JPS5944064B2 - Coin circulation device for coin-operated game machine rows - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to a coin circulation system for coin-operated game machines such as coin-operated pachinko machines, in which a predetermined game action is performed by inserting a coin into the machine, and also for a coin circulation system not for each machine but for each machine. The present invention relates to a coin circulation device whose basic unit is a row of machines arranged in parallel, including one machine as a whole.

In general, in the coin circulation system of coin-operated game machines, if the object to be conveyed is a sphere like the game ball in a normal pachinko machine, it is especially important to provide a part of the circulation path that moves under its own weight. Although it is not necessary to provide a member to help the coin move smoothly, the coins used in coin-operated game machines are flat and disc-shaped, so it is difficult to use the same weight transfer mechanism. First, set whether to roll vertically on the periphery of the circle or to let it slide horizontally, and then all the coins are placed before they reach the gravity feed path. It is necessary to change the state to the same state as before.

Therefore, it is not possible to use a game ball circulation device conventionally used in, for example, a pachinko machine as a coin circulation device by simply making some changes.

In view of these problems, the present invention further includes a coin sorting mechanism, etc., and aims to provide a satisfactory large-scale coin circulation device for an amusement arcade.

The coin circulation device of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a row 2 of coin-operated game machines 1 in which a plurality of coin-operated game machines 1 are arranged side by side as would normally be arranged in a game hall.

As mentioned above, each coin-operated game machine discharges the coins that the player inserts from the outside and uses in the game, but on the other hand, the coins that the player uses in the game and the coins that are used in the game are discharged. Coins are sent into each aircraft in advance.

In the apparatus of this embodiment, coins discharged from each machine in the train are dropped into a coin collection gutter 3 provided at the bottom of the train.
In this embodiment, the coin collection gutter 3 has a central outlet 4 from both ends.
Therefore, the coins from each machine slide and collect at the discharge port 4, and gradually fall from the discharge port 4 onto the starting running section of the conveying means, in this case the belt conveyor 5, facing downward. , transported in the direction of the arrow in the drawing.

In this case, the coins falling from the last running end of the belt conveyor 5 are received by a funnel-shaped hopper 6, and are gradually dropped into a coin quality sorter 7 through its tapered opening. The coin sorter 7 is a mechanism that removes any defective or fraudulent coins that may have entered the circulating coins and sorts out only legitimate game coins. In reality, various methods are possible, but one example is schematically illustrated in FIG. 2 and an explanation will be added here. As shown in Figures 2A and B, first, the coins are laid down horizontally, and in this case, they are rotated one and a half revolutions in a spiral shape with a relatively gentle slope in order to transfer them from the higher side to the lower side while keeping them lined up. A passageway 8 is provided with a peripheral wall 8' for guiding the coin along the radially outer periphery. The shape of the hopper 6, especially the shape of its tip, is appropriately determined so that coins in the hopper are dropped in an appropriate number of coins (preferably one coin at a time) into an entry section 9 located at the highest part of the passage 8. The coins that fall into the passageway are eventually ejected from the lowest part of the ejecting section 10, but the coins that are dropped from the hopper are in a completely random state, and all of the coins lie horizontally and do not overlap. the discharge part 10 gradually.
You can't expect it to slide under its own weight as you head towards it. Therefore, the device used in this embodiment is designed to slightly vibrate the passage itself so as to facilitate self-transport of coins as described above. In other words, legs 11 are installed at several suitable locations in the normal section 8, and the lengths are sequentially changed to create an inclination of the passage, so that these legs have the function of supporting the passage. In addition, the lower end of each leg is a vibrating member 1 fixed to a suitable support position 2 such as a floorboard.
3. It is connected to the operating rod (the legs themselves may be actuating rods). An electromagnet can be considered as the vibrating member, and if this is used, its operating rod,
In other words, the legs should be connected to a member that selectively takes two positions between normal and energized states, and a relatively low-frequency alternating current of an appropriate value should be applied to this electromagnet so that each leg would vibrate slightly. That's fine. The vibrations of each leg do not necessarily have to be synchronized, but due to the vibration of the passage, even coins stacked on top of each other on the passage will eventually start to lie sideways one by one, and due to the action of a slight centrifugal force, the surrounding wall It gradually descends along 85. In the mechanism used here, the actual coin sorting section is the ejecting section 10 as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 2C.
It consists of a small-diameter coin sorting port 14 and a thickness sorting frame 15, which are provided near the coin sorting hole 14. The small-diameter sorting port 14 is an opening opened in the coin passing section of the passage, and its diameter is slightly smaller than the specified diameter of legitimate coins. Bad coins are dropped downward through this sorting port and removed from the circulation system below.

