JP6250996B2 - Game ball lifting device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a game ball lifting apparatus that lifts a game ball such as a pachinko ball from a low place to a high place, and more particularly to a game ball lift apparatus provided in a gaming machine island below a top board.

  On a gaming machine island that houses multiple gaming machines, a downwardly inclined collecting basket is installed below the gaming machine along the longitudinal direction of the gaming machine island, and the game balls discharged from the gaming machine are received by the collecting basket. Then, it is rolled and transported to a predetermined collecting place and collected.

  In order to smoothly transport the game balls with the inclined collection basket, it is necessary to set the inclination angle of the collection basket to a certain level or more. On a large, long gaming machine island, for example, one from the island edge to the center of the island. Since the total length becomes longer with respect to the height difference, the necessary inclination cannot be ensured. Therefore, it is performed to divide the collection basket and provide a small game ball lifting device for transferring the game ball from a low place to a high place. In addition, when there is a shortage of game balls circulating in the gaming machine island, the game balls stored in the lower tank are lifted by the game ball lifting device, and then supplied to the collection basket (replenishment). For example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP-A-8-84846 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-341028

  The aforementioned game ball lifting device is installed inside the gaming machine island and below the gaming machine, that is, below the top plate of the gaming machine island. For this reason, recovery and regular inspection work should be performed in a low posture, such as by removing the lower side plate of the gaming machine island, in the event of an abnormality in the game ball lifting device. The burden was great. In addition, since the work is performed in a dark place inside the gaming machine island, it is difficult to see details and the workability is not good. Furthermore, since the game ball lifting device is directly fixed to the gaming machine island with a plurality of bolts or the like, it is not easy to remove the gaming ball lifting device from the gaming machine island for repair or the like.

  The present invention is intended to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a game ball lifting device that can be easily attached to and detached from a gaming machine island.

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

[1] A lift body unit that includes a ball inlet at the lower portion and a ball outlet at the upper portion, and lifts the game balls taken from the ball inlet and discharges them from the ball outlet;
A plurality of gaming machines attached to the outer frame like doors that open and close the gaming machine main body are fixed below the top plate inside the gaming machine island installed side by side on the top plate, An outer case in which the lift body unit is accommodated in a removable manner, and the ball intake port and the ball discharge port of the lift body unit communicate with the outside in the accommodated state;
With
The lift body unit is sized to pass through the outer frame in a state where the gaming machine body is opened like a door ,
After the lift body unit is lowered to a predetermined lower limit position in the outer case through the access port, the lift body unit is inserted into the outer case when tilted to the ball discharge port side,
A game ball lifting device, wherein the lift body unit is detached from the outer case when the lift body unit is inserted into the outer case and tilted and then lifted upward .

  In the above invention, the game ball lifting device includes a lift body unit that lifts the game ball taken in from the lower ball intake port and discharges it from the upper ball discharge port, and a top plate inside the gaming machine island. In addition to being fixed below, the lift body unit can be accommodated so that it can be inserted and removed in the vertical direction from the upper entry / exit port. An outer case. The lift body unit is sized to pass through the outer frame of the gaming machine main body opened like a door. It can be taken out of the island for repair and inspection.

  In the above invention, the lift body unit can be installed in an inclined state in which it is difficult for the game ball to fall from the lifting belt or the like during the lifting.

  According to the game ball lifting device according to the present invention, it can be easily attached to and detached from the gaming machine island, and the maintainability is improved.

It is a figure which shows the general view of the game machine island provided with the game ball lifting apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows a part of internal structure of game machine island. It is a figure which shows the game machine of the state which opened the game machine main body like a door with respect to the outer frame. It is a perspective view which shows a mode that the lift main body unit is put in / out of an outer case, and the state where the lift main body unit is inserted in the outer case. It is a perspective view which shows the lift main body unit seen from the ball | bowl intake port side. It is a perspective view which shows the lift main body unit seen from the bulb | ball discharge port side. It is sectional drawing of a lift main body unit. It is a perspective view which shows a single lift bucket. It is a figure which shows the side surface of the lift bucket of the state connected with the side surface of the lift bucket and the connection shaft. It is a front view which shows the state which connected the lift bucket through the connection shaft so that rotation was possible. It is a figure which shows the baseplate part which comprises the lower end of the housing | casing of a lift main body unit. It is a figure which shows the state which was pushed by the game ball which entered the lift bucket in the lower end part of the feeding belt, and the inner bottom board moved. It is a perspective view which shows a tension unit. It is a top view which shows a tension unit. It is a perspective view which shows a drive shaft unit. It is a front view which shows a drive shaft unit. It is a figure which shows a driven unit. It is a perspective view which shows the outer case seen from the taking-in side. It is a front view which shows an outer case. It is BB sectional drawing of an outer case. It is a perspective view which shows the lower part of the front side of an outer case. It is a perspective view which shows an out ball stop metal fitting. It is a front view which shows an out ball stop metal fitting. It is a figure which shows the procedure which inserts and attaches a lift main body unit to an outer case. It is a front view which shows the game ball lifting apparatus of the state which inserted the lift main body unit in the outer case. It is the perspective view which looked at the game ball lifting apparatus of the state which inserted the lift main body unit in the outer case from the ball inlet side. It is the perspective view which looked at the game ball lifting apparatus of the state which inserted the lift main body unit in the outer case from the ball discharge port side.

