JP6182766B2 - Coin selector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a coin selector that sorts inserted coins into genuine coins and fake coins. More specifically, the present invention relates to a coin selector that is preferably used in a gaming machine such as a slot machine and that can reliably exclude coins to be excluded.

  The “coin” used in this specification is a general term for coins, disk-shaped medals, tokens, and the like.

  Various coin selectors used in slot machines such as pachislot machines have been conventionally proposed. For example, there are those disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2.

  The coin selector of Patent Document 1 includes a coin passage that descends from an entrance to an exit, a first gate means that can selectively take a cancel position that protrudes into the coin passage and a retreat position that exits from the passage, and a first gate means. In a rolling coin selector comprising a second gate means that can selectively take a cancel position that protrudes into the coin path from the entrance side and a retracted position that retreats from the path, the coin path is substantially vertical The first gate means is formed on a sloping portion of the coin passage and is formed by a descending portion, an arc-shaped portion following the descending portion, and a slope portion continuing to the arc-shaped portion, and a projection crossing the coin passage and the projection And an arcuate portion formed from the upstream side toward the projecting portion, and is normally projected to the cancel position by the biasing means. The cam surface is disposed on the arcuate portion of the passage and is pivotally attached to the pivot, and has a cam surface that gradually protrudes from the upstream side to the downstream side of the coin passage. The biasing means is biased to the cancel position, and the protrusion of the first gate means is engaged with the protrusion of the second gate means corresponding to the protrusion during the retraction of the first gate means. It is configured such that it is accompanied and moved to the retracted position.

  In the conventional coin selector of Patent Document 1, even if coins continuously reach the gate means, they can be canceled individually (that is, excluded from the coin path) by the first and second gate means, Even if the speed of the coin rolling on the coin passage increases, the passage of the extra coin can be surely prevented. For this reason, since the impact force equivalent to two coins is not applied to the first gate means, the durability does not decrease even if the weight is reduced to improve the response.

  In addition, since the first gate means has a projection that crosses the coin passage and an arc-shaped portion that is formed from the upstream side toward the projection following the projection, the coin has already come to the front of the projection. If the coin is coming just before the protrusion, it is locked by the protrusion and pushed out by the rear arcuate part, and the arcuate part is located in the coin path. Since the coin is removed from the guide rail and dropped by being guided by the arcuate portion when it is, the coin can be surely removed regardless of the position in the coin path.

  Further, the second gate means is pivotally attached to the pivot and is urged to the cancel position by the spring, and is engaged with the first gate means in the middle of the retreating movement of the first gate means and is retracted. By being configured to move to the position, when the first gate means protrudes, the moving speed is improved because the spring of the first gate means and the spring of the second gate means are urged.

  The inserted medal sorting device of Patent Document 2 is an L-shaped medal passage that allows a medal to roll from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction by its own weight between the facing surfaces of the substrate and the opening and closing plate that face each other in a standing position, In the middle of the medal passage, there is an exclusion port that opens to the opening / closing plate side of the portion facing the medal passage to exclude medals, and the position of the medal passage facing the exclusion port is at the outer wall surface of the substrate A movable guide plate extending from the side, movably displaced between the medal intake position and the medal removal position of the medal passage, and distributing the medal guided here to the medal intake position side and the medal removal position side; An urging means for urging the movable guide plate toward the medal removal position; a driving means for movably displacing the movable guide plate toward the medal take-in position against the urging force of the urging means; and driving of the driving means In conjunction with An inserted medal sorting device provided with an exclusion guide member for immersing from a portion of a medal passage facing the exclusion port from an outer wall surface side of a plate, and a detecting means for detecting passage of medals passing through the medal passage, Based on the fact that the exclusion guide member comes into contact with a medal flowing down between the exclusion guide member disposed on one side facing the medal passage and the medal guide portion disposed on the other side. When the flow-down resistance increases, temporary retracting means for temporarily retracting the exclusion guide member from the position protruding into the medal passage while maintaining the guide operation of the movable guide plate is provided.

  In the inserted medal sorting device described in Patent Document 2, even if the exclusion guide member comes into contact with a medal to be passed due to a deviation in the exclusion timing of the exclusion guide member, the medal is allowed to pass by temporary retracting means for temporarily retracting the exclusion guide member. Can pass the medal. Therefore, even if a medal exclusion guide function having a high spring pressure response to prevent the medal from being swallowed is configured, the medal clogging or error may be caused by temporarily retracting the exclusion guide member in contact with the medal. Exclusion can be reliably prevented.

Japanese Patent No. 4235723 (FIG. 2, FIG. 7, FIG. 12, paragraph numbers 0012, 0048 to 0056) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2006-296546 (FIGS. 3 and 6, paragraph numbers 0021 to 0023)

  The conventional coin selector disclosed in Patent Document 1 has the following problems.

  The first gate means has an urging means for urging toward the protruding side at the cancel position. When the coin is received by the arc-shaped portion and the impact is large, the first gate means resists the urging force by a component force acting on the arc-shaped portion. It is configured to be able to retreat and relieve impact. In other words, the component force acting on the arc-shaped portion exerts a force that causes the first gate means to move toward the withdrawal position. Therefore, the movement of the first gate means to the cancel position is suppressed, and there is a problem that the response speed of the exclusion operation is lowered. If the response speed of the exclusion operation is not sufficient, there is a risk of so-called “smearing” in which coins that should be canceled by the first gate means are accepted without being excluded, and the reliability of the exclusion operation is reduced.

  Further, when the coin comes immediately before the protrusion of the first gate means, the coin is pushed out by the arc-shaped portion after being locked by the protrusion. Therefore, there is a problem that the rolling coin collides with the protrusion of the first gate means, and the protrusion of the first gate means wears due to the impact at that time. In order to solve this problem, a light and highly wear-resistant material such as Teflon (registered trademark) may be used for the first gate means. However, the volume of the first gate means having the protrusions and the arcuate portions is relatively large, and if the first gate means is formed of Teflon, the cost is increased, so it is difficult to adopt it.

