Paper sheet conveying device

Abstract

To provide a paper sheet conveying device which conveys paper sheets by airflow through a conveying tube, and which can change the posture of the paper sheets somewhere along the conveyance path so as to rotate them around a central axis in the conveying direction.SOLUTION: A conveying tube (twisting section) that changes the posture of the paper sheets is twisted at desired angles around a central axis in the conveying direction. This allows the orientation of the surface of the paper sheets to be changed to rotate around the central axis in the conveying direction somewhere along the conveyance path. The twisting section is connected to multiple short sub-twisting tubes that are twisted little by little to achieve desired angles of twisting (for example, 10 sub-tubes being connected to achieve a 90-degree twisting). For example, the surface of a banknote is in an erected posture when it comes out through an outward conveying tube 12a from the rear of a collective safe 11, and it easily passes through curved sections on a horizontal plane. After that, the banknote changes to a lateral posture by passing through a twisting section 51, so as to easily pass through a curved section that changes the path from the horizontal direction to a vertically upward one.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to A paper sheet transport device that transports paper sheets by air flow through a transport tube Regarding. [Background technology]

[0002] In an amusement facility, a gaming machine island is installed that houses multiple sets of gaming machines such as pachinko machines and gaming ball dispensing machines that receive inserted banknotes and dispense gaming balls (such as pachinko balls) to players. Inside the gaming machine island, a transport device is installed along the length of the gaming machine island to transport the banknotes inserted into each gaming ball dispensing machine to a safe installed at the end of the gaming machine island.

[0003] In addition to belt-type conveying devices for paper sheets such as banknotes, there are also conveying devices that use a blower to generate an air flow inside a cylindrical conveying tube and convey the paper sheets by the action of the air flow (see, for example, Patent Document 1). There are also conveying devices that send a conveying auxiliary body into the conveying tube, which moves in response to the air flow generated inside the conveying tube, and convey the paper sheets by using the conveying auxiliary body to push the paper sheets from behind (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

[0004] Furthermore, there is a paper sheet recovery and transport system that utilizes the above-mentioned transport auxiliary body to collect banknotes stored in the safes of each gaming machine island scattered throughout an amusement arcade to a collective safe in the store's office (see, for example, Patent Document 3). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4130697 [Patent Document 2] JP 2012-82062 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2014-188102 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In a system that visits the safes of each gaming machine island scattered throughout an amusement arcade and collects the bills to the store's collective safe, the transport route is quite long. For example, the transport route may be long, going from the collective safe installed in the store's office on the second floor down to the gaming floor on the first floor, then visiting the safes of each gaming machine island installed on the first floor, then going up to the second floor and returning to the collective safe.

[0007] In such a conveying route, in addition to changing the course within the same floor through a curved conveying pipe, when pulling from an office safe to the ceiling or another floor, it is necessary to change the course from horizontal to vertical or from vertical to horizontal. If the paper face of a bill faces the inside or outside of an arc, the bill can easily pass through a curved part, but it is difficult to pass through a curved part where the paper face is in the radial direction of the arc. For example, in a vertical position with the paper face standing upright, the bill can easily pass through a curved part on the same floor (within a horizontal plane), but it is difficult to pass through a curved part where the course changes from horizontal to vertical. On the other hand, the opposite is true for a horizontal position with the paper face lying down. Therefore, it is desirable to be able to change the posture of the bill midway through the conveying route (to be able to change the orientation of the paper face so that it rotates around a central axis along the conveying direction), but if a relay device or the like is provided to change the posture, the device becomes large-scale.

[0008] The present invention aims to solve the above problems, The object is to provide a paper sheet transport device that can change the posture (paper surface orientation) of the paper sheet being transported by rotating it around a central axis along the transport direction midway along the transport path. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The gist of the present invention for achieving the above object resides in the following inventions.

[0010] [1] A paper sheet transport device that transports paper sheets from an outlet to an inlet by airflow, a conveying pipe through which the paper sheets are conveyed is disposed between the discharge unit and the input unit; The conveying pipe is twisted at a desired angle around a central axis along the conveying direction. A paper sheet transport device characterized by the above. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the in-store layout of an amusement arcade in which a paper sheet collection and transport system using a transport auxiliary relay device according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed. [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram showing an entire paper sheet collection and transport system. [Diagram 3] 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a transport auxiliary body pushes a banknote in a transport tube from the rear end side of the banknote. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a straight portion of the conveying pipe. [Diagram 5] A cross-sectional view perpendicular to the extension direction of the straight portion of the conveying pipe. [Figure 6] 1A and 1B are plan and front views of a transport aid; [Figure 7]4 is a cross-sectional view showing the conveying pipe and the conveying auxiliary body in a state where the conveying auxiliary body is inserted into the conveying pipe. FIG. [Figure 8] 3 is a diagram showing a transport pipe around a collective safe and the inside of the collective safe in the paper sheet collection and transport system shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 9] This is an oblique view showing the rear of the collective safe. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the banknote separation / transport auxiliary circulating device as viewed from the discharge port side of separated banknotes. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the banknote separation / transport auxiliary circulating device as seen from the connection side of the transport pipe. [Figure 12] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of the separation and insertion operations performed by the banknote separation / transport auxiliary circulating device. FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a transport auxiliary body relay device. [Figure 14] 11 is a perspective view showing a transport auxiliary relay device with a part of an outer cover of a blower unit removed. FIG. [Figure 15] 4 is a perspective view showing the inside of a relay section of the transport auxiliary body relay device. FIG. [Figure 16] 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the rotating plate is in the middle of rotating from a first stop position to a second stop position. FIG. [Figure 17] 13 is a diagram showing the relay unit with its front cover removed, as viewed from above. FIG. [Figure 18] 11A to 11C are diagrams showing in chronological order the manner in which the holding section at the receiving position holds a transport auxiliary body arriving from the outgoing transport pipe. [Figure 19] 13 is a diagram showing how the holding of the transport auxiliary body is automatically released when the holding part is rotated to the release position. FIG. [Figure 20] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the inside of the relay unit. [Figure 21] FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a holding portion. [Figure 22] FIG. 1 shows a rotating plate with four retainers at 90 degree intervals. [Figure 23] 13 is a perspective view showing the relay box, the sub-transport pipe of the sub-transport device, and the intake device connected to its upper end. FIG. [Figure 24] 1 is a perspective view showing the upper portion of the auxiliary transport pipe, the intake device, and the transport pipes 12 in front and behind the intake device. [Diagram 25] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an auxiliary transport device and a take-in device (and transport pipes before and after the transport device) connected to the upper end of the auxiliary transport device. [Figure 26] FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing an auxiliary transport device and a take-in device (and transport pipes before and after the same) connected to the upper end of the auxiliary transport device. [Figure 27] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an upper portion of the auxiliary transport pipe and a take-in device. [Figure 28] 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a banknote feeder provided at the bottom of the sub-transport pipe. FIG. [Figure 29] 13 is a diagram showing the banknote feeder with the passage cover removed, as viewed from the side facing the opening. FIG. [Diagram 30] 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating a structure of a transport unit of the take-in device. [Diagram 31] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an island bill transport device installed in a gaming machine island. [Diagram 32] 1 is a front view showing an island banknote transport device installed in the gaming machine island. FIG. [Diagram 33] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the inside of the relay box (with the door removed). [Diagram 34] 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a temporary storage device provided in the relay box. FIG. [Diagram 35] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the structure of a temporary storage device. [Diagram 36] 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration and operation of a temporary storage device. FIG. [Figure 37] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing how a banknote pressed by the pressure plate slides down from the receiving plate, and how a banknote pressed by the pressure plate separates from the receiving plate to which a natural rubber sheet is attached. [Figure 38] FIG. 37(b) is a diagram showing how a banknote pressed by a pressure plate is released from a receiving plate to which a natural rubber sheet is attached in an improved version of the structure shown in FIG. 37(b). [Figure 39] 13 is a diagram showing the state in which the connection part and the conveying pipes before and after it are disconnected. FIG. [Diagram 40]1A to 1C are views showing the front, left side, right side, top and bottom of the conveying pipe connected to the connecting portion. [Diagram 41] 1A and 1B are views showing the front, left side, right side, top and bottom of a connection adapter. [Diagram 42] 13 is a diagram showing how the downstream end of the connection adapter is connected to the upstream connection port of the coupling main body. FIG. [Diagram 43] 13 is an enlarged view showing a state in which a rib on the connection adaptor side and a rib on the connection main body side are overlapped and connected. FIG. [Diagram 44] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion where a blower device is installed. [Diagram 45] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a twisting section and the parts that constitute it. [Diagram 46] 11 is a diagram showing an operation sequence when the paper sheet collecting and transporting system collects banknotes from each relay box. FIG. [Figure 47] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing criteria for grouping according to the number of stocks. [Figure 48] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an allocation status of the number of discharged sheets in pattern 1. [Figure 49] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of allocation status of ejection numbers in pattern 2 (when G3 is one machine). [Figure 50] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of allocation status of ejection numbers in pattern 2 (when G3 has two machines). [Figure 51] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an allocation status of the number of discharged sheets in pattern 2 (when G3 has three or more machines). [Figure 52] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of allocation status of ejection numbers in pattern 3. [Figure 53] 1 is a front view showing an error display device of the paper sheet collection and transport system. FIG. [Figure 54] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display of a location where a stagnation abnormality of a transport auxiliary body is detected; FIG. [Figure 55] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a relay section of a transport auxiliary relay device before improvement and a relay section of an improved transport auxiliary relay device. [Figure 56]FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the inside of the relay section of the improved transport auxiliary relay device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] Fig. 1 shows an example of the layout of an amusement parlor 2 in which a paper sheet collection and transport system 10 (see Fig. 2) according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed. Inside the amusement parlor 2, a number of gaming machine islands 3 are arranged across an aisle. Each gaming machine island 3 houses a number of pairs of gaming ball dispensing machines 4 that receive inserted banknotes and dispense gaming balls (pachinko balls) to players, and gaming machines 5 such as pachinko machines, back-to-back on the front and back sides.