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

  FIG. 1 shows an overview of a gaming machine island 2 provided with a game ball lifting device 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a part of the internal structure of the gaming machine island 2. A large number of gaming machine islands 2 are housed side by side with the gaming machines 3 back-to-back, and game balls used for gaming in these gaming machines 3 are circulated in the gaming machine island 2. Contains various equipment for repeated use. Here, the gaming machine 3 is a pachinko machine, and the gaming ball is a pachinko ball.

  The gaming machine island 2 has a plurality of island pillars erected on the floor at both ends in the longitudinal direction, the center, and predetermined locations therebetween, and the island pillars spanned in the longitudinal direction of the gaming machine island 2 It is constructed by attaching various equipment and decorative panels to a framework made up of island frames and the like.

  Each gaming machine 3 is attached to the gaming machine island 2 so that when it sits on a chair installed in front of the gaming machine, the gaming machine 3 has a height that makes it easy for the player to play the game. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, horizontal top plates 7 that protrude to the player side at the height of the lower end of the gaming machine 3 to be installed are placed on the front side and the back side of the gaming machine island 2. In each case, the game machine 3 is installed in the longitudinal direction of the game machine island 2, and the game machine 3 is installed on the top plate 7.

  As shown in FIG. 1, below each gaming machine 3, the game balls discharged from the gaming machine 3 are collected and transported toward the lifting and polishing device 4 standing at the center of the gaming machine island 2. A collection basket 5 is provided. The lift polishing device 4 conveys the game balls collected by the collection basket 5 to the upper part of the gaming machine island 2 while cleaning and polishing.

  The collection basket 5 is installed to be inclined downward, and the game ball rolls in the inclined collection basket 5 toward the lower end side by gravity. The collection basket 5 is divided into a plurality of pieces, and a small game ball lifting device 20 (a so-called mini-lift) is disposed between them. The collection basket 5 and the game ball lifting device 20 are attached below the top plate 7 of the gaming machine island 2. The game ball lifting device 20 has a function of rolling and collecting the game ball that has reached the end (low place) by rolling in the downwardly inclined collection basket 5a and discharging it to the start end of the next collection basket 5b. By inserting the game ball lifting device 20 into the joint of the collection baskets 5 divided into a plurality and arranged in a zigzag manner, the height difference that the collection basket 5 can take is limited to the height below the top board. However, it becomes possible to install the collection rod 5 having a necessary length with a certain inclination or more.

  In the gaming machine island 2, the game balls discharged from each gaming machine 3 are collected in a collection basket 5 below the gaming machine 3, flow into the lift polishing apparatus 4, and polished by the lift polishing apparatus 4. The ground game balls after being lifted to the upper part of the gaming machine island 2 and discharged from the lifting and polishing apparatus 4 are supplied to the gaming machines 3 again through the supply basket 6 and used in a circulating manner.

  Note that the game ball lifting device 20 may be used to take a game ball from a tank that stores the game ball, lift it, and discharge it to the start end of the collection basket 5. In FIG. 2, the portion corresponding to the collection basket 5 a in FIG. 1 is a tank 8 for storing game balls, and the game ball lifting device 20 takes in the game balls stored in the tank 8. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the gaming machine 3 has a gaming machine body 3b attached to the outer frame 3a like a door that opens and closes. The outer frame 3 a is fixed on the top plate 7 of the gaming machine island 2, and the gaming machine 3 is attached to the gaming machine island 2. Normally, the gaming machine main body 3b is used in a closed state, but when inspecting the back side of the gaming machine main body 3b or dealing with an abnormality occurring inside the gaming machine island 2, the gaming machine main body 3b It opens like a door.

  Next, the game ball lifting device 20 will be described in detail.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the entire game ball lifting device 20. The game ball lifting device 20 includes a lift body unit 21 and an outer case 22 that detachably accommodates the lift body unit 21. 4A shows a state where the lift body unit 21 is removed from the outer case 22, and FIG. 4B shows a state where the lift body unit 21 is inserted into the outer case 22. As shown in FIG.

  The outer case 22 is fixed inside the gaming machine island 2 at a position below the top plate 7. The outer case 22 is provided with a loading / unloading port 23 for the lift body unit 21 at the top. The lift body unit 21 is inserted into the outer case 22 by being slightly inclined after being lowered into the outer case 22 through the insertion / exit opening 23 from above the outer case 22. On the other hand, removal from the outer case 22 is performed by raising the lift body unit 21 straight and then pulling it upward.

  The lift body unit 21 is sized to pass through the outer frame 3a of the gaming machine 3 in a state where the gaming machine body 3b is opened like a door. The lift body unit 21 is inserted into and removed from the gaming machine island 2 through the outer frame 3a of the gaming machine 3 with the gaming machine body 3b opened like a door.

  First, the lift body unit 21 will be described in detail.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the lift body unit 21 as seen from the ball inlet side, FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the lift body unit 21 as seen from the ball outlet side, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a main unit 21. FIG.

