JPH11313972A - Cleaning device for pachinko ball - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cleaning device for pachinko balls which reduces area left to wipe the surface of the pachinko balls, as much as possible. SOLUTION: This cleaning device for pachinko balls is provided with a guide plate 12 having guide grooves 13 on the surface, a polishing belt 15 arranged so as to cover the guide grooves 13 of the guide plate 12, and an endless belt 20 disposed opposite to the surface of the guide plate 12 and arranged separately by a distance corresponding to the size of pachinko ball 11 to polish the surface by making the pachinko balls pass between both belts 15, 20. The recessed width of the guide groove 13 is smaller than the diameter of the pachinko ball and the guide groove is brought into contact with the pachinko balls at both side edges 13a in the advancing direction. Further, the guide plate 12 is urged toward the endless belt 20 side by a pressing spring 18.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pachinko ball cleaning apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As is well known, when a pachinko ball is used, foreign substances such as grease, human oil, and dust adhere to the periphery of the pachinko ball. If the dirty pachinko ball with the foreign matter is continued to be used as it is, for example, the foreign matter adheres to the delivery mechanism of the pachinko machine, the board surface, and the passage for discharging the prize ball, and becomes dirty. Furthermore, since a plurality of pachinko machines are arranged in parallel to constitute one island, pachinko balls are circulated within the island and used for lending to players or supplying as prize balls,
Dirt may also adhere to the circulation passage.

[0003] If the foreign matter attached to the pachinko balls adheres to other parts as described above, the smooth movement of the pachinko balls is suppressed, and in the worst case, the balls are clogged. In addition, it is not desirable for the appearance of the board surface to be dirty, and it is a bad effect that the player can comfortably use the board.

Therefore, it is necessary to periodically or irregularly remove dirt adhering to the periphery of the pachinko ball, and there has been a cleaning apparatus as shown in FIG. 1, for example, which automatically performs the cleaning. That is, as shown in the figure, the tip (left side in the figure) 1a of the downwardly inclined guide passage 1 is formed so as to be curved and face upward. Then, a guide plate 2 is provided at a fixed distance on an extension of the tip. As shown in FIG. 2A, the guide plate 2 has a plurality of (four in the figure) guide grooves 2a formed in parallel on the surface (the surface through which the pachinko balls 3 pass). This guide groove 2a is
It extends in the up-down direction, and its cross-sectional shape is an arc.

[0005] A polishing belt 4 is arranged on the front side of the guide plate 2. The polishing belt 4 is given a certain tension by a pinch roll 5. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2A, when the pachinko balls 3 are not present, the polishing belt 4 is in a state of having a certain tension (there is a slack that is deformed when pressed), and the guide groove 2a is formed.
A space is created between

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, an endless belt 6 is disposed so as to face the surface of the guide plate 2. The endless belt 6 is stretched over pulleys 7 provided only above and below (only the lower part is shown in the figure), and rotates clockwise (in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1) in a vertical plane. The distance between the guide surface of the endless belt 6 on the guide plate 2 side and the guide groove 2 a is substantially equal to the diameter of the pachinko ball 3.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 2B, the pachinko balls 3 are sandwiched between the endless belt 6 and the guide plate 2 with a constant force. Along with this, the polishing belt 4 is pushed into the guide groove 2a and comes into close contact with the pachinko ball 3. When the endless belt 6 rotates, the polishing belt 4 does not move, so that the pachinko ball 3 rises while rotating,
At this time, the periphery of the pachinko balls 3 that come into contact with the polishing belt 4 is polished by the polishing belt 4 to remove the extraneous matter.