[0014] Inside the gaming machine island 3, there is an intra-island bill transport device 8 that takes in bills discharged from the back of each gaming ball dispensing machine 4 and transports them to a safe installed at one end of the gaming machine island 3. At the end of the gaming machine island 3, there is a relay box 6 equipped with the function of a safe that temporarily stores bills transported by the intra-island bill transport device 8.

[0015] Figure 2 shows a paper sheet collection and transportation system 10 that collects banknotes from relay boxes 6 of multiple gaming machine islands 3 installed in the gaming facility 2 shown in Figure 1 and transports them to a collective safe 11 installed in the office or other location of the gaming facility 2.

[0016] The paper sheet collection and transport system 10 includes a collective safe 11 installed in an office or the like of the gaming facility 2, a transport pipe 12 that is piped so as to leave the collective safe 11, pass through the installation locations of the relay boxes 6 of each gaming machine island 3 installed in the gaming area, and return to the collective safe 11 again, and a transport auxiliary relay device 17 installed midway along the transport pipe 12. The transport pipe 12 from the collective safe 11 to the transport auxiliary relay device 17 is referred to as an outward transport pipe 12a, and the transport pipe 12 from the transport auxiliary relay device 17 back to the collective safe 11 is referred to as a return transport pipe 12b.

[0017] In Fig. 2, the collective safe 11 is shown installed on the same floor as the gaming area where the gaming machine island 3 is installed, but the collective safe 11 may be installed on a different floor from the gaming area. In that case, the length of the transport pipe 12 from the collective safe 11 to the gaming floor and the transport pipe 12 from the gaming floor back to the collective safe 11 will be much longer than that shown in Fig. 2.

[0018] The conveying pipe 12 installed on the gaming floor is laid in the ceiling of the gaming floor. In the case of FIG. 2, the outward conveying pipe 12a of the conveying pipe 12 leaves the collective safe 11 installed on one end side of the gaming hall, bends upward, extends to the height of the ceiling, bends again, enters the ceiling, passes directly above the installation location of the relay box 6 of each gaming machine island 3, and is extended to the conveying auxiliary relay device 17 installed on the other end side of the gaming hall. The return conveying pipe 12b leaves the conveying auxiliary relay device 17 and is extended along the outward conveying pipe 12a (i.e., is extended so as to pass directly above the installation location of the relay box 6 of each gaming machine island 3 and return to the one end side of the gaming hall), bends downward to the height of the collective safe 11, bends again, becomes horizontal, and is extended to the collective safe 11.

[0019] The paper sheet collection and transport system 10 generates an air flow in the transport tube 12, and a transport auxiliary 16 (see FIG. 3) that receives the air flow and moves in the transport tube 12 pushes the banknotes P from behind and transports them downstream (in the transport direction FW). The collective safe 11 and the transport auxiliary relay device 17 each include a blower that generates an air flow. The collective safe 11 generates an air flow from the start of the outward transport tube 12a toward the transport auxiliary relay device 17, and the transport auxiliary relay device 17 sucks in the air flow from the end of the outward transport tube 12a. In addition, the transport auxiliary relay device 17 generates an air flow from the start of the return transport tube 12b toward the collective safe 11, and the collective safe 11 sucks in the air flow from the end of the return transport tube 12b.

[0020] At the bend where the return transport pipe 12b heads downward from the ceiling space, an auxiliary blower 18 is provided to strengthen the air flow downstream (from the transport auxiliary relay device 17 to the collective safe 11).

[0021] The paper sheet collection and transport system 10 further includes an auxiliary transport device 13 which transports banknotes from each relay box 6 to the return transport pipe 12b passing above it, and an intake device 14 which takes in the banknotes transported from the relay box 6 by the auxiliary transport device 13 into the return transport pipe 12b with the paper surface aligned in the extension direction of the return transport pipe 12b.

[0022] Since the conveying pipe 12 is installed above the ceiling, even if the conveying pipe 12 is routed to various places in the game center 2, the conveying pipe 12 does not interfere with the activities or movement of players. The conveying pipe 12 is not limited to being installed above the ceiling, but may be extended along a high position near the ceiling, for example. In this example, the conveying pipe 12 is installed at a position higher than the area where people are active (playing or passing) in the game center 2, avoiding the area. In addition, the game ball dispensing machine 4 in the game machine island 3 is installed at a height that matches the players who play, and the relay box 6 of the game machine island 3 is installed at the same height, so that the banknotes P are conveyed from the relay box 6 to the return conveying pipe 12b above it by the auxiliary conveying device 13.

[0023] In this embodiment, the transport auxiliary body 16, which moves due to the air flow and pushes the banknotes P from behind, is sent out from the collective safe 11, which serves as the base point, to the outward transport pipe 12a, and when it reaches the transport auxiliary body relay device 17, it is temporarily held by the transport auxiliary body relay device 17. The held transport auxiliary body 16 is then sent out from the transport auxiliary body relay device 17 to the return transport pipe 12b, and returns to the collective safe 11, moving while collecting the banknotes P that have been taken into the return transport pipe 12b by the take-in device 14.