  The lift body unit 21 is provided with a casing 31 having a shape such that an upper part of a vertically long rectangular parallelepiped is extended so as to protrude to one side and is inclined slightly obliquely toward the extending side. A ball inlet 32 for taking in a game ball is opened at the lower part of the case that is inclined upward in the inclined state, and the case of the case that is inclined downward in the inclined state is opened. In the upper part, a ball discharge port 33 for discharging a game ball taken in from the ball intake port 32 and opened is opened. A roller catch 25 is provided immediately below the ball discharge port 33 (see FIG. 6). The roller catch 25 is engaged with a keeper 26 (see FIG. 20) provided at a corresponding position of the outer case 22 when the lift body unit 21 is inserted into the outer case 22 and tilted toward the ball discharge port 33. Together, it serves to fix the lift body unit 21 to the outer case 22.

  The casing 31 is composed of a plurality of bent metal plates (gin coat: galvanized steel plate). In order to facilitate the exchange of the internal parts, these metal plates are joined by screws.

  The upper surface of the housing 31 forms an upper lid portion 34 that can be opened and closed. The upper lid portion 34 opens and closes with the end opposite to the ball discharge port 33 being pivotally supported. The upper lid portion 34 is provided with a lock mechanism 35 for locking the upper lid portion 34 in a closed state. When the upper lid portion 34 is opened, a feeding belt 43 wound around a driving roller 41 described later can be seen below the upper lid portion 34.

  In addition, the upper lid portion 34 is provided with a handle 36 that becomes a portion to be gripped by a hand when lifting the lift body unit 21. The handle 36 is fixed with screws from the back side of the upper lid portion 34.

  As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 7, the lift body unit 21 of the game ball lifting device 20 includes a driving roller 41 provided at the upper part inside the housing 31, a driven roller 42 provided at the lower part, and these An endless annular feeding belt 43 is provided. The driving roller 41 is rotationally driven by the driving force of the motor 37 attached to the outside of the upper portion of the housing 31 via a motor bracket 37a (see FIG. 6) via a belt. For safety reasons, the belt is covered with a belt cover 38 (see FIG. 6). The belt cover 38 is formed of a metal plate.

  The lifting belt 43 is configured by connecting a number of lift buckets 46 shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 so as to be rotatable through a connecting shaft 47 and connecting them into an endless belt shape as shown in FIG. . As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the lift bucket 46, when connected, has a peripheral surface portion 46 a 1 that forms the peripheral surface of the transport belt 43, and is erected from the peripheral surface portion 46 a 1 to convey the game ball upward. A game ball from the end portion provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the bucket main body portion 46a (width direction of the lifting belt 43), and a bucket main body portion 46a that sometimes includes a protrusion 46a2 that supports the lower portion of the game ball. An end wall portion 46b that prevents the falling of the bucket body, a plurality of first bearing portions 46c disposed at predetermined intervals along one longitudinal edge of the bucket body portion 46a, and the other edge of the bucket body portion 46a. A plurality of second bearing portions 46d are provided at predetermined intervals along the second bearing portion 46d.

  Each of the first bearing portion 46c and the second bearing portion 46d has a short cylindrical shape with a hole through which the connecting shaft 47 is passed, and the first bearing portion 46c and the second bearing portion 46d are arranged at alternate positions. ing. That is, the second bearing portion 46d of the next lift bucket 46 is just fitted between the first bearing portion 46c and the first bearing portion 46c of one lift bucket 46, and the state is fitted in this way. Thus, the first lift bucket 46 and the next lift bucket 46 are connected by passing the connecting shaft 47 through the first bearing portion 46c and the second bearing portion 46d. A bucket roller 48, which is a thick washer made of resin, is fitted to the connecting shaft 47 on the outside of the lift bucket 46, and an E-ring 49 for preventing falling off is further fitted to the outside of the bucket.

  As described above, the transport belt 43 has a so-called crawler structure in which a plurality of lift buckets 46 are connected by the connection shaft 47. There is no gap between the connected lift buckets 46, and foreign matter is prevented from entering the inside of the lifting belt 43. Further, the lifting belt 43 is lifted together with the game ball if it is a foreign object having a size of a screw or a nail. This is possible because there is no gap between the lift buckets 46, and it is not necessary to reduce the lifting efficiency by reducing the chance of stopping the game ball lifting device 20 due to foreign matter.

  The lifting belt 43 carries a game ball on the bucket body 46a of each lift bucket 46 and conveys it. As shown in FIG. 9B, the game ball is held between the projection 46 a 2 of one connected lift bucket 46 and the projection 46 a 2 of the next lift bucket 46. Here, the game balls enter in one stage so that they are not stacked in two stages. One lift bucket 46 can arrange nine game balls in the width direction of the transport belt 43 and can transport them all at once. This number is not limited to nine, and the width of the lift bucket 46 may be changed as appropriate. In addition, the height of the end wall part 46b of the both ends of the bucket main-body part 46a of the lift bucket 46 is 9 mm, and is made slightly lower than the diameter (11 mm) of a game ball.

  Returning to FIG. 7, the description of the inside of the lift body unit 21 will be continued. The lifting belt 43 circulates in the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. The ball inlet 32 is opened at a position facing the feeding belt 43 in the straight line portion immediately after the driven roller 42 is moved upward. The ball discharge port 33 is opened at a position facing the lifting belt 43 of a portion just before being separated from the driving roller 41 with a slight distance after going down from the top of the driving roller 41 in the downward direction. A space on the way from the lifting belt 43 to the ball discharge port 33 is a discharge passage 52 that guides the game ball detached from the lifting belt 43 to the ball discharge port 33. In the vicinity of 43, a rubber plate 51 that receives the game ball that has fallen off the lifting belt 43 and guides it to the ball discharge port 33 is disposed as a road surface of the discharge passage 52.

