JP5947991B2 - Game ball polishing equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a game ball polishing apparatus used in a gaming machine.

  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.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a ball polishing apparatus in which the effective period of the abrasive is extended and the replacement of the polishing means does not require much effort and cost. To do.

In order to achieve the above object, a sphere polishing apparatus according to the present invention, in one aspect,
(A) a ball transport unit and an abrasive cassette;
(B) A sphere transport unit includes a housing having an abrasive cassette housing space in which an abrasive cassette can be fitted and fixed, and a sphere inlet and a sphere that are provided in the housing and both ends open to the outside of the housing. A ball conveying means including an oblique ball passage communicating with the outlet, and a driving means,
(C) The abrasive cassette is a cassette body that can be fitted and fixed in the abrasive cassette housing space of the ball transport unit, and is accommodated in the cassette body, and a part of the abrasive cassette is horizontally disposed on the outer surface of the cassette body. An endless strip-shaped abrasive that is movably exposed; and an abrasive feed means for drawing the abrasive exposed on the outer surface of the cassette body into the cassette body,
(D) The abrasive is in a state in which the abrasive cassette is fitted in the abrasive cassette housing space, the portion exposed to the outer surface of the cassette body faces the spherical passage, and the upper and lower ends of the abrasive are Has a width such that it is located above and below the upper and lower ends of the oblique ball passage of the ball transport unit,
(E) The driving means drives the abrasive material feeding means of the abrasive material cassette fitted in the abrasive material cassette housing space of the ball transport unit.
A spherical polishing apparatus characterized by that.

In another aspect of the ball polishing apparatus according to the present invention,
(A) a ball transport unit, a first abrasive cassette, and a second abrasive cassette;
(B) The ball transport unit includes a housing having an abrasive cassette housing space in which any one of the first abrasive cassette and the second abrasive cassette can be replaced and fixed, and the housing And a ball driving means provided in the second driving means,
(B1) The ball conveying means includes a screw conveyor that is rotatably provided in the housing, and a ball conveying guide that is provided in the vicinity of the outer periphery of the screw conveyor and that forms a ball passage extending in the axial direction between the screw conveyor and the screw conveyor. And first driving means,
(C) The first abrasive cassette is accommodated in the cassette main body that can be fitted and fixed in the abrasive cassette housing space of the ball transport unit, and is accommodated in the cassette main body, and a part thereof is horizontal on the outer surface of the cassette main body An endless belt-shaped abrasive that is exposed to be movable in a direction, and an abrasive feeding means for drawing the abrasive exposed on the outer surface of the cassette body into the cassette body;
(D) The abrasive is in a state in which the abrasive cassette is fitted in the abrasive cassette housing space, the portion exposed to the outer surface of the cassette body faces the spherical passage, and the upper and lower ends of the abrasive are Has a width such that it is located above and below the upper and lower ends of the oblique ball passage of the ball transport unit,
(E) The second driving means includes a second motor provided in the ball transport unit, and a gear of the first abrasive cassette in which the rotational force of the second motor is fitted in the abrasive cassette housing space of the ball transport unit. And a gear transmitted to
It is characterized by that.

In another aspect of the ball polishing apparatus according to the present invention,
(A) a ball transport unit, a first abrasive cassette, and a second abrasive cassette;
(B) The ball transport unit includes a housing having an abrasive cassette housing space in which any one of the first abrasive cassette and the second abrasive cassette can be replaced and fixed, and the housing And a ball driving means provided in the second driving means,
(B1) The ball conveying means includes a screw conveyor that is rotatably provided in the housing, and a ball conveying guide that is provided in the vicinity of the outer periphery of the screw conveyor and that forms a ball passage extending in the axial direction between the screw conveyor and the screw conveyor. And first driving means,
(B2) The first driving means fits the first motor, a pair of gears for transmitting the rotational force of the first motor to the screw conveyor, and the rotational force of the first motor in the abrasive cassette housing space of the ball transport unit. A set of gears that transmit to the roller-like abrasive of the combined second abrasive cassette;
(D) The second abrasive material cassette is fitted in and fixed to the abrasive material cassette housing space of the ball transport unit, and is rotatably provided in the cassette body, exposed to the back surface of the cassette body. A roller-shaped abrasive and a gear for transmitting rotational force to the abrasive,
It is characterized by that.