[0008]

However, in the conventional cleaning device described above, since the pachinko balls 3 come into contact at one point at the deepest portion of the guide groove 2a, the rotation during the ascending movement is horizontal. With the direction as the center of rotation,
Rotate regularly. As a result, the portion of the surface of the pachinko ball 3 that comes into contact with the polishing belt 4 is a portion facing the deepest portion of the guide groove 2a and a band-shaped line in the vicinity thereof,
An unpolished portion occurs. Therefore, if the cleaning device is
It was not possible to clean the entire surface of the pachinko ball by simply passing it through the ball.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problem and to make the area of the pachinko ball surface to be wiped off by a single cleaning process. Provided is a pachinko ball cleaning device that can be cleaned with a relatively short distance, and that can reduce the size of the device and shorten the cleaning processing time using the present device. It is in.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a pachinko ball cleaning apparatus according to the present invention is arranged such that a guide plate having a guide groove on a surface and a guide groove of the guide plate are covered. A polishing belt (implemented by the “endless belt 20” in the embodiment) and a transport belt facing the surface of the guide plate and separated by a distance corresponding to the size of the pachinko ball. Was. The width of the guide groove is smaller than the diameter of the pachinko ball, and the guide groove is configured to contact the pachinko ball at both side edges in the traveling direction of the guide groove. Further, an urging means (in the embodiment, by a “pressurizing spring 18”) for urging the guide plate forward and backward with respect to the transport belt and urging the guide plate toward the transport belt. Is realized (claim 1).

The pachinko balls are transported in a state of being sandwiched between the transport belt and the polishing belt, and at the time of transport, the surface of the pachinko balls is rubbed by the polishing belt to remove extraneous matter. At this time, since the guide plate is urged toward the conveyor belt by the urging means, the pachinko balls are firmly sandwiched between the conveyor belt and the polishing belt, and a predetermined pressure is applied, so that the adhered material is securely attached. Is removed.

Further, by reducing the width of the guide groove, the pachinko ball and the polishing belt come into contact with each other at two places on both side edges of the guide groove. And the two places in contact with each other, the polishing belt is sandwiched between the guide plate and the pachinko balls, so it goes without saying that
The pachinko ball surface and the polishing belt are in close contact with each other between the two locations, that is, at the portion facing the guide groove. Therefore, the contact area is increased.

Furthermore, since the pachinko balls come into contact at two points, the pachinko balls move forward while rotating irregularly due to a difference in resistance and a shift in pressure balance (load balance) at those two points. This increases the possibility that the entire surface of the pachinko ball will come into contact with the polishing belt in a short time and short distance of movement. Therefore, the possibility of leaving unpolished is suppressed as much as possible, and the cleaning effect is enhanced.

The guide plate may be configured to be displaceable in a direction different from the forward / backward moving direction with respect to the conveyor belt. The displacement more surely generates a resistance difference at two points that come into contact with the pachinko ball, thereby promoting irregular rotation. Further, the urging means includes:
More preferably, a plurality of springs are provided, and the plurality of springs bias different positions of the guide plate (claim 3). This increases the possibility that the pressure balance will be different, thus also promoting irregular rotation. Even if you do not provide multiple springs,
For example, by attaching a spring at a position different from the center of gravity, the pressure balance can be deviated.

It is more preferable that the conveying belt also has a polishing function. With this configuration, the pachinko balls can be polished from both sides of the conveyor belt and the polishing belt, so that the cleaning operation can be performed more effectively.

[0016]

3 and 4 show a preferred embodiment of a cleaning device according to the present invention. FIG.
As shown in the figure, the upper end opening of the guide passage 10 arranged in a downwardly inclined shape is a pachinko ball insertion port 10a, and the pachinko ball 11 is supplied from the insertion port 10a. In this embodiment, two guide passages 10 can be guided and supplied in parallel. However, the number of guide passages is arbitrary, and one or three or more rows may be provided.

A guide plate 12 is provided near the lower end opening 10b of the guide passage 10. In this embodiment, the guide plate 12 is made of a plate material curved in an arc shape, and two guide grooves 13 are provided in parallel on an inner peripheral surface (upper surface in FIG. 3) 12a of the arc. The guide groove 13 is located on an extension of the movement path of the pachinko balls 11 in the guide passage 10 and allows the pachinko balls 11 dropped and supplied from the guide passage 10 to be smoothly received and moved.

