Patent Grant
11545009
The present invention relates to a medal arrangement device and a medal game machine capable of realizing miniaturization while reducing costs, and stably and quickly supplying and stacking medals.
Currently, a medal game machine is known having a configuration in which a player inserts a medal onto a field, a pusher that reciprocates on the field presses and drops the medal, and the dropped medal is paid out to the player. As a medal arrangement device incorporated in such a medal game machine, a device is disclosed having a configuration in which medals stocked in a stocker are taken out one by one through a take-out hole of a rotating plate, transferred in a rotation direction, and supplied to one of the medal holes at a predetermined position, and such taking-out and transferring of the medals are repeated such that medals M can be fitted into all of the medal holes (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-077810). It is said that, by adopting such a medal arrangement device, medals can be easily and quickly fitted.
However, the conventional medal arrangement device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-077810 requires a certain amount of time for disposing the medals in an annular shape, and thus, it can be said that the medals can be stacked so quickly. In addition, since the configuration and transport operation for transporting medals are complicated, not only the manufacturing costs are high, but also there is a possibility that the medals are clogged in the device when the medals are transported. Furthermore, in the conventional medal arrangement device, the medal slides down from the stocker to the rotating plate through an inclined medal passage. Accordingly, the entire device is enlarged in order to ensure a space for installing the inclined medal passage, and the medal slides down to the rotating plate due to its own weight. Thus, there is a possibility that large variations are generated in the direction, speed, and posture of sliding-down due to individual differences of the medals, and as a result, the supplier of medals will become unstable, which causes a large impact on the stacking.
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a medal arrangement device and a medal game machine capable of realizing miniaturization while reducing the costs, and stably and quickly supplying and stacking medals.
In order to achieve the above-described object, according to the present invention, there is provided a medal arrangement device including: a holder having a holding surface for holding a single-layer medal set configured with a plurality of medals disposed in a predetermined arrangement; and a supplier supplying the medals to the holding surface via a medal passage, in which the supplier has a medal hopper ejecting the medals one by one into the medal passage, and a guide unit guiding the medals ejected into the medal passage, the medal passage has a first medal passage part formed on an upstream side of the holding surface in a moving direction of the medal and having a first side wall surface and a second side wall surface facing each other, and a second medal passage part connected to a downstream end portion of the first medal passage part and formed on the holding surface, the guide unit has an upstream abutting part and a downstream abutting part, both the upstream abutting part and the downstream abutting part are movable and are provided on a first side wall surface side of the first medal passage part so as to be urged toward the second side wall surface, and the upstream abutting part and the downstream abutting part are provided so that: when one medal ejected from the medal hopper reaches a predetermined position of the downstream end portion, at least a part of the upstream abutting part and at least a part of the downstream abutting part are located in the first medal passage part so as to press the medal against the second side wall surface; and when the medal passes through the predetermined position, the downstream abutting part retracts to an outside of the first medal passage part.
When such a configuration is adopted, as the upstream abutting part and the downstream abutting part of the guide unit press the medal against the second side wall surface at a predetermined position on the upstream side of the holding surface to slightly suppress the movement of the medal, it is possible to control the moving state of the medals and improve the measurement accuracy of the number of medals supplied to the holding surface. After this, when the medals pass through a predetermined position, the downstream abutting part retracts to the outside of the first medal passage part, and accordingly, the load on the medals is released and the medals are allowed to move such that the supplying speed of the medals can be maintained. As a result, it becomes possible to obtain a medal arrangement device capable of stably and quickly supplying and disposing the medals.
Further, the occupying area of the configuration in which a part of the medal passage is disposed on the holding surface is smaller than that of the configuration in which a part of the medal passage is disposed around the holding surface, and thus, miniaturization and simplification of the device can be realized. Accordingly, it is possible to obtain a medal arrangement device that can realize miniaturization while reducing the costs.
In the medal arrangement device according to the present invention, the downstream abutting part may be interlocked with movement in a width direction of the first medal passage part of the upstream abutting part.
When adopting such a configuration, the operation of the upstream abutting part and the downstream abutting part can be easily controlled.
In the medal arrangement device according to the present invention, the guide unit may have a first guider, the first guider may have a first abutting part having a lever structure, the first abutting part may have a fulcrum fixed to the first side wall surface side of the first medal passage part and a free end provided on a downstream end portion side, the upstream abutting part and the downstream abutting part may be provided at the free end of the first abutting part, and the downstream abutting part may be provided so as to rotate around the fulcrum in a direction away from the first medal passage part or a direction approaching the first medal passage part as a position where the upstream abutting part contacts a side surface of the medal changes.
When adopting such a configuration, it is possible to control the operation of the downstream abutting part by using a simple configuration.
In the medal arrangement device according to the present invention, both the upstream abutting part and the downstream abutting part may be configured with rollers, and a shortest distance between the upstream abutting part and the downstream abutting part may be less than a diameter of one medal.
When adopting such a configuration, the frictional force occurred when the upstream abutting part and the downstream abutting part abut against the medal can be reduced, and the movement of the medal can be reliably suppressed at a predetermined position.
In the medal arrangement device according to the present invention, the second medal passage part may be an annular passage part formed along a circumferential direction of the holding surface, and the medals may be disposed on the holding surface while filling the annular passage part.