  On the other hand, the conventional inserted medal sorting device disclosed in Patent Document 2 relies only on increasing the spring pressure for improving the response speed. In general, when the spring pressure is increased, a large driving force is required to move the movable guide plate against the spring pressure. This not only increases the size and cost of the driving means, but also increases the energy consumption during driving. turn into. Therefore, there is a limit in the spring pressure, and there is a problem that a sufficient response speed cannot be obtained.

  Furthermore, there is a problem that the exclusion guide member is worn due to the exclusion guide member coming into contact with the medal. If Teflon is used for the exclusion guide member, the wear resistance is improved. However, since it is necessary to form not only the exclusion guide member but also the temporary retracting means using Teflon, the cost increases. Although it is conceivable that only the exclusion guide member is formed of Teflon, it is necessary to attach an individually prepared exclusion guide member to the temporary retracting means.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a coin selector that can sufficiently increase the response speed of the coin exclusion operation.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a coin selector that can reliably execute a coin exclusion operation and has high reliability without jamming or clogging.

  Still another object of the present invention is to provide a coin selector that can reduce the driving force of a driving solenoid and can be reduced in size and power consumption.

  Still another object of the present invention is to provide a coin selector capable of enhancing durability while suppressing cost.

  Other objects of the present invention which are not specified here will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings.

  In order to achieve this object, the coin selector according to the present invention is configured as follows.

(1) A coin selector according to the present invention includes a coin passage that rolls a coin from an entrance to an exit, a coin removal position that protrudes into the coin passage and removes the coin from the coin passage, and retreats from the coin passage. A gate that is displaceable to a coin receiving position that allows the coin to pass through, and a pivot that is pivotally supported by a support shaft that is disposed on the exit side of the coin passage relative to the gate, and the gate at the tip. A swing lever that has a working surface on which a force that contacts the coin that is rolling in the coin path and acts in a traveling direction of the coin acts, and from the coin receiving position, A coin selector that facilitates displacement from the coin acceptance position to the coin exclusion position when the coin comes into contact during the displacement to the coin exclusion position .

  In the coin selector of the present invention, the gate is provided at the tip of the swing lever, and the swing lever is rotatably supported by the support shaft. The support shaft is disposed on the exit side of the coin passage from the gate. In other words, the support shaft is provided on the downstream side in the traveling direction of the coin.

  When the gate is displaced from the coin receiving position to the coin exclusion position, the gate contacts (or collides) with the coin that is rolling in the coin path, and the gate moves in the direction of the coin movement. The heading force acts. Since the gate is provided at the tip of the swing lever that is rotatably supported, the force acting on the gate rotates the swing lever. In other words, the force acting on the gate is converted into torque that rotates the swing lever. Since the support shaft of the swing lever is provided downstream of the gate in the advancing direction of the coin, in this case, the swing lever rotates in a direction in which the gate protrudes. In other words, the rolling coins are brought into contact with (or collide with) the gate, thereby promoting the protrusion of the gate into the coin passage. Therefore, the time for the gate to move from the coin receiving position to the coin removing position is shortened, the response speed of the coin removing operation is sufficiently increased, and the reliability of the removing operation is improved.

  In addition, since a sufficient response speed can be obtained even if the driving force of the driving solenoid is small, the driving force of the driving solenoid can be reduced, and the cost, size, and power saving can be reduced.

  Furthermore, since the gate is provided at the tip of the swing lever, the size can be reduced, and the cost can be increased even if a wear-resistant material is used to increase the durability of the gate. It can be suppressed sufficiently. In other words, durability can be enhanced while reducing costs.

  It is preferable that the axis of the support shaft that supports the swing lever is disposed substantially perpendicular to the coin traveling direction in the coin passage. This is because the efficiency when the force acting on the gate is converted into the torque for rotating the swing lever is increased.

  (2) In a preferred example of the present invention, the gate and the entire swing lever are L-shaped in plan view. In this case, since the efficiency when the force acting on the gate is converted into the torque for rotating the swing lever is increased, there is an advantage that the response speed of the coin removal operation can be further increased.

  (3) In another preferred example of the present invention, the swing lever is biased in a direction in which the gate is directed toward the coin exclusion position. In this case, since the urging force acting on the swing lever is applied, there is an advantage that the response speed of the coin removing operation can be further increased.

  (4) In still another preferred example of the present invention, the gate has a slope formed by a plane obtained by rotating a vertical plane perpendicular to the extending direction of the coin passage by a predetermined angle around a vertical axis. In this case, there is an advantage that the response speed of the coin removing operation can be optimized by appropriately setting the inclination angle of the slope.

  By the way, the rolling speed of the coins rolling in the coin path is lowered by contact (or collision) with the gate. When the slope is provided on the gate, the force acting on the gate upon contact (or collision) with the gate is a horizontal component in a direction parallel to the slope and a vertical component in a direction perpendicular to the slope. Disassembled. The vertical component acts as a torque for rotating the swing lever, and the traveling direction of the coin changes in the direction of the horizontal component. In other words, the horizontal component force acts as a force for removing the coin from the coin path. As a result, there is an advantage that the coin that has come into contact with the gate is quickly eliminated without staying at the gate.

  (5) In still another preferred example of the present invention, the gate is disposed at a position where the gate protruding into the coin passage can come into contact with a peripheral edge of a lower end of the coin rolling in the coin passage. In this case, even when the coin rolls in a daisy chain without a gap, the gate can be inserted into the gap formed between the lower peripheral surfaces of the coin and brought into contact. There is an advantage that the exclusion operation can be realized.

  (6) In still another preferred example of the present invention, in the example of (5), a guide rail for guiding the outer peripheral surface of the coin from above and below in the coin path is provided. In this case, even if a force that climbs up the gate when the coin contacts the gate, it can be prevented by the guide rail, and there is an advantage that a reliable removal operation can be realized.