Further, the cross-sectional shape of the guide groove 13 is made to be a rectangular concave portion, and the width W is shorter than the diameter of the pachinko ball 11. Thereby, when the pachinko ball 11 moves on the guide plate 12 (guide groove 13), as shown in FIG. 4B, the pachinko ball 11 is formed at two positions on both sides 13a on the open side (upper end) of the guide groove 13. The pachinko balls 11 come into contact (strictly via the polishing belt 15).

Further, the inner peripheral surface 12a of the guide plate 12
The polishing belt 15 is disposed so as to cover the guide groove 13, and the guide groove 13 is covered with the polishing belt 15. The polishing belt 15 is wound around a pinch roll 16 at both ends thereof. By rotating the pinch roll 16 forward and backward, the tension of the polishing belt 15 is adjusted, and the frictional force of the polishing belt 15 against the pachinko balls 11 is adjusted. Is adjustable. Of course, even when the tension is adjusted, the polishing belt 15 can bend to some extent, and when the polishing belt 15 is not in contact with the pachinko balls 11,
As shown in FIG. 4A, the guide plate 12 takes a shape along the inner peripheral surface 12a of the guide plate 12 without entering the guide groove 13.
And when the pachinko ball 11 comes over the guide groove 13,
The polishing belt 15 is pushed by the pachinko balls 11 and enters the guide grooves 13. However, unlike the conventional case, it does not adhere to the inner peripheral surface of the guide groove 13.

Further, in this embodiment, a flat supporting plate 17 is mounted on the side surface of the guide plate 12 (both sides in the traveling direction of the guide groove 13), and a pressing spring 18 is mounted on the bottom surface of the supporting plate 17. Are connected. Since the lower end of the pressure spring 18 is in contact with a receiving plate (not shown) and the height position is defined, the pressing spring 18 acts to push the support plate 17 upward (in the direction of arrow X) in the figure by elastic restoring force. I do. Accordingly, the guide plate 12 connected to the support plate 17 is also urged upward.

Although not shown, a stopper is provided so as to be able to contact the support plate 17 or the guide plate 12 so that the stopper is not lifted above a certain level. Further, for example, the position of a receiving plate (not shown) contacting the lower end of the pressure spring 18 may be raised and lowered so that the urging force of the pressure spring 18 can be changed.

A head pulley 21 for driving the endless belt 20 is provided above the guide plate 12, and a tail pulley 22 is provided diagonally above the head pulley 21. The endless belt 20 made of a non-woven fabric is stretched over the head pulley 21 and the tail pulley 22, and further, a tension pulley 23 contacts the outer surface of the endless belt 20,
The endless belt 20 is given a certain tension. And the head pulley 21 (endless belt 20)
The distance between the pachinko ball 11 and the guide plate 12 is separated by a distance corresponding to the size of the pachinko ball, and is substantially equal to the diameter of the pachinko ball 11. The coefficient of friction of the endless belt 20 is larger than the coefficient of friction of the polishing belt 11.

Thus, when the pachinko balls 11 have entered between the guide plate 12 and the head pulley 21, they are brought into contact with the polishing belt 15 and the endless belt 20 existing between the guide plates 12 and 21, and are pinched. Pressure is applied with a constant force by the urging force from the pressure spring 18. Then, when the head pulley 21 rotates in the clockwise direction (arrow Y direction) in FIG. 3 by receiving the rotational force of a driving motor (not shown), the pachinko ball 11 receives the conveying force from the endless belt 20 having a large friction coefficient, and It advances while rotating along the guide groove 13 of the plate 12, and is discharged from the discharge port of the pachinko ball.

Next, the operation principle of the cleaning process using the above-described apparatus will be described. The pachinko ball 11 supplied from the insertion port 10a moves down along the guide path 10 and is carried out from the lower end opening 10b. Then, while being brought into contact with the endless belt 20 that is driven to rotate, it is advanced by receiving the conveying force, and is guided by the guide plate 12 (the polishing belt 15) and the head pulley 21 (the endless belt 2).
It is thrown during 0). Thereby, the pachinko ball 11
Contact the two side edges 13a of the guide groove 13, and
Polishing belt 15 existing between two side edges 13a, that is,
The belt portion facing the guide groove 13 is a pachinko ball 11
And enters the guide groove 13 so as to be pressed against the surface of the guide groove 13.

