JPH11134468A - Medal counter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate labor of medal cleaning work at low cost and without necessitating a new installation space by adding a simple medal cleaning function to a medal counter. SOLUTION: Relating to the medal counter 47 to eject medals 1 supplied on a rotary disk 21 from an ejecting port 23 in the vicinity of outer peripheral of the disk by centrifugal force, to transport the ejected medals 1 to a counting sensor 45 by planarly arranging the medals through a transportation route 25 and to count the medals 1 passing through the counting sensor 45, the transportation route 25 is provided with a belt transportation means 29 to transport the medals 1 by bringing a part of a circulating route surface into contact with an outer peripheral part of at least one end in the direction of diameter of the planarly arranged medals 1. The transportation route 25 is provided with abrasives 39 to be brought into slidable contact with front and rear surface of the medals 1 to be transported by the belt transportation means 29.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a medal counter for counting medals used in gaming machines such as slot machines.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A medal counting machine is a device for quickly counting medals used in gaming machines such as slot machines.
Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 4, this type of medal counter has a horizontally arranged rotating disk 3 into which medals 1 are inserted, an outlet 5 provided near the outer periphery of the disk, and one end connected to the outlet 5. It has a transport path 7 and a counting sensor 9 provided at the other end of the transport path 7.

The transport path 7 includes guide means 11 for aligning the medals 1 in a line, and belt transport means 13 for moving the medals 1 by contacting the upper surface of the aligned medals 1. Further, the guide means 11 is configured to move the medals 1 on the step portions 11a on both sides. here,
The conveying path width W1 above the step 11a is set substantially equal to the diameter φ of the medals 1 to be counted, and the width W2 below the step 11a is set smaller than the diameter φ of the medals 1 to be counted. I have.

Accordingly, when a plurality of medals 1 are put on the rotating disk 3, the medals 1 move radially outward due to centrifugal force and are transported one by one from the discharge port 5 by a height regulating member (not shown). It is sent out to 7. In the medals 1 sent out to the transport path 7, the non-counted medals 1 having a small diameter fall off the step 11a and fall downward, and only the counted medals 1 pass through the counting sensor 9 and are counted.

[0005]

However, in the above-described conventional medal counting machine, when the medal 1 to which dust is attached is thrown in or when a plurality of medals 1 are moved on the rotating disk 3, If the dust and the dust collides with each other and the medal 1 and the peripheral wall, and the dust and the dust adhere to each part in the apparatus and adhere to and accumulate on the counting sensor 9 or the like, the counting function of the counting sensor 9 is performed. Caused problems such as lowering. On the other hand, the medal 1 was counted by a medal counter, stored in a tank or the like, and the tank in which the medal storage amount became a fixed amount was set in a polishing machine installed in another place to be cleaned. Every time the amount of stored medals reaches a certain level, it is necessary to transport the heavy tank to the polishing machine, which requires time-consuming work. In order to eliminate such a transporting operation, it is conceivable to install an automatic medal polishing apparatus. However, it is expensive and has a disadvantage that a large installation space must be secured. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and focuses on a mechanism in which medals are conveyed one by one in a medal counting machine. It is an object of the present invention to provide a medal counting machine capable of cleaning medals, and to reduce the labor of medal cleaning work at low cost and without requiring a new installation space.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a medal counting machine according to the present invention is arranged such that medals supplied on a rotating disk are discharged from a discharge port near the outer periphery of the disk by centrifugal force. In a medal counter that aligns the tokens in a plane through a transport path and transports the tokens to a counting sensor, and counts the tokens that have passed through the counting sensor, at least one outer circumference of one end in the diameter direction of the tokens aligned in the planar shape A belt transport means for transporting the medal by contacting a part of the peripheral circuit surface with the portion is provided in the transport path, and an abrasive material slidably in contact with the front and back surfaces of the medal transported by the belt transport means is provided in the transport path. It is characterized by having.

[0007] In this medal counting machine, in the transport path,
At least one of the medals in the diametrical direction is in contact with the belt conveying means, and the medals rotate on the conveying path by rotating, so that the medals can be easily polished in the medal counting machine by the abrasive material slidably in contact with the front and back surfaces of the medals. Become.

The medal counting machine may be characterized in that the abrasive is detachably mounted on the transport path.

In this medal counting machine, the abrasive is detachably provided on the transport path, and when the abrasive is contaminated by a predetermined amount of polishing, it can be easily replaced with a new abrasive.