[0024] Here, the transport auxiliary body 16 is sent out from the collective safe 11 to the outward transport pipe 12a, and the transport auxiliary body 16 is sent out from the transport auxiliary body relay device 17 to the return transport pipe 12b at the same time. The transport auxiliary body relay device 17 receives and holds the transport auxiliary body 16 arriving from the outward transport pipe 12a. It then moves the held transport auxiliary body 16 to the starting end side of the return transport pipe 12b, and next time sends out this held transport auxiliary body 16 to the return transport pipe 12b.

[0025] By using the transport auxiliary relay device 17, movement from the collective safe 11 through the outward transport pipe 12a to the transport auxiliary relay device 17 and movement from the transport auxiliary relay device 17 through the return transport pipe 12b back to the collective safe 11 are performed simultaneously in parallel. Compared to a case in which the transport auxiliary 16 sent out from the base point (collective safe 11) continues to move as it is, goes around the transport pipe 12 and returns to the base point (collective safe 11) without using the transport auxiliary relay device 17, the transport auxiliary 16 can be sent out at a shorter cycle (time interval), and the banknote collection capacity per unit time can be increased.

[0026] For example, when the transport auxiliary relay device 17 is installed at the midpoint of the entire transport route, the time required for one retrieval operation by the transport auxiliary 16 can be reduced by half, and the retrieval capacity per unit time can be doubled, compared to when the transport auxiliary 16 leaves the base point and makes one full circle around the transport route before returning to the base point.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 8, an airflow generating device 21 and a bill separation / transport auxiliary body circulating device 22 are provided inside the collective safe 11. The bill separation / transport auxiliary body circulating device 22 has the function of a transport auxiliary body inserting device 23 that sends out the transport auxiliary body 16 to the outward transport pipe 12a, and the function of a separation and recovery device 24 that separates the bill P from the transport auxiliary body 16 that has been transported by pushing it from behind and recovers each of them, and also has the function of passing the transport auxiliary body 16 recovered by the separation and recovery device 24 to the transport auxiliary body inserting device 23 for cyclical use. The bills P recovered by the separation and recovery device 24 are stored in a bill storage section 25 inside the collective safe 11.

[0028] The air flow generating device 21 generates an air flow by rotating the blades with a motor. The air blowing side of the air flow generating device 21 is connected to the air inlet side of the transport auxiliary body inserting device 23, and the starting end of the outward transport pipe 12a is connected to the air outlet side of the transport auxiliary body inserting device 23. The ending end of the return transport pipe 12b is connected to the air inlet side of the separation and recovery device 24, and the air suction side of the air flow generating device 21 is connected to the air outlet side of the separation and recovery device 24.

[0029] The transport auxiliary relay device 17 has the function of sucking air in the outgoing transport pipe 12a from the terminal side of the outgoing transport pipe 12a, and the function of sending an air flow toward the starting end of the return transport pipe 12b. That is, the air flow generating device 21 of the collective safe 11 sends an air flow into the outgoing transport pipe 12a from its starting end, and the transport auxiliary relay device 17 sucks in the air flow from the terminal side of the outgoing transport pipe 12a, thereby generating a strong air flow in the outgoing transport pipe 12a. Similarly, the transport auxiliary relay device 17 sends an air flow into the return transport pipe 12b from its starting end, and the air flow generating device 21 of the collective safe 11 sucks in the air flow from the terminal side of the return transport pipe 12b, thereby generating a strong air flow in the return transport pipe 12b.

[0030] Furthermore, an auxiliary blower 18 is provided in the return transport pipe 12b downstream of the most downstream intake device 14. The auxiliary blower 18 is a blower that blows air downstream, and plays a role in enhancing the forward air flow to ensure that the transport auxiliary body 16 reaches the collective safe 11. In the example of Fig. 2, the transport pipe 12 from the installation location of the auxiliary blower 18 to the collective safe 11 is shown as being short, but for example, the collective safe 11 is often provided on a different floor from the intra-island banknote transport device 8, and the transport pipe 12 downstream of the auxiliary blower 18 may be a long distance.

[0031] The paper sheet collecting and transporting system 10 collects the paper notes P as follows.

[0032] Banknotes inserted from each game ball dispenser 4 of the game machine island 3 are transported to a relay box 6 at the end of the game machine island 3 and temporarily stored therein. When the banknotes P stored in the relay boxes 6 are collected in the collective safe 11, the banknotes P are discharged from one or more relay boxes 6 toward the auxiliary transport device 13. The banknotes P discharged from the relay boxes 6 are transported upward by the auxiliary transport device 13, and then sent into the return transport pipe 12b by the intake device 14.

[0033] The take-in device 14 sends out the banknote P into the return transport pipe 12b with its paper surface aligned along the extension direction of the return transport pipe 12b. Here, the take-in device 14 sends out the banknote P into the return transport pipe 12b in a horizontal position with its paper surface facing up and down. The banknote P sent out into the return transport pipe 12b by the take-in device 14 stays at the sending completion position. The return transport pipe 12b in the portion that passes through multiple take-in devices 14 is piped horizontally and in a straight line in a horizontal position. The horizontal position is the position of the return transport pipe 12b in which the paper surface of the banknote P in the return transport pipe 12b is horizontal.

[0034] When the taking-in of the banknotes P into the return transport pipe 12b is completed, the transport auxiliary body 16 is sent from the transport auxiliary body relay device 17 into the outward transport pipe 12a in order to transport the banknotes P staying in the return transport pipe 12b to the collective safe 11 and collect them. At the same time, the transport auxiliary body 16 is sent from the collective safe 11 into the outward transport pipe 12a. The transport auxiliary body 16 sent into the outward transport pipe 12a moves within the outward transport pipe 12a under the action of the air flow, reaches the transport auxiliary body relay device 17, and is received and held by the transport auxiliary body relay device 17. Meanwhile, the transport auxiliary body 16 sent from the transport auxiliary body relay device 17 into the return transport pipe 12b moves within the return transport pipe 12b under the action of the air flow, and returns to the collective safe 11 while collecting the banknotes P. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the transport auxiliary body 16 pushes and transports the banknote P from its rear end side (in the transport direction FW in the drawing).

[0035] In this way, the transport auxiliary body 16 moves under the action of the air flow, and the banknote P is pushed and transported from the rear end side by this transport auxiliary body 16, so the banknote P itself does not need to obtain propulsive force from the air flow. Therefore, the banknote P can be transported by the air flow without taking measures such as folding the banknote P to receive the air flow. Also, the transport auxiliary body 16 can obtain propulsive force from the air flow more efficiently than the banknote P, so the banknote P can be transported efficiently.

[0036] As shown in Fig. 2, the main transport pipe 12 of the paper sheet collection and transport system 10 is composed of multiple transport pipes connected by a connection part 15. The connection part 15 plays a role in absorbing the change in the length of the transport pipe 12 so that the overall installation state is not distorted even if the length of the transport pipe 12 changes due to temperature change, etc. The intake device 14 also functions to connect the transport pipes 12 before and after it.

[0037] The paper sheet collection and transport system 10 also includes a control unit 27 (see FIG. 8) whose main components include a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The control unit 27 controls the operation of each component, such as the airflow generating device 21, the banknote separation and transport auxiliary body circulating device 22, the auxiliary transport device 13, the intake device 14, the transport auxiliary body relay device 17, the auxiliary blower 18, the auxiliary transport device 13, and the relay box 6.