The thickness sorting frame 15 is a rod-shaped member in this case that protrudes inward in the radial direction of the spiral that defines the passage while its lower surface remains parallel to the passage surface from a portion of the passage peripheral wall 8'. It used to be installed at a slight angle, and the distance between the lower surface and the passage surface directly below is the same as the thickness of a legitimate coin, or actually slightly wider to allow a legitimate coin to pass through easily. It is set to about.

Therefore, defective coins that are thicker than legitimate coins are placed in sorting frame 1.
5, and since the entire path is vibrating slightly, the coins are pushed by the following coins, follow the inclination of the sorting frame, and are dropped into the central space of the spiral, gradually protruding from the path side. Defective coins with a diameter larger than the specified diameter can be easily sorted out by making the slot in each machine about the specified diameter so that coins with a larger diameter cannot enter. However, for example, the passage discharge part 10 may have a two-stage structure, with an opening larger than the specified diameter in the upper stage, and legitimate coins may be passed through the opening into the circulation system below in the lower stage. Dropped, large-diameter defective coins (small-diameter coins have already been sorted as described above) may be flushed from the upper stage to the defective coin collection section.

Of course, the defective coin collecting section may be of any type (including defective coins sorted in the small diameter and thickness sorting described above), and may be of a bucket shape. Although this is not shown in the figure, defective coins that are thinner than the specified thickness are sorted by protruding a relatively thin plate-like piece by fixing one end to the peripheral wall at a position spaced from the passage surface by the specified thickness (see above). (like a sorting frame), coins with a specified thickness or less are allowed to pass under the piece and are placed in the above-mentioned collection section, while coins with a specified thickness are blocked here and the flow path is changed to place them in the legitimate circulation system. You can do it like this.

This thin-thickness sorting section may be provided at any location, but if the large-diameter sorting section is provided in the same order as the large-diameter sorting section at the part that has passed through the sorting structure shown in the figure, it will actually be necessary to prompt the circuit that leads to the packets described later to change the path. I'm feeling well since then. The coin sorting mechanism may be provided in each machine, or a coil selector used to sort each coin in the coin slot of a coin-operated game machine may be used. Therefore, it is generally necessary to align the coins vertically, which makes the mechanism complicated and uneconomical, so the above-mentioned mechanism is used as an example to make it convenient for continuous processing of a large number of coins. It was.

The coins that have passed through the coin sorting mechanism are placed in a suitable inclined gutter etc. 1
6 are self-sliding or self-transferring, or directly sent from the exit of the sorter to the starting section 18 (FIG. 1) of the coin lifting means 17. The illustrated coin transporting means has a band-shaped packet 19.
It is assumed that a series of... rotates between two points above and below, but in this case,
At that time, the coins that have reached this point are grabbed at random by a packet 19 that has come up from slightly below, and are transported to the upper part of the aircraft row 2. It is also possible to set up rollers facing each other and sandwich the coins between them and transport them, but in this case, the coins thrown from each packet at the upper turning point of the packet are distributed to each row of machines and eventually to each machine. However, as described above, in order to achieve self-transfer of coins by their own weight without using forced transfer means in this route, it is preferable to intervene with a coin sorter that sets the state of the coins. In the case shown, the lifting means 17
The coins thrown out from the packet at the uppermost packet turning point are received by the upper bucket 20 and flow into the sorter 21 in a totally random manner vertically and horizontally.