  The game ball that has left the lifting belt 43 may accumulate in the discharge passage 52 due to clogging of the game ball at the point of exit from the ball discharge port 33, and game balls that exceed the allowable amount may accumulate in the discharge passage 52. At this time, a leaf plate 53 that is pressed and swings from these game balls is provided. The leaf plate 53 is attached so as to face the lifting belt 43 at a position somewhat away from the lifting belt 43 above the rubber plate 51. The leaf plate 53 functions as an actuator for the door switch 54 and forms a part of the wall surface of the discharge passage 52 that guides the game ball detached from the lifting belt 43 to the ball discharge port 33. When the game ball is clogged in the discharge passage 52 and the door switch 54 is turned on, the motor 37 is stopped and the game ball is lifted (lifted). A micro switch is used as the door switch 54. The door switch 54 is covered with a door switch cover 55 to protect the cable wiring.

  The lifting belt 43 is pressed from the outside to the inside by the tension roller 61 so as to eliminate the slack. Here, the tension roller 61 is provided immediately below the rubber plate 51, and applies tension by pressing the downward feeding belt 43 at a position immediately below the driving roller 41.

  A roller guide plate 44 is provided so as to come into contact with the inside of the feeding belt 43 over the entire straight portion in the upward direction. The roller guide plate 44 plays a role of supporting the lifting belt 43 from the inside so as not to bend by the weight of the game ball. The roller guide plate 44 is a channel-shaped member having an L-shaped cross section and a predetermined length. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, one side of the L-shape is inserted into a slit provided in the housing 31, and the other The sides are fixed to the side surface of the housing 31 with screws. The inserted side supports the inside of the lifting belt 43. A total of four roller guide plates 44 are provided on both sides.

  The game ball is pressed from the outside of the lifting belt 43 toward the lifting belt 43 from the vicinity of the end portion of the straight portion in the upward direction of the lifting belt 43 to the driving roller 41 to prevent the falling of the gaming ball. A game ball drop prevention plate 45 is provided. The game ball drop prevention plate 45 is formed of a spring material (stainless steel material), and presses the game ball lifted by the lift belt 43 toward the lift belt 43 appropriately. A game ball drop prevention plate 45 is provided in this area because the game ball easily falls due to vibrations from the motor 37 and the driven roller 42.

  In the lower part of the casing 31, there is an inner bottom plate 71 provided along the outer side of the feeding belt 43 that wraps around the driven roller 42 and half-circulates, and an outer side that surrounds the outer side of the inner bottom plate 71 with a predetermined gap. A bottom plate 72 is provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the ball inlet 32 is largely open so as to have a height corresponding to a plurality of stages of the lift bucket 46. Since the ball intake port 32 is opened in a size corresponding to a plurality of steps of the lift bucket 46, when a large amount of game balls flow into the ball intake port 32, the game balls are drawn at once by the plurality of lift buckets 46. Can be captured. Resin side guide plates 81 are provided on the left and right side surfaces inside the ball intake port 32 in order to prevent a game ball or a foreign object from being caught between the casing 31 and the lift bucket 46. The side guide plate 81 also plays a role of preventing the end wall portion 46b of the lift bucket 46 from coming into direct contact with the inner surface of the housing 31 and wearing out.

  A ball alignment plate 82 for aligning and taking in game balls is provided at the lower end portion of the ball take-in port 32. The ball alignment plate 82 has the same number of grooves (here, 9) as the number of game balls that can be transported by one lift bucket 46 (downwardly inclined grooves toward the lift bucket 46). The ball alignment plate 82 is attached to one end (an arm 71b described later) of the inner bottom plate 71 described above.

  FIG. 11A is a perspective view of the bottom plate portion 70 constituted by the inner bottom plate 71 and the outer bottom plate 72, and FIG. 11B is a side view of the bottom plate portion 70. The outer bottom plate 72 is a metal plate fixed to the housing 31 so as to form the bottom plate of the housing 31, and covers the lower part of the lift body unit 21. The inner bottom plate 71 includes a circular arc portion 71a obtained by bending a spring material (stainless steel material) into a semi-cylindrical shape, and a flat plate-like arm portion 71b that bends and extends outward from one end of the circular arc portion 71a. An end portion of the inner bottom plate 71 opposite to the arm portion 71b is fixed to the outer bottom plate 72, and the arm portion 71b is a free end.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the inner bottom plate 71 extends from a portion fixed to the outer bottom plate 72 so as to follow a portion of the lifting belt 43 wound around the driven roller 42. The inner bottom plate 71 is made of a spring material and has a certain gap between the inner belt 71 and the lifting belt 43 near the side fixed to the outer bottom plate 72, but the lifting belt near the ball inlet 32. It is urged to contact 43. A ball alignment plate 82 that forms the road surface of the ball inlet 32 is attached to the arm portion 71 b, and this ball alignment plate 82 is also in contact with the lifting belt 43. Thereby, there is no gap between the ball alignment plate 82 and the lifting belt 43, and foreign matter is prevented from entering the gap.

