300 accommodates therein a roller-like abrasive so as to be rotatable around an oblique axis. Hereinafter, the ball transport unit 100, the first abrasive material cassette 200, and the second abrasive material cassette 300 will be described in detail in this order.

[Ball transport unit]
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the spherical transport unit 100 includes a box-shaped housing 110 that opens to the front side. In the housing 110, a ball conveying means 120 that is obliquely continuous from the lower part on one side to the upper part on the other side is provided. An abrasive material cassette housing space 111 in which the abrasive material cassette 200 can be fitted and fixed is formed on the front side (front side) of the ball conveying means 120.

  The ball conveying means 120 includes, as main components, a ball conveying guide 121, a screw conveyor (hereinafter simply referred to as a conveyor) 122, a first driving means for rotationally driving the conveyor, and a rotation of the conveyor 122. Rotation detection sensor 124.

  The ball transport guide 121 is formed of a vertically long member having a U-shaped or arcuate cross-sectional shape, and is fixed to the housing 110 in an obliquely continuous state from the lower part on one side to the upper part on the other side of the abrasive material cassette housing space 111. . Further, the ball transport guide 121 has an opening continuous in the axial direction on the front side. The opening has a width slightly larger than the diameter of the sphere C, and as shown in FIG. 5, the mutually opposing end edges 121a and 121b forming the opening meander in parallel. The shape of the ball conveyance guide 121 is not limited to the illustrated example. The ball transport guide 121 may be configured by only the edges 121a and 121b that face each other and form an opening that becomes a spherical passage P described later.

  The conveyor 122 is rotatably supported with bearings (not shown) attached to the left and right support members 112 fixed to the inner surface of the housing 110 so that the rotation shaft 122a is aligned with the center of the ball conveyance guide 121. .

  The sphere conveyance guide 121 concentrically surrounds the conveyor 122, and an oblique sphere passage P that meanders continuously in the axial direction of the conveyor 122 between the edges 121a and 121b of the sphere conveyance guide 121 and the conveyor 122. Is formed. The conveyor 122 has an outer diameter in which a spiral outer peripheral surface is close to the inner surface of the ball transport guide 121, and the interval between the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft 122 a of the conveyor 122 and the inner surface of the ball transport guide 121 is It is slightly smaller than the diameter, and the pitch of the screw is set slightly larger than the diameter of the sphere C.

  As described above, the ball conveyance guide 121 is provided in the vicinity of the outer periphery of the conveyor 122, and forms a spherical passage P extending in the axial direction between the conveyor 122 and one end of the spherical passage P at the spherical inlet 129. The other end of the spherical passage P communicates with the spherical outlet 132.

  The first driving means includes a motor 123 mounted in a case 113 projecting to the right in FIG. 4 on the rear surface of the housing 110, and a pair of gears 125a that serve to reduce and transmit the rotational force of the motor 123. 125b and a gear 125c fixed to the shaft 122a of the conveyor 122 and meshing with the gear 125b.

  In accordance with the present invention, as one configuration that enables the ball transport unit 100 to be shared, the first drive means includes a pair of gears 126a and 126b on a common shaft with a pair of gears 125a and 125b. Have been added. The added gears 126a and 126b are connected to a gear 334 constituting transmission means provided in the second abrasive material cassette 300 when a second abrasive material cassette 300 (to be described later) is fitted to the ball transport unit 100. This is for transmitting the rotational force of the motor 123.

  In the housing 110, there is provided second driving means for driving the abrasive moving means when the abrasive cassette 200 is mounted on the ball transport unit 100. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the second drive means includes a motor 223 and a gear 225 fixed to the rotation shaft of the motor 223.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the lower end portion of the first communication path 128 is connected to one end side portion (right end side portion in FIG. 4) of the ball conveyance guide 121. The upper end portion of the first communication path 128 is connected to a ball inlet 129 that is open to the outside on the upper wall of the housing 110. Thereby, the sphere C entering from the sphere inlet 129 flows down through the first communication path 128 and enters one end of the sphere passage P.

  The upper end portion of the second communication path 130 is also connected to the other end portion (the left end portion in FIG. 4) of the ball conveyance guide 121. A lower end portion 131 of the second communication path 130 is bent toward the side wall of the housing 110, and a tip thereof is connected to a ball outlet 132 that is open to the outside on the side wall of the housing 110. Thereby, the sphere C passing through the sphere passage P is discharged from the sphere outlet 132 through the second communication path 128.