When adopting such a configuration, the holding surface can form a part of the second medal passage part, and thus, the configuration of the second medal passage part can be simplified.
In the medal arrangement device according to the present invention, the guide unit may further have a second guider which is provided at a center of the holding surface intersecting the holding surface and guides the medals so as to define a traveling direction of the medal in the annular passage part.
When adopting such a configuration, the traveling direction of the medals in the annular passage part can be defined (for example, defined as the clockwise direction) by the second guider, and thus, the traveling of the medals in different directions in the annular passage part can be suppressed. Therefore, the medals can stably fill the annular passage part.
In the medal arrangement device according to the present invention, the second guider may have a protrusion provided in the annular passage part so as to face the downstream end portion of the first medal passage part, and a distance between a tip end of the protrusion and a most downstream end of the first side wall surface may be equal to or greater than a diameter of one medal, and a distance between the tip end of the protrusion and a most downstream end of the second side wall surface may be less than the diameter of one medal.
When adopting such a configuration, it is possible to define the traveling direction of the medal in the annular passage part by using a simple configuration.
In the medal arrangement device according to the present invention, the guide unit may further have a third guider having a guide plate and provided above the second medal passage part so as to cover at least a part of the second medal passage part, and a distance between a surface of the guide plate facing the holding surface and the holding surface may be greater than a thickness of one medal and less than a thickness of two medals.
When adopting such a configuration, it is possible to suppress occurrence of clogging of the medals in the second medal passage part by restricting the movement of the medal in the thickness direction during the movement.
In the medal arrangement device according to the present invention, the guide unit may further have an actuator that moves the third guider in a range from a position where the third guider covers the second medal passage part to a position where the third guider does not cover the second medal passage part.
When adopting such a configuration, it is possible to adjust the position of the third guider with respect to the second medal passage part as necessary, and to improve the degree of freedom in using the third guider.
In the medal arrangement device according to the present invention, a mounter having a mounting surface on which the single-layer medal set or a medal tower configured with plural layers of the single-layer medal sets is mounted; and a transporter raising or lowering the holder in a range from a position above the mounting surface to a position below the first medal passage part, may further be provided.
When adopting such a configuration, the medal tower can be formed and mounted by using a simple configuration.
According to the present invention, there is provided a medal game machine including: a medal feeder feeding medals; a mounting table on which the medals fed are mounted; a pusher table for moving the medals mounted on the mounting table; a winning port for the medals dropped from the mounting table entering; and the above-described medal arrangement device.
By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to provide a medal game machine capable of stably and quickly supplying and disposing the medals and reducing the costs.
According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a medal arrangement device and a medal game machine capable of realizing miniaturization while reducing the costs, and stably and quickly supplying and stacking the medals.
Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described with reference to each drawing. Unless otherwise specified, the positional relationship such as up, down, left, and right of the drawings is based on the positional relationship illustrated in the drawing. In addition, the dimensional ratio of the drawing is not limited to the ratio illustrated in the drawings. Furthermore, the following embodiments are examples for describing the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention only to the embodiments. Further, the present invention can be modified in various manners as long as the modification does not deviate from the gist of the present invention.
First, a configuration of a medal game machine 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to
The medal game machine 1 according to the present embodiment is an example of a device for playing a medal game. As illustrated in
Further, as illustrated in
Further, as illustrated in
The medal feeder 2 includes a medal insertion port 2a, a handle 2b, and a medal ejection port 2c. At the time of the game, the player inserts the medal M into the medal insertion port 2a and then turns the handle 2b to make it possible to eject the medal M in the medal insertion port 2a from the medal ejection port 2c to the mounting table 4 by an urging force of a spring or the like.
The mounting table 4 includes a mounting surface 4a on which the medals M ejected from the medal ejection port 2c are mounted; a side wall 4b on a front side; and a hole portion 4c formed on the mounting surface 4a. Further, in the game space S2, a drop port P is provided on the front side of the side wall 4b of the mounting table 4.
The medal arrangement device 5 is provided on the front side of the mounting table 4. Specifically, as illustrated in
The medal protection wall 6 is provided around the mounter 10 of the medal arrangement device 5 in the hole portion 4c such that the medal protection wall 6 can be raised and lowered with respect to the mounting surface 4a by the elevation actuator 130. In a case where the medal tower is incomplete during the game, the medal protection wall 6 is raised above the mounting surface 4a, and thus, the incomplete medal tower can be prevented from collapsing due to the pressing of the moving medals M. In a case where the medal tower is completed, the medal protection wall 6 is lowered below the mounting surface 4a, and thus, the medal tower can be collapsed.
The pusher table 7 is movably provided above the mounting surface 4a and on the rear side of the medal protection wall 6. Further, the pusher table 7 reciprocates in a D0 direction by driving the reciprocating actuator 120. The reciprocating width of the pusher table 7 can be changed.
The winning port 8 is provided on the side wall 4b of the mounting table 4. In this manner, when the medals M have dropped from the mounting surface 4a of the mounting table 4 to the drop port P, some medals M can enter the winning port 8.
The payout port 9 is provided so as to penetrate the lower portion of the partition portion 3 in the front-rear direction. In this manner, the medals M that have dropped to the bottom of the drop port P can be paid out from the payout port 9 to the operation space S1 side by driving a hopper mechanism (not illustrated).