  On the other hand, the game ball lifted by the lift belt 43 is rarely (specifically, when the game ball on the side of the ball discharge port 33 starts to be clogged or the flow becomes worse), the ball discharge port. Without being discharged from 33, it may fall downward from between the rubber plate 51 and the lifting belt 43. Such a game ball falls between the housing 31 of the lift body unit 21 and the lifting belt 43 and is guided by the inner bottom plate 71 at the lower end of the lifting belt 43 as shown in FIG. It enters the lift bucket 46 and is lifted again. At this time, since the height (9 mm) of the end wall portion 46 b of the lift bucket 46 is smaller than the diameter (11 mm) of the game ball, the game ball that has entered the lift bucket 46 is taken in from the lower end of the transport belt 43. When transported toward the mouth 32, the inner bottom plate 71 at the portion in contact with the lifting belt 43 is pushed by the game ball. Since the arm portion 71b side of the inner bottom plate 71 is a free end, when it is pushed by the game ball, it moves outward and does not interfere with the transport of the game ball.

  FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the tension unit 60 including the tension roller 61, and FIG. 14 is a top view of the tension unit 60. The tension unit 60 includes a tension base plate 62 that forms part of the wall surface of the housing 31, and a tension arm 63 that has a base end attached to the lower portion of the tension base plate 62 and swings about the base end. ing. The tension roller 61 is rotatably attached to the tip of the tension arm 63 via a wheel shaft 64. The tension arm 63 is biased by a spring 65 in a direction in which the tension roller 61 at the tip presses the lifting belt 43. The spring 65 is fixed to the joint portion of the tension arm 63. The tension roller 61 contacts the bucket rollers 48 on both sides of the lift bucket 46 of the transport belt 43.

  A roller catch 25 is further attached to the tension base plate 62. The upper end of the tension base plate 62 is bent toward the upper side of the tension roller 61, and the rubber plate 51 that forms the road surface of the discharge passage 52 is attached to the upper surface of the bent portion. . The roller catch 25 has a pair of rollers 25a urged so as to be pressed against each other, and a keeper 26 (see FIG. 19) provided at a corresponding portion of the outer case 22 is sandwiched between the pair of rollers 25a. Thus, the keeper 26 is engaged.

  FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the drive shaft unit 90 including the drive roller 41, and FIG. 16 is a front view showing the drive shaft unit 90. The drive shaft unit 90 is a mechanism for transmitting the drive force generated by the motor 37 to the lifting belt 43. The drive shaft unit 90 includes a drive shaft base plate 91 that is attached to the outer surface of the upper portion of the housing 31, and a drive shaft 92 that is attached to the center of the drive shaft base plate 91 and that is passed through a hole formed in this portion. A bearing unit 93 that rotatably supports one end side, a pulley 94 that is provided at an end portion of the drive shaft 92 on the drive shaft base plate 91 side, on which a belt to which the driving force from the motor 37 is transmitted, and a drive A sprocket fixing plate 95 provided in the vicinity of the other end of the shaft 92 and a position close to the surface on the other end side of the drive shaft base plate 91, and a sprocket (drive roller 41) attached to each sprocket fixing plate 95. Prepare.

  The sprocket (driving roller 41) rotates so that the bucket roller 48 of the lift bucket 46 constituting the lifting belt 43 is sandwiched between the gears, and the driving force transmitted from the motor 37 via the belt is lifted. To the bucket rollers 48 at both ends of the belt.

  FIG. 17 shows the driven unit 100 including the driven roller 42. FIG. 2A shows the front surface of the driven unit 100, and FIG. 2B shows the side surface of the driven unit 100. FIG. 3C is a perspective view of the driven shaft 101.

  The driven unit 100 has a driven shaft 101 whose one end is slightly narrower than the other part. A shaft hole of the driven roller 42 is fitted into the narrowed part, and a C-ring 102 is attached to the outer side thereof. It is supported rotatably. The other part of the driven shaft 101 is threaded and a part of the peripheral surface is scraped flat.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the driven shaft 101 of the driven unit 100 is placed on the inner side of the casing 31 in a hole provided in the lower portion of the casing 31 (a hole having a shape corresponding to the cross section of the threaded portion of the driven shaft 101). The driven unit 100 is attached to the housing 31 by fitting the hinge spacer 104 to the portion protruding from the outside of the housing 31 and tightening with the hexagon nut 103. In the driven unit 100, a unit that supports the driven roller 42 on which the left end side of the lifting belt 43 is stretched and a unit that supports the driven roller 42 on which the right end side of the lifting belt 43 is stretched are independently attached to the casing 31. It is attached. A portion of the bucket roller 48 of the lift bucket 46 of the transport belt 43 contacts the driven roller 42.

  The casing 31 of the lift body unit 21 is configured to be easily disassembled by removing a screw. For example, it is possible to easily perform work such as exchanging a part of the lift bucket 46 of the transport belt 43. ing.

  Next, the outer case 22 will be described.

  18 is a perspective view showing the outer case 22 as viewed from the take-in side, FIG. 19 is a front view of the outer case 22, and FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of the outer case 22.

  The outer case 22 includes a bottom plate 22a, a left side plate 22b, a right side plate 22c, and a back plate 22d, and the front surface (excluding a part of the lower portion) and the upper surface are open.