  The lower end of the ball supply pipe of the lower tank 31 in FIG. 1 is coupled to the ball inlet 129, and the ball outlet 132 is coupled to the ball lifting means 32 of the gaming apparatus G in FIG.

  As described above, the motor 123 and the gear trains 125a to 125c constitute driving means (first driving means) for rotating the conveyor 122 of the ball conveying means 120 in a predetermined direction. The conveyor 122 is rotated so that the balls are conveyed from the lower end portion to the upper end portion of the oblique ball passage P.

  Although not shown, the rotation detection sensor 124 includes, as an example, a known photoelectric sensor attached to the housing 110 and an encoder fixed to a lower extension portion of the rotation shaft of the conveyor 122. The rotation detection sensor 124 is used for operation confirmation. If necessary, the number of balls discharged from the ball outlet 132 can be counted based on the rotation angle of the conveyor 122. The ball number counting sensor for counting the number of balls may have another configuration or may be provided at another position. Further, the signal from the rotation detection sensor 124 is used for performing control for stopping the operation of the ball polishing apparatus.

  The ball transport unit 100 is housed in the gaming machine with the abrasive cassette housing space 111 of the housing 110 facing the front of the gaming machine, and is integrally formed at the four corners of the opening surface of the housing 110. In 133, it is detachably attached to a predetermined position by fixing means such as screws. Therefore, the ball polishing apparatus M can be easily attached to the gaming apparatus G. Note that the mounting direction of the ball transport unit 100 is arbitrarily determined based on restrictions due to the number and configuration of gaming machines.

  The housing 110 of the ball transport unit 100 is provided with known catch means 134 for capturing and fixing a first abrasive cassette 200 (to be described later) fitted in a predetermined position of the abrasive cassette housing space 111.

[First abrasive cassette]
As shown in FIGS. 6, 7, and 8, the first abrasive material cassette 200 has a cassette body 201 formed in a sealed, substantially horizontally long box shape, and in the abrasive material accommodation space 202 in the cassette body 201. An endless belt-like abrasive 203 is accommodated in a meandering manner. The endless belt-like abrasive 203 is made of an abrasive material that can be repeatedly deformed into an accordion shape again from an accordion shape to a flat shape, for example, an abrasive cloth.

  The endless belt-like abrasive 203 is formed on one side end (right side in FIGS. 7 and 8) of the rear wall of the cassette body 201 (the wall facing the abrasive cassette housing space 111 of the housing 110 of the ball transport unit 100). The other end of the back wall 204 (in FIGS. 7 and 8) along the outer surface of the back wall 204 of the cassette body 201. It extends so as to cover the back wall 204 to the left end), and is again drawn into the abrasive accommodating space 202 from the abrasive inlet 206 formed by a vertical slit formed at the other end of the back wall 204. . In other words, the endless belt-shaped abrasive 203 is exposed to the outside of the back wall of the cassette body 201 and is maintained in a vertically tensioned state by the back wall 204. A rectangular exposed portion 203a having a certain area exposed on the back side of the cassette body 201 of the abrasive 203 provides a spherical polishing region PF as will be described later.