  (7) In still another preferred example of the present invention, the sliding portion connected to the swing lever and supported by the support shaft, and sliding while locking the locking groove to the locking portion. Thus, a slide member for rotating the swing lever and a driving means for sliding the slide member are provided. In this case, since linear motion is converted into rotational motion, when a solenoid is used as the driving means, the driving force of the driving means can be reliably converted into the rotational motion of the swing lever, even though the configuration is simple. Has the advantage that it can be manufactured.

  (8) In still another preferred example of the present invention, the gate is formed of a fluororesin having abrasion resistance against the coin contact. In this case, weight reduction and high durability can be realized at the same time.

  (9) In still another preferred example of the present invention, the gate is formed of polytetrafluoroethylene. In this case, weight reduction and high durability can be realized at low cost at the same time.

  In the coin selector of the present invention, (a) the response speed of the coin removal operation can be sufficiently increased, (b) the coin removal operation can be executed reliably, and the reliability is high. (C) downsizing and power saving (D) It is possible to increase the durability while suppressing the cost.

It is a front perspective view which shows the coin selector of one Example of this invention. It is a rear perspective view of the coin selector of FIG. It is a front view of the coin selector of FIG. It is a rear view of the coin selector of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the main structures of the coin selector of FIG. It is a front view of the state which removed the door body which shows the inside of the coin selector of FIG. It is a rear view which shows the door body of the coin selector of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the gate means of the coin selector of FIG. It is sectional drawing along the IX-IX line of FIG. FIG. 3A is a side view and FIG. 5B is a plan view showing the operation of the reject means of the coin selector in FIG. FIG. 2A is a side view and FIG. 5B is a plan view after the rejection, showing the operation of the reject means of the coin selector of FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the inside of a coin selector in a state set for a small-diameter coin, showing a selection diameter changing unit of the coin selector of FIG. 1. It is a front view inside the coin selector of the state of FIG. It is sectional drawing along the XIV-XIV line | wire of FIG. It is a front view inside a coin selector in a state set for a large-diameter coin, showing a selection diameter changing means of the coin selector of FIG. FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the inside of the coin selector in the state of FIG. 15. It is sectional drawing along the XVII-XVII line of FIG.

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

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the coin selector 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention has a U-shaped main body 101 to which various parts constituting the coin selector 100 are attached, and the main body 101 rotates. A freely-supported door body 102, a coin passage 103 formed between the main body 101 and the door body 102, a first guide rail 104 for guiding coins from below in the coin passage 103, and a coin passage 103 are rolled. Coin sorting means 105 that sorts the true / false of moving coins based on the diameter, gate means 106 that accepts or removes coins that are sorted as genuine coins by the coin sorting means 105, and coins that have passed through the gate means 106 are detected. Coin detecting means 107 for performing the operation, rejecting means 108 for forcibly removing coins in the coin passage 103, and coin selecting means 10 5 , a coin diameter 110 for receiving coins into the coin passage 103, and a coin exit 111 for discharging coins from the coin passage 103 toward the gaming machine.

(Body)
The main body 101 includes a first guide wall 112 that hangs, a left side wall 114 and a right side wall 116 that are bent at right angles from the left and right ends of the first guide wall 112, respectively. A concave groove 118 extending in the vertical direction is formed by the wall 116. The surface of the first guide wall 112 functions as a coin guide surface 113 (see FIG. 6).

  The width of the main body 101 is 3.5 inches, which is a so-called defect standard size. Four mounting projections 122 projecting outward are formed on the left side wall 114 and the right side wall 116, and the coin selector 100 is secured by latching these projections 122 in a mounting groove (not shown) of the gaming machine. Can be attached to a gaming machine.

  A protrusion 124 protruding to the front side is formed at the upper end of the main body 101, and a door body supporting shaft 126 extending to the left is provided on the protrusion 124 (see FIG. 6). The right wall 116 is also provided with a door support supporting shaft 127 extending to the left, and these two supporting shafts 126 and 127 are formed on the same axis L1 inclined upward to the left.

(Door body)
The door body 102 includes a second guide wall 132 disposed in parallel with the first guide wall 112, and a door body frame 134 that projects from the peripheral edge of the second guide wall 132 to the front side. A surface of the second guide wall 132 facing the first guide wall 112 functions as a coin guide surface 133. An arc-shaped coin drop opening 135 is formed in the center of the second guide wall 132 along the coin passage 103 described later. The coin drop opening 135 is for dropping the coin C when the coin C rolling in the coin passage 103 is a small-diameter fake coin.

  The door frame 134 includes an upper frame portion 136a, a left frame portion 136b, a lower frame portion 136c, and a right frame portion 136d, and a frame support portion 138 that protrudes outward on the right side is formed on the right frame portion 136d. . Bearings 140 and 141 arranged on the same axis L1 are respectively formed on the upper portions of the outer side surfaces of the right frame portion 136d and the frame support portion 138 (see FIG. 5). The support shafts 126 and 127 of the main body 101 are inserted into the bearings 140 and 141, respectively, and the door body 102 is rotatably supported by the main body 101. That is, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the door is between the guide position GP parallel to the first guide wall 112 and the reject position RP rotated at a predetermined angle at which the lower end portion is separated from the first guide wall 112. The body 102 is pivotally attached.

  A cylinder 152 protruding to the back surface is formed at the upper right end of the main body 101, and a pusher 156 that is urged by a spring 154 fixed by a latch pin 153 is disposed in the cylinder 152. The pusher 156 protrudes from the cylinder 152 toward the door body 102 and presses the driven slope 142 formed at the upper right end portion of the frame support portion 138, thereby generating a moment around the axis of the bearing 141, so that the door body 102 is A biasing force of a predetermined force toward the guide wall 112 is received. In other words, an elastic turning force always acts on the door body 102 so as to approach the first guide wall 112.

  The door body 102 is provided with a driven piece 144 that protrudes from the left frame portion 136b toward the main body 101 and protrudes through the through hole 128 formed in the first guide wall 112 to the back surface of the main body 101 (FIG. 5). reference). As will be described later, when the driven piece 144 is pushed by the reject means 108, the door body 102 is rotated in the direction away from the first guide wall 112 with the support shafts 126 and 127 as fulcrums, and can be moved to the reject position RP. .