  The bottom plate 22a has a rectangular shape and is slightly inclined toward the front side (see FIG. 20).

  The rear plate 22d rises from the edge of the bottom plate 22a so as to incline slightly outward, and then extends further upward with a slight inclination. The upper portion of the rear plate 22d is inserted with a portion of the ball discharge port 33 of the lift main body unit 21, and the ball discharge port fixing portion 111 having an opening for positioning and fixing the lift main body unit 21 at the inserted portion. It has become. Further, a flat lift ball discharge plate 112 extending outward from the lower end of the ball discharge port fixing portion 111 with a slight downward inclination is provided. The lift ball discharge plate 112 serves as a road surface of a passage that receives and discharges the game balls discharged from the ball discharge port 33 of the lift body unit 21.

  The left side plate 22b and the right side plate 22c are provided so as to rise vertically from the edge of the bottom plate 22a. The end portions of the left side plate 22b and the right side plate 22c on the back plate 22d side are formed along the back plate 22d, and at the top form side surfaces of a passage having the lift ball discharge plate 112 as a road surface. .

  Various protrusions and abutting surfaces for restricting the position of the inserted lift body unit 21 are provided inside the outer case 22. Specifically, the inner surfaces of the left side plate 22b and the right side plate 22c are provided with a width direction position restricting portion 115 protruding inward to restrict the position in the width direction of the lift body unit 21 inserted into the outer case 22. Further below that, there is provided a lift lower end receiving portion 116 that contacts the lower end of the lift body unit 21 and restricts the lower limit insertion position of the lift body unit 21.

  The lift lower end receiving portion 116 has an edge-shaped notch 116a that extends from both ends of the upward semicircular arc slightly upward and then opens to the outside. The hinge spacer 104 fitted to the driven shaft 101 that pivotally supports the driven roller 42 in the lift body unit 21 is received by the notch 116 a of the lift lower end receiving portion 116. By receiving the annular hinge spacer 104 at the semicircular portion of the notch 116a, the lift main body unit 21 can be smoothly tilted or raised at the time of taking in and out.

  A keeper 26 protruding from the back plate 22d toward the inside of the outer case 22 is attached to the upper part of the back plate 22d and slightly below the ball discharge port fixing portion 111. The keeper 26 engages with the roller catch 25 of the lift body unit 21 as described above.

  As shown in FIG. 21, an opening / closing door 121 is provided at the lower end of the front surface of the outer case 22. FIG. 4A shows a state where the door 121 is opened, and FIG. 4B shows a state where the door 121 is closed. The open / close door 121 is opened and closed with its lower end as the center. When the open / close lever 122 is turned downward in the closed state, the open / close door 121 is held in a closed state.

  When the lift body unit 21 is removed from the outer case 22, foreign objects such as game balls and screws and nails used during installation may fall from the collection basket 5 into the outer case 22. It is opened when taking out a game ball or a foreign object contained in the outer case 22. In particular, since the bottom plate 22a is inclined downward toward the opening / closing door 121, the game balls easily gather on the opening / closing door 121 side, and the game balls can be easily removed from the outer case 22 by opening the opening / closing door 121. The opened door 121 functions as a guide plate that guides the game ball coming out of the outer case 22 so as not to spread from side to side.

  For example, in the gaming machine island 2 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, since there is no decorative board in the lower part of the gaming machine island 2 except for the pillar portion, the opening and closing of the game ball lifting device 20 installed in the pillar portion is opened and closed. By opening the door 121, the game balls in the outer case 22 can be easily collected.

  Above the opening / closing door 121, an out-ball stop fitting 130 for guiding a game ball from the outside to the ball inlet 32 of the lift body unit 21 is provided. The out sphere stop fitting 130 is screwed and fixed to an out sphere stop fitting attaching portion 124 provided at the lower part of the left side plate 22b and the right side plate 22c of the lift body unit 21.

  FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the out sphere stop fitting 130, and FIG. 23 is a front view of the out sphere stop fitting 130. The out ball throttle fitting 130 is narrower than the collection basket 5 because the ball inlet 32 of the lift body unit 21 is narrower, so that the width of the path of the game ball is narrowed to match the width of the ball inlet 32. Fulfills the function. That is, the outer case 22 has the same width as the recovery basket 5, and the casing 31 of the lift body unit 21 is narrower than the outer case 22, so that a part of the game ball that has arrived from the recovery basket 5 is , Trying to enter the gap between the casing 31 of the lift body unit 21 and the outer case 22 on both sides of the ball inlet 32. Therefore, this is prevented by attaching an out-ball stop fitting 130.

  The out-ball stop fitting 130 is a center sphere guiding portion 131 having a road surface inclined downward toward the ball intake port 32 of the lift body unit 21 inserted in the outer case 22 and having the same width as the ball intake port 32. And a side sphere guide part 132 that extends on both the left and right sides of the center sphere guide part 131 and is inclined downward toward the center sphere guide part 131 in a range of about half of the upstream side of the center sphere guide part 131, A sphere shielding part 133 erected along the edge of the sphere guiding part 132 on the sphere inlet 32 side, and erected along the left and right edges of the center sphere guiding part 131 on the downstream side of the sphere shielding part 133. The side wall part 134 is provided.