  In the abrasive material accommodation space 202, an abrasive material feeding means 207 for feeding the abrasive material 203 in a predetermined direction is provided inside the abrasive material inlet 206. The abrasive material feeding means 207 has two gear rollers 208 and 209 having the same gear pitch with the rotation axis vertical inside the abrasive material inlet 206, one gear roller 208 is fixed and the other gear roller 209 is one gear roller 208. In a state of being biased in the approaching direction, each is rotatable and provided so that the teeth mesh with each other, and the shaft 208a of one gear roller 208 extends downward through the bottom wall 210 of the cassette body 201, A gear 211 for receiving a rotational force from the outside is fixed to the extension portion. Then, the abrasive 203 is passed between the gear rollers 208 and 209, and the gear rollers 208 and 209 of the gear rollers 208 and 209 are applied with such a force that the abrasive 203 is not permanently deformed by the gear roller 209 biased by a spring member (not shown) such as a leaf spring. It is sandwiched between them.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the cassette body 201 is divided into two upper and lower boxes 201a and 201b at a substantially intermediate position in the height direction. In addition, the division | segmentation structure of a box is not necessarily equal, and the form of a container and a lid may be sufficient. 7 and 8 are diagrams in which the upper and lower boxes of FIG. 6 are separated at the boundary surface, and the abrasive 203 and the gear rollers 208 and 209 are cut at the boundary surface. The upper and lower box bodies 201a and 201b are brought into contact with the peripheral edges of the opening surfaces, and are joined by screws 212 or the like at the tongue pieces formed at the four corners of the peripheral edges of both box bodies 201a and 201b. It is integrally formed. Since normal work can be replaced as a single body, maintenance is easy. Then, in the state divided into two, the abrasive 203 in the abrasive accommodating space 202 can be replaced. Therefore, the endless belt-like abrasive 203 and the first abrasive cassette 200 are excellent in recyclability.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6, the cassette body 201 is provided with protrusions 214 and 215 that protrude in the vertical direction on the top wall 213 and the bottom wall 210, respectively. These protrusions 214 and 215 correspond in position to the catch means 134 provided on the housing 110 of the ball transport unit 100.

[Assembly of first type ball polishing equipment]
The abrasive cassette housing space 111 of the housing 110 of the ball transport unit 100 has a back surface shape that is substantially the same as the back surface shape of the cassette body 201 of the first abrasive material cassette 200. Therefore, the first abrasive cassette 200 can be closely fitted into the abrasive cassette housing space 111 of the ball transport unit 100 as shown in FIGS. Then, when fitted, the protrusions 214 and 215 of the first abrasive cassette 200 are captured and fixed by the catch means 134 of the ball transport unit 100. In this state, the first type ball polishing apparatus M1 as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 is completed.

  In the first type of ball polishing apparatus M1, the rectangular exposed portion 203a of the abrasive 203 exposed on the outer surface of the first abrasive cassette 200 is close to the oblique ball path P of the ball transport unit 100. In this case, the range in which the abrasive 203 is close to the spherical path P is a polishing area PF in which the sphere conveyed through the spherical path P is in contact with the abrasive, and the polishing area PF is as indicated by a chain line in FIG. , An oblique band-like range near the diagonal of the exposed portion 203a outside the cassette body of the abrasive 203, the upper end being located at a position lower than the upper side 203b of the exposed portion 203a, and the lower end being the lower side 203c of the exposed portion 203a The dimension of the exposed portion 203a and the inclination angle of the spherical passage P are set so as to exist at a higher position.

  When the first abrasive cassette 200 is fitted into the abrasive cassette housing space 111 of the ball transport unit 100, the gear 211 of the abrasive moving means is the gear 225 of the second drive means provided in the ball transport unit 100. (See FIG. 10).

[Operation and effect of the first type of ball polishing equipment]
Next, the operation of the first type ball polishing apparatus M1 during operation will be described. When the first driving means and the second driving means are operated, the conveyor 122 is rotated in a predetermined direction, and the first connecting path 128 is passed from the ball inlet 129 of the housing 110 as shown by a thick black line in FIGS. The ball that has flowed down to the starting end of the ball path P is conveyed obliquely upward in the ball path P, and the abrasive 203 (exposed portion 203a) exposed to the outside of the abrasive cassette 200 is moved in the direction in which the ball C is conveyed. It is moved in the opposite horizontal direction. That is, the abrasive is moved in the horizontal direction in the polishing region PF, whereas the sphere C is conveyed obliquely upward in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the abrasive in the polishing region PF, and the sphere C is in the meantime. Polished in contact with.

  The sphere C conveyed to the end of the sphere passage P is discharged from the sphere outlet 132 to the outside of the sphere conveyance unit 100 through the second connection path 130.

  Since the sphere is conveyed obliquely upward in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the abrasive in the polishing region, the contact distance with the abrasive can be increased, and the polishing efficiency is improved. In addition, since the spherical passage P is slightly meandered, the entire spherical surface of the sphere is uniformly in contact with the abrasive, so that it is more efficiently polished. In addition, since the contact range of the sphere with the abrasive is limited to a range that avoids the upper and lower ends of the abrasive, the sphere does not particularly come into contact with the lower end of the abrasive. Furthermore, since the sphere is conveyed obliquely upward, the abrasive is also prevented from being twisted at the intermediate position in the width direction.