(Guide rail)
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, a protrusion 162 protruding toward the first guide wall 112 is formed on the back surface of the second guide wall 132 (that is, the surface facing the first guide wall 112). The guide plate 164 is fixed by screws 166. Projection 162 has an upper surface 172 in downward slanting right (diagonally downward to the left in FIG. 7), the guide plate 16 4 has an arcuate upper surface 174 of the downward slanting right (diagonally downward to the left in FIG. 7) . The first guide wall 112 is formed with a plate-like protruding portion 168 that protrudes into the recessed groove 118 and has an upper surface 176 that slopes downward to the right. The upper end surface 172 of the protrusion 162, the upper end surface 174 of the guide plate 164, and the upper surface 176 of the plate-like protrusion 168 have a width slightly larger than the thickness of the coin C (in other words, a width corresponding to the thickness of the coin C). Are arranged continuously. These upper end surfaces 172 and 174 and the upper surface 176 function as a coin guide surface 180 that guides the outer peripheral surface of the coin C from below. In other words, the protrusion 162 of the second guide wall 132, the guide plate 164, and the plate-like protrusion 168 of the first guide wall 112 constitute the first guide rail 104.

  The guide plate 164 is preferably formed of a wear-resistant material, for example, a metal material. This is because high wear resistance can be realized while suppressing the price.

  In addition, it is possible to form the protrusion 162 integrally with the guide plate 164 without forming the protrusion 162 on the second guide wall 132, and the entire first guide rail 104 is formed of the guide plate 164. You can also.

(Coin passage)
As shown in FIG. 6, a second guide rail 202 having a coin guide surface 204 substantially parallel to the coin guide surface 180 of the first guide rail 104 is disposed in the concave groove 118 of the main body 101.

  The coin passage 103 includes a coin guide surface 113 on the surface of the first guide wall 112, a coin guide surface 133 on the second guide wall 132, a coin guide surface 180 on the first guide rail 104, and a coin guide surface 204 on the second guide rail 202. Defined by The coin passage 103 has a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape and has a planar shape curved rightward as shown in FIG.

  A plurality of protrusions 129 are formed on the coin guide surface 113 of the first guide wall 112 along the coin guide surface 180 of the first guide rail 104. These ridges 129 descend vertically from the coin inlet 110 and then bend, and then extend downward to the right and reach the coin outlet 111. The protrusion 129 has a function of reducing the movement resistance of the coin C rolling on the coin passage 103.

(Coin sorting means)
The coin sorting means 105 is constituted by a coin upper end side guide 206 and a deflecting means 210, and has a function of sorting coins C rolling on the coin passage 103 by diameter, and removing small-diameter fake coins from the coin passage 103. Have. The deflecting means 210 includes a deflecting body 212 and an urging means 214.

  A coin upper end side guide 206 that guides the upper end side of the coin C extends vertically downward from the coin guide surface 204 of the second guide rail 202 and has a predetermined distance from the coin guide surface 180 of the first guide rail 104. have. This interval is set to a dimension corresponding to the diameter of the coin to be selected (that is, the genuine coin), for example, a value slightly larger than the diameter of the genuine coin.

  The deflecting body 212 is rotatably supported by a support shaft 216 disposed at the upper end of the back surface of the main body 101, and is attached to the coin passage 103 through an arc-shaped opening 130 formed in the first guide wall 112 so as to advance and retreat. It has been. The deflecting body 212 has a plate shape and is curved in accordance with the curvature of the coin passage 103.

  A weight body 218 as an urging means 214 is attached to the back surface side of the first guide wall 112 of the deflecting body 212. Therefore, a predetermined moment acts on the deflecting body 212 in the direction toward the front side of the sheet of FIG. 5 with the support shaft 216 as a fulcrum. Thereby, normally, the deflecting body 212 protrudes into the coin passage 103 with a predetermined moment.

The deflecting body 212 is disposed in the coin path 103 in the vicinity of the second guide rail 202 so that the upper end side surface of the coin C rolling in the coin path 103 can be pushed toward the second guide wall 132 side. Yes. Further, since the tip of the deflecting body 212 is inclined with respect to the coin passage 103, when the deflecting body 212 is located in the coin passage 103, the coin C inserted from the coin entrance 110 is guided in the lateral direction, subjected to a force that is pushed out from the coin passage 10 3.

  When the coin C introduced into the coin path 103 is a genuine coin, the coin C that rolls along the first guide rail 104 is guided by the coin upper end side guide 206 at its upper end side, so that it is deflected. Even if pushed by the body 212, the coin passage 103 is moved as it is. On the other hand, when the coin C is a small-diameter fake coin, its upper end side is not guided by the coin upper end side guide 206, so when pushed by the deflecting body 212, the coin C falls to the second guide wall 132 side and opens the coin drop opening. Fall from 135.

  The urging means 214 only needs to apply an urging force to the deflecting body 212, so that a spring can be used instead of the weight body 218. However, it is preferable to use the weight body 218 because individual variations are small and quality is stable.

(Gate means)
The operation of the gate unit 106 is controlled so as to permit or reject the acceptance of the coin C by a control unit (not shown) of the gaming machine to which the coin selector 100 is attached. That is, when the gaming machine permits the acceptance of the coin C (in the acceptance-permitted state), it passes the coin C, and when it refuses the acceptance of the coin (in the acceptance-rejected state), the coin C is passed through the coin passage 103. The gate means 106 is actuated so as to eliminate it.

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 4, 8, and 9, the gate means 106 is disposed on the back surface of the main body 101, in other words, on the back surface of the first guide wall 112, and includes the gate 302 and the swing lever 304. It is out.