  Further, a protection plate attachment portion 135 serving as a base to which the protection plate 126 (see FIG. 18) is attached is provided at the upper end of the ball shielding portion 133. The portion extending further upward from the upper end of the side wall portion 134 abuts on the lift body unit 21 to guide the lift body unit 21 to a fixed position when the lift body unit 21 is inserted into the outer case 22. A sloped lift main body guiding portion 136 is formed. The overall width of the out ball stop fitting 130 including the center ball guiding portion 131 and the left and right side ball guiding portions 132 is the same as the inner width of the outer case 22.

  About two-thirds of the downstream side of the center ball guiding portion 131 does not drop the game ball, but sticks along the direction in which the game ball flows so that dust and small foreign matters attached to the game ball fall. A comb-like portion 131a in which members are arranged at a predetermined interval is used. The foreign matter that could not be removed by the comb-shaped portion 131a can be lifted up as long as it has a size (such as a screw or a nail) that can be put on the protruding portion 46a2 of the lift bucket 46. Foreign matter can be easily taken out by opening the door 121. Further, by lifting the foreign matter that could not be removed by the comb-shaped portion 131a as it is, the game ball lifting device 20 is not stopped, so that the lifting efficiency of the game ball is not lowered. A rubber plate serving as a road surface is attached to the center ball guiding portion 131 other than the comb-shaped portion 131a. Similarly, a rubber plate is attached to a surface of the side ball guiding portion 132 and the ball shielding portion 133 that are in contact with the game ball.

  The ball shield 133 prevents the game ball from entering between the outer case 22 and the lift body unit 21.

  The protective plate mounting part 135 has two holes on one side, the inner hole is a screw hole, and the protective plate 126 is screwed to the outer hole, and the outer hole is fastened together with the outer ball stop fitting mounting part 124 of the outer case 22 And used to fix the out-ball stop fitting 130.

  Next, taking in and out of the lift body unit 21 to and from the outer case 22 will be described.

  FIG. 24 shows a procedure for inserting the lift body unit 21 into the outer case 22. The lift body unit 21 is slowly lowered into the outer case 22 from the loading / unloading port 23 at the upper part of the outer case 22 ((a) in the figure). At this time, the operator can proceed smoothly by holding the handle 36 at the top of the lift body unit 21.

  When the lift body unit 21 is lowered into the outer case 22, the lift body unit 21 is restricted in position in the width direction by the width direction position restricting portion 115, and the lift body guiding portion 136 and the back plate included in the out-ball stop fitting 130. The position in the front-rear direction is regulated by 22d. The lower limit is positioned when the hinge spacer 104 at the lower part of the lift body unit 21 is fitted in contact with the notch 116a of the lift lower end receiving part 116.

  FIG. 5B shows a state where the lift main unit 21 is lowered straight to the lower limit position. When the lift body unit 21 is tilted toward the ball discharge port 33 from this state, the portion of the ball discharge port 33 of the lift body unit 21 fits into the opening of the ball discharge port fixing portion 111 of the outer case 22 and the outer case 22. The side keeper 26 is fitted into the roller catch 25 on the lift body unit 21 side, and the insertion is completed ((c) in the figure). When the lift body unit 21 is extracted from the outer case 22, the procedure is reverse to that for insertion.

  Since the circular hinge spacer 104 at the lower part of the lift body unit 21 is held by the semicircle portion of the notch 116a of the lift lower end receiving portion 116, the lift body unit 21 can be smoothly tilted and raised. Can do.

  FIG. 25 is a front view of the game ball lifting device 20 with the lift body unit 21 inserted into the outer case 22 (the ball inlet 32 side), and FIG. FIG. 27 is a perspective view of the game ball lifting device 20 viewed from the side of the ball discharge port 33. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 27, in a state where the lift main body unit 21 is inserted into the outer case 22, the portion of the ball intake port 32 of the lift main body unit 21 is in the opening of the ball discharge port fixing portion 111 of the outer case 22. For example, even if the lock mechanism 35 is released, the upper lid portion 34 cannot be opened. Safety is ensured by a double lock so that the upper lid 34 of the lift body unit 21 cannot be accidentally opened during operation.

  In the game ball lifting device 20, the position of the lift body unit 21 is determined by a regulation guiding member provided inside the outer case 22, and the tool is used because it is fixed by using a roller catch 25 without using bolts or the like. Therefore, the lift body unit 21 can be easily attached to and detached from the outer case 22, and can be replaced by, for example, a game hall staff.

  Further, since the outer case 22 is fixed to the gaming machine island 2 and the lift main body unit 21 is attached to and detached from the outer case 22, the positioning of the lift main body unit 21 directly relative to the gaming machine island 2 is improved. Easy to put on and take off.

  Since the lift body unit 21 is sized and shaped to pass through the outer frame 3 a of the gaming machine 3, if the gaming machine body 3 b is opened like a door, the lift body unit 21 passes through the outer frame 3 a of the gaming machine 3. 21 can be taken in and out of gaming machine island 2. Thereby, the lift main body unit 21 can be easily taken out in a bright and wide place outside the gaming machine island 2 and can be repaired or inspected, thereby improving work efficiency.

  Furthermore, since the handle 36 is provided on the upper part of the lift body unit 21, the lift body unit 21 can be easily raised and lowered.

