JPH06187533A - Hopper device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the wear of a rotary disk and to improve the reliability of a hopper device by forming a metallic guide part onto the partition wall of the rotary disk touching the outer circumference of each medal dropped through each medal dropping hole. CONSTITUTION:Each metallic guide part 111 is formed between the partition walls 82 of a rotary disk 50 and along each inside face set at least at a rear position in the revolving direction of the disk 50. The part 111 touches the outer circumference of each medal dropped through each medal dropping hole 51. Thus the metallic medal dropped into the hole 51 of the disk 50 touches the part 111 formed on the wall 82 and ejected by a medal ejector through a medal ejecting port 52 while the disk 50 is revolved by the driving force of a hopper motor. In such a constitution, the wear of the disk 50 is prevented and the reliability of a hopper device is improved.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hopper device used in a medal game machine such as a slot machine, and more particularly to an improvement of its rotating disc.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this kind of hopper device has been provided with a hopper tank for storing medals and a hopper body for discharging the medals stored in the hopper tank one by one (for example, Japanese Patent Application No. -129350, Japanese Patent Application No.3-152021
And the specification and drawings attached to the application for Japanese Patent Application No. 3-152021).

The above-mentioned conventional hopper main body is rotatably supported by the housing, and individually communicates with a plurality of medal dropping holes into which the medals dropped from the hopper tank are fitted one by one from above and each medal dropping hole. At the same time, a rotating disc having a medal discharge opening that is open outward in the radial direction, a hopper motor that rotates this rotating disc, and a medal that has fallen into the medal pit of the rotating disc when the rotating disc is rotated by the driving force of this hopper motor. And a medal ejecting device for ejecting the coins from the medal ejecting port to the outside.

The above-mentioned conventional rotary disk has a disk main body having a plurality of medal drop holes penetrating vertically,
Fixed to the lower surface of the disc body, and spaced apart from the lower surface of the disc body by a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the medal, facing the opening lower surface of the medal dropping hole, and receiving the medal drop from below the medal receiving hole, A plurality of partition walls, each of which is located within the space between the disc body and the medal receiver and partitions the adjacent medal drop holes, respectively.

The above-mentioned conventional disc body, medal tray, and a plurality of partition walls are made of plastic.

[0006]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional hopper device, the rotating disk is made of plastic, whereas the medal is made of metal, so that the rotating disk is worn out due to friction with the medal. As a result, the medal ejection becomes unstable, and in the worst case, the medal ejection becomes impossible.

That is, since the plurality of partition walls of the rotary disc contact the medal, the inner surface of the plurality of partition walls located at least at the rear side in the rotating direction of the rotary disc is easily worn away by friction with the medal. . Therefore,
The invention according to claim 1 is made in view of the problems of the above-mentioned conventional technique, and an object of the invention is to provide a hopper device which prevents abrasion of a rotating disk and has high reliability. Is what you are trying to do.

In addition to this, the invention according to claim 2 facilitates the manufacture of the rotary disk.

[0009]

The present invention is to achieve the above-mentioned object, and the contents thereof will be described below with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings. The invention according to claim 1 is the partition wall adjacent to the partition wall (82) of the rotating disk (50).
Between (82), a metal guide that is in contact with the outer periphery of the medal (M) that has fallen into each medal drop hole (51) while being along each inner surface located at least rearward in the rotational direction of the rotating disc (50). The parts (111) are formed respectively.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a disk body,
It is characterized in that the plurality of partition walls (82) are integrally molded with plastic, and the metal guide part (111) is insert-molded at the time of molding.

[0011]

[Operation] According to the invention of claim 1, the rotating disk
Metal medals dropped into the (50) medal pit (51)
(M) is in contact with the guide portions (111) of the plurality of partition walls (82) when the rotating disc (50) that is rotated by the driving force of the hopper motor (60) is rotated by the medal ejection device (120). It is ejected through the medal outlet (52).

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the disk body (80) and the plurality of partition walls (82) are integrally molded of plastic, and the metal guide portion (111) is inserted during the molding. Molded.

[0013]

1 to 7 show one embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a rotary disk as viewed from the back side,
2 is an exploded perspective view of the hopper device, FIG. 3 is a plan view of the hopper main body, FIGS. 4 and 5 are plan views showing respective operating states of the hopper main body with the rotary disc mounted, and FIG. 6 is a front view of the rotary disc. FIG. 7 is a plan view of the rotary disc viewed from the back side, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the guide cover and the guide frame of the rotary disc.