The gate 302 has a substantially triangular prism outer shape, and is provided at the tip of an L-shaped swing lever 304 in plan view. The gate 302 and the swinging lever 304 as a whole have an L shape in plan view. The base end of the swing lever 304 is connected to the columnar outer peripheral surface of the rotating portion 308 that is rotatably supported by the support shaft 306. A cylindrical locking portion 310 is formed at an eccentric position at the bottom of the rotating portion 308. Gate 302, the swing lever 304, the rotation unit 3 08 and the locking portion 310 is formed integrally, in their entirety is rotatable around the support shaft 306. If necessary, the gate 302, the swing lever 304, I am also possible to assemble the part or the whole of the rotation unit 3 08 and the locking portion 310 prepared separately. However, it is preferably formed integrally from the viewpoint of dimensional accuracy and cost.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 9, the support shaft 306 that supports the swing lever 304 is disposed substantially parallel to the first guide wall 112 on the first guide wall 112 side of the coin passage 103, and the coin passage 103 is arranged substantially perpendicular to the traveling direction DR of the coin C rolling. In other words, the support shaft 306 is disposed with a predetermined distance from the coin passage 103. The support shaft 306 is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the front view with respect to the extension line of the coin passage 103. Further, the support shaft 306 is disposed on the downstream side of the coin passage 103 with respect to the gate 302. In other words, the support shaft 306 is disposed on the exit 111 side of the coin passage 103 with respect to the gate 302.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, a gate 302, on the plate-like collision detection section 168 constituting the first guide rail 104, which is retractable through the through hole 131 formed in the first guide wall 112 . In other words, the gate 302 can be displaced to a position P2 protruding into the coin passage 103 and a position P1 exiting from the coin passage 103. Gate 302, the plate-like collision detection section 168 (i.e., the first guide rail 104) is disposed adjacent to. In other words, the gate 302 is disposed at a position where it can contact the peripheral edge of the lower end of the coin C rolling in the coin passage 103 in a state of protruding into the coin passage 103.

  When the gate 302 is located at the protruding position P <b> 2, the coin C rolling on the coin passage 103 comes into contact with the gate 302 and is prevented from traveling and is removed from the coin passage 103. When the gate 302 is located at the retreat position P1, the coin C rolling on the coin passage 103 passes through the gate means 106 as it is and is received in the gaming machine via the coin outlet 111. In other words, the gate 302 can be displaced between a protruding position P2 that functions as a coin removal position and a withdrawal position P1 that functions as a coin receiving position.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, when the gate 302 protrudes into the coin passage 103, the gate 302 crosses the coin passage 103 and the traveling direction of the coin C (in other words, the extending direction of the coin passage 103) DR. And an inclined surface 303 facing each other. That is, it has a slope 303 formed of a plane obtained by rotating a vertical plane perpendicular to the extending direction DR of the coin passage 103 around the vertical axis by a predetermined angle, and the angle from the vertical plane toward the slope 303 is as viewed from above the vertical axis. Make an acute angle. Therefore, the coin C that has come into contact with the gate 302 is deflected in the direction along the inclined surface 303 and quickly removed from the coin passage 103. The inclination angle with respect to the traveling direction of the slope 303 and the coin C is appropriately set so that the ability to exclude the coin C is further enhanced. As the slope 303, a flat surface or a curved surface is appropriately selected. The curved surface is, for example, a convex curved surface that protrudes toward the coin passage 103 at the protruding position P2.

  The gate 302 is made of a fluororesin having abrasion resistance in order to realize weight reduction and high durability, and is preferably made of polytetrafluoroethylene. This is because weight reduction and high durability can be realized simultaneously at a low cost.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 8, the locking portion 310 is locked to the locking groove 314 of the slide member 312 slidably disposed on the back surface of the first guide wall 112 in parallel with the back surface. . The slide member 312 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape extending in a direction perpendicular to the support shaft 306, and the locking groove 314 is formed between two projecting portions 313 a and 313 b provided at one end of the slide member 312. . A driven piece 318 extending in a direction parallel to the support shaft 306 is provided at the other end of the slide member 312.

The driving means 320 disposed on the back surface of the first guide wall 112 is a solenoid 322 having an armature 324. The solenoid 322 is fixed to the frame body 332 with screws 334. The tip of the armature 324 is connected to the driven piece 318 of the slide member 312. The armature 324 is biased by a spring 326 disposed between the driven piece 318 and the solenoid 322 in a direction in which the armature 324 protrudes, in other words, in a direction in which the driven piece 318 moves away from the solenoid 322. Biasing force of the spring 326, the slide member 312, transmitted to the swing lever 30 4 via the engaging portion 319 and the rotation unit 308 rotates the swing lever 304 in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 9, the gate 302 It acts in the direction to project the coin passage 103.

(Coin detection means)
As shown in FIG. 6, the coin detection means 107 is disposed near the coin exit 111 of the coin passage 103 and detects the coin C that has passed through the gate means 106 without being excluded by the gate 302. As the coin detecting means 107, a transmissive photoelectric sensor, a reflective photoelectric sensor, a magnetic sensor, a contact sensor, and the like can be used, and a plurality of coin detecting means 107 are preferably arranged. This is because by determining the output order of the detection signals, etc., it is possible to determine fraud due to insertion of a fraudulent instrument inserted from outside. Also, when different types of sensors are used, there is an advantage that fraud is made more difficult because fraud must be performed in response to different sensors.

Here, the coin detecting means 107 includes a transmissive photoelectric first coin sensor 402 disposed on the upstream side of the coin passage 103 and a magnetic second coin sensor 404 disposed on the downstream side thereof. It is out. In the first coin sensor 402, a light projecting unit and a light receiving unit are arranged with the coin passage 103 interposed therebetween. The second coin sensor 404 has a coil disposed with the coin passage 103 interposed therebetween. First and second coin sensor 402, 404 is attached to the body 101 via a sensor supporting bearing member 406 (see FIG. 5).