Further, the medal counting machine is characterized in that a dust collecting device for sucking or adsorbing dust adhering to the medal is provided on the transport path between the end portion of the abrasive and the counting sensor. May be used.

In this medal counting machine, a dust collecting device is provided at the end of the conveying path, dust attached to the medal is removed by polishing, the dust is not conveyed together with the medal, and a device downstream of the dust collecting device in the conveying direction is provided. Dust does not adhere or accumulate on components.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of a medal counter according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a main part of the medal counting machine according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a view taken on line BB of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a view taken on line CC of FIG. A discharge port 23 is provided near the outer periphery of the horizontally arranged rotating disk 21 into which the medals 1 are inserted. One end of the transport path 25 is connected to the discharge port 23.

The transport path 25 is provided with a pair of parallel guide rails 27, and the guide rails 27 support the peripheral edges of both ends of the medal 1 in the diameter direction from the lower side of the medal. Therefore, the medals 1 placed on the guide rails 27 are arranged in a line in a plane and proceed along the transport path 25. In the medal 1 whose lower surface is supported by the guide rail 27, the outer peripheries at both ends in the diametric direction slightly protrude from the guide rail 27.

On the guide rail 27, medals 1 having a diameter φ to be counted are placed, and medals 1 having a smaller diameter and not to be counted are dropped between the guide rails 27.

Outside the pair of guide rails 27, a pair of belt conveying means 29 and 31 are provided. Each of the belt conveying means 29 and 31 has a pair of rollers 35 that rotate around a vertical axis 33 arranged in the conveying direction.
Endless belts 37 are stretched over five pairs. Therefore, the pair of belt conveying means 29 and 31 have a part of the peripheral circuit surface in the vertical direction opposed to and parallel to the guide rail 27.

The opposing surfaces (part of the peripheral circuit surface) of the pair of belt conveying means 29 and 31 come into contact with both ends in the diameter direction of the medal 1 placed on the guide rail 27. In addition, the pair of belt conveying means 29 and 31
7 are driven so that the rotation speeds thereof are different. Therefore, the medals 1 placed on the guide rail 27 travel along the guide path 27 along the guide rail 27 while rotating.

A pair of abrasives 39 are provided between the pair of belt conveying means 29 and 31 so as to contact the front and back surfaces of the medal 1 placed on the guide rail 27. The abrasive 39 is formed by using a cloth such as a canvas (canvas) lined with an elastic material such as a sponge or a brush. The abrasive 39 is removably mounted on the transport path 25, and can be replaced with a new one when it becomes dirty after being used for a certain period of time.

The abrasive 39 terminates at a position before the other end of the transport path 25. A medal falling space 41 is formed between the guide rails 27 where the abrasive 39 is not present. As a result, the medal 1 having a small diameter and being a non-count target medal 1
After passing through the abrasive 39, it comes off the guide rail 27 and falls into the medal falling space 41.

Above the medal falling space 41, a dust collecting device 43 is provided. The dust collecting device 43 includes the abrasive 39
The dust generated by the contact is collected by vacuum suction, an adhesive or electrostatic attraction.

At the downstream end of the conveying path 25, a counting sensor 4
5 is provided. The counting sensor 45 is connected to the medal falling space 4
In this case, only the medals 1 to be counted sent from the transport path 25 are counted without dropping to 1.

The operation of the medal counting machine 47 thus configured will be described. When a plurality of medals 1 are thrown onto the rotating disk 21, the medals 1 move radially outward of the rotating disk 21 due to centrifugal force, and are transported one by one from the discharge port 23 by a height regulating member (not shown). Sent out to. The medal 1 sent out to the transport path 25 is placed on the guide rail 27 and has a pair of belt transport means 29 at both ends in the diameter direction.
The sheet is nipped by 31 and travels along the transport path 25 along the guide rail 27.

At this time, a pair of belt conveying means 29, 31
, The medal 1 advances on the guide rail 27 while rotating. As a result, the upper and lower surfaces of the medal are in sliding contact with the abrasive material 39, and no dirt remains on the peripheral edges of the front and back surfaces.

Medal 1 cleaned with abrasive 39
Reaches the dust collecting device 43 through the end of the abrasive 39. In the medal 1 that has reached the dust collecting device 43, the attached dust and the like are adsorbed and removed by the dust collecting device 43.