[Second abrasive cassette]
The second abrasive cassette 300 will now be described. As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the second abrasive material cassette 300 is generally formed in a box shape that opens to the back side (the side facing the abrasive material cassette housing space 111 of the housing 110 of the ball transport unit 100). A cassette body 310 formed, and a roller-shaped abrasive 320 exposed on the back side of the cassette body 310, which is rotatably provided in the cassette body 310 with a rotation axis inclined, and And transmission means 330 for transmitting a rotational force to the roller-shaped abrasive.

  The cassette body 310 is formed in a shape that can be fitted into the abrasive cassette housing space 111 of the ball transport unit 100.

  The roller-shaped abrasive 320 is formed by a brush as an example, and its axial length is substantially equal to the length of the spherical passage P of the spherical transport unit 100. The shaft 321 of the roller-shaped abrasive 320 is supported by the left and right support members 322 so as to be rotatable in an oblique state with respect to the longitudinal direction of the cassette body 310. The inclination angle is set to coincide with the inclination angle of the ball passage P of the ball conveyance unit 100 in a state where the second abrasive cassette 300 is mounted on the ball conveyance unit 100.

  The transmission means 330 includes a gear 331 fixed to the lower end of the shaft 321 of the abrasive 320 and a support member 322 between the gear 331 in the cassette body 310 and the side wall 315 of the cassette body 310. A transmission shaft 332 that is rotatably supported by the shaft, a gear 333 that is fixed to the inner portion of the cassette main body 310 of the transmission shaft 332, and that meshes with the gear 331, and a side wall 315 of the cassette main body 310 of the transmission shaft 332 that extends outward. And a gear 334 fixed to the formed portion.

[Assembly of second type ball polishing equipment]
On the top wall 311 and the bottom wall 312 of the cassette body 310, protrusions 313 and 314 are provided that protrude in the vertical direction. The protrusions 313 and 314 are the same as the protrusions 214 and 215 of the first abrasive material cassette, and the second abrasive material cassette 300 is closely attached to the abrasive material cassette housing space 111 of the ball transport unit 100 as shown in FIGS. Can be fitted. Then, when fitted, the protrusions 313 and 314 of the second abrasive cassette 300 are captured and fixed by the catch means 134 of the ball transport unit 100. In this state, the second type ball polishing apparatus M2 as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 is completed.

  In the second type of ball polishing apparatus M2, as shown in FIG. 21, the rotating shaft 321 of the roller-shaped abrasive 320 of the second abrasive cassette 300 is parallel to the opening of the conveyance guide 121 of the ball conveyance unit 100. A part of the outer peripheral surface of the roller-shaped abrasive 320 parallel to the axial direction is close to the entire length of the spherical passage P of the spherical transport unit 100. Further, an external gear 334 constituting the transmission means 330 of the second abrasive material cassette 300 is operatively connected to gears 126a and 126b added to the gears 125a and 125b of the first driving means of the ball transport unit 100.

[Operation and effect of the second type of ball polishing equipment]
When the first driving means of the ball transport unit 100 is activated and the conveyor 122 is rotated in a predetermined direction, the roller-shaped abrasive 320 is also rotated in a predetermined direction via the transmission means 330 of the second abrasive cassette 300. . Therefore, the sphere that has flowed down from the sphere inlet 129 to one end of the sphere passage P is conveyed through the sphere passage P by the conveyor 122, and the outer peripheral surface of the roller-shaped abrasive 320 that rotates in between is in contact with the sphere. Polished. Then, the polished sphere is discharged from the other end of the sphere passage P to the sphere outlet 132.

  Dirt accumulates on the roller-shaped abrasive 320 by use. When accumulated, the second abrasive cassette 300 can be easily removed from the ball transport unit 100 and replaced with a new one.

[Other embodiments]
Instead of replacing the entire ball transport unit 100, a blade (not shown) that scrapes off the dirt by contacting the outer peripheral surface of the roller-shaped abrasive 320 in the second abrasive cassette 300, and supporting the blade, In addition, it is preferable to include an abrasive material regenerating means including a case (not shown) for storing the powder particles scraped off by the blade. 316 in FIG. 16 is a hole provided for detachably attaching the abrasive material regenerating means to the second abrasive material cassette 300.

  FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to a circle E in FIG. 21 when a roller-like sponge 320A is used instead of a brush for the roller-like abrasive 320. In the case of using a sponge, the sphere dirt removal efficiency is better and the sphere is less excessively polished than the brush. Moreover, since it has elasticity, replacement | exchange can be performed easily.

  When the roller-like sponge 320A is used, as illustrated in FIG. 22, one end of the sponge regeneration plate 342 is swingably supported by the support arm 341 provided in the second abrasive material cassette 300 as the abrasive regeneration unit 340. The sponge regeneration section 344 made of a blade or the like provided at the other end of the sponge regeneration plate 342 is biased toward the outer peripheral surface of the roller-like sponge 320A by a spring 343 attached to the support arm 341. The sponge regeneration unit 344 scrapes the surface of the sponge to which dirt has been transferred due to contact with the sphere, and new surfaces appear one after another, so that stable polishing performance can be obtained for a long period of time. In addition, the diameter of the sponge 320A gradually decreases as the surface is scraped, but even in that case, since the tension is applied in the sphere direction, the sponge 320A always contacts the sphere with a constant force.

  In this case, the sponge regeneration part 344 is formed in a groove shape such as an L-shape or a U-shape with an upper opening, so that it also serves as a particulate storage part and removes the powder (dirt) peeled off by the sponge regeneration part 344. It is preferable to accommodate in the granular material accommodating part.

  In the case of using the sponge regeneration unit 344 that also has such a granular material storage unit, the life of the roller-like sponge 320A can be prolonged, and the separated granular material (dirt) is removed from the second abrasive material cassette. It is possible to prevent scattering in 300.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the ball passage of the ball transport means 120 of the ball transport unit 100 is provided obliquely from the lower side to the upper side. It may be provided obliquely from the upper side to the lower side to convey the sphere obliquely downward. Correspondingly, the inclination direction of the roller-shaped abrasive 320 of the second abrasive cassette 300 may be changed so as to extend in parallel with the spherical passage of the spherical transport unit 100.

G gaming machine G1, G2 gaming machine M ball polishing machine
100 ball transport unit
120 ball transport means
121 Ball transport guide
122 Conveyor P Ball passage
128 First communication path,
129 ball entrance
130 Second connection
132 Ball exit
200 First abrasive cassette
201 Cassette body
203 Endless belt abrasive
205 Abrasive outlet
206 Abrasive inlet
207 Abrasive feed means
211 Abrasive material feed means gear PF Polishing area
225 Second drive gear
300 Second abrasive cassette
310 Cassette body
320 Roller abrasive (brush)
330 Transmission means
320A Roller-like abrasive (sponge)
340 Abrasive recycling means

Claims (4)

  (A1) It has a box-shaped housing and a ball conveying means provided in the housing. (A2) The housing is provided with a ball inlet and a ball outlet that are open to the outside, and the first abrasive. An abrasive cassette housing space that can accommodate any one of the cassette and the second abrasive cassette in a replaceable manner. (A3) The ball conveying means is rotatably provided around an oblique axis in the housing. A ball path extending in the axial direction is formed between the screw conveyor and the outer periphery of the screw conveyor, and one end of the ball path communicates with the ball inlet. The end is composed of a ball conveyance guide communicating with the ball outlet and first driving means for rotating the screw conveyor in a predetermined direction. (A4) The ball conveyance unit has second driving means, and the second drive The moving means is a cassette body that can be fitted and fixed in the abrasive cassette housing space of the ball transport unit, and is housed in a meandering manner in the cassette body, a part of which is provided on one side of the cassette body. An endless belt-shaped abrasive that is exposed to the outer surface of the cassette body so as to move horizontally between the abrasive outlet and the abrasive inlet provided on the other side, and provided near the abrasive inlet in the cassette body. The first abrasive cassette having an abrasive feed means for drawing the abrasive exposed on the outer surface from the abrasive inlet into the cassette body is engaged with the abrasive feed means when fitted in the abrasive cassette housing space. (A5) The first driving means is formed in a box shape opened on the back side and fits into the abrasive cassette housing space of the ball transport unit. Can be fixed Rotating force is transmitted to the set main body and the roller-shaped abrasive exposed on the back of the cassette main body, and the roller main body, which is rotatably provided with its axis inclined in the cassette main body. And a second abrasive cassette having a transmission means for engaging the transmission means and applying a rotational force in a predetermined direction to the roller-like abrasive when the second abrasive cassette is fitted in the abrasive cassette housing space. A ball transport unit characterized by that.   (B1) A cassette body that can be fitted and fixed in the abrasive cassette housing space of the ball transport unit, and is housed in a meandering manner in the cassette body, and a part is provided on one side of the cassette body. An endless belt-shaped abrasive that is exposed to the outer surface of the cassette body so as to move horizontally between the abrasive outlet and the abrasive inlet provided on the other side, and provided near the abrasive inlet in the cassette body. And an abrasive feeding means for drawing the abrasive exposed on the outer surface from the abrasive inlet into the cassette body, and (B2) an endless belt shape when fitted into the abrasive cassette housing space of the ball transport unit The abrasive material has a width such that the upper and lower ends thereof are located above and below the upper and lower ends of the oblique ball passage of the spherical transport unit, respectively, and the abrasive feed means is the second drive of the spherical transport unit. Engaging with the means The first abrasive cassette according to claim.   (C1) It is formed in a box shape that opens to the back side, and can be rotated in a state where the rotation axis is inclined in the cassette body, which can be fitted and fixed in the abrasive cassette housing space of the ball transport unit. A roller-shaped abrasive that is exposed on the back surface of the cassette body, and transmission means for transmitting rotational force to the roller-shaped abrasive, and (C2) housing the abrasive cassette in the ball transport unit The second abrasive cassette, wherein the transmission means engages with the first drive means when fitted in the space.   (A) It consists of a sphere conveyance unit, a first abrasive material cassette, and a second abrasive material cassette. (B) The sphere conveyance unit comprises a box-shaped housing and a sphere conveyance means provided in the housing. (B1) The housing is provided with a sphere inlet and a sphere outlet that open to the outside, and any one of the first abrasive cassette and the second abrasive cassette is replaced and fixed in place. (B2) the ball conveying means is provided in the vicinity of the outer periphery of the screw conveyor and the screw conveyor provided in the housing so as to be rotatable around an oblique axis. A ball conveyance guide that forms an axially extending ball passage between the ball and the conveyor, one end of the ball passage communicates with the ball inlet, and the other end of the ball passage communicates with the ball outlet, and a screw conveyor And (C) a first abrasive material cassette that can be fitted into and fixed to the abrasive material cassette housing space of the ball transport unit, and a cassette body of the first abrasive material cassette. In a meandering manner, a part of the cassette body can be moved horizontally from the abrasive outlet provided on one side of the cassette body to the abrasive inlet provided on the other side. An exposed endless strip-shaped abrasive, and an abrasive feed means provided near the abrasive inlet in the cassette body and pulling the abrasive exposed on the outer surface into the cassette body from the abrasive inlet, D) The second abrasive material cassette is formed in a box shape opening on the back side, and can be fitted and fixed in the abrasive material cassette housing space of the ball transport unit, and the axis is inclined in the cassette body Ready to rotate A roller-shaped abrasive material exposed on the back surface of the cassette body, and a transmission means for transmitting a rotational force to the roller-shaped abrasive material. When the cassette is fitted into the abrasive cassette housing space, second drive means is provided for engaging the abrasive feed means and moving the endless belt-like abrasive in a predetermined direction. 1 drive means rotates the screw conveyor in a predetermined direction, and engages with the transmission means of the second abrasive cassette when the second abrasive cassette is fitted in the abrasive cassette housing space of the ball transport unit. It is possible to rotate the roller-shaped abrasive in a predetermined direction. (G) In a state where the cassette body of the first abrasive cassette is mounted on the ball transport unit, the ball path of the ball transport unit is subjected to the first polishing. Wood cassette A polishing area is formed between the spherical passage and the endless strip-shaped abrasive facing the endless strip-shaped abrasive exposed on the outer surface of the cassette main body, and the sphere moves in the direction of movement of the abrasive in the polishing area. In the state in which the rotation direction by the first driving means and the second driving means is set so as to be conveyed in an oblique direction, and the cassette body of the second abrasive material cassette is mounted on the (H) ball conveying unit, A ball polishing apparatus, wherein a polishing region parallel to the axis of a screw conveyor is formed between a passage and a roller-shaped polishing material.

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