(Reject means)
The reject unit 108 has a function of removing the coin C jammed in the coin passage 103 from the coin passage 103. The reject means 108 includes a plate-like driven lever 504 extending adjacent to the first guide wall 112 and having a bearing (not shown) rotatably attached to a support shaft 216 that is a pivot shaft, and a driven lever. It consists of a pushing lever 506 extending downward from 504, and has a function of moving the door body 102 to the reject position RP.

  The driven lever 504 is normally rotated clockwise in FIG. 10A by self-moment while the lower end portion of the pushing lever 506 is opposed to the tip of the driven piece 144 of the door body 102. In this state, as shown in FIG. 10 (B), the end surface of the locking portion 505 is locked to the back surface of the main body 101, and as shown in FIG. 10, the door body 102 is at the guide position GP in a substantially vertical state. Retained.

  When the coin C jams in the coin passage 103 and stops rolling, the return lever (not shown) of the gaming machine is operated. In that case, the end of the driven lever 504 is pushed down, rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 10 (A), and rotated to the state of FIG. 11 (B). Accordingly, the pushing lever 506 pushes the driven piece 144, so that the door body 102 is rotated and positioned at the reject position RP as shown in FIG. In this state, the guide plate 164 is separated from the first guide wall 112 by the thickness of the coin C or more, and the coin C that can no longer roll in the coin passage 103 falls from the first guide rail 104. Then, the dropped coin C falls in the reject passage 508 in the concave groove 118 in the vertical direction and is rejected.

(Selection diameter changing means)
As shown in FIGS. 12 to 17, selecting the diameter changing unit 109 includes a first guide member 606 and the second guide member 62 6 constituting the coin upper portion side guide 206, as the holding means of the second guide member 62 6 And a functioning holding body 640. The sorting diameter changing unit 109 has a function of changing the setting of the sorting diameter in the coin sorting unit 105 to a small diameter coin or a large diameter coin (for example, φ25 mm or φ30.8 mm).

  The first guide member 606 has a flat plate shape, and has a lower end surface 608 formed along the coin guide surface 180 of the first guide rail 104, and the lower end surface 608 thereof is the coin guide surface 180 of the first guide rail 104. To a predetermined first distance d1 (FIG. 17). The first interval is set to be slightly smaller than the selected diameter of the large coin so that the first guide member 606 can guide the side surface of the upper end portion of the large coin. The first guide member 606 is fixed to a support portion 602 that protrudes from the first guide wall 112 toward the second guide wall 132 and is provided to face the first guide rail 104.

  The lower surface of the support portion 602 is a coin guide surface 604 corresponding to a large-diameter coin, and is formed along the coin guide surface 180 of the first guide rail 104. The coin guide surface 604 is disposed at a predetermined interval from the coin guide surface 180 of the first guide rail 104, and the support portion 602 functions as the second guide rail 202 when the selection diameter is set for a large diameter coin. To do. Note that the support portion 602 is formed integrally with the first guide wall 112, but a configuration in which the support portion 602 formed separately is attached to the first guide wall 112 is also possible.

  The second guide member 626 has a flat plate shape, has a lower end surface 628 formed along the coin guide surface 180 of the first guide rail 104, and has a screw (see FIG. (Not shown). 12 to 14 show a case where the selected diameter is set to a small-diameter coin. In this state, the lower end surface 628 of the second guide member 626 is a predetermined second from the coin guide surface 180 of the first guide rail 104. Are arranged so as to have a distance d2 (FIG. 14).

Holder 640 includes a first portion 642 having a support surface 648 for supporting the second guide member 62 6, with one end extending in a direction substantially parallel to the support surface 648 of the first portion 642 is connected to the first portion 642 The second portion 644 and a third portion 646 extending in a direction forming a predetermined angle with respect to the support surface 648 of the first portion 642 and having one end connected to the second portion 644. The first, second and third portions 642, 644, 646 are integrally formed. The first, second, and third portions 642, 644, and 646 can be formed separately, but are preferably formed integrally from the viewpoint of dimensional accuracy and cost.

  A support portion 622 that faces the coin guide surface 180 of the first guide rail 104 is formed at the tip of the first portion 642. The lower surface of the support portion 622 is a coin guide surface 624 corresponding to a small-diameter coin, and is formed along the coin guide surface 180 of the first guide rail 104. The coin guide surface 624 is disposed at a predetermined interval from the coin guide surface 180 of the first guide rail 104, and the support portion 622 functions as the second guide rail 202 when the selected diameter is set for a small diameter coin. .

  The third portion 646 is inclined at a predetermined angle θ with respect to the second portion 644 (in other words, the support surface 648) (see FIG. 14). Screw insertion holes 652 and 654 are formed in the second portion 644 and the third portion 646, respectively (see FIG. 4).

  A pedestal 682 having screw holes (not shown) at positions corresponding to the screw insertion holes 652 and 654 is provided on the back surface of the first guide wall 112. The holding body 640 is fixed by inserting a screw 660 into a screw hole of the corresponding base 682 using any one of the screw insertion holes 652 and 654 (see FIGS. 4, 14, and 17).

  The first guide wall 112 has an opening 662 that extends from the back to the front, and the second guide member 626 supported by the holding body 640 can pass through the opening 662 and can enter and exit in the coin passage 103. In other words, the second guide member 626 can move in and out of the coin passage 103 through the opening 662.

Is inserted a screw 660 into the screw insertion hole 652, when the holding member 640 is fixed to the pedestal 6 82 through the second portion 644, as shown in FIGS. 12 to 14, the second guide member 626 is first guide It is disposed between the rail 104 and the first guide member 606. In other words, the second guide member 626 is disposed in a first position PS1 having a first distance d1 from the first guide rail 10 4. In other words, the second guide member 626 is disposed in the coin passage 103. For this reason, the second guide member 626 functions as a guide for guiding the side surface of the upper end portion of the coin C, and the selected diameter is set for a small-diameter coin.