At this time, below the dust collecting device 43,
Since the medal falling space 41 is provided, the non-counted medals 1 having a small diameter come off the guide rail 27 and fall off the transport path 25.

The medals 1 to be counted are successively placed on the guide rail 27 and sent out from the conveying path 25 to the counting sensor 45 by the belt conveying means 29 and 31. The counting sensor 45 counts the number of the transmitted medals 1 by passing the same.

By repeating the above operation, the medals 1 inserted on the rotating disk 21 are counted while being entirely cleaned.

As described above, according to the medal counter 47 described above, the diametrical ends of the medals 1 are placed on the guide rails 27 in the transport path 25, and the diametrical ends of the medals 1 are paired. Therefore, the medals 1 can be cleaned by sliding the abrasives 39 on the front and back surfaces of the medals 1. As a result, medals can be easily cleaned in a medal counting machine of the same size as a conventional medal counting machine, and transport work for cleaning medals can be performed inexpensively and without providing a new installation space. It can be unnecessary.

Then, a pair of belt conveying means 29, 31
Since the circling speed of the medals 1 is asynchronous, the medals 1 can be conveyed while rotating, so that the rims of the medals 1 can be polished and cleaned without being left.

Further, the abrasive 39 is detachably mounted on the transport path 25.
Polished by a certain amount of polishing.
Can be easily replaced, and the cleaning ability can always be kept constant.

Further, since the dust collecting device 43 is provided at the end of the conveying path 25, dust adhering to the medal 1 after passing the abrasive can be reliably removed by the dust collecting device 43.
Equipment components downstream of the transport direction, for example, a counting sensor 45
It is possible to reliably prevent dust from adhering and accumulating to the like.

In the above-described embodiment, the pair of belt conveying means 29, 31 is provided in the conveying path 25, and the medals 1 are rotated by rotating the respective belt conveying means 29, 31 asynchronously. However, the medal counting machine according to the present invention is configured such that one belt transport unit (for example, belt transport unit 29) and a side wall (not shown) sandwiching the medal 1 with the belt transport unit 29 constitute a transport unit. There may be. In the medal counting machine configured as described above, the medal 1 can be transported on the guide rail 27 while rotating the medal 1 in the same manner as described above, and the same effect as described above can be obtained.

[0032]

As described in detail above, according to the medal counting machine of the first aspect of the present invention, in the transport path,
At least one end of the medal in the diameter direction is brought into contact with the belt conveying means, and the abrasive is slid on the front and back surfaces of the medal so that the medal is conveyed, so that the medal counting machine having the same size as the conventional medal counting machine is used. The medals can be easily cleaned, and the transport work for cleaning the medals can be eliminated. According to the medal counting machine of the present invention, since the abrasive is detachably provided in the transport path, the dirty abrasive can be easily replaced by a fixed amount of polishing, and the cleaning ability is always kept constant. be able to. According to the medal counting machine of the third aspect, since the dust collecting device is provided at the end of the transport path, dust adhering to the medal can be removed, and the dust adhering to the device component on the downstream side in the transport direction can be removed. Accumulation can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a main part of a medal counter according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view taken in the direction of arrows BB in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a view as viewed in the direction of arrows CC in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a conventional medal counter.

FIG. 5 is a view taken in the direction of arrows AA in FIG. 4;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Medal, 21 ... Rotating disk, 23 ... Discharge port, 25 ... Conveying path, 29, 31 ... Belt conveying means, 39 ... Abrasive, 4
3: dust collector, 45: counting sensor, 47: medal counter

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A medal supplied to a rotating disk is discharged from a discharge port near an outer periphery of the disk by centrifugal force, the discharged medals are arranged in a plane through a transport path, and are transported to a counting sensor. In a medal counter for counting the medals that have passed through a sensor, the belt conveying means for conveying the medals by bringing a part of a peripheral circuit surface into contact with an outer peripheral portion of at least one end in a diametrical direction of the medals arranged in a plane and conveying the medals. A medal counter provided on a path, wherein an abrasive material slidably contacting the front and back surfaces of the medal conveyed by the belt conveying means is provided on the conveyance path. 2. The medal counter according to claim 1, wherein the abrasive is detachably mounted on the transport path. 3. A dust collecting device for sucking or adsorbing dust adhering to the medals is provided in the transport path between the end portion of the abrasive and the counting sensor.
The medal counting machine according to claim 2 or 3.