In another aspect of the ball polishing apparatus according to the present invention,
(A) a ball transport unit, a first abrasive cassette, and a second abrasive cassette;
(B) The ball transport unit includes a housing having an abrasive cassette housing space in which any one of the first abrasive cassette and the second abrasive cassette can be replaced and fixed, and the housing And a ball driving means provided in the second driving means,
(B1) The ball conveying means includes a screw conveyor that is rotatably provided in the housing, and a ball conveying guide that is provided in the vicinity of the outer periphery of the screw conveyor and that forms a ball passage extending in the axial direction between the screw conveyor and the screw conveyor. And first driving means,
(B2) The first driving means fits the first motor, a pair of gears for transmitting the rotational force of the first motor to the screw conveyor, and the rotational force of the first motor in the abrasive cassette housing space of the ball transport unit. A set of gears that transmit to the roller-like abrasive of the combined second abrasive cassette;
(C) The first abrasive cassette is accommodated in the cassette main body that can be fitted and fixed in the abrasive cassette housing space of the ball transport unit, and is accommodated in the cassette main body, and a part thereof is horizontal on the outer surface of the cassette main body An endless strip-shaped abrasive that is exposed to be movable in a direction, and an abrasive feed means that draws the abrasive exposed on the outer surface of the cassette body into the cassette body,
(D) The second abrasive material cassette is fitted in and fixed to the abrasive material cassette housing space of the ball transport unit, and is rotatably provided in the cassette body, exposed to the back surface of the cassette body. A roller-shaped abrasive and a gear for transmitting rotational force to the roller-shaped abrasive,
(E) The second driving means includes a second motor provided in the ball transport unit, and a gear of the first abrasive cassette in which the rotational force of the second motor is fitted in the abrasive cassette housing space of the ball transport unit. A gear 225 that transmits to 211,
It is characterized by that.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the effective period of an abrasive | polishing material can be extended and the ball | bowl polisher which does not require much effort and cost for replacement | exchange of a grinding | polishing means can be provided. Also, the sphere does not roll up the abrasive.

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 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. 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. It is ZZ sectional drawing 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 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)