It is inserted a screw 660 into the screw insertion hole 654, when the holding member 640 is fixed to the pedestal 6 82 through the third portion 646, as shown in FIGS. 15 to 17, the second guide member 626 is first guide It is excluded from between the rail 104 and the first guide member 606. In other words, the second guide member 626 is disposed at the second position PS2 outside the coin passage 103. The first guide member 60 6 and the support portion 602 is disposed in the coin path 103. For this reason, the first guide member 606 functions as a guide for guiding the side surface of the upper end portion of the coin C, and the selection diameter is set for a large-diameter coin.

The upper end surface 629 of the second guide member 626 in plan view a triangular positioning protrusion 672 is formed, on the lower end surface 608 of the first guide member 60 6 aligned recess 674 in plan view a triangular shape is formed Yes. The alignment convex portion 672 and the alignment concave portion 674 are arranged at positions where they can mesh with each other and have a shape. When the second guide member 626 is disposed at the first position PS1, the alignment guide 672 and the alignment recess 674 mesh with each other, whereby the second guide member 626 is automatically positioned.

(Coin selector operation)
When the gaming machine is in the acceptance refusal state, the solenoid 322 is demagnetized, and the armature 324 is projected by the urging force of the spring 326. As a result, the swing lever 304 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 9, and the gate 302 is held at the protruding position P2.

  When a coin C is inserted into the coin entrance 110 and the coin C is a genuine coin, the coin C is in each of the first guide wall 112, the second guide wall 132, the first guide rail 104, and the second guide rail 202. The coin passage 103 rolls while being guided by the coin guide surfaces 113, 133, 180, and 204. At this time, the upper end portion side surface of the coin C is guided by the coin upper end portion side surface guide 206, and the lower end portion side surface of the coin C is guided to the coin guide surface 133 of the second guide wall 132. For this reason, even if a lateral pushing force is applied from the deflecting body 212 of the coin sorting means 105, the coin passage 103 is rolled as it is and reaches the gate means 106.

  Thus, the coin C that has reached the gate means 106 comes into contact with the gate 302 located at the protruding position P 2, and the periphery of the lower end of the coin C is deflected along the slope 303 of the gate 302. At this time, even if an upward force acts on the coin C and tries to get over the gate 302, the coin guide surface 204 of the second guide rail 202 regulates the upward movement amount of the coin C. As a result, the coin C is removed from the coin passage 103 by a force that gradually goes outward from the peripheral edge of the lower end portion, and falls to the reject passage 508.

  When the coin C inserted into the coin entrance 110 is a small-diameter fake coin, the coin C rolling on the first guide rail 104 is not guided to the coin upper end side guide 206 by the coin sorting means 105 and deflected. The pushing force from the lateral direction of the body 212 is pushed out of the coin passage 103 from the coin drop opening 135 and falls into the reject passage 508.

  When the coin C inserted into the coin entrance 110 is a large-diameter fake coin, the coin C is sandwiched between the first guide rail 104 and the second guide rail 202 and cannot roll on the coin passage 103. In this case, the reject means 108 is applied and the coin C is excluded. That is, the driven lever 504 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 10A by the operation of the return lever of the gaming machine, and is rotated to the position in FIG. As a result, the lower end of the pushing lever 506 pushes the driven piece 144 and turns the door body 102 about the axis L1 to turn to the reject position RP (see FIGS. 11A and 11B). As a result, a gap equal to or greater than the thickness of the coin C is formed between the guide plate 164 of the door 102 and the coin guide surface 113 of the main body 101, and the coin C that cannot move moves from the first guide rail 104 to the reject passage 508. Fall.

  When the gaming machine is in the acceptance-permitted state, the solenoid 322 is excited, and the armature 324 moves toward the solenoid 322 against the biasing force of the spring 326. Therefore, the swing lever 304 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 9, and the gate 302 is held at the retracted position P1.

  In this state, when the coin C is inserted from the coin entrance and the coin C is a genuine coin, the coin C rolls on the first guide rail 104 as in the acceptance refusal state, and the coin sorting means. The gate means 106 is reached without being eliminated at 105. The coin C passes through the gate means 106 without being removed by the gate 302, and is detected by the coin detection means 107 and then accepted by the gaming machine via the coin outlet 111.

  In the coin detection means 107, since the coin C blocks the transmitted light of the first coin sensor 402, the first coin sensor 402 outputs a detection signal, and immediately after that, the second coin sensor 404 detects the metal coin C. A detection signal is output. These detection signals are used for counting the number of genuine coins.

  The case where the coin C inserted into the coin entrance 110 is a small-diameter fake coin or a large-diameter fake coin is the same as in the acceptance refusal state, and therefore the description thereof is omitted here.

  When the gaming machine is changed from the acceptance permitted state to the acceptance refusal state, the solenoid 322 changes from the excited state to the demagnetized state. Accordingly, the swinging lever 304 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 9 by the biasing force of the spring 326, and the gate 302 is displaced from the retracted position P1 to the protruding position P2. In particular, when the coin C is continuously inserted into the coin entrance 110 and is changed from the acceptance-permitted state to the acceptance-rejected state, the coin C 103 that is rolling exists in the coin path 103. The gate means 106 is required to have a high response speed.

  In the coin selector 100 of this embodiment, when the gate 302 is displaced from the retracted position (that is, the coin receiving position) P1 to the protruding position (that is, the coin removal position) P2, the gate 302 is rolling on the coin path 103. When coming into contact with the coin C, the gate 302 is subjected to a force directed in the traveling direction of the coin C. Since the gate 302 is provided at the tip of the swing lever 304 that is rotatably supported, the force acting on the gate 302 rotates the swing lever 304. Since the support shaft 306 that supports the swing lever 304 is provided downstream of the gate 302 in the direction of movement of the coin C, in this case, the swing lever 304 rotates in a direction in which the gate 302 protrudes. That is, when the peripheral surface of the coin C being rolled collides with the inclined surface 303 of the gate 302, the gate 302 receives a force at the eccentric position, and is thus rotated to the eccentric side. In FIG. 9, it is rotated counterclockwise until it is stopped by the stopper so as to protrude into the coin passage 103. Therefore, a force proportional to the rolling speed of the coin C acts in the direction in which the gate 302 protrudes. Therefore, the time during which the gate 302 is displaced from the retracted position (that is, the coin receiving position) P1 to the protruding position (that is, the coin removal position) is shortened, and the response speed of the coin removal operation is sufficiently increased. The reliability as 106 is improved.