[0038] Next, the shapes of the conveying tube 12 and the conveying auxiliary body 16 will be described in detail.

[0039] Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the straight portion of the conveying tube 12, and Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the extension direction FW of the conveying tube 12 (= conveying direction FW of the banknote P = air flow direction) of the same portion. The conveying tube 12 is made of resin with a thickness of about 1.5 mm. The conveying tube 12 is formed, for example, by extrusion molding.

[0040] The cross-sectional shape of the straight portion of the conveying pipe 12 perpendicular to the extension direction FW is a rectangular shape with the central portion of the long side of the rectangle expanding outward. In detail, the conveying pipe 12 has a wall portion 31 forming the short side of the rectangle in cross section, a side wall portion 32 forming the long side of the rectangle in cross section, and an expansion portion 33 extending outward in a rectangular shape at the central portion of the side wall portion 32. The short side direction of the approximately rectangular cross section perpendicular to the extension direction (conveying direction FW) of the conveying pipe 12 is the X direction, and the long side direction is the Y direction. In the X direction and Y direction, the direction toward the center of the conveying pipe 12 is called the inside, and the direction from the center toward the inner wall is called the outside.

[0041] The extension section 33 is divided into two sections by a separation wall 34 erected toward the inside of the conveying pipe 12. The separation wall 34 is formed by attaching a T-shaped member to the inner wall of the extension section 33.

[0042] The side wall portion 32 has a plurality of ribs 35 extending in the conveying direction and protruding toward the inside of the conveying pipe 12. In this example, the ribs 35 protruding toward the inside of the conveying pipe 12 are formed along the conveying direction FW at the boundary between the side wall portion 32 and the extension portion 33. The separation wall 34 has the same height as the ribs 35, and the top of the separation wall 34 functions as a rib. Hereinafter, the separation wall 34 will also be referred to as the rib 34.

[0043] The side walls 32 are a pair of inner walls that face the paper surface of the transported banknote P. The banknote P has a rectangular shape, and is transported inside the transport tube 12 with its long side oriented in the transport direction FW. In other words, the paper surface P faces the side walls 32 of the transport tube 12, and the banknote P is transported with one short side facing the leading end side in the transport direction FW and the other short side facing the trailing end side.

[0044] The distance Dy between a pair of opposing wall portions 31 of the transport tube 12 is slightly longer than the short side of the banknote P. The distance Dx between a pair of opposing side wall portions 32 (portions (reference plane portions) where the ribs 35, the extension portions 33, and the separation wall 34 are not formed) is set to about 21 mm. The extension portions 33 provided on each side wall portion 32 extend outwardly from the side wall portion 32 (reference plane portion) by about 6 mm. The tops of the ribs 35 and the separation wall 34 are about 2 mm high inward from the side wall portion 32 (reference plane portion). The height of the ribs 35 may be set as appropriate.

[0045] The conveying tube 12 can be installed and used with its longitudinal direction tilted vertically, horizontally or at any other angle, and the conveying auxiliary body 16 can move smoothly inside the conveying tube 12 at any angle. For example, the banknotes P and the conveying auxiliary body 16 can be smoothly conveyed even in the twisting section 51 (see FIG. 9) described later. FIG. 5 shows the conveying tube 12 in a vertical position, installed so that the long side of the rectangular cross section is vertical.

[0046] FIG. 6 shows the plan view and front view of the conveying auxiliary 16. The conveying auxiliary 16 is a columnar shape with a circular cross section with different diameters at each part. The conveying auxiliary 16 is inserted into the conveying pipe 12 so that the central axis of the cylinder is in the Y direction of the conveying pipe 12. The conveying auxiliary 16 is symmetrical in the longitudinal direction with respect to its center, and is configured with, in order from one end, a head 16a, a neck 16b with a slightly smaller diameter than the head, a large diameter part 16c with a larger diameter than the head 16a, a constricted part 16d with the same diameter as the neck 16b and located in the center in the longitudinal direction, the large diameter part 16c, the neck 16b, and the head 16a. The conveying auxiliary 16 is lightweight and strong, and is formed with a hollow interior using, for example, plastic. It may be formed from polystyrene foam or extruded polystyrene foam, etc., as long as it is lightweight and strong.

[0047] 7 shows a cross section of the conveying auxiliary body 16 inserted into the conveying pipe 12. This figure shows a cross section perpendicular to the extension direction FW and passing through the central axis of the conveying auxiliary body 16. The diameters of the various parts of the conveying auxiliary body 16 correspond to the inner edge shape of the conveying pipe 12. In other words, the cross-sectional shape passing through the central axis of the conveying auxiliary body 16 corresponds to the inner edge shape of the conveying pipe 12 in a cross section perpendicular to the extension direction FW, and is shaped to almost completely block the inside of the conveying pipe 12 with a predetermined clearance between it and the inner wall.

[0048] In this way, the conveying auxiliary body 16 has a shape corresponding to the inner edge shape of the conveying pipe 12 (almost the same shape with a small clearance) and blocks almost the entire cross section of the conveying pipe 12, so it can move efficiently under the action of the air flow. Furthermore, the conveying auxiliary body 16 prevents the air flow from the upstream from reaching the downstream side of the conveying auxiliary body 16, and plays a role in suppressing turbulence of the air flow on the downstream side.

[0049] When acted upon by the air flow in the transport tube 12, the banknote P tends to stick to the side wall 32. In other words, the gap between one side of the banknote P and the opposing side wall 32 and the gap between the other side of the banknote P and the opposing side wall 32 are rarely equal, and one gap is narrower than the other. Since the air flow speed is faster on the narrow gap side than on the wide gap side, the air pressure on the narrow gap side becomes lower than that on the wide gap side, and this air pressure difference causes the banknote P to be attracted and pressed against the side wall 32 on the narrow gap side. When this happens, the gap on the narrow gap side becomes even narrower, causing the banknote P to stick and be attracted to the side wall 32.

[0050] If the banknotes P strongly stick to the side wall 32, it becomes difficult for the transport auxiliary body 16 to push and transport the banknotes P. However, as described above, the transport auxiliary body 16 acts to block (reduce) the air flow downstream, so the force with which the banknotes P stick and adhere is reduced, and smooth transport is achieved.

[0051] The two large diameter parts 16c of the transport auxiliary body 16 engage with two expansion parts 33 separated by a separation wall 34 of the transport tube 12. In this example, the expansion part 33 is separated into two by the separation wall 34, and these expansion parts 33 are provided toward the center of the transport tube 12 in the Y direction, so that the transport auxiliary body 16 can be moved while being maintained in a stable posture. In addition, since the posture of the transport auxiliary body 16 is stable, the large diameter part 16c of the transport auxiliary body 16 can be appropriately abutted against the rear end of the banknote P to provide a stable transport force. In addition, the banknote P is less likely to be caught between the transport tube 12 and the transport auxiliary body 16.

[0052] Furthermore, by providing the large diameter portion 16c, the conveying auxiliary body 16 has an increased area that is affected by the airflow, and can efficiently receive the force required for movement. Also, since the large diameter portion 16c is provided to efficiently receive the airflow, the diameter of the head portion 16a can be reduced accordingly. By reducing the diameter of the head portion, the distance (width (Dx)) between a pair of opposing side wall portions 32 in the conveying tube 12 can be narrowed, and the banknotes P can be prevented from falling over.