In the figure, 10 indicates a hopper device, which is used for a medal game machine such as a slot machine. The hopper device 10 is
As shown in FIG. 2, it is roughly divided into a hopper tank 20 for storing the medals M and a hopper body 30 for discharging the medals M stored in the hopper tank 20 one by one.

As shown in FIG. 2, the hopper body 30 is roughly divided into a housing 40 and a rotatably supported by the housing 40, and medals M dropped from the hopper tank 20 are fitted one by one from above. A plurality of, here seven, medal drop holes 51 ... And individually communicating with each medal drop hole 51, and opened outward in the radial direction.
A rotating disc 50 having individual medal discharge ports 52, a hopper motor 60 rotating the rotating disc 50, and a rotating disc rotated by the driving force of the hopper motor 60.
A medal ejecting device 70 for ejecting the medal M, which has fallen into the medal dropping hole 51 of the rotating disk 50, from the medal ejecting port 52 to the outside when the 50 is rotated.

The housing 40, as shown in FIG.
A pair of left and right main body side plates 41, 41 facing each other apart from each other, and a pair of main body connecting pieces for connecting the lower end portions of both main body side plates 41 to each other.
42, 42 and both body side plates 41 are opposed to each other.
It has 3 and. As shown in FIG. 2, the main body upper plate 43 has a generally rectangular planar shape, and a hopper motor 60 is fixed to the lower surface thereof. The output shaft 61 of the hopper motor 60 penetrates the upper plate 43 of the main body and projects almost at the center of its upper surface.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the upper surface of the upper plate 43 of the main body is circularly recessed around the output shaft 61 of the hopper motor 60, and the disk storage recess 44 into which the rotary disk 50 fits.
Are formed. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the disk storage recess 44 is surrounded by a planar C-shape, and 6 of the 7 medal discharge ports 52 of the rotary disk 50 are included.
A projecting edge portion 45 that is raised in a C-shaped plane is formed so as to close the individual medal discharge port 52. Further, in the projecting edge portion 45, one of the seven medal ejection openings 52 of the rotary disc 50 is opened to open one medal ejection opening 52.
46 are formed.

Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, when the medal ejection port 52 of the rotary disc 50 is located in the medal ejection groove 46 without the projecting edge portion 45, the one medal ejection port 52 is opened. It Therefore, the medals M dropped in the medal drop holes 51 of the rotary disc 50 can be ejected through the opened medal ejection port 52. On the other hand, the remaining six medal discharge ports 52 are closed by the inner peripheral surface of the projecting edge portion 45 and held in the medal drop hole 51.

The bottom of the disc housing recess 44 is shown in FIG.
As shown in ~ 5, the annular guide ring 47 is fixed,
The upper surface of the guide ring 47 receives a part of the lower surface of the medal M that has fallen into the medal dropping hole 51 of the rotary disc 50. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the rotating disc 50 is roughly divided into a disc body 80 having seven medal drop holes 51 penetrating vertically and a disc body 80.
It is provided with a medal receiver 90 which is spaced apart from the lower surface of the medal M by a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the medal M, faces the lower surface of the opening of the medal dropping hole 51, and receives the medal M dropped in the medal dropping hole 51 from below.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the disk body 80 is located at the center of the lower surface of the disk body 80, and has a shaft hole 81 into which the output shaft 61 of the hopper motor 60 is non-rotatably fitted, and the shaft hole 81.
The medal drop holes 51, which are arranged at equal intervals around the center of the disk body 80 and penetrate through the upper and lower parts of the disc body 80 in a circular shape, partition the spaces between the adjacent medal drop holes 51 and project from the lower surface of the disc body 80 to A plurality of partitions, which are the same number as the medal drop holes 51 here, seven partition walls 82 ... Located in the space between the receiver 90, and a substantially conical shape projecting from the center of the upper surface of the disk body 80, and dropped from the hopper tank 20. The medal distribution unit 83 that distributes the medals M toward the respective medal receivers 90, and the disc body 80 centered on the shaft hole 81.
Annularly protruding from the bottom surface of the medal discharge device
It is provided with a substantially flower-shaped cam portion 86 in which peak portions 84 and valley portions 85 for operating 70 are alternately formed.

The partition wall 82, as shown in FIGS.
It protrudes in a plane spiral shape around the shaft hole 81, and forms an approximately 1/4 arc shape. The thickness of the partition wall 82 is set to be substantially equal to the thickness of the medal M, and the medal receiver 90 is adhered to the lower surface of the medal receiver 90 with an adhesive or the like. Therefore, the medal receiving 90
Are held apart from the lower surface of the disk body 80 by a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the partition wall 82, that is, the thickness of the medal M.