  Further, since the gate 302 is provided at the tip of the swing lever 304, the size can be reduced, and the cost can be increased even if a wear-resistant material is used to increase the durability of the gate 302. It can be suppressed sufficiently. That is, durability can be improved while suppressing costs.

(How to change the selection diameter)
When the selection diameter is set for a small-diameter coin, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 12 to 14, the second guide member 626 is connected to the second portion of the holding body 640 by a screw 660 inserted into the screw insertion hole 652. It is fixed to the back surface of the first guide wall 112 via 644 and a pedestal 682. Therefore, the holding body 640 extends through the opening 662 from the back surface of the first guide wall 112 to the front surface, and the second guide member 626 and the support portion 602 of the holding body 640 are disposed in the coin passage 103. That is, the second guide member 626 is disposed at the first position PS1, and the selected diameter is set for a small-diameter coin.

  When the second guide member 626 is disposed at the first position PS1, the holding body 640 is engaged with the first guide wall while the alignment protrusion 672 of the second guide member 626 is engaged with the alignment recess 674 of the first guide member 606. It is fixed to the back surface of 112. Accordingly, the second guide member 626 is automatically positioned with respect to the first guide member 606. In other words, the second guide member 626 is automatically positioned with respect to the first guide wall 112 via the first guide member 606. Therefore, the alignment of the second guide member 626 can be performed easily and with high accuracy.

  When the selection diameter is set for a large-diameter coin, as shown in FIGS. 15 to 17, the second guide member 626 has a third portion 646 of the holding body 640 and a screw 660 inserted into the screw insertion hole 654. It is fixed to the back surface of the first guide wall 112 via a pedestal 682. Therefore, the holding body 640 moves from the front surface to the back surface of the first guide wall 112 through the opening 662, and the second guide member 626 and the support portion 602 of the holding body 640 are withdrawn from the coin passage 103 and out of the coin passage 103. Be placed. That is, the second guide member 626 is disposed at the second position PS2, and the selection diameter is set for a large-diameter coin.

  When the portion fixed to the first guide wall 112 is changed from the second portion 644 to the third portion 646, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 17, the holder 640 slides downward and rotates to the back side. The second guide member 626 is accommodated on the back side of the first guide wall 112 through the opening 662. Therefore, the selection diameter can be changed with a simple operation, and no replacement of parts is required. In addition, by combining the slide movement and the rotational movement, the space necessary for the movement of the second guide member 626 is small, the space utilization efficiency is high, and the size can be reduced.

  The present invention can be suitably used in combination with a coin processing device such as a gaming machine, a change machine, a vending machine, or a ticket vending machine using coins, for example, a slot machine such as a pachislot machine.

C Coin GP Guide position RP Reject position L1 Axis P1 Retraction position (coin receiving position)
P2 protruding position (coin exclusion position)
PS1 First position PS2 Second position 100 Coin selector 101 Main body 102 Door body 103 Coin passage 104 First guide rail 105 Coin sorting means 106 Gate means 107 Coin detecting means 108 Rejecting means 109 Sorting diameter changing means 110 Coin entrance 111 Coin Exit 112 First guide wall 113 Coin guide surface 114 of the first guide wall Left side wall 116 Right side wall 118 Concave groove 122 Mounting protrusion 124 Projection part 126, 127 Door body support spindle 128 Through hole 129 Projection line 130 Arc-shaped opening 131 Through hole 132 Second guide wall 133 Coin guide surface 134 of the second guide wall Door frame 135 Coin drop opening 136a Upper frame portion 136b Left frame portion 136c Lower frame portion 136d Right frame portion 138 Frame support portions 140 and 141 Bearing 142 Driven slope 144 Driven piece 15 Cylinder 153 engaging the pin 154 spring 156 pusher 162 the second guide wall protrusions 164 guide plate 166 screws 168 Coin guide surface 202 of the first guide wall of the plate-like collision detecting section 172, 174, the upper end surface 176 upper surface 180 first guide rail Second guide rail 204 Coin guide surface 206 of the second guide rail 206 Coin upper end side guide 210 Displacement means 212 Displacement body 214 Biasing means 216 Support shaft 218 Weight body 302 Gate 303 Gate slope 304 Swing lever 306 Support shaft 308 Rotating part 310 Locking part 312 Slide member 313a, 313b Protruding part 314 Locking groove 316, 317 Protruding 318 Driven piece 320 Driving means 322 Solenoid 324 Armature 326 Spring 332 Frame 334 Screw 402 First coin sensor 404 Second coin Sensor 40 Sensor support 504 Driven lever 506 Pushing lever 508 Reject passage 602 Support portion 604 Coin guide surface 606 of the support portion First guide member 608 Lower end surface 622 of the first guide member Support portion 624 Coin guide surface 626 of the support portion Member 628 Lower end surface 629 of second guide member Upper end surface 640 of second guide member Holding body 642 First portion of holding body 644 Second portion of holding body 646 Third portion of holding body 648 Support surface 652, 654 Screw insertion hole 660 Screw 662 Opening 672 Alignment convex part 674 Alignment concave part 682 Base

Claims (1)

A coin passage for rolling coins from the entrance to the exit,
A gate that protrudes into the coin passage and is displaceable into a coin removal position for removing the coin from the coin passage and a coin acceptance position for allowing the coin to pass through the coin passage;
A swing lever that is rotatably supported by a support shaft that is disposed on the exit side of the coin passage from the gate, and that has the gate at the tip;
With
The gate has an action surface that is in contact with the coin that is rolling in the coin path and on which a force acting in the direction of movement of the coin acts, and during the displacement from the coin receiving position to the coin exclusion position, A coin selector that facilitates displacement from the coin receiving position to the coin exclusion position when a coin comes into contact .

Images