  In addition, since the lifting belt 43 has a crawler structure in which a plurality of lift buckets 46 are connected, there is almost no gap between the lift buckets 46, and biting of foreign matter such as screws and nails is suppressed. It can be fed together by the lifting belt 43.

  In the case of an integral belt-type bucket, even if some of the buckets are damaged, the entire belt is subject to replacement. However, in the lifting belt 43 of the present embodiment, the lift bucket of the damaged portion Only 46 can be exchanged, and the repair cost can be reduced.

  Further, by changing the number of lift buckets 46 to be connected, the entire length of the lifting belt 43, that is, the height of the lifting belt 43 can be easily adjusted, so the size of the outer case 22 is changed without changing the basic structure. As a result, the game ball lifting device 20 for lifting the game ball to an arbitrary height can be designed in a short time, and the production cost can be reduced.

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

  The shapes of the lift body unit 21 and the outer case 22 are examples, and may be changed as appropriate. For example, the outer case 22 may be configured such that the entire front surface is covered with a plate.

  In the embodiment, the lift main body unit 21 is shown in which the game ball is lifted by the lifting belt 43 to which the lift bucket 46 is connected. However, the method of lifting the game ball is not limited to this, and the game ball is simply a game ball. Any configuration may be used such as a configuration in which a belt having protrusions for supporting the belt is provided on the peripheral surface.

  The game ball lifting device 20 of the present embodiment is not limited to being used at the lower portion of the gaming machine island 2 as shown in FIG. 1, but is suitable for use in other places. For example, it can also be used for a replenishment rod at the end of the gaming machine island 2 where the gradient is insufficient, or for passing a game ball between gaming machine islands. Since the lift body unit 21 is unitized by housing the lifting mechanism in the housing 31, the lift body unit 21 can be directly installed without using the outer case 22.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 ... Game machine island 3 ... Game machine 3a ... Outer frame 3b ... Game machine main body 4 ... Lifting grinding | polishing apparatus 5 ... Recovery basket 5a ... Recovery basket upstream of game ball lifting apparatus 5b ... Downstream of game ball lifting apparatus Side recovery basket 6 ... Supply bowl 7 ... Top plate 8 ... Tank 20 ... Game ball lifting device 21 ... Lift main unit 22 ... Outer case 22a ... Bottom plate 22b ... Left side plate 22c ... Right side plate 22d ... Back plate 23 ... Inlet / outlet 25 ... Roller catch 25a ... Roller 26 ... Keeper 31 ... Case 32 ... Ball inlet 33 ... Ball outlet 34 ... Upper cover 35 ... Lock mechanism 36 ... Handle 37 ... Motor 37a ... Motor bracket 38 ... Belt cover 41 ... Drive Roller (sprocket)
42 ... Follower roller 43 ... Lifting belt 44 ... Roller guide plate 45 ... Game ball fall prevention plate 46 ... Lift bucket 46a ... Bucket body 46a1 ... Peripheral surface 46a2 ... Projection 46b ... End wall 46c ... First bearing 46d ... 2nd bearing part 47 ... Connection shaft 48 ... Bucket roller 49 ... E-ring 51 ... Rubber plate 52 ... Discharge passage 53 ... Leaf plate 54 ... Door switch 55 ... Door switch cover 60 ... Tension unit 61 ... Tension roller 62 ... Tension base Plate 63 ... Tension arm 64 ... Wheel shaft 65 ... Spring 70 ... Bottom plate portion 71 ... Inside bottom plate 71a ... Arc portion 71b ... Arm portion 72 ... Outer bottom plate 81 ... Side guide plate 82 ... Spherical alignment plate 90 ... Drive shaft unit 91 ... Drive Shaft base plate 92 ... Drive shaft 93 ... Bearing unit 94 ... P 95 ... Sprocket fixing plate 100 ... Drive unit 101 ... Drive shaft 102 ... C ring 103 ... Hex nut 104 ... Hinge spacer 111 ... Ball discharge port fixing portion 112 ... Lift ball discharge plate 115 ... Width direction position restricting portion 116 ... Lower end of lift Receiving part 116a ... Notch 121 ... Opening / closing door 122 ... Opening / closing lever 124 ... Out ball stop fitting mounting part 126 ... Protection plate 130 ... Out ball stop fitting 131 ... Center ball guiding part 131a ... Comb-like part 132 ... Side ball guiding part 133 ... Sphere shielding part 134 ... Side wall part 135 ... Protection plate attachment part 136 ... Lift main body guide part A ... Circumference direction of the lifting belt

Claims (1)

A lift body unit that has a ball inlet at the lower part and a ball outlet at the upper part, lifts the game ball taken from the ball inlet and discharges it from the ball outlet,
A plurality of gaming machines attached to the outer frame like doors that open and close the gaming machine main body are fixed below the top plate inside the gaming machine island installed side by side on the top plate, An outer case in which the lift body unit is accommodated in a removable manner, and the ball intake port and the ball discharge port of the lift body unit communicate with the outside in the accommodated state;
With
The lift body unit is sized to pass through the outer frame in a state where the gaming machine body is opened like a door ,
After the lift body unit is lowered to a predetermined lower limit position in the outer case through the access port, the lift body unit is inserted into the outer case when tilted to the ball discharge port side,
A game ball lifting device, wherein the lift body unit is detached from the outer case when the lift body unit is inserted into the outer case and tilted and then lifted upward .

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