In the coin feed path 22, the coins flow vertically and each coin rotates around its periphery, which increases the flow speed. Considering what performs alignment, sorter 2
Although it is possible to provide a feeding path that directly supplies the coins ejected from 1 to each machine, in this embodiment, a coin feeding path is provided between the coin throwing points at the top of the transporting means and each machine. The above-mentioned original sorter 21 and each machine row 2 (this is necessary to consider multiple machine rows, but this will be explained later) are each equipped with a coin sorting mechanism for the purpose of transferring coins. A child sorter 23 is used as a device for arranging coins on each machine (FIG. 1). Both sorters 21 and 23 may be mechanically identical, and the only difference is whether the coin ejection path extends from one side or both sides of the sorter, so this is an example of such a sorter. 3A is a perspective view of FIG. 3A, and FIG. 3A is a perspective view of FIG. 3B.
As shown in the cross-sectional view taken along line I, the main body of the aligner is generally box-shaped in this case and includes a pair of opposing walls 23'', 23'.
Guide members 25, 25 having a plurality of grooves 24 are provided inside the guide members 25, 25, and an elevating plate 26 is fitted into each pair of opposing grooves. It is crowded.

The distance between adjacent elevating plates is about the same as the thickness of the coin, and in reality it is slightly wider, and these elevating plates that ascend and descend along the guide groove 24... As shown in the cross-sectional view, in this case, the top is at an appropriate height in the center, and it penetrates through a floor surface sloped downward toward both sides 23', 23', and a plurality of floor surfaces, that is, a plurality of coins. Discharge path 2
7...... is drawn. Each elevating plate 26 moves up and down along its own guide mechanism 24, but as shown in FIG. 3B, the relative positional relationship is completely random from time to time. Therefore, as shown by the imaginary lines in the same figure, the coins thrown into the device in a disorderly manner are gradually repositioned due to the phase difference between the elevating plates, and eventually fall to one of the elevating plates. Also, between any adjacent elevating plates or at the end of the group, it is sandwiched between the inner surface on the aligner side and the elevating plate facing this, and is placed in the vertical state described above. Any operating mechanism may be used to randomly move each lifting plate up and down, but in the case shown in the figure, a driving shaft 28 is provided below the group of lifting plates at right angles to the plane formed by each lifting plate. A cam 29 that slides into contact with is fitted.

The cams may be circular as shown in the figure, with the part through which the drive shaft passes offset from the center of the cam, and the phase relationship between the cams can be set completely arbitrarily; It is sufficient to make it so that the one that is in contact with the lifting plate is also in contact with the nearest end. In this case, the drive shaft naturally rotates, and one drive shaft of the prime mover such as a motor may be used directly for this purpose, but in the case shown, the belt 30 and this are used as a transmission mechanism from the prime mover (not shown). It is designed to be driven via a pulley 31 that receives the shaft. As this drive shaft rotates, each lifting plate moves downward according to the position of the corresponding cam, but as mentioned above, in order to vertically align the coins, the adjacent lifting plates The cams, and hence the corresponding cams, should not be placed in the same phase (i.e., when looking from one end of the drive shaft to the other end, adjacent cams appear to overlap in a plane). is wise. In addition, since the elevating plate must also have the function of not toppling the vertically aligned coins at any time, the upper edge of the elevating plate at the lowest position and the floor surface (especially the shallowest floor surface when viewed from above) near the top)
Please allow enough distance to support the sides of the coin. Further, the number of elevating plates, ie, the number of coins arranged in parallel, should be determined appropriately. In any case, the aligned coins do not touch the surface of the coin discharge path 27 with their peripheral edges and begin to move in the direction of inclination.

