JPS61263472A - Driving relay machine in coin feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a drive repeater in a coin supply LIH. More specifically, it is a coin supply device for automatically distributing and supplying coins or coin-like medals (hereinafter simply referred to as coins) to coin lending machines, game machines, etc. that are installed in large numbers at game arcades. , relates to a drive repeater for sharing the power of transporting coins.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, coins have been supplied to coin dispensers and game machines manually at game arcades and the like.

Coins cannot be supplied randomly to coin lending machines and game machines due to their internal structure, and when there are many coin lending machines and game machines, the number of coins to be supplied to them increases dramatically. The number can be as large as hundreds or even thousands. Automatic coin feeding devices have not yet been put to practical use because a very large-scale device is required to smoothly and orderly feed the required number of large seedling coins to the required locations without causing a time lag.

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention 1] In view of the situation on the ridge, the present inventor conducted various studies to put an automatic coin supply device into practical use, and as a result, developed a system for supplying coins in a lined manner to a large number of coin lending machines, etc. In order to do this, we use a path in which coins are stored one by one in a vertical line, and we arrange this path linearly so that it passes through each coin supply destination. I thought that if I applied feeding power to the machine, I could distribute and supply coins with a relatively simple device. In addition, when supplying coins to a coin lending device while counting the number of coins, it is necessary to send the coins in a lined state.

As a result of trial production, the above device generally worked well, but
There was just one big bottleneck waiting for me. This is because when the coins are transferred along the coin supply path, the outer peripheral surfaces of the coins rotate in opposite directions between the coins that come into contact with each other, causing a phenomenon that brakes are applied to the transfer of the coins. In addition to the resistance between the coins and the passageway, the braking phenomenon acts, so there is virtually no problem when the number of coins being transferred is small, but as the number increases, the required feeding power increases exponentially. It has become clear that coins can only be transferred by using a feed hopper with extremely high horsepower, or by dividing the coin supply path and using several feed hoppers.

However, this problem was successfully solved by installing drive repeaters at key points in the coin supply passage, which can add force in the transport direction to the coins being sent through the coin supply passage. It was done.

The present invention is a drive repeater used like a ridge, which can be transferred without disrupting the alignment so that coins can be taken out while counting them, and which is compact and requires only a low horsepower driving force. The purpose is to provide an overview during the operation of the configuration.

[Means for Solving the Problems] A drive repeater in a coin supply device of the present invention will be explained based on FIGS. 1a to 1b corresponding to embodiments. In the figure, (1) is a coin supply passage arranged in a linear manner to transport coins to a large number of coin supply destinations, and the coins are transported in tandem within this passage. The drive relay 111 (4) is a chain (16
It has an endless flexible member such as ), and a claw member (23) constituting an engaging member for driving the coin is attached to this endless flexible member. When the endless flexible member is rotated by the motor/reducer unit (H), the coins (C) in the coin supply path' (1) are
) is pushed by the engaging member and pushed forward in the transfer direction.

[Function] In the drive repeater of the present invention, since the transfer power is applied while the coin (C) is in the coin supply passageway (1), the aligned state of the coin (C) is not disrupted.
Therefore, the coin (C1) can be transferred smoothly. Also, the movement path of the claw member (23) is the coin supply path (
1), the mechanical loss of the operation of pushing the coin (C) is extremely small, which makes it possible to use a low-horsepower power source and have a compact configuration.

[Example] Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. .

Fig. 1a is a front view of a drive relay device according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 1b is a sectional view taken along the line ■-(2) in Fig. 1a, Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a coin drive member, and Fig. 3 The figure is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the drive repeater, and Figures 4 and 5 are the claw members (2
3) is a front view and side sectional view showing a state in which the coin (C) is in contact with the coin (C), FIG. 6 is an overall view of the coin feeding device using the drive repeater of the present invention, and FIGS. 7 and 8 are FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing other embodiments of the drive repeater of the present invention.

First, based on FIG. 6, the entire coin supply device in which the drive repeater (4) of the present invention is used will be explained.

As shown in FIG. 6, the coin supply passage (1) is an elongated member having a C-shaped cross section, and the coin (C) is transferred while moving or sliding inside the passage. The coin supply path (1) is constructed along the ceiling of the game hall, for example, and passes above the many coin dispensers (5) and game machines. Coins (C) are sequentially fed into the coin supply path (1) by a feed bot (2). This feeding hopper (2) feeds out the coins (C) one by one, and uses the feeding power as the driving force to send out the coins (C).
The coins are transferred toward the end while moving or sliding in the coin supply passage (1). Coin ejectors (3) are installed at necessary locations in the middle of the coin supply passage (1), and the coin ejectors (3) remove the coins from the coin supply passage (1).
1) The required number of coins (C) transferred inside are counted and inserted into the coin lending device (5). Note that the coin dispenser (5) used in game parlors needs to supply exactly the number of coins required by the player, so a counting mechanism is provided inside the coin dispenser (5).

In order to perform its counting function, the coin takeout device (3) is constructed so as to be able to input coins (C) one by one into the coin dispensing device (5) in an orderly manner.

The drive repeater (4) is provided at an appropriate interval in the middle of the coin supply path (1) in order to share the power for transporting the coins (C). The number and spacing of the coin supply passages (1) are determined by design calculations or experiments according to the length of the coin supply passage (1) and the coin transfer resistance. Although not shown, this drive relay 11 (4) is a part that tilts the vertical feed passage (8) between the hopper and the feed hopper ('2J) and the coin supply passage (1) upward. In addition, it may be provided not only on one side of the coin supply passage (1) but also on both sides, for example, alternately or at the same position. In such a case, the transfer power sharing function is be performed more effectively.

~ Anyway, with the above configuration, the coin (C)
is a large number of individual coin lending i1F! (5) is distributed and supplied. The coins (C) after being used in a game machine etc. are collected on a belt conveyor (6), etc.
The hopper (7) is adapted to collect it again into the feed hopper (2). Note that a polisher for polishing coins may be interposed between the belt conveyor (6) and the bottling machine or in the middle of the vertical feed path (8).

Next, details of one embodiment of the drive relay (4) will be explained based on FIGS. 18 to 5. In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1a to 5, a conventional roller chain (hereinafter referred to as chain) is used as the endless flexible member.

In the figure, (11) is a machine frame, and this machine frame (11) is attached to the coin supply passage (1) by appropriate means. A sprocket (14) is fixed to a rotatably supported support shaft (12) at one longitudinal end of the machine frame (11), and a sprocket (14) is fixed to a support shaft (12) that is rotatably supported at the other end. (1
A sprocket (15) is rotatably attached to 3). And each sprocket (14), (1
5), an endless chain (16) is stretched horizontally in the shape of an athletics track. This chain (1G) has coin drive members (1G) at appropriate intervals.
1) are installed. On the other hand, a motor/reducer unit (H) is provided on the upper surface of the machine frame (11), and the sprocket (19) on the output shaft of the motor/reducer unit (H) and the support shaft (12) A chain (21) is stretched between the sprocket (20) and the sprocket (20) on the extended shaft. When the motor/reducer unit]-(old rotates, its power is transferred from sprocket 1-(19) → chain (2)
1) -> Sprocket (20) -> Support shaft (12) -> Sprocket (14) -> Chain (16), and the coin drive member (17) rotates in the direction of the arrow (^). There is. A disk-shaped cam (18) is attached to the support shaft (13), and a coin drive member (
17) rotates around the sprocket (15) until it comes to face the coin supply passage (1). The details of this point will be described later based on FIG. FIG. 2 shows the coin drive member (17
) is shown. This coin drive member (
11) is made by stacking two rectangular plates (21) and (22) one above the other and joining them with a bottle.
At the corner of 2), a claw member (23) constituting an engaging member is connected by a pin (24). The claw member (23) is attached to the arm portion (
25) and the retaining part (26) are connected to form an approximately L shape.
Two letter-shaped plate members are used, and each end is connected by a bottle (27) and a bottle (28). The engaging portion (26) is formed with a tapered contact surface (28a) for pushing the coin (C).

A coil part of a coil spring (29) is inserted into the bottle (24), and two branches extending from the coil part are inserted into the bottle (24).
7) and plates (21) and (22), respectively. Due to the biasing force of the coil spring (29) in the direction of arrow (D), the tip of the claw member (23) is always kept open with respect to the traveling direction of the chain (16).

Next, the operation of feeding the coin (C) by the drive repeater (4) will be explained based on FIG. The pawl member (23) moves along a trajectory indicated by reference numeral (8) as the chain (16) rotates. The claw member (23) is connected to the coin supply passage (
When moving on the side not facing 1), the claw member (23)
is set at an opening angle of approximately 30° (θ
In 1), it is moved while being opened (■→■ in the figure). When the pawl member (23) comes close to the sprocket (15), the extension part (28a) of the bottle (28) hits the cam (18) to suppress the clearance angle (θ2) of the pawl member (23) (Fig. Middle■→
■), the pawl member (23) revolves around the sprocket (15) in an attitude of approximately -15° with respect to the tangential direction (■
→■→■).

In this way, the claw member (23) is connected to the coin supply passage (1).
After passing through the narrow space between
), the extension (28a) of said bottle (28) separates from the cam (18).

As a result, the pawl member (23) increases the opening angle by the action of the coil spring (29) while advancing in the direction of movement of the chain (16), and the engaging portion (26) moves toward the coin supply passage (1).
) (■→■ in the figure). In this state ~, the opening angle (θ3) of the claw member (23) is approximately 20°, and the tip of the engaging portion (26) is located in the gap between the coins (C) as shown in Figure 4. tapered contact surface (26
In a), the coin (C) is in contact with the coin (C) so that it is easy to push. In this way, while the claw member (23) moves on the side facing the coin supply passage (1) (■→■ in the figure), the coin (C) is moved along the coin supply passage (1) by the rotational speed of the chain (16).
1) is sent out while accelerating toward the end. Note that the coin supply passage (1) is the part where the retaining member (26) is inserted.
Parallel grooves (1a), (1a) are formed on the top and bottom of the back surface of the coin (C), and the tip of the engaging part (26) sinks into the grooves (ia), (1a) to ensure secure contact with the side surface of the coin (C). The surface (26a) is made to come into contact with it. After the pawl member (23) reaches point (■) in the figure, it goes around the sprocket (14) (■) in the figure and returns to (■) in the figure. The claw member (23) is shown in the figure.
As the claw member (23) gradually opens its opening angle from approximately 15' to approximately 20'' as it moves away from the coin supply passage (1), the abutting portion (26a) moves away from the coin ( The coin (C) can be moved away from the side of the coin (C) while disappearing, and the coin (C) can be smoothly pushed without applying sudden acceleration by the rotating movement of the claw member (23).

The claw member (23) repeats the above movement while the chain (16) is moving. As shown in Fig. 1b, several claw members 0 (23) are provided, and each claw member (23) pushes several coins (C) in the direction of arrow (A) without any interruption. becomes. This feeding speed is preferably set so that it recovers to about the initial speed at which the coin (C) was sent out by the feeding hopper +21. In the above embodiment, there is only one chain (16), but two chains may be strung up and down, and in this case, the plates (21) and (22) are connected to the upper and lower chains, respectively. The coin drive member (17
) can be rotated in a stable posture by reducing vertical vibration.

As described above, when the transfer speed of the coin (C) is accelerated from the middle using the drive repeater, the coin (C) whose transfer speed had decreased due to the increased transfer resistance will increase its speed again.
The coin is smoothly pushed to the end of the coin supply path (1). If the number of drive repeaters installed is increased according to the length of the coin supply passage (1), it will be possible to reliably transfer coins (C) no matter how long the coin supply passage becomes. be.

Moreover, in the drive repeater of the embodiment, since the transfer power is applied while the coin (C) is in the coin supply passage, the aligned state of the coin (C) is not disrupted, and therefore the coin (C) is transferred. can proceed smoothly. In addition, the path through which the claw member (23) moves is the coin supply passage (1).
), there is very little mechanical loss in the movement of pushing the coin (C), and it can therefore be driven by a low horsepower motor, making the overall configuration very compact.

Although the drive repeater shown in FIGS. 1a to 5 uses a chain as the endless flexible member, the endless flexible member in the present invention is not limited to a chain.
Any device such as a belt, wire, or rope that can feed the engaging member in a circular manner may be used.

FIG. 7 shows an embodiment in which a timing belt is used as the endless flexible member. Timing belt (31)
) are two timing pulleys (32) along a plane approximately perpendicular to the coin (C) in the coin supply passage (1).
, (33). Timing belt(
A pair of claw members (34) are provided on the outer peripheral surface of each of the
) are provided at appropriate intervals as engaging members. Note that the timing belt (31) and the claw member (34) are
They may be connected via a coin drive member (11) as shown in Figures 1 to 5.

When the timing pulleys (32) and (33) rotate in the direction of arrow (A1), the timing belt (31) rotates in the direction of arrow (A1).
2), and the coin (C) is rotated in the direction of the arrow (A).
2) Driven to feed in the direction.

Figure 8 shows a timing belt (
35) is employed, and the timing belt (35) is stretched parallel to the coin (C) in the coin supply passage (1).

A pin (36) employed as an engagement member protrudes from the side surface of the timing belt (35).

In that case, in order to avoid interference between the bin (36) and the coin supply passage (1), the bin (36) should be configured to be removable, or a part of the coin supply passage (1) should be
) should be cut out to the extent that it does not obstruct passage.

As the retaining member in the present invention, positive engaging members such as the claw members (23) and (34) shown in Figs. 1 to 5 or 7 and the bottle (36) shown in Fig. 8 are used. In addition, an engaging member such as a magnet or a friction member (not shown) that allows slipping when engaged with the coin (C) may also be used. The magnet or friction member can be provided in a band shape on the surface of the endless flexible member, or a plurality of magnets or friction members can be provided at appropriate intervals. Since a retaining member such as a magnet or a friction member allows a certain amount of slippage between it and the coin (C), it has the advantage that it is easy to control and adjust the number of rotations of the endless flexible member.

Although the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, it is possible to apply power to transfer the coins in an aligned state, and to obtain a drive repeater having a compact configuration with a low horsepower driving force.

Furthermore, the entire coin supply device can be configured relatively easily, and the application of the coin supply device can be greatly expanded.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1a is a front view of a drive relay device according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 1b is a cross-sectional view taken along the line - - - in Fig. 1a, Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the coin drive member, and Fig. 3 is a An explanatory diagram of the operation of the drive repeater, Figures 4 and 5 are the claw members (23)
6 is an overall view of the coin feeding device using the present invention, and FIGS. 7 and 8 are respectively a drive relay of the present invention. It is a schematic perspective view which shows another Example of a container. (Main symbols in the drawings) 4: Drive repeater 16: Chain 17: Coin drive member 18: Cam 23. 34: Claw member Patent applicant: Tokyo Papco Co., Ltd. Haka 1 Patent attorney: Sota Asahina, et al. 1 daddy 1a mouth

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A drive repeater installed in the middle of a coin supply path arranged in a linear manner to transfer coins to a large number of coin supply destinations in a weighted manner to apply coin transfer power. an endless flexible member stretched along the longitudinal direction of the coin supply passage; an engaging member attached to the endless flexible member for driving a coin;
A drive relay device in a coin supply device, wherein the coins in the coin supply passage are pushed forward in a transfer direction by the engagement member when the endless flexible member rotates. 2. The drive repeater according to claim 1, wherein the engaging member is a claw member protruding from the surface of the endless flexible member. 3. The drive relay according to claim 2, wherein the claw member is configured to be inserted into two triangular gaps created between adjacent coins in the coin supply passage. vessel.