[0053] Furthermore, the presence of the multiple ribs 35 provided on the side wall 32 prevents the bill P from sticking tightly to the side wall 32. That is, the contact area between the bill P and the side wall 32 is reduced, reducing friction and suppressing the generation of static electricity. Even if the bill P sticks to the side wall 32, the bill P is supported by the tip of the rib 35, so that a gap is secured between the side wall 32 and the bill P around the rib 35, and the sticking force is suppressed to be small. Furthermore, the bill P is supported by the separation wall 34, so that the bill P is prevented from falling into the recess of the expansion section 33.

[0054] Furthermore, the multiple ribs 35 protruding inward from the side wall 32 and the tops of the separation walls 34 serve to make the effective passage width W of the banknote P in the width direction (X direction) of the transport tube 12 narrower than the distance Dx between the reference flat portions. This makes it difficult for the banknote P to fall toward one of the side wall portions 32 inside the transport tube 12, and the posture of the banknote 6 is maintained along the Y direction. In particular, by providing multiple ribs 35, the above-mentioned falling of the banknote P is appropriately prevented, and the banknote P is effectively prevented from sticking to the side wall portion 32. Note that Dx can be increased by the amount of the ribs 35 provided, which increases the cross-sectional area of ​​the transport tube 12 and makes the transport auxiliary body 16 more susceptible to the action of airflow.

[0055] In the case of the transport auxiliary body 16 according to this embodiment, the diameter of the large diameter portion 16c is the largest, so that this large diameter portion 16c comes into contact with the rear end of the banknote 6 and pushes it, as shown in FIG.

[0056] Next, the internal structure of the collective safe 11 will be described in more detail.

[0057] Fig. 8 shows the collective safe 11 with its front cover removed and the nearby transport pipes 12, and Fig. 9 shows the back side of the collective safe 11. At the connection position with the collective safe 11, as shown in Fig. 9, the outward transport pipe 12a and the return transport pipe 12b are both in a vertical position.

[0058] The collective safe 11 has a vertically long rectangular parallelepiped shape, with an airflow generating device 21 disposed at the bottom inside and a banknote separation / transport auxiliary circulating device 22 attached to the top. In addition, the inside of the collective safe 11 accommodates a banknote storage section 25 that stores banknotes P, a banknote transport section 26 that transports banknotes P separated and collected by the separation and collection device 24 to the banknote storage section 25, a control section 27 that controls the operation of the paper sheet collection and transport system 10, a power supply section, etc.

[0059] The banknotes P discharged from the rear end of the separation and recovery device 24 travel along the path indicated by the arrow B in FIG. 8, are delivered to the banknote transport unit 26 provided therebetween, and are transported to the banknote storage unit 25 by the banknote transport unit 26.

[0060] 10 and 11 show an overview of the banknote separation / transport auxiliary circulating device 22. Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the banknote separation / transport auxiliary circulating device 22 as viewed from the discharge port side of separated banknotes, and Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the banknote separation / transport auxiliary circulating device 22 as viewed from the connection part side of the transport pipe 12.

[0061] The banknote separation / transport auxiliary body circulating device 22 is configured by integrating a transport auxiliary body insertion device 23, which sends out the transport auxiliary body 16 into the transport tube 12 (the starting end of the outward transport tube 12a), and a separation and recovery device 24, which is arranged above and stacked on top of the transport auxiliary body insertion device 23 and is connected to the end of the return transport tube 12b, and separates and recovers the banknotes P arriving from the return transport tube 12b and the transport auxiliary body 16 that has pushed it from behind.

[0062] The transport auxiliary body 16 that has been separated from the banknotes P and collected by the separation and collection device 24 falls downward from the separation and collection device 24 through a guide passage 28 (see FIG. 11) and is delivered to a waiting place 29 in the transport auxiliary body insertion device 23. In this way, the collected transport auxiliary body 16 is used as the next transport auxiliary body 16 to be sent into the outbound transport pipe 12a, and the transport auxiliary body 16 is used repeatedly.

[0063] 12, the separation and recovery device 24 is provided with a holding section 41 which passes the banknotes P pushed and transported by the transport auxiliary body 16 downstream, and which stops the banknotes by contacting the transport auxiliary body 16. The holding section 41 has a receiving section 42 with a U-shaped cross section for receiving the transport auxiliary body 16 at the tip of an arm which rotates within a predetermined angle range around one end. A slit 43 is provided in the center of the receiving section 42 to allow the banknotes P to pass through. Also, a discharge opening is provided in the bottom surface of the receiving section 42 to allow the transport auxiliary body 16 to drop.

[0064] Usually, the holding part 41 is in a position (position shown by solid line in FIG. 12) where the tip where the receiving part 42 is located faces the end of the conveying tube 12 (returning conveying tube 12b). When the banknote P pushed by the conveying auxiliary body 16 passes through the slit 43 of the receiving part 42 and the conveying auxiliary body 16 is received by the receiving part 42, the holding part 41 is driven by the motor to rotate, and the receiving part 42 is moved to a position (position shown by dashed line in FIG. 12) off to the side from the extension of the conveying tube 12 (returning conveying tube 12b). At this position, the opening at the bottom of the receiving part 42 communicates with the guide passage 28, and the conveying auxiliary body 16 falls downward through the guide passage 28.

[0065] The banknotes P that have passed through the slits 43 are transported by a transport belt (not shown) and discharged from a discharge opening at the rear end of the separation and collection device 24. As described above, the discharged banknotes P are transported to the banknote transport unit 26 and sent to the banknote storage unit 25.

[0066] The transport auxiliary body 16 that has fallen down the guide passage 28 enters a waiting area 29 provided in the transport auxiliary body inserting device 23 and is received.

[0067] The conveying aid inserting device 23 has a movable arm 46 which rotates around one end and has at the other end a sending part 45 having a U-shaped cross section which holds the conveying aid 16. The sending part 45 has a large opening to allow the air flow from the air flow generating device 21 to flow smoothly.

[0068] The movable arm 46 is driven by a motor to rotate between a standby position (position shown by a broken line in FIG. 12) where the delivery section 45 is accommodated in the standby area 29 and a sending position (position shown by a solid line in FIG. 12) where the delivery section 45 is an extension of the beginning of the conveying pipe 12 (the forward conveying pipe 12a). The movable arm 46 is usually in the standby position, and the delivery section 45 receives the conveying auxiliary body 16 that has fallen from the separation and recovery device 24 through the guide passage 28. When the conveying auxiliary body 16 is to be sent into the conveying pipe 12 (the forward conveying pipe 12a), the movable arm 46 is rotated to move the delivery section 45 to the sending position. Then, the conveying auxiliary body 16 is released from the delivery section 45 by the air flow from the air flow generating device 21 and sent into the conveying pipe 12 (the forward conveying pipe 12a).

[0069] In this way, the transport auxiliary body 16 returning while pushing the banknotes P from behind is separated and collected from the banknotes P by the separation and collection device 24, and is delivered to the transport auxiliary body insertion device 23 and reused for the next sending out.

[0070] Next, the posture of each part of the transfer pipe 12 will be described.

[0071] Here, we will explain an example in which four gaming machine islands 3 are arranged side by side with an aisle between them as shown in Figure 1, and a conveying pipe 12 is installed as shown in Figure 2 to collect banknotes P from the relay boxes 6 of these gaming machine islands 3.

[0072] As shown in Figures 9 and 2, outbound conveying pipe 12a is in a vertical position when it exits the rear of collective safe 11, but then passes through twisted section 51 to assume a horizontal position before changing course to a vertically upward position. When it reaches the ceiling space, it returns to a horizontal position and passes through twisted section 51 again to assume a vertical position, and is extended in this vertical position through the ceiling space to conveying auxiliary body relay device 17. The terminal end of outbound conveying pipe 12a is connected to conveying auxiliary body relay device 17 in a vertical position.

[0073] The return transport pipe 12b is in a vertical position at the start portion connected to the transport auxiliary relay device 17, but then passes through a twisted section 51 to become horizontal before reaching the first intake device 14. The return transport pipe 12b extends straight above the relay boxes 6 of each gaming machine island 3 while remaining in a horizontal position, passing through multiple intake devices 14 along the way. When the return transport pipe 12b reaches the end of the portion passing through the ceiling, it changes course vertically downward while remaining in a horizontal position, and when it descends to the height of the collective safe 11, it returns to a horizontal course, passes through the twisted section 51 to become vertical, and is connected in a vertical position to the connection port on the back of the collective safe 11 (see FIG. 9).

[0074] When the transport tube 12 (return transport tube 12b) in the portion where the banknote P is transported is curved to change course, if the face of the banknote P is oriented in such a way that it faces inward or outward of the arc, the banknote P can pass through the curved portion smoothly. For this reason, as shown in Fig. 2, the transport tube 12 (return transport tube 12b) is in a horizontal position before and after the point where the course of the transport tube 12 (return transport tube 12b) is changed from horizontal to vertical.

[0075] Even when the transport auxiliary body 16 moves by itself without transporting the banknote P, the transport auxiliary body 16 can smoothly move around a curved portion even with a small radius by making the axis of the transport auxiliary body 16 perpendicular to the radial direction of the curved portion. That is, it is preferable that the outgoing transport tube 12a is also in a horizontal position before and after the point where the course of the transport tube 12 changes from horizontal to vertical as shown in FIG.

[0076] In addition, when the conveying pipe 12 is extended inside a thin wall, it is preferable that the longitudinal direction of the cross section of the conveying pipe 12 is along the wall surface (the short side direction of the cross section is the thickness direction of the wall). Therefore, the conveying pipe 12 in the part extending vertically inside the wall is oriented in the above-mentioned direction.

[0077] Since a twisted portion 51 is provided midway along the conveying tube 12, the conveying direction of the banknotes P can be a mixture of vertical and horizontal directions, and the path of the conveying tube 12 can be freely set within a plane such as the ceiling.

[0078] Next, the configuration of the transport auxiliary body relay device 17 will be described.

[0079] As shown in FIG. 13, the transport auxiliary relay device 17 includes a relay section 61 having a rectangular thin box shape to which the outward transport pipe 12a and the return transport pipe 12b are connected, and a blower section 62 that functions to suck air from the end of the outward transport pipe 12a and to blow air to the beginning of the return transport pipe 12b. FIG. 14 shows the blower section 62 with a part of the outer cover removed. Inside the blower section 62, a fan 63 driven by a motor and a control device 64 that controls the operation of the transport auxiliary relay device 17 are provided. A suction duct 65 connected to the suction port of the fan 63 is connected to a suction duct connection port 71a (see FIG. 15 and FIG. 16) that opens on the back of the relay section 61, and a blower duct 66 connected to the blower port of the fan 63 is connected to a blower duct connection port 71b (see FIG. 15 and FIG. 16) that opens on the back of the relay section 61.

[0080] 14, an inlet side connection port 67 to which the outward conveying pipe 12a is connected and an outlet side connection port 68 to which the return conveying pipe 12b is connected are provided so as to protrude forward on the front side of the relay section 61 of the conveying auxiliary body relay device 17. The inlet side connection port 67 and the outlet side connection port 68 each have an inner edge shape corresponding to the outer edge side shape of the conveying pipe 12, and the end of the outward conveying pipe 12a is closely inserted into the inlet side connection port 67, and the beginning end of the return conveying pipe 12b is closely inserted into the outlet side connection port 68.

[0081] 15 shows the relay section 61 with the front cover removed. The relay section 61 has a rectangular base plate 71 that forms the back surface of the relay section 61, and a rotating plate 72 that is rotatably supported by a support shaft 73 on the base plate 71. The rotating plate 72 has a pair of holding parts 74 provided at symmetrical positions with the support shaft 73 as the center. The holding parts 74 function to temporarily hold the transport auxiliary body 16.

[0082] The rotating plate 72 can stop at two positions: a first stop position shown in Fig. 15, and a second stop position rotated 180 degrees from the first stop position. Fig. 16 shows the state of the rotating plate 72 midway as it rotates from the first stop position to the second stop position. A transmission type optical sensor 76 is provided to detect whether the rotating plate 72 is at the first stop position or the second stop position.

[0083] When the rotating plate 72 stops at either of the stopping positions, one of the holding portions 74 is positioned just behind the inlet side connection port 67 and is connected to the inlet side connection port 67 (referred to as the receiving position), and the other holding portion 74 is positioned just behind the outlet side connection port 68 and is connected to the outlet side connection port 68 (referred to as the discharge position).

[0084] The rotating plate 72 has ventilation holes 72a at positions corresponding to the centers of the holding portions 74. When the rotating plate 72 stops at the stop position, the suction duct 65 and the inlet side connection port 67 communicate with each other via the suction duct connection port 71a provided in the base plate 71 and the ventilation holes 72a provided in the rotating plate 72, and the air supply duct 66 and the outlet side connection port 68 communicate with each other via the air supply duct connection port 71b provided in the base plate 71 and the ventilation holes 72a provided in the rotating plate 72.

[0085] 17 is a view of the relay section 61 from above with the front cover removed. The holding section 74 includes a receiving section 81 that abuts against the transport auxiliary body 16 arriving from the outward transport pipe 12a to receive the transport auxiliary body 16, and a pair of holding rollers 82 that sandwich the transport auxiliary body 16 abutting against the receiving section 81 from the left and right sides. The transport auxiliary body 16 is sandwiched and held between the pair of holding rollers 82 and the receiving section 81. The receiving section 81 is made of an impact absorbing member that absorbs the impact when the transport auxiliary body 16 is received.

[0086] The pair of holding rollers 82 are arranged with a gap between them on the left and right so that the transport auxiliary body 16 can pass between them. The holding rollers 82 are attached to the inside of the tips of a pair of holding arms 83 whose longitudinal direction is the moving direction of the transport auxiliary body 16. The rear end of the holding arm 83 is supported by a shaft and rotates between a closed position where the gap between the pair of holding rollers 82 attached to the tip is slightly narrower than the diameter of the transport auxiliary body 16 and an open position where the gap between the pair of holding rollers 82 is sufficiently wider than the diameter of the transport auxiliary body 16, and is biased toward the closed position by a spring or the like.

[0087] A release plate 84 is attached to the outer side of the outer holding arm 83 of the pair of holding arms 83, which is parallel to the rotating plate 72 and protrudes outward. As shown in FIG. 15, the release plate 84 is a rectangular metal plate whose longitudinal direction is the tangent direction of the circle on which the rotating plate 72 rotates, and both ends in the longitudinal direction are bent obliquely in a direction away from the rotating plate 72. A release roller 85 is attached to the base plate 71, which abuts against the release plate 84 of the holding part 74 that has reached the release position when the rotating plate 72 rotates and the holding part 74 reaches the release position, and pushes the holding arm 83 to which the release plate 84 is attached to an open position where the tip opens outward when the holding part 74 reaches the release position. A sensor 75 is provided on the base plate 71 to detect whether the holding part 74 at the first stop position or the second stop position is holding the transport auxiliary body 16. The sensor 75 is a transmission type optical sensor.

[0088] 18 shows the state in which the holding part 74 at the receiving position holds the transport auxiliary body 16 arriving from the outward transport pipe 12a. As shown in FIG. 18(a), the holding part 74 is waiting in the closed position where the interval between the pair of holding rollers 82 is slightly narrower than the diameter of the transport auxiliary body 16. As shown in FIG. 18(b), the transport auxiliary body 16 arriving from the end of the outward transport pipe 12a passes through a portion of the holding rollers 82 while widening the interval between the pair of holding rollers 82, and comes into contact with the receiving part 81, as shown in FIG. 18(c). At the position where the transport auxiliary body 16 comes into contact with the receiving part 81, its center is slightly closer to the receiving part 81 than the line C1 connecting the centers of the pair of holding rollers 82, and the transport auxiliary body 16 is held by the receiving part 81 and the pair of holding rollers 82.

[0089] 19 shows the state when the holding part 74 reaches the discharge position. When it reaches the discharge position, the release plate 84 comes into contact with the release roller 85, so that the outer holding arm 83 to which the release plate 84 is attached rotates in the opening direction, and the gap between the pair of holding rollers 82 becomes wider than the diameter of the transport auxiliary body 16, and the holding of the transport auxiliary body 16 by the receiving part 81 and the holding roller 82 is released.

[0090] As shown in Figures 20 and 21, various ribs 91, 92, and 93 for regulating the position and posture of the transport auxiliary body 16 are provided on the inside of the inlet connection port 67 and the outlet connection port 68, and on the inside of the holding part 74. The ribs 91 and 92 are provided on the inside of the inlet connection port 67 and the outlet connection port 68, and the rib 93 is provided on the inside of the holding part 74. The side rib 91 abutting the outer peripheral surface of the large diameter part 16c of the transport auxiliary body 16 is set so that the passage width of the part through which the large diameter part 16c of the transport auxiliary body 16 passes gradually narrows from the inlet side of the connection port toward the back, and then suddenly widens. The side rib 91 prevents the transport auxiliary body 16 from wobbling left and right.

[0091] Guide ribs 92 provided inside the inflow side connection port 67 and the outflow side connection port 68 at positions corresponding to the upper, middle and lower narrowed portions 16d of the transport auxiliary body 16 regulate the axial position and posture of the transport auxiliary body 16. Similarly, a pair of upper and lower guide ribs 93 provided inside the holding portion 74 at positions corresponding to the upper and lower narrowed portions 16d of the transport auxiliary body 16 regulate the axial position of the transport auxiliary body 16.

[0092] The upper and lower guide ribs 92 have a taper in which the distance between them increases from the connection ports 67, 68 toward the holding portion 74. A pair of upper and lower guide ribs 93 continuing to the rear sides of the upper and lower guide ribs 92 have a taper in which the distance between them increases toward the connection ports 67, 68 (the opposite taper to the guide ribs 92).

[0093] The transport auxiliary relay device 17 operates as follows.

[0094] By driving the fan 63 of the blower unit 62, air is sucked from the terminal end of the outward conveying pipe 12a and an air flow is sent to the starting end of the return conveying pipe 12b. This generates and strengthens an air flow from the starting end to the terminal end of the outward conveying pipe 12a and an air flow from the starting end to the terminal end of the return conveying pipe 12b.

[0095] The holding portion 74 at the receiving position receives and holds the conveying auxiliary body 16 arriving from the outward conveying pipe 12a. At this time, the position and posture of the conveying auxiliary body 16 arriving from the outward conveying pipe 12a is regulated by the side rib 91 and the guide ribs 92, 93 when passing through the inlet side connection port 67, and the conveying auxiliary body 16 is held in a predetermined correct position and posture by the holding portion 74 at the receiving position.

[0096] After that, when the rotating plate 72 rotates 180 degrees, the holding portion 74, which was in the receiving position, moves to the discharging position. When it moves to the discharging position, the release plate 84 abuts against the release roller 85, and the holding of the transport auxiliary body 16 is released. When the fan 63 of the blower portion 62 is operated in the released state, the transport auxiliary body 16 receives air from the air duct 66 and is sent out through the outlet side connection port 68 to the return transport pipe 12b. At this time, the position and posture of the transport auxiliary body 16 are regulated by the side rib 91 and the guide ribs 92 and 93, and it is sent out in the correct posture into the return transport pipe 12b.

[0097] In this embodiment, the sending out of the transport auxiliary body 16 from the transport auxiliary body relay device 17 to the return transport pipe 12b and the sending out of the transport auxiliary body 16 from the transport auxiliary body insertion device 23 of the collective safe 11 to the outgoing transport pipe 12a are controlled to occur simultaneously. This allows the first movement of the transport auxiliary body 16 from the transport auxiliary body insertion device 23 of the collective safe 11 through the outgoing transport pipe 12a to the transport auxiliary body relay device 17 and the second movement of the transport auxiliary body 16 from the transport auxiliary body relay device 17 through the return transport pipe 12b to the separation and recovery device 24 of the collective safe 11 to occur in parallel.

[0098] As a result, the recovery operation of banknotes P by the transport auxiliary body 16 can be performed in a shorter cycle than in a case where the transport auxiliary body 16 sent out from the collective safe 11 to the outbound transport pipe 12a does not require a transport auxiliary body relay device 17 and travels around the entire transport pipe 12 before returning to the collective safe 11 and the next transport auxiliary body 16 is sent out, thereby increasing the recovery capacity of the paper sheet recovery and transport system 10 per unit time.

[0099] In addition, the sending of the transport auxiliary body 16 from the transport auxiliary body relay device 17 to the return transport pipe 12b and the sending of the transport auxiliary body 16 from the transport auxiliary body inserting device 23 of the collective safe 11 to the outward transport pipe 12a are not limited to being performed simultaneously. At least a part of the first movement in which the transport auxiliary body 16 sent out by the transport auxiliary body inserting device 23 moves in the outward transport pipe 12a and the second movement in which the transport auxiliary body 16 sent out by the transport auxiliary body relay device 17 moves in the return transport pipe 12b may be performed in parallel. If the first movement and the second movement are performed in parallel even in part, the sending cycle can be shortened accordingly, and the collection capacity can be increased.

[0100] For example, if the second movement on the return path from the transport auxiliary relay device 17 to the collective safe 11 takes longer than the first movement on the outward path from the collective safe 11 to the transport auxiliary relay device 17, the transport auxiliary 16 may be sent first to the return path (return path conveying pipe 12b) which has a longer movement time, and then sent to the outward path (outward path conveying pipe 12a) which has a shorter movement time. It is desirable to control the sending out at a timing such that the first movement on the outward path ends simultaneously with or before the second movement on the return path is completed.

[0101] In the transport auxiliary relay device 17, as shown in Figure 13, the inlet side connection port 67 and the outlet side connection port 68 are arranged so that the longitudinal direction of the cross section of the outward transport pipe 12a and the longitudinal direction of the cross section of the return transport pipe 12b are parallel (coincident) at the connection point between the inlet side connection port 67 and the end of the outward transport pipe 12a, and at the connection point between the outlet side connection port 68 and the start of the return transport pipe 12b.