Convex portion 25 defining guide groove 24 in guide member 25
'' is the exit 32 of the coins that started to be sent in this way...
...... is provided, and each exit has a husbando coin feed path 3.
3 are connected. The original sorter 21 has a coin ejection path provided only on one side, and is connected to a feeding path 22 similar to the coin feeding path 33 described above. The coins made into a vertical state are sent to the slave sorter 23 of machine row 2, and after being grouped together, the coins are shown in Figures 1 and 3.
As illustrated in Figure C, it is divided into both feed paths 33, 33 as appropriate,
The prize coins are sent to the corresponding prize coin storage section of each machine via each distribution gutter 34.

Since the internal mechanism of each platform is already known, no particular explanation will be provided. It should be noted that the coin feed path 22 is the main one, and the coin feed path 33 connected to the child sorter is considered to be the secondary one. It is also possible to use the feed line 33 of the child sorter 23 in series, such as by connecting it to another sorter. In this embodiment, each distribution gutter 34 has a lid 35 at its entrance as illustrated in FIG. 3C.
and an actuation mechanism 36 thereof.

Although the lid is omitted in FIG. 1 and only the installation position of the operating mechanism 36 is schematically shown, this mechanism is designed to selectively open and close the lid 35, for example, when the number of reserved prize coins is reduced. It is used to sequentially open the lids and dispense food from the side closest to the sorter based on signals from the stand. In the case shown,
Although a solenoid is used for the actuating member 36 of the lid 35,
It is not limited to this. In addition, in such a mechanism, it is expected that the shape of the lid 35 will be comb-shaped in accordance with the number of grooves in the coin feeding path 33. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 3C, stopper mechanisms 37, 37 are provided. For example, in the case where a solenoid is used as shown in the figure, stopper mechanisms 37, 37 are provided in each groove of the coin feed path 33 near each outlet of the child aligner. By protruding the comb-shaped operating rod, coin delivery to all machines is stopped. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 3C, the position of this stopper mechanism is shown to be different in the upper and lower positions across the coin feed path 33, but it goes without saying that the solenoid actuating rod may protrude from either direction in this way. Alternatively, a rod-shaped operating rod may be provided on the side surface of the coin feed path and protrude perpendicularly to the flow direction of the coin feed path so as to penetrate through the groove wall. The operation and opening of this stopper mechanism is generally controlled by a controller 3 installed at the store.
8 manual operation or automatic operation. Note that a functional section 37' similar to this may be provided at the outlet of the original aligner. As shown in FIG. 1, the controller 38 may include a counter for determining the entry and exit of each coin, or a computer. In such a case, the selective distribution stop means such as the lid 35 provided on each distribution path 34 described above receives a signal from this controller 38, that is, a replenishment signal after counting the coins in and out of each machine. It will be operated by. The circulation system is established as described above, but as mentioned above, coins may be distributed directly from the original sorter 21 to each machine, but in reality, due to space issues, coins are distributed to each machine as shown in the figure. It is more advantageous to provide a child sorter for each row of machines to distribute coins to the rows of machines. Fig. 4 shows a state in which rows of machines are arranged side by side, as is generally seen in stores.
, 2 is in charge of distribution, and coins are supplied from the original sorter 21 to each individual via a coin feed path 22. When the present invention is applied, it is expected that something like this will actually occur. A coin collection gutter 3 provided at the bottom of the machine row is provided for each row of machines, and a lifting mechanism 17 is also installed for multiple machines in parallel (however, the coin collection trough 3 is installed in parallel for each machine row) (however, the coin collecting gutter 3 as a whole can be seen as a lifting means), and the coin collection gutter 3 is installed for each row of machines. It is possible to send the coins to the sorter, but it is also possible to collect the ejected coins of all machine rows at the collecting gutter.