Next, the overview of the medal arrangement device 5 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to
The medal arrangement device 5 according to the present embodiment is an example of a device for creating the medal tower used in the medal game machine 1 illustrated in
The description returns to the overview of the medal arrangement device 5. As illustrated in
In the assembled state, as illustrated in
Here, the transport passage 200 is formed in a range from the first position P1 in which the holder 21 stands by at the lowermost side inside the collector 70 to a third position P3 for adjusting the mounted state of the single-layer medal set MS above the mounter 10, in the up-down direction. Further, the transport passage 200 passes through a position for the supplier 30 to supply the medal M, that is, a second position P2 when a holding surface 211, which will be described later, of the holder 21, configures the bottom portion of the second medal passage part 402. The holding surface 211 of the holder 21 is provided so as to be able to stop at each of the first position P1, the second position P2, and the third position P3.
In this manner, at the time of stacking, when the holding surface 211 of the transporter 20 moves to the second position P2 based on the control of the control unit 80, the supplier 30 supplies six medals M to the holding surface 211 and configures the first layer MS. Subsequently, the holding surface 211 is raised to the third position P3 while holding the first layer MS, and is lowered after rotating such that the position of the first layer MS corresponds to the positions of the mounting surface 111 of the mounter 10 and a mounting surface 557 (refer to
Subsequently, the important configuration of the medal arrangement device 5 will be described in detail with reference to
First, the details of the mounter 10 will be described with reference to
The mounting surface portion 11 has a ring shape. As illustrated in
The support unit 12 has a cylindrical shape. As illustrated in
Next, the details of the supplier 30 will be described with reference to
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
Further, as illustrated in
In this manner, the medal passage 400 is configured by attaching the second attaching plate 42 to the first main surface 411 of the first attaching plate 41. Specifically, the first main surface 411, the first side wall surface 461, and the second side wall surface 462 configure a first medal passage part 401 on the upstream side of the medal passage 400. The first main surface 411, the holding surface 211 positioned at the second position P2, the side wall portion 440, and the side surface 554 of the second guider 55 (refer to
Here, as illustrated in
The first medal passage part 401 is a substantially linear passage part. The width of the first medal passage part 401 is greater than the diameter of one medal M. Further, the first medal passage part 401 has an upstream end portion 403 and a downstream end portion 405. An upstream region 407 where the upstream end portion 403 is present has a linear shape, and the downstream end portion 405 is curved so as to link the upstream region 407 and the upstream end portion 404 of the second medal passage part 402 which will be described later. In this manner, the moving medals M in the first medal passage part 401 can smoothly flow into the second medal passage part 402 by the guidance of the downstream end portion 405.
The second medal passage part 402 is an annular passage part formed on the holding surface 211 positioned at the second position P2 along the circumferential direction of the holding surface 211, and is linked to the downstream end portion 405 of the first medal passage part 401. The circumferential length of the second medal passage part 402 is formed such that six medals M can be disposed. The width of the second medal passage part 402 is greater than the diameter of one medal M. Further, the second medal passage part 402 has the upstream end portion 404 and a downstream end portion 406.
The protrusion 48 extending inward of the second medal passage part 402 is formed on the tip end side of the downstream end portion 406. Therefore, the width of the part of the second medal passage part 402 at which the protrusion 48 is present is less than the diameter of one medal M. In this manner, the medal M moving in the second medal passage part 402 is stopped by the protrusion 48, and accordingly, the second medal passage part 402 is filled with the six medals M, and the six medals M are disposed on the holding surface 211 of the second medal passage part 402.
The medal hopper 32 is attached to the housing 90 such that the ejection port (not illustrated) of the medal M is connected to the upstream end portion 403 of the first medal passage part 401 in the assembled state. Further, the height of the lower surface of the ejection port of the medal hopper 32 is substantially the same as that of the first main surface 411, which is the bottom portion of the first medal passage part 401. Therefore, at the time of stacking, the medals M can be quickly and stably ejected from the medal hopper 32 into the first medal passage part 401 in a horizontal state. As the medal hopper 32, for example, a coin hopper manufactured by Asahi Seiko Co., Ltd., of which the model number is FV-525 can be adopted. In addition, another product may be adopted as the medal hopper 32.
The guide unit 33 has three guiders that guide the moving state when the medal M moves in the medal passage 400. Specifically, as illustrated in
The first guider 50 is provided on the first medal passage part 401 side. As illustrated in
The first abutting part 51 has a lever structure. As illustrated in
As illustrated in
Further, the upstream abutting part 511 and the downstream abutting part 512 are provided such that the positions with respect to the first medal passage part 401 change depending on the contact with the medal M. When the medal M does not reach the upstream abutting part 511, the link 54 is provided to urge the upstream abutting part 511 and the downstream abutting part 512 toward the second side wall surface 462, as illustrated in
Meanwhile, when the medal M contacts the upstream abutting part 511 due to the movement of the medal M, the upstream abutting part 511 presses the medal M to move in the width direction of the first medal passage part 401, as illustrated in
More specifically, as illustrated in
Further, regarding the upstream abutting part 511 and the downstream abutting part 512, when the above-described medal M passes through the predetermined position B, as illustrated in
The upstream free end 516 has a rod-shaped protrusion 518 formed at the end portion, as illustrated in
Meanwhile, when the medal M contacts the upstream abutting part 511 due to the movement of the medal M, the protrusion 518 rotates around the fulcrum 513 in a direction of being separated from or approaching the lever sensor 35 as the position at which the upstream abutting part 511 contacts the side surface of the medal M changes, as illustrated in
More specifically, when the side surface part that corresponds to the diameter of one medal M contacts the upstream abutting part 511 in the width direction of the first medal passage part 401, the protrusion 518 is at the undetectable position of the lever sensor 35 as illustrated in
In this manner, from the time when one medal M starts to abut against the upstream abutting part 511 to the time when the abutment against the upstream abutting part 511 is released (that is, when passing through the predetermined position B), the position of the protrusion 518 with respect to the lever sensor 35 changes from the detectable position to the undetectable position, and then returns to the detectable position again. In this manner, the lever sensor 35 can detect that one medal M has passed through the predetermined position B by detecting the position change of the protrusion 518 described above. Further, by calculating the number of changes in the position of the protrusion 518, the lever sensor 35 can accurately detect the number of medals M that flow into the second medal passage part 402 at the downstream end portion 405 of the first medal passage part 401.
The second abutting part 52 is adopted as a sub-abutting part of the first abutting part 51. Further, the second abutting part 52 has a lever structure and is formed to be smaller than the first abutting part 51. As illustrated in
A part of the lever main body 520 positioned on the downstream end portion 405 side configures a free end 524 of the lever main body 520. The free end 524 is provided with an abutting part 521. The abutting part 521 is configured with the same rollers as those of the upstream abutting part 511. In the width direction of the first medal passage part 401, the abutting part 521 is provided so as to face the upstream abutting part 511. In other words, the abutting part 521 is provided so as to be in contact with the medal M at the same time as the upstream abutting part 511.
When the medal M does not come into contact with the abutting part 521, the abutting part 521 is provided so as to be urged toward the first side wall surface 461 by the link 54. In this case, a part of the abutting part 521 is positioned in the first medal passage part 401. Meanwhile, when the medal M comes into contact with the abutting part 521, the abutting part 521 rotates around the fulcrum 523 in the direction of being separated from or approaching the first medal passage part 401 as the position at which the abutting part 521 contacts the side surface of the medal M changes.
The second guider 55 has a rod shape. In the assembled state, the second guider 55 is fixed to the central axis of the housing 90 so as to pass through the center of the holder 21 (refer to
As illustrated in
Further, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
Each side surface 555 is a curved surface formed so as to match the shape of the medal M. In the assembled state, the side surface 555 is provided concentrically with the inner circumferential surface 121 of the support unit 12 of the mounter 10. Accordingly, when the holding surface 211 is raised from the second position P2 toward the third position P3 while holding the single-layer medal set MS, each side surface 555 of the third portion 553 and each transport surface 122 of the inner circumferential surface 121 can guide each medal M of the single-layer medal set MS from both sides in the radial direction. In this manner, in the transport passage 200, the posture deviation of each medal M of the single-layer medal set MS while being transported can be suppressed.
As illustrated in
The third guider 60 has a link structure. As illustrated in
As illustrated in
In addition, in a case where the first link 611 covers the second medal passage part 402, the distance between the surface of the first link 611 facing the holding surface 211 of the second medal passage part 402 and the holding surface 211 of the second medal passage part 402 is greater than the thickness of one medal M and less than the thickness of two medals M. In this manner, the movement of the medal M in the thickness direction during the movement of the medal M that moves to the upstream half of the second medal passage part 402 and the number of medals M that can pass through the second medal passage part 402 can be restricted at the same time.
As illustrated in
In a case where the second link 621 covers the second medal passage part 402, the distance between the surface of the second link 621 facing the holding surface 211 of the second medal passage part 402 and the holding surface 211 of the second medal passage part 402 is greater than the thickness of one medal M and less than the thickness of two medals M. In this manner, the movement of the medal M in the thickness direction during the movement of the medal M that moves to the downstream half of the second medal passage part 402 and the number of medals M that can pass through the second medal passage part 402 can be restricted at the same time.
The guide actuator 65 is configured to drive the movement of the third guider 60. As illustrated in
The medal sensor 34 is a sensor for detecting the presence or absence of the medal M at the predetermined position B (refer to
Further, the medal sensor 34 transmits the acquired information on the presence or absence of the medal M at the predetermined position B to the control unit 80. Then, the control unit 80 can start the supplier of the medal M by the medal hopper 32 or can activate the guide actuator 65 based on the information on the presence or absence of the medal M to move the first link 611 and the second link 612 to the position where the second medal passage part 402 is not covered or the position where the second medal passage part 402 is covered, and it is possible to detect the presence or absence of a failure of the medal hopper 32 and the guide actuator 65. In this manner, the medal M can be supplied in a stable state and flow into the second medal passage part 402 based on the information on the presence and absence of the medal M acquired by the medal sensor 34.
The lever sensor 35 is a sensor for acquiring information on the number of medals M to flow into the second medal passage part 402. As illustrated in
Here, in the process in which one medal M passes through the upstream abutting part 511 (or the predetermined position B), after changing the position of the protrusion 518 from the detectable position to the undetectable position, the lever sensor 35 can detect the change so as to return to the detectable position again. In other words, the lever sensor 35 can detect that the number of medals M that have passed through the predetermined position B is one, by detecting such a position change of the protrusion 518. Further, when the lever sensor 35 measures the number of such changes in the position of the protrusion 518, it is possible to accurately detect the number of medals M that have passed through the predetermined position B and flow into the second medal passage part 402.
Further, the lever sensor 35 transmits the acquired information on the number of medals M to the control unit 80. Then, the control unit 80 can start, continue, stop, or restart the supplier of medals M by the medal hopper 32 based on the information on the number of medals M. Further, the control unit 80 can control the operation of the guide actuator 65 based on the information on the number of medals M. In this manner, only the preset number of medals M can flow into the second medal passage part 402 based on the information on the number of medals M acquired by the lever sensor 35. Accordingly, the defect of the medal tower MT due to an insufficient number of medals M flowing into the second medal passage part 402, and the clogging of the medal passage 400 and the failure of the medal hopper 32 due to an excessive number of medals M flowing into the second medal passage part 402 can be suppressed.
Next, the operation of the supplier 30 will be described with reference to
Based on the control of the control unit 80, the supplier 30 starts to operate. First, by driving the guide actuator 65, the first link 611 and the second link 612 of the third guider 60 are transferred to a position where the covers the second medal passage part. Next, the medals M are ejected one by one to the upstream end portion 403 of the first medal passage part 401 by driving a motor (not illustrated) of the medal hopper 32. In the first state where a medal M1 does not reach the upstream abutting part 511 and the abutting part 521, as illustrated in
Meanwhile, in the abutting state where the medal M1 contacts the upstream abutting part 511 and the abutting part 521 due to the movement of the medal M1, the upstream abutting part 511 and the abutting part 521 move in the width direction of the first medal passage part 401 by the pressing of the medal M1. At this time, the downstream abutting part 512 is interlocked with the movement of the upstream abutting part 511 in the width direction of the first medal passage part 401.
Specifically, the above-described first state due to the movement of the medal M1 shifts to a second state from the time when the first portion of the medal M1 contacts the upstream abutting part 511 and the abutting part 521 to the time when the diameter portion of the medal M1 contacts the upstream abutting part 511 and the abutting part 521. In the second state, the downstream abutting part 512, together with the upstream abutting part 511, continues to rotate around the fulcrum 513 in a direction away from the first medal passage part 401. In this manner, the medal M1 stabilizes the moving posture by the contact between the upstream abutting part 511 and the abutting part 521. Further, in this case, the abutting part 521 may not have to be adopted. Further, in the second state, the medal sensor 34 does not detect the medal M1. As illustrated in
Next, as the medal M1 continues to move, the above-described second state shifts to a third state where the second portion of the medal M1 contacts the upstream abutting part 511 and the abutting part 521 and the first portion of the medal M1 does not abut against the downstream abutting part 512. In the third state, the downstream abutting part 512, together with the upstream abutting part 511, continues to rotate around the fulcrum 513 in a direction of approaching from the first medal passage part 401. Further, in the third state, the medal sensor 34 detects the medal M1. The lever sensor 35 detects the protrusion 518 returning from the undetectable position to the detectable position.
Subsequently, when the medal M1 further moves, the above-described third state shifts to a fourth state where the medal M1 reaches the predetermined position B at the center of the upstream abutting part 511 and the downstream abutting part 512, and while the first portion of the medal M1 contacts the downstream abutting part 512, the second portion of the medal M1 contacts the upstream abutting part 511. In this case, the medal M1 does not come into contact with the abutting part 521. In the fourth state, the upstream abutting part 511 and the downstream abutting part 512 are urged to press the medal M1 against the second side wall surface 462 as illustrated in
Immediately after the medal M1 is restrained, the first portion of the medal M2 starts to abut against the upstream abutting part 511. In this manner, the upstream abutting part 511 and the downstream abutting part 512 continue to rotate in the direction of being separated from the first medal passage part 401, similarly to the above-described second state of the medal M1. Accordingly, the downstream abutting part 512 retracts to the outside of the first medal passage part 401 and is in a state of not being in contact with the medal M1. At the same time, the medal M1 of which the movement is slightly suppressed is pressed by the moving medal M2 to be separated from the upstream abutting part 511. In other words, as illustrated in
Further, when the medal M1 flows into the second medal passage part 402, the moving direction of the medal M1 is restricted by the guidance of the protrusion 556 of the second guider 55, and the medal M1 can flow into the upstream side of the second medal passage part 402 from the upstream end portion 404 of the second medal passage part 402. Furthermore, by the third guider 60 provided at the upper part of the second medal passage part 402, movement in a stable state is possible without bouncing on the second medal passage part 402.
In addition, from the medal M2 to a medal M6, the upstream abutting part 511 and the downstream abutting part 512 operate in the same manner as that in the above-described second state to fifth state. When the medal M6 reaches the predetermined position B, for example, the lever sensor 35 transmits the information on the number of medals to the control unit 80. Then, the medal hopper 32 is temporarily stopped by the control of the control unit 80. After the first layer MS configured with the medal M1 to the medal M6 is transported to the mounter 10 and the holding surface 211 returns to the second position P2, for example, the medal sensor 34 transmits the information on the absence of the medal M at the predetermined position B to the control unit 80. Then, the operation of the medal hopper 32 is started again by the control of the control unit 80.
Next, the details of the transporter 20 will be described with reference to
As illustrated in
Here, the lift table 22 and the lift crank 23 configure an actuator 25 (refer to
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The attaching unit 220 includes a lift guide 222 fixed to the housing 90; and a base portion 223 attached to the lift guide 222 so as to be movable up and down with respect to the lift guide 222. The base portion 223 has an upper surface 221 and a hole portion 225 provided on an upper surface 221.
The rotating unit 26 is configured to rotate the holder 21. As illustrated in
The positioning plate 28 is configured to determine the position of a cam 27 of the lift crank 23, which will be described later. As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The first lift roller 271 and the second lift roller 272 mesh with the first groove 281 and the second groove 282 of the positioning plate 28 to form a cam configuration of the elevation actuator 251. As illustrated in
The position sensor 24 is configured to detect the position of the holding surface 211 by detecting the positions of each of the upper surface 221 of the attaching unit 220 and the detection hole 275 of the disk portion 270. As illustrated in
The first position sensor 241, the second position sensor 242, and the third position sensor 243 are all turned on in a case where the detection target is detected, and turned off in a case where the detection target is not detected. Further, when any two sensors of the first position sensor 241, the second position sensor 242, and the third position sensor 243 are turned on when the positions of the upper surface 221 of the attaching unit 220 and the detection hole 275 of the disk portion 270 are detected, it is possible to detect the position of the holding surface 211.
In the assembled state, the first position sensor 241 is fixed to a bracket 227 attached to the upper surface 221 of the attaching unit 220, as illustrated in
Next, the operation of the transporter 20 will be described with reference to
In the present embodiment, the holding surface 211 is positioned at the first position P1 before the transporter 20 is operated. In this case, the holding surface 211 may be positioned at the second position P2 or the third position P3. When the holding surface 211 is positioned at the first position P1, as illustrated in
Based on the control of the control unit 80, the transporter 20 starts to operate. First, when the actuator 29 is activated, the cam 27 rotates so as to raise the holding surface 211 from the first position P1 to the second position P2. In this case, the cam 27 rotates around the second lift roller 272 that meshes with the second groove 282 such that the first lift roller 271 meshes with the first groove 281. Then, as illustrated in
Subsequently, when the actuator 29 is reactivated, the cam 27 rotates so as to raise the holding surface 211 from the second position P2 to the third position P3. In this case, the cam 27 rotates around the second lift roller 272 that meshes with the second groove 282 such that the meshed state of the second lift roller 272 and the second groove 282 is disengaged. Then, as illustrated in
After this, when the actuator 29 is reactivated, the cam 27 rotates in a reverse direction so as to lower the holding surface 211 from the third position P3 to the second position P2. In this case, the cam 27 rotates around the second lift roller 272 such that the second lift roller 272 meshes with the second groove 282. Then, as illustrated in
In this manner, when repeating the above-described operation, the transporter 20 can configure the medal tower MT by transporting and mounting the plural layers of single-layer medal sets MS to the mounter 10. As illustrated in
In this case, by adopting a simple cam configuration, the transporter 20 stops only at each of the first position P1, the second position P2, and the third position P3, which are required to configure the medal tower MT, and accordingly, the formation of the medal tower MT is realized. In this manner, as compared with a case of adopting the worm gear, the transporter 20 that adopts the cam configuration realizes simplification and miniaturization of the transport structure, and accordingly, it is possible to simplify the control related to the transport and reduce the manufacturing costs. As a result, the transporter 20 having excellent durability and productivity can be obtained.
The details of the collector 70 will be described with reference to
Next, the details of the control unit 80 will be described with reference to
First, the configuration of the control unit 80 will be described with reference to
The memory 100 stores various information such as the number n of tower layers, the maximum number N of layers of the medal tower MT, and the rotation angles R1 to Rn of the holding surfaces 211 in each layer of the medal tower MT. Here, for example, “R1=30” indicates that the stacked medals M are horizontally rotated in the arrangement direction using a centripetal angle of 30°. Further, each value of the rotation angles R1 to Rn can be set from −30 to +30, and in a case where the rotation angles R1 to Rn are positive values, the holder 21 horizontally rotates in a clockwise direction, and in a case where the rotation angles R1 to Rn are negative values, the holder 21 rotates horizontally in a counterclockwise direction.
In addition, in the present embodiment, the rotation angles R1 to Rn are set, but the distance and direction in which the stacked medals M move horizontally may be set. Further, the maximum number N of layers, the rotation angles R1 to Rn, or the distance and direction of horizontal movement may be predetermined values in the memory 100 in advance, or may be set by a DIP switch or the like (not illustrated). In a case of setting by the DIP switch or the like, the controller 150 reads the value of the DIP switch and determines each value.
Next, with reference to
Step S100
First, the controller 150 performs an initialization process.
Specifically, as illustrated in
In addition, in the present embodiment, the holding surface 211 has been described as being moved to the second position P2 in step S140, but the holding surface 211 may be moved to the first position P1 or the third position P3 as necessary.
Step S200
Next, the controller 150 performs a configuration process of the single-layer medal set MS.
Specifically, the controller 150 drives the supplier 30, specifically, the motors (not illustrated) of the guide actuator 65 and the medal hopper 32, to configure the single-layer medal set MS (here, corresponding to the first layer MS) on the holding surface 211 of the second medal passage part 402. The details of the operation of the supplier 30 are the same as those described in the operation description of the supplier 30 described above, and thus, the description of the details of the operation will be omitted here.
Step S300
Subsequently, the controller 150 drives the elevation actuator 251 to raise the holding surface 211 as illustrated in
Step S400
Next, the controller 150 drives the rotation actuator 252 to horizontally rotate the holding surface 211 in the arrangement direction by R1 as illustrated in
Step S500
Subsequently, the controller 150 drives the elevation actuator 251 to lower the holding surface 211 to the second position P2. Accordingly, the first layer MS held on the holding surface 211 is lowered together with the holding surface 211. Further, when passing through the mounting surface 111, the first layer MS remains on the mounting surface 111 by being caught by the mounting surface 111. In this manner, the first layer MS is mounted on the mounting surface 111 of the mounter 10. This first layer MS configures the lowest layer of the incomplete medal tower. Meanwhile, the holder 21 can continue to be lowered toward the second position P2 without interfering with the mounting surface 111.
Step S600
Next, the controller 150 increments the number of tower layers n. In this example, the number n of tower layers changes from “0” to “1”.
Step S700
After this, the controller 150 determines whether or not the number n of tower layers (here, “1”) has reached the maximum number N of layers.
Since the number n of tower layers is “1”, this example corresponds to a case where the number n of tower layers has not reached the maximum number N of layers (Yes in step S700). Then, the controller 150 returns to step S200 and repeats the same process until the maximum number N of layers is reached.
Further, for example, in the second step S300, the holding surface 211 is raised to the third position P3 while holding the second layer MS. The second layer MS held on the holding surface 211 is positioned on the lower surface of the first layer MS, which is the lowest layer of the incomplete medal tower mounted on the mounter 10. Further, since the first layer MS has the same arrangement as that of the second layer MS held on the holding surface 211 and is deviated by a predetermined rotation angle, both have an overlapping region. Accordingly, by raising the second layer MS held on the holding surface 211, the holder 21 lifts up both the second layer MS held on the holding surface 211 and the first layer MS of the incomplete medal tower mounted on the mounter 10 from the overlapping region. In this manner, the second layer MS becomes the new lowest layer of the incomplete medal tower, and a new incomplete medal tower having the number n of tower layers of “2” is configured. Since other processes are the same as those described above, the description of other processes will be omitted.
Meanwhile, in a case where the number n of tower layers has reached the maximum number of layers N (No in step S700), the controller 150 ends the main process. Accordingly, as illustrated in
In the medal arrangement device 5 according to the above-described embodiment, the upstream abutting part 511 and the downstream abutting part 512 can be provided so that: when one medal M ejected from the medal hopper 32 reaches a predetermined position B of the downstream end portion 405, at least a part of the upstream abutting part 511 and at least a part of the downstream abutting part 512 are located in the first medal passage part 401 so as to press the medal M against the second side wall surface 462; and when the medal M passes through the predetermined position B, the downstream abutting part 512 retracts to an outside of the first medal passage part 401. As a result, as the upstream abutting part 511 and the downstream abutting part 512 of the guide unit 33 press the medal M against the second side wall surface 462 at the predetermined position B on the upstream side of the holding surface 211 to slightly suppress the movement of the medal M, it is possible to control the moving state of medals M and improve the measurement accuracy of the number of medals M supplied to the holding surface 211. After this, when the medals M pass through the predetermined position B, the downstream abutting part 512 retracts to the outside of the first medal passage part 401, and accordingly, the load on the medals M is released and the medals M are allowed to move such that the supplying speed of the medals M can be maintained. As a result, it becomes possible to obtain the medal arrangement device 5 capable of stably and quickly supplying and disposing the medals M. Further, the occupying area of the configuration in which the second medal passage part 402 of the medal passage 400 are disposed on the holding surface 211 is less than that of the configuration in which the second medal passage part 402 of the medal passage 400 are disposed around the holding surface 211, and thus, miniaturization and simplification of the medal arrangement device 5 can be realized. Accordingly, it is possible to obtain the medal arrangement device 5 that can realize miniaturization while reducing the costs.
Further, in the medal arrangement device 5 according to the above-described embodiment, the downstream abutting part 512 can be interlocked with the movement in the width direction of the first medal passage part 401 of the upstream abutting part 511. As a result, the operation of the upstream abutting part 511 and the downstream abutting part 512 can be easily controlled.
In addition, in the medal arrangement device 5 according to the above-described embodiment, the guide unit 33 has the first guider 50, the first guider 50 has the first abutting part 51 having a lever structure, the first abutting part 51 has the fulcrum 513 fixed to the first side wall surface 461 side of the first medal passage part 401 and the downstream free end 514 provided on the downstream end portion 405 side, the upstream abutting part 511 and the downstream abutting part 512 are provided at the downstream free end 514 of the first abutting part 51, and the downstream abutting part 512 is provided so as to rotate around the fulcrum 513 in a direction away from the first medal passage part 401 or a direction approaching the first medal passage part 401 as a position where the upstream abutting part 511 contacts a side surface of the medal M changes. As a result, it is possible to control the operation of the downstream abutting part 512 by using a simple configuration.
In addition, in the medal arrangement device 5 according to the above-described embodiment, the upstream abutting part 511 and the downstream abutting part 512 are configured with rollers, and a shortest distance between the upstream abutting part 511 and the downstream abutting part 512 is less than a diameter of one medal M. As a result, the frictional force when the upstream abutting part 511 and the downstream abutting part 512 abut against the medal M can be reduced, and the movement of the medal M can be reliably suppressed at the predetermined position B.
Further, in the medal arrangement device 5 according to the above-described embodiment, the second medal passage part 402 is an annular passage part formed along the circumferential direction of the holding surface 211, and the medal M can be disposed on the holding surface 211 while filling the second medal passage part 402. As a result, the holding surface 211 can configure a part of the second medal passage part 402, and thus, the configuration of the second medal passage part 402 can be simplified.
In addition, in the medal arrangement device 5 according to the above-described embodiment, the guide unit 33 further has the second guider 55 which is provided at a center of the holding surface 211 so as to intersect the holding surface 311 and guides the medals M so as to define a traveling direction of the medal M in the second medal passage part 402. As a result, the traveling direction of the medals M in the second medal passage part 402 which is the annular passage part can be defined (for example, defined as the clockwise direction) by the second guider 55, and thus, the traveling of the medals M in different directions in the second medal passage part 402 can be suppressed. Therefore, the medals M can stably fill the second medal passage part 402.
In addition, in the medal arrangement device 5 according to the above-described embodiment, the second guider 55 has the protrusion 48 provided in the second medal passage part 402 so as to face the downstream end portion 405 of the first medal passage part 401, and a distance between the tip end of the protrusion 48 and the most downstream end of the first side wall surface 461 is equal to or greater than the diameter of one medal M, and a distance between the tip end of the protrusion 48 and the most downstream end of the second side wall surface 462 is less than the diameter of one medal M. As a result, it is possible to define the traveling direction of the medals M in the second medal passage part 402 by using a simple configuration.
In addition, in the medal arrangement device 5 according to the above-described embodiment, the guide unit 33 further has the third guider 60 having the first link 611 and the second link 621, which are examples of a guide plate, provided above the second medal passage part 402 so as to cover at least a part of the second medal passage part 402, and a distance between the surface of the first link 611 and the second link 621 facing the holding surface 211 and the holding surface 211 is greater than the thickness of one medal M and less than the thickness of two medals M. As a result, it is possible to suppress occurrence of clogging of the medals M in the second medal passage part 402 by restricting the movement of the medals M in the thickness direction during the movement.
In addition, in the medal arrangement device 5 according to the above-described embodiment, the guide unit 33 further has the guide actuator 65 that moves the third guider 60 in a range from a position where the guide unit 33 covers the second medal passage part 402 to a position where the guide unit 33 does not cover the second medal passage part 402. As a result, it is possible to adjust the position of the third guider 60 with respect to the second medal passage part 402 as necessary, and to improve the degree of freedom in using the third guider 60.
In addition, in the medal arrangement device 5 according to the above-described embodiment, the mounter 10 having the mounting surface 111 on which the medal tower MT configured with the single-layer medal set MS and the plural layers of single-layer medal sets MS are mounted; and the transporter 20 that raises and lowers the holder 21 in a range from the third position P3 above the mounting surface 111 to the first position P1 below the first medal passage part 401, are further provided. As a result, the medal tower MT can be formed and mounted by using a simple configuration.
The medal game machine 1 according to the above-described embodiment includes:
the medal feeder 2 for feeding medals; the mounting table 4 on which the medals fed are mounted; the pusher table 7 for moving the medals M mounted on the mounting table 4; the winning port 8 for the medals M dropped from the mounting table 4 entering; and any one of the above-described medal arrangement devices 5 provided on the mounting table 4. As a result, it becomes possible to provide the medal game machine 1 capable of stably and quickly supplying and disposing the medals M and reducing the costs.
The present invention is not limited to each of the above-described embodiments, and those embodiments which were appropriately modified by a person skilled in the art are also within the scope of the present invention as long as the modifications have the features of the present invention. In other words, each element, the disposition, material, condition, shape, size, and the like included in each of the above-described embodiments are not limited to those exemplified, and can be appropriately changed. In addition, each element included in each of the above-described embodiments can be combined as much as technically possible, and the combination of the elements is also included in the scope of the present invention as long as the features of the present invention are included.
1 medal game machine
5 medal arrangement device
10 mounter
20 transporter
21 holder
22 lift table
23 lift crank
30 supplier
31 attaching unit
32 medal hopper
33 guide unit
50 first guider
51 first abutting part
55 second guider
60 third guider
65 guide actuator
70 collector
80 control unit
90 housing
211 holding surface
400 medal passage
401 first medal passage part
402 second medal passage part
405 downstream end portion
461 first side wall surface
462 second side wall surface
511 upstream abutting part
512 downstream abutting part
M medal
MS single-layer medal set
MT medal tower
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| JP2021-036753 | Mar 2021 | JP | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20060183553 | Kiriyama | Aug 2006 | A1 |
| 20130069303 | Hasegawa | Mar 2013 | A1 |
| 20170092077 | Lim | Mar 2017 | A1 |
| 20200188771 | Sasaki | Jun 2020 | A1 |
| 20200188773 | Sasaki | Jun 2020 | A1 |
| 20200193781 | Kawai | Jun 2020 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 11076503 | Mar 1999 | JP |
| 2016077810 | May 2016 | JP |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20220284780 A1 | Sep 2022 | US |