Next, the procedure for molding the disc body 80 will be described. As shown in FIG. 8, the disc body 80 covers the upper surface of the disc body 80 except for the medal distributing portion 83 and the inner edge of the medal drop hole 51. Between the metal guide cover 100 having the seven circularly-opened guide edges 101 ... And the inner walls located between the adjacent partition walls 82 in the rotation direction of the rotary disk 50. And a metal guide frame 110 having a total of seven guide portions 111 ... In contact with the outer periphery of the medal M dropped in each medal dropping hole 51.

At the time of molding the disk body 80, although not shown, the metal guide cover 100 and the guide frame 110 are integrally molded with the thermoplastic resin in the inserted state. After molding, the guide cover 100 and the guide frame 110 are connected to each other by a resin layer, as shown in FIGS.

At the center of the upper surface of the guide cover 100, as shown in FIG. 6, a medal distributing portion 83 protruding in a truncated cone shape is formed. Also, in the center of the lower surface of the guide cover 100,
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, a substantially flower-shaped cam portion 86 is formed. Further, a partition wall 82 is formed along each guide portion 111 of the guide frame 110. The inner side surface of the partition wall 82 is formed substantially flush with the guide portion 111, and conversely, the partition wall 82 bites into the inner side surface of the partition wall 82 by the thickness thereof.

As shown in FIG. 2, the medal ejecting device 70 roughly acts on the cam portion 86 of the disc body 80.
The medal push-out device 120 that pushes out the medal M dropped in the medal drop hole 51 from the medal ejection port 52 toward the medal ejection groove 46 of the housing 40 by the rotation of the rotating disk 50.
Then, the medal M pushed out of the medal ejection groove 46 by the medal pushing device 120 is once held in the medal ejection groove 46, and the medal ejection groove 46 is rotated by rotating the disc body 80.
And a medal sending device 130 for ejecting the medal M from.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the medal push-out device 120 has a push-out lever 122 that rotates about a central shaft 121 as a fulcrum.
A trace pin 123 located at one end of the pushing lever 122 and tracing the cam portion 86 of the disc body 80, and located at the other end of the pushing lever 122, and dropped into the medal drop hole 51 of the disc body 80. The medal M is the medal outlet
The push pin 124 pushed out from 52 toward the medal discharge groove 46 of the housing 40 and the trace pin 123 are attached to the disc body.
The urging spring 125 urges the cam portion 86 of 80.

Therefore, the trace pin 123 of the pushing lever 122 is, as shown in FIG.
The mountain part 84 and the valley part 85 of 6 are traced. For example, when the trace pin 123 of the push lever 122 is located at the valley portion 85 of the cam portion 86 of the disc body 80, the push pin 124 advances toward the medal discharge port 52, as shown by the solid line in FIG.

For this reason, the medal M dropped into the medal drop hole 51 in which the push pin 124 is located by the forward movement of the push pin 124, as shown in FIG. Is partially extruded toward. On the other hand, the rotating disk 50 is a hopper motor.
When it is further rotated by the driving force of 60, the trace pin 123 of the push-out lever 122 moves the peak portion 8 of the cam portion 86 of the disc body 80.
Moved relative to 4 and, as indicated by the chain double-dashed line in FIG.
The push pin 124 rotates around 21 and retracts into the medal drop hole 51.

As shown in FIG. 3, the push-out lever 122 has the trace pin 123 of the cam portion 8 of the disk body 80.
By tracing the peak portion 84 and the valley portion 85 of 6, the pushing lever 122 repeats forward and backward alternately. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the medal sending device 130 includes a central shaft 131.
The delivery lever 132 that rotates around the fulcrum
And a return spring 134 that urges the ejection pin 133 toward the medal M. The ejection pin 133 contacts the medal M pushed out into the medal ejection groove 46 of the housing 40.

On the other hand, the medal discharge groove of the housing 40
As shown in FIG. 3, a guide plate 140 that is opposed to the ejection pin 133 and guides the medal M is fixed to the 46. As shown in FIG. 3, the guide plate 140 has a flat trapezoidal shape as a whole, with its oblique side 141 facing the medal discharge port 52 of the disk body 80, and its short side 142 facing the discharge pin 133. At the same time, it is positioned parallel to the ejection direction of the medal M.