Thus, the polishing belt 15 is firmly sandwiched between the pachinko balls 11 and the guide plate 12 from both sides at the two points. Therefore, the portion of the polishing belt 15 between these two points firmly adheres to the surface of the pachinko ball 11.
This is because, compared to the conventional case where the polishing belt is sandwiched between the pachinko ball and the guide plate at one point at the deepest portion, the portion that firmly adheres increases.

Moreover, when the pachinko balls 11 come into contact with each other at two places, the loads applied to the pachinko balls 11 become uneven, and the pachinko balls 11 rotate irregularly. Thereby, the entire surface of the pachinko ball 11 comes into contact with the polishing belt 15 while moving along the guide groove 13,
Deposits can be removed cleanly without leaving behind wiping.

Here, the causes of the non-uniform load as described above include the following various ones, and one or a plurality of them act synergistically. That is, the support plates 17 provided on both side surfaces of the guide plate 12
Since the pressure springs 18 are provided, the biasing forces applied to the guide plate 12 from the two pressure springs 18 may not be uniform. In addition, the load balance at two points in contact with the pachinko balls 11 is also caused by the guide plate 12 being shaken by an impact when the pachinko balls enter the guide plate 12 or by applying a force in a predetermined direction so as to shake. Crumble. Furthermore, the guide plate 12 is
By providing a certain amount of play in the left-right direction as well as in the vertical direction, which is the direction of the elastic force, the guide plate 12 is displaced with the movement of the pachinko ball, and furthermore, the guide groove 13 is consciously or partly conscious. When the height of the side edge 13a is shifted, the load balance is shifted.

In the above-described embodiment, the endless belt 20 only gives a conveying force to the pachinko balls. However, if the endless belt 20 itself is made of a material having a cleaning ability, the endless belt 20 and the polishing belt 15 may be separated from each other. It is more efficient because you can clean the pachinko balls from. In this case, a nonwoven fabric or rubber can be applied. However, in order to transport the pachinko balls, it is necessary to use a belt having at least a friction coefficient larger than that of the polishing belt than the polishing belt as described above.

[0029]

As described above, in the pachinko ball cleaning apparatus according to the present invention, the pachinko balls come into firm contact with the polishing belt at two points, and furthermore, the guide plate and thus the polishing belt are urged toward the pachinko ball side. Therefore, it is possible to minimize the area of the surface of the pachinko ball to be wiped off by a single cleaning process, and it is also possible to perform cleaning with a relatively short distance. The cleaning processing time using the present apparatus can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a conventional example.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a conventional example.

FIG. 3 is a view showing one embodiment of a cleaning device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 3, showing a pachinko ball and a pachinko ball, respectively.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 supply passage 11 pachinko ball 12 guide plate 13 guide groove 13a side edge 15 polishing belt 16 pinch roll 18 pressurizing spring (biasing means) 20 endless belt (conveying belt)

Claims (4)

[Claims] A guide plate having a guide groove on a surface thereof; a polishing belt disposed so as to cover the guide groove of the guide plate; and a distance facing the surface of the guide plate and corresponding to a size of a pachinko ball. The guide groove, the width of the guide groove is smaller than the diameter of the pachinko ball, and configured to contact the pachinko ball at both side edges in the traveling direction of the guide groove, A pachinko ball cleaning device, wherein the guide plate is movable forward and backward with respect to the transport belt, and biasing means is provided for biasing the guide plate toward the transport belt. 2. The pachinko ball cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide plate is configured to be displaceable in a direction different from a forward and backward movement direction with respect to the transport belt. 3. The pachinko ball according to claim 1, wherein the urging means includes a plurality of springs, and the plurality of springs urge different positions of the guide plate. Cleaning device. 4. The pachinko ball cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conveyor belt also has a polishing function.