In addition, various means other than those shown in the drawings may be used for the route from the collection means to the transport means, such as a gutter where the coins are automatically transported by simply sliding the coins horizontally, a gutter where the coins are self-transferred using an aligner, etc. It is not necessarily necessary to use a belt conveyor. However, in general, it is not possible to take up much space or head at the bottom of the row of machines, so as the number of machines increases, it is difficult to provide a self-propelled route using self-propelled transport or an aligner that requires a head. Let's be smart. Although the present invention has been described in detail above, it has been mentioned from time to time that the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment, and that various changes can be made to each component used. Coins can be sent smoothly and quickly without getting jammed.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the system configuration of the coin circulation device of the present invention, Figure 2
Figure A is a plan view of an example of the coin sorter used in the system.
Figure B is a side view of Soe, Figure 2C is an enlarged view of its main parts, and Figure 3
Figure A is a perspective view of an example of a coin sorter that puts coins in a vertical state, Figure 3B is a sectional view taken along line 1-1 in Figure 3A, and Figure 3C is a side sectional view of the machine. FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram showing the state of connection, and FIG. 4 is a schematic plan block diagram when this circulation system is applied to a plurality of aircraft rows. In the figure, 1 is a coin-operated game machine, 2 is a row of such machines, 3 is a coin collection gutter, 7 is a coin sorter, 17 is a lifting means, 21
22 and 23 are coin feed paths, 23 is a child aligner, 34 is a coin distribution gutter communicating with each machine, 36 is a distribution stop mechanism for each machine, and 37 is a stopper mechanism.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. Coin collecting means provided below the row of coin-operated game machines and collecting coins discharged from each coin-operated game machine;
a lower starting lifting section extending upward from the lower part of the machine row, facing the coin collecting means and capable of receiving coins, and lifting the coins from the starting lifting section to the upper part of the machine row; and the lifting means. a supply means for receiving the coins separated from the lifting means at the upper lifting end portion and distributing them to each game machine; A distribution gutter that leads to the prize coin storage section of each coin game machine is connected to the feed path, and the operating mechanism of the lid that opens and closes the entrance of each distribution gutter is activated by a signal from the controller that detects coins in and out of the coin game machine. 1. A coin circulation device for a coin-operated game machine row, characterized in that: 2. Coin collecting means provided below the row of coin-operated game machines and collecting coins discharged from each coin-operated game machine;
A lower starting lifting section extending upward from the lower part of the machine row faces the coin collecting means and can receive and put in coins, and a lifting means for lifting coins from the starting lifting section to the upper part of the machine row; a supply means for receiving coins detached from the lifting means at an upper lifting end portion of the feeding means and distributing them to each game machine; a coin sorter, a coin main feed path for transferring coins discharged from the original sorter to each of a plurality of machine rows, and a coin secondary sorter for receiving coins discharged from the main feed path and in an arbitrary state. , consisting of a coin sub-feeding path for transferring coins from the child sorter toward the machine row, and a coin distribution path that communicates with each corresponding one of the sub-feeding paths and the corresponding coin storage section of the coin game machine. A coin circulation device for a coin-operated game machine row, characterized in that the operating mechanism of the lid that opens and closes the entrance of each distribution gutter is operated by a signal from a controller that detects coins in and out of the coin game machine. 3. Coin circulation according to claim 2, characterized in that at least one of the main and auxiliary coin feeding paths is provided with a stopper mechanism that stops the movement of coins by selective manual operation by the store. Device. 4. A coin sorting mechanism for removing defective coins from the circulation system is provided between the coin collecting means and the starting part of the lifting means facing the coin collecting means, as described in either claim 2 or 3. coin circulation device. 5. Claim 2, characterized in that a belt conveyor is used between the coin collecting means and the starting part of the lifting means facing the coin collecting means as means for transporting coins from the collecting means.
3. The coin circulation device according to any one of 3. 6. A coin sorting mechanism for removing defective coins from the circulation system and a belt conveyor as means for transferring coins from the starting section to the sorting mechanism are interposed between the coin collecting means and the starting section of the lifting means facing the coin collecting means. 4. A coin circulation device according to claim 2, characterized in that: