JPS62126490A - Coin dispenser - 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 coin dispensing device that can accurately dispense a predetermined number of coins even when the number of coins to be dispensed is small.

[Conventional technology]

Vending machines, money exchange machines, and game machines that use coin-shaped medals, such as slot machines, do not accept coins or medals (
A coin dispensing device for discharging coins (hereinafter collectively referred to as coins) to an ejection port is built-in. Coin dispensing devices generally use a rotating disk that arranges and places coins in an annular shape, and by driving this rotating disk with a motor, the coins placed on the rotating disk are sequentially delivered to the ejection port. I am trying to send it to

By the way, in the conventional coin dispensing device, the rotating disk is arranged diagonally, and its lower side partially protrudes into the bucket. This is because the bucket contains a large number of coins that are used for dispensing, so when the weight of these coins is applied to the entire surface of the rotating disk, the load on the motor that drives the rotating disk increases. Because it's too much. For this reason, as mentioned above, a part of the rotating disk is made to protrude into the bucket and this part is used to scoop up coins, but even with this configuration,
It is unavoidable that the weight of the coins accommodated in the bucket is directly applied to the rotating disk. For this reason, in conventional devices in which a rotating disk is installed obliquely, it is difficult to significantly increase the rotation speed of the rotating disk, and the coin payout efficiency is about 4 to 5 coins/second.

In contrast to these conventional devices, the rotating disk was placed horizontally, and a regulating plate was installed between the rotating disk and the packet to prevent the weight of the coins from being applied directly to the rotating disk. A coin dispensing device has already been proposed by the present applicant (Japanese Patent Application No. 1983-10).
No. 8401).

According to this configuration, the load applied to the rotating disk is significantly reduced, making it possible to increase the rotational speed of the rotating disk. The centrifugal force generated by the drive can also be actively utilized, and the coin payout efficiency can be improved to about 15 to 16 coins/second.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, if we increase the rotation speed of the rotating disk and improve the coin dispensing efficiency through the above-mentioned techniques,
In particular, when the number of coins to be paid out is reduced to a few coins or less, surplus coins are likely to be paid out. That is, even if it is detected that the scheduled number of coins have been paid out, and the rotating disk is stopped, a situation occurs in which one or two extra coins are paid out. This is because after the rotation of the motor driving the rotating disk reaches a steady state, the sudden stop control of the motor is performed relatively accurately, whereas when the motor is started, the rotation of the motor is accelerated. This is because the timing of stopping tends to be delayed even if the motor is suddenly stopped during this process. As a result, the rotating disk will also be rotated extra, and one or two coins will be paid out during this time.

The present invention was made to solve the drawbacks of such coin dispensing devices, and even if the scheduled number of coins to be dispensed is small, it is possible to prevent extra coins from being disbursed. The purpose is to provide a coin dispensing device.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to achieve the above object, the coin dispensing device of the present invention temporarily reverses the rotating disk that performs the coin dispensing operation by being rotated forward by a motor at the moment of activation, and then rotates forward in the forward direction. By doing so, the payout of coins is started.

In the coin dispensing device of the present invention configured as described above, coins are actually dispensed after the motor reaches steady rotation by rotating the rotary disk in the backward direction and then in the forward direction. Thereafter, based on the coin dispensing stop signal, the drive of the rotating disk can be stopped without dispensing extra coins.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

〔Example〕

In FIG. 5, which shows the slot machine with the front door 1 open, the main body 2 to which the front door 1 is pivoted has a well-known reel device 3 including three reels with symbols arranged around the outer periphery. It is provided. When playing the game, the front door 1 is closed, but part of the symbol arrangement on the reels can be viewed through the observation window 4 provided in the front door 1.

Coins inserted prior to the start of a slot machine game are sent to a coin sorter 6 from an exit 5 connected to a coin slot (not shown). The coin sorter 6 determines the authenticity of the inserted coin and sends the correct coin to the output roller.
The coins are fed into the packet 12 of the coin dispensing device 10 via the gutter 8.

Incorrect coins should also be sent to exit 9. The receiver is discharged into a tray 13 via a gutter 11. If a prize is won as a result of playing the game, the coin dispensing device 10 is activated, and the number of coins corresponding to the prize is sent out from the chute 14 and passed through the opening 15 formed in the gutter 11 to be received. is plate 13
will be paid out.

Note that an opening 19 is formed on one side of the packet 12, so that when the game is played back with the bucket 12 full, the coins overflowing from the packet 12 pass through the opening 19 and into the auxiliary container 20. will be collected.

In FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and FIG. 3 showing an example of the coin dispensing device 10, a rotating disk 24 driven by a motor 23 is provided on a board 22 that is attached almost horizontally to the main body 2 of the slot machine. ing. Also,
A generally cylindrical guide plate 25 is fixed to the substrate 22 so as to surround the outer peripheral edge of the rotating disk 24 .

As is clear from FIG. 3, a portion of the guide plate 25 is formed as a bent portion 25a that extends inside the rotating disk 24. As shown in FIG. A horizontally long slit 2 is provided at the lower edge of this bent portion 25a.
6 is formed. The height and width of this slit 26 are set so that only one horizontally oriented coin 30 can pass through.

Note that there may be a gap between the outer peripheral edge of the rotating disk 24 and the inner wall of the guide +Fi, 25 as long as it is less than the radius of the coin 30.

A funnel-shaped packet 12 having an opening 28 formed in the bottom surface is provided above the substrate 22 . The coins contained in the packet 12 pass through the opening 28 and enter the rotating disk 24.
be dropped upwards. As shown in FIG. 2, a funnel-shaped slope is bent around the opening 28 of the packet 12, so that the coin falling along the slope is kept as close to horizontal as possible. It's Nishide. As a result, the flow of coins from inside the bucket 1-12 to the rotating disk 24 is extremely smooth.

The rotating disk 24 has a mounting base 33 integrated with a sleeve fixed to the output shaft 32a of the gear box 32, and a support 3.
The flange 34a of No. 4 is tightened and fixed with screws. In this way, the mounting base 3 is integrated with the sleeve coupled to the output shaft 32a and the surface of the rotary disk 24.
3 simplifies assembly and makes it easier to maintain a constant rotational surface of the rotating disk 24.

The support column 34 extends into the bucket 12 through the opening 28 of the packet 12, and has a circular regulation plate 3 at its tip.
5 is rotatably attached to the shaft.

The regulating plate 35 prevents the load due to the weight of the coins contained in the packet 12 from directly applying to the rotating disk 24. Moreover, even if the rotating disk 24 is rotated via the output shaft 32a, the regulating plate 35 is not rotated integrally with the rotating disk 24, so the rotating disk 24 can be rotated smoothly with a low load, and the coins can be rotated smoothly. This is effective in speeding up payout. Note that the pin 36 protruding from the flange 34a of the support column 34 is rotated together with the rotary disk 24 to agitate the coins supplied from the packet 12 to prevent coins from getting jammed.

In the vicinity of the slit 26 formed in the guide plate 25, an elastic roller 38 made of, for example, rubber is provided.

The roller 38 is driven by the output shaft 32b of the gear box 32 via the belt 37. And slit 2
The coin 30 is pressed against the upper surface of the coin 30 ejected from the coin 6 and sent out to the chute 14 while applying a bias. Note that, as shown in FIG. 3, when the roller 38 is placed above the rotating disk 24, the roller 38 and the rotating disk 2
Although it is preferable that the rotating disk 24 and the roller 38 are not in contact with each other, they may be kept in contact with each other as long as the rotation speeds of the rotating disk 24 and the roller 38 are adjusted relatively so that their rotations do not interfere with each other. Further, the roller 38 may be provided at a position removed from the rotating disk 24.

A coin sensor pin 40 protrudes facing the path of the coin 30 sent out by the roller 38. The coin sensor pin 40 is implanted in a sensor lever 43 that is biased counterclockwise by a spring 42 around a shaft 41 . The coin 30a (FIG. 3) sent out by the roller 38 reaches the chute 14 after swinging a sensor lever 43 via a coin sensor pin 40. Since the sensor lever 43 is repeatedly oscillated each time the coin 30a passes, the number of coins 30a sent out by the roller 38 can be detected by counting the number of oscillations of the lever 43 using the photo sensor 45.

The operation of the coin dispensing device 10 configured as above will be explained together with the control circuit shown in FIG. 4. As a result of playing the slot machine game, if the combination of symbols on the reels appearing on the observation window 4 corresponds to a winning prize, a coin payout signal is output from the winning determination circuit 50. This coin payout signal activates the relay drive circuit 51 to turn on the power switch S of the motor 23, and at the same time activates the timer 55. After the timer 55 is activated until a certain period of time is counted, the relay drive circuit 56 operates to connect the changeover switch S2 to the terminal a side.

With changeover switch S2 connected to terminal a, motor 2
3 is driven, the motor 23 rotates in the reverse direction, and accordingly, the rotating disk 24 rotates counterclockwise in FIG.
In other words, it rotates in the reverse direction. Therefore, coin payout does not start immediately. Note that at this time, the roller 38 also rotates in the opposite direction, so even if a coin was about to enter the bottom surface of the roller 38 when the previous coin payout was completed, this coin will not be paid out and will remain in the rotating disk. 24 will be returned to the top.

After the timer 56 has counted a certain period of time, the relay drive circuit 56 is turned off and the changeover switch S2 is connected to the terminal. As a result, the motor 23 starts to rotate in the normal direction, and the rotating disk 24 also starts to rotate in the normal direction. In this way, immediately after the rotating disk 24 starts normal rotation, no coins are paid out due to the above-mentioned reverse rotation. Then, after the normal rotation of the motor 23 reaches steady rotation, coin payout is started. In this way, when the motor 23 starts to rotate normally, a preliminary period is set before coins are actually paid out, but this preliminary period allows the rotation of the motor 23 to reach a steady state. It has become. That is, the time measured by the timer 55 is set in accordance with the start-up characteristics of the motor 23.

As the motor 23 is rotated forward in this manner, the bucket 12
The coin 30 supplied from the opening 28 to the upper surface of the rotating disk 24 is placed on the rotating disk 24 and rotated together with the rotating disk 24, while being moved toward the outer circumference of the rotating disk 24 by the action of centrifugal force. After the outer peripheral edge of the coin 30 is stopped by the inner wall of the guide plate 25, the guide plate 25
It is rotated along the inner wall of 5 along with the rotating disk 24.

Coin 30 moving along the inner wall of guide board 25
When it reaches the bent portion 25a of the guide plate 25, it is sent out through the slit 26 to the outside of the guide plate 25. The coin 30 that has been sent out is urged by the roller 38 and sent to the chute 14 . The tray is dispensed into a tray 13 through an opening 15 (FIG. 1) formed in the gutter 11. Since the length and width of the slit 26 are set to be slightly larger than the outer diameter and thickness of the coin, respectively, the coins are reliably sent out from the slit 26 one by one.

On the way from the roller 38 to the chute 14, carp 730
a (FIG. 3) pushes away the coin sensor pin 40. As a result, the sensor lever 43 swings clockwise against the spring 42, and this swing is detected by the photosensor 45. While the rotating disk 24 is rotating counterclockwise, the coins 30 are sequentially dispensed as described above, and the sensor lever 43 swings each time. The number of swings of the sensor lever 43, that is, the number of coins 30a sent out by the roller 38, is counted by a counter 52 as a pulse signal from the photosensor 45.

The prize determining circuit 50 sets up the number of coins to be paid out according to the type of winning in the number of coins to be paid out setting circuit 53. When the counted value in the counter 52 and the number of coins cent-amplified by the payout coin number setting section 53 match, a match signal is output from the minus number calculation circuit 54.

The coincidence signal thus generated is supplied to the relay drive circuit 51 as a coin payout stop signal, and the relay drive circuit 51 is turned off. As a result, the power switch S1 is switched to the OFF position, and at the same time a short circuit of the motor 23 is formed, so that the motor 23 is suddenly stopped by the action of the electromagnetic brake. In addition, the counter 52 .
The coin payout is completed by resetting circuit units such as the payout coin number setting circuit 53 to the initial state.

In the above-described embodiment, when the number of coins set up in the payout coin number setting circuit 53 is large, it takes time to pay out coins, and the motor 23
Even if the motor 23 is not reversed, the rotating disk 24 will not be stopped during the start-up period of the motor 23. Therefore, for example, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 4, a number determination circuit 58 is provided to detect that the value set up in the payout coin number setting circuit 53 is less than a certain number, and the timer 55 is activated based on the detection signal. It may also be activated. In the case of this configuration, if the number of coins sent to the payout coin number setting circuit 53 is equal to or greater than a certain number, the timer 55 is not activated, and the motor 23 is rotated in the normal direction to start paying out coins. It becomes like this. As a result, when a large number of coins are paid out, it is possible to avoid wasting time.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, in the coin dispensing device of the present invention, the rotary disk, which dispenses coins by being rotated in the forward direction by the motor, is temporarily reversed at the time of activation, and then rotated in the forward direction. . Therefore, a preliminary time can be obtained from when the rotating disk starts rotating in the normal direction until the actual dispensing of coins starts, and the motor can be brought into a steady state during this time. Therefore, even immediately after coin dispensing has actually started, sudden stop control of the motor can be reliably performed. Further, it becomes possible to prevent unnecessary coins from being paid out, which tends to occur when the number of coins to be paid out is small, and this is very effective in obtaining a coin dispensing device that does not malfunction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the embodiment shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of essential parts of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a control circuit used with the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a slot machine using the present invention. 10... Coin dispensing device 12... Bucket 14... Chute 22... Board 23... Motor 24... Rotating disk 25
...Guide plate 26...Slit 30...Coin 35
... Regulation plate 38 ... Roller 40 ... Coin sensor bin 43 ... Sensor lever 45 ... Photo sensor.

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) In a coin dispensing device in which the coins placed on the rotating disc are dispensed from the ejection port by rotating the rotating disc in the forward direction using a motor, a coin dispensing signal for starting coin dispensing is activated. , a motor is driven to temporarily reverse the rotating disk and then rotate it forward; and when the number of coins paid out from the ejection port reaches a predetermined number, the motor is activated. A coin dispensing device characterized in that the drive is stopped. (2) The coin payout signal is obtained from the winning signal generated from the game machine, and the winning signal activates a timer that measures a certain period of time, and the rotating disk is reversed while the timer is running. Claim 1, characterized in that the rotary disk is rotated in the normal direction when the timing operation of the timer is completed.
Coin dispensing device described in section. (3) The coin dispensing device according to claim 2, wherein the timer is not activated when a predetermined number of coins to be dispensed is equal to or greater than a certain number.