(A) a ball transport unit and an abrasive cassette;
(B) The ball transport unit includes a housing having an abrasive cassette housing space in which the abrasive cassette can be fitted and fixed, and a sphere provided in the housing and having both ends opened to the outside of the housing. A ball conveying means including an oblique ball passage communicating with the inlet and the ball outlet, and a driving means;
(C) The abrasive material cassette is housed in the cassette body that can be fitted and fixed in the abrasive material cassette housing space of the ball transport unit, and a part of the abrasive material cassette is accommodated in the outer surface of the cassette body. An endless strip-shaped abrasive that is exposed so as to be movable in the horizontal direction, and an abrasive feeding means for drawing the abrasive exposed on the outer surface of the cassette body into the cassette body,
(D) The abrasive is in a state where the abrasive cassette is fitted in the abrasive cassette housing space, a portion exposed to the outer side surface of the cassette body faces the spherical passage, and the abrasive is polished. The upper and lower ends of the material 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, respectively.
(E) The drive means drives the abrasive material feeding means of the abrasive material cassette fitted in the abrasive material cassette housing space of the ball transport unit.
A spherical polishing apparatus characterized by that. (A) a ball transport unit, a first abrasive cassette, and a second abrasive cassette;
(B) The ball transport unit includes a housing having an abrasive cassette housing space in which any one of the first abrasive cassette and the second abrasive cassette can be replaced and fixed. A ball conveying means provided in the housing, and a second driving means,
(B1) The ball conveying means is provided in the vicinity of a screw conveyor rotatably provided in the housing and an outer periphery of the screw conveyor, and forms a ball passage extending in the axial direction between the screw conveyor. A ball transport guide and first drive means;
(C) The first abrasive material cassette is accommodated in the cassette body that can be fitted and fixed in the abrasive material cassette housing space of the ball transport unit, and is accommodated in the cassette body, and a part of the cassette body An endless strip-shaped abrasive that is exposed on the outer surface so as to be movable in the horizontal direction, and an abrasive feeding means for drawing the abrasive exposed on the outer surface of the cassette body into the cassette body,
(D) The abrasive is in a state where the abrasive cassette is fitted in the abrasive cassette housing space, a portion exposed to the outer side surface of the cassette body faces the spherical passage, and the abrasive is polished. The upper and lower ends of the material 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, respectively.
(E) The second driving means includes a second motor provided in the ball transport unit, and the first polishing in which the rotational force of the second motor is fitted in the abrasive cassette housing space of the ball transport unit. A gear that transmits to the gear of the material cassette,
A spherical polishing apparatus characterized by that. (A) a ball transport unit, a first abrasive cassette, and a second abrasive cassette;
(B) The ball transport unit includes a housing having an abrasive cassette housing space in which any one of the first abrasive cassette and the second abrasive cassette can be replaced and fixed. A ball conveying means provided in the housing, and a second driving means,
(B1) The ball conveying means is provided in the vicinity of a screw conveyor rotatably provided in the housing and an outer periphery of the screw conveyor, and forms a ball passage extending in the axial direction between the screw conveyor. A ball transport guide and first drive means;
(B2) The first driving means includes a first motor, a pair of gears that transmit the rotational force of the first motor to the screw conveyor, and the polishing force of the ball transport unit. A set of gears transmitted to the roller-shaped abrasive of the second abrasive cassette fitted in the material cassette housing space,
(D) The second abrasive cassette is provided with a cassette body that can be fitted and fixed in the abrasive cassette housing space of the ball transport unit, and is rotatably provided in the cassette body. The roller-shaped abrasive exposed on the back surface, and a gear that transmits a rotational force to the abrasive,
A spherical polishing apparatus characterized by that. (A) a ball transport unit, a first abrasive cassette, and a second abrasive cassette;
(B) The ball transport unit includes a housing having an abrasive cassette housing space in which any one of the first abrasive cassette and the second abrasive cassette can be replaced and fixed, and the housing And a ball driving means provided in the second driving means,
(B1) The ball conveying means includes a screw conveyor that is rotatably provided in the housing, and a ball conveying guide that is provided in the vicinity of the outer periphery of the screw conveyor and that forms a ball passage extending in the axial direction between the screw conveyor and the screw conveyor. And first driving means,
(B2) The first driving means fits the first motor, a pair of gears for transmitting the rotational force of the first motor to the screw conveyor, and the rotational force of the first motor in the abrasive cassette housing space of the ball transport unit. A set of gears that transmit to the roller-like abrasive of the combined second abrasive cassette;
(C) The first abrasive cassette is accommodated in the cassette main body that can be fitted and fixed in the abrasive cassette housing space of the ball transport unit, and is accommodated in the cassette main body, and a part thereof is horizontal on the outer surface of the cassette main body. An endless strip-shaped abrasive that is exposed to be movable in a direction, and an abrasive feed means that draws the abrasive exposed on the outer surface of the cassette body into the cassette body,
(D) The second abrasive material cassette is fitted in and fixed to the abrasive material cassette housing space of the ball transport unit, and is rotatably provided in the cassette body, exposed to the back surface of the cassette body. A roller-shaped abrasive and a gear for transmitting rotational force to the roller-shaped abrasive,
(E) The second driving means includes a second motor provided in the ball transport unit, and a gear of the first abrasive cassette in which the rotational force of the second motor is fitted in the abrasive cassette housing space of the ball transport unit. A gear 225 that transmits to 211,
A spherical polishing apparatus characterized by that.

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