The discharge pin 133 is, as shown in FIG.
When the delivery lever 132 rotates about the shaft 131 as a fulcrum, the delivery lever 132 moves in a direction of approaching and separating from the short side 142 of the guide plate 140. Then, the maximum approach position of the discharge pin 133 is the medal M.
Is set to a distance less than the diameter of. Therefore, the medal M pushed out from the medal ejection port 52 of the disc body 80 toward the medal ejection groove 46 by the ejection pin 124 of the ejection lever 122 hits the ejection pin 133 as shown in FIG. Can be stopped by.

On the other hand, when the disk body 80 is further rotated by the driving force of the hopper motor 60, the medal M is
As shown in FIG. 5, the metal guide portion of the disk body 80.
It is pushed by 111, and the ejection pin 133 is pushed further via the medal M. For this reason, the delivery lever 132 moves the return spring 134.
By rotating around its axis 131 against the restoring force of
The discharge pin 133 is separated from the short side 142 of the guide plate 140.

When the discharge pin 133 is separated from the short side 142 of the guide plate 140 by the diameter of the medal M or more, as shown in FIG. 5, the medal M is separated from the discharge pin 133 and the short side 142 of the guide plate 140. Medal discharge groove 46
Is pushed out to the outside. When the medal M is discharged, as shown in FIG.
By the restoring force of 34, the shaft 131 rotates about the fulcrum, and the discharge pin 133 returns to the maximum approach position.

In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the guide portions 111 of the rotary discs 50 are arranged along the respective inner side surfaces located rearward in the rotational direction of the rotary discs 50 between the adjacent partition walls 82. In addition to this, a metal guide part 111 is formed along each inner side surface located in front of the rotating disc 50 in the rotation direction, or the partition wall 8 is formed.
The entire 2 may be covered with the metal guide portion 111.

[0035]

Since the present invention is constituted as described above, it has the following effects. Claim 1
According to the described invention, it is possible to provide a highly reliable hopper device which prevents abrasion of the rotating disk.

In addition to this, according to the second aspect of the invention, the manufacturing of the rotary disk can be facilitated.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a rotating disk as viewed from the back side.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a hopper device.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a hopper body.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an operating state of the hopper main body with a rotating disc mounted.

FIG. 5 is another plan view showing the operating state of the hopper main body with the rotary disc mounted.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the rotary disc as viewed from the front side.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the rotating disk as viewed from the back side.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a guide cover and a guide frame of the rotary disc.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Hopper device 20 Hopper tank 30 Hopper main body 40 Housing 41 Main body side plate 42 Main body connecting piece 43 Main body upper plate 44 Disc storage concave portion 45 Projection edge 46 Medal discharge groove 47 Guide ring 50 Rotating disc 51 Medal drop hole 52 Medal discharge port 60 Hopper motor 61 Output shaft 70 Medal ejector 80 Disc body 81 Shaft hole 82 Partition wall 83 Medal distribution part 84 Mountain part 85 Valley part 86 Cam part 90 Medal receiver 100 Guide cover 101 Guide edge 110 Guide frame 111 Guide part 120 Medal extruding device 121 Axis 122 Push-out lever 123 Trace pin 124 Push-out pin 125 Energizing spring 130 Medal sending device 131 Shaft 132 Sending lever 133 Discharging pin 134 Return spring 140 Guide plate 141 Oblique side 142 Short side

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A hopper tank for storing medals and a hopper body for discharging the medals stored in the hopper tank one by one, the hopper body being rotatably supported by the housing. A rotating disc having a plurality of medal dropping holes into which one medal dropped from the hopper tank is inserted from above, and individual communicating with each medal dropping hole, and a medal discharge port opened outward in the radial direction, and this rotating disc. A hopper motor that rotates the
The rotating disc that is rotated by the driving force of the hopper motor is provided with a medal ejecting device that ejects the medals that have fallen into the medal drop hole of the rotating disc to the outside through the medal ejecting port. The disc body with a plurality of medal dropping holes formed is separated from the lower surface of the disc body by a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the medal, and the medals that have fallen into the medal dropping hole are faced down from below. A medal receiver for receiving and a plurality of partition walls that are located in a space between the disc body and the medal receiver and partition between adjacent medal pits, respectively, and the disc body, the medal receiver and the plurality of partition walls are provided. In a hopper device made of plastic, the rotating disc Between the adjacent partition walls, along the inner side surface located at least rearward in the rotation direction of the rotating disc, between the adjacent partition walls, there is a metal guide portion that contacts the outer periphery of the medals dropped in each medal drop hole. A hopper device characterized in that it is formed in. 2. The hopper device according to claim 1, wherein the disk body and the plurality of partition walls are integrally molded of plastic, and a metal guide portion is insert-molded during the molding.