[0102] In the installation example of Fig. 2, the transport auxiliary relay device 17 is disposed on the extension line of the outgoing transport pipe 12a and the return transport pipe 12b of the portion extended along the upper side of the relay box 6 of each game machine island 3. However, for example, if the transport auxiliary relay device 17 must be bent from the above extension line and installed, it becomes necessary to bend the outgoing transport pipe 12a and the return transport pipe 12b. In this case, if the longitudinal directions of the cross sections of the outgoing transport pipe 12a and the return transport pipe 12b are parallel at the connection point to the transport auxiliary relay device 17, it is possible to deal with this by connecting a curved connecting member of the same structure to the curved part of the outgoing transport pipe 12a and the return transport pipe 12b.

[0103] However, if the longitudinal directions of the cross sections of the outward conveying pipe 12a and the return conveying pipe 12b are not parallel at the connection point to the conveying auxiliary relay device 17, it becomes necessary to use curved connecting members with different curvatures at the curved points of the outward conveying pipe 12a and the return conveying pipe 12b. This not only requires the effort of designing and manufacturing them individually, but also makes maintenance difficult because they are individually manufactured. As in the conveying auxiliary relay device 17 of this embodiment, the above problem is solved by making the outward conveying pipe 12a and the return conveying pipe 12b both vertically oriented and parallel in the longitudinal directions of the cross sections at the connection point to the conveying auxiliary relay device 17, and the freedom of installation location of the conveying auxiliary relay device 17 can be increased.

[0104] In the paper sheet collection and transport system 10 shown in Figure 2, since the return transport pipe 12b needs to be in a horizontal position when passing over the relay box 6, the return transport pipe 12b connected to the outlet connection port 68 of the transport auxiliary relay device 17 has a twisted section 51 inserted at a point upstream of the first intake device 14, changing the position from vertical to horizontal.

[0105] Due to its mechanism, the transport auxiliary body relay device 17 may be installed horizontally (the position shown in FIG. 13) or vertically (a position rotated 90 degrees around the axis of rotation of the rotating plate 72 from the position shown in FIG. 13), or may be installed with the inlet side connection port 67 and the outlet side connection port 68 facing upward. However, since the holding by the holding roller 82 is released at the discharge position, it is necessary to avoid an orientation in which the outlet side connection port 68 faces downward so that the transport auxiliary body 16 does not naturally fall into the return transport pipe 12b through the outlet side connection port 68.

[0106] The configuration of the transport auxiliary body relay device 17 is not limited to those exemplified in Figures 13 to 21. For example, the transport auxiliary body relay device 17 may be configured to have a buffer section capable of storing a plurality of transport auxiliary bodies 16 arriving from the outbound transport pipe 12a, and one of the transport auxiliary bodies 16 stored in the buffer section may be used for the next delivery.

[0107] In addition, in the transport auxiliary relay device 17 shown in FIG. 13 and the like, the transport auxiliary 16 received from the inflow side connection port 67 is moved to the outflow side connection port 68 side by rotating the rotating plate 72 by 180 degrees, but any method of movement may be used. For example, as shown in FIG. 22, four holding parts 74 are provided on the rotating plate 72 at 90 degree intervals, and the stop position of the rotating plate 72 is set at every 90 degrees. Then, the inflow side connection port 67 may be provided at a position facing one holding part 74a, the outflow side connection port 68 may be provided at a position facing a holding part 74b at a position rotated 90 degrees from there by the rotating plate 72, and the transport auxiliary 16 may be moved from the receiving position to the discharging position by rotating the rotating plate 72 by 90 degrees. In addition, a configuration in which the transport auxiliary 16 is slid from the receiving position to the discharging position may be used.

[0108] In the transport auxiliary body relay device 17 shown in Figure 13 etc., the transport auxiliary body 16 is moved from the receiving position to the discharging position using a rotating plate 72, so that the relay section 61 of the transport auxiliary body relay device 17 is thin and the installation of the transport auxiliary body relay device 17 is less likely to interfere with the decorations of the amusement facility 2 or the amusement machine island 3.

[0109] 17 and 18, the transport auxiliary relay device 17 catches the transport auxiliary 16 with a spring-biased holding roller 82, holds it while the rotating plate 72 rotates, and when the rotating plate 72 rotates and the holding part 74 reaches the release position, the release plate 84 comes into contact with the release roller 85, releasing the holding by the spring-biased holding roller 82. This eliminates the need to use an electromagnetic relay or the like, and allows the transport auxiliary 16 to be received, held, and released with a simple configuration.

[0110] In addition, as shown in Figures 20 and 21, side ribs 91 and guide ribs 92, 93 are provided on the inside of the inlet side connection port 67 and the outlet side connection port 68, thereby regulating the posture of the transport auxiliary body 16, ensuring stable and reliable catching of the transport auxiliary body 16, and correcting the posture of the transport auxiliary body 16 sent from the inlet side connection port 67 to the return transport pipe 12b, so that the transport auxiliary body 16 can be sent into the return transport pipe 12b without tilting.

[0111] Next, the part where the banknotes P conveyed from the sub-conveyor device 13 are sent into the conveyor tube 12 by the take-in device 14 will be described.

[0112] As shown in Fig. 23, the sub-conveyor 13 serves to transport banknotes P from the relay box 6 to the return transport pipe 12b extending horizontally above the relay box 6. When the banknotes P are taken into the return transport pipe 12b from the sub-conveyor 13, the traveling direction of the banknotes P changes from vertical to horizontal. As described above, when changing the traveling direction, the banknotes P need to be oriented so that the paper surface faces the inside or outside of the arc. Therefore, as shown in Figs. 23 and 24, the orientation of the return transport pipe 12b extending horizontally above the relay box 6 is set to a horizontal orientation in which the paper surface of the transported banknotes P (P3 in Fig. 24) faces up and down. At least the terminal portion (the portion immediately before reaching the take-in device 14) of the transport tube (referred to as the sub-transport tube 101) extending in the vertical direction of the sub-transport device 13 is positioned so that the paper surface of the banknote P (P1 in Figure 24) being transported faces the extension direction Fw of the return transport tube 12b at the location of the take-in device 14.

[0113] Fig. 24 shows the periphery of the take-in device 14 inserted in the portion of the return transport pipe 12b that passes above the relay box 6. Inside the take-in device 14, the path of the banknote P is changed as shown by P1, P2, and P3 in Fig. 24, and the banknote is sent into the return transport pipe 12b. The take-in device 14 can change the path of the banknote P conveyed by the sub-transport device 13 without twisting it, and send it smoothly into the transport pipe 12.

[0114] In addition, in order to turn the return transport pipe 12b, which is connected in a vertical position to the outflow side connection port 68 of the transport auxiliary relay device 17, into a horizontal position before reaching the first intake device 14, in the paper sheet recovery and transport system 10, a twisted section 51 is inserted into the return transport pipe 12b immediately after exiting the outflow side connection port 68 of the transport auxiliary relay device 17 (see Figure 2).

[0115] Next, the sub-transport device 13 will be described.

[0116] Figure 25 is a perspective view showing the sub-conveying device 13 and the take-in device 14 connected to its upper end (and the transport pipes 12 before and after it). Figure 26 is a cross-sectional view of the sub-conveying device 13 and the take-in device 14 connected to its upper end (and the transport pipes 12 before and after it). Figure 27 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the upper part of the sub-conveying pipe 101 of the sub-conveying device 13 and the take-in device 14. Figure 28 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the lower part of the sub-conveying pipe 101 of the sub-conveying device 13.

[0117] The sub-conveying device 13 transports banknotes P using a transport auxiliary body 16 different from the transport auxiliary body 16 that moves through the transport tube 12. However, the shape is the same as the transport auxiliary body 16 that moves through the transport tube 12. In the sub-conveying device 13, one transport auxiliary body 16 moves back and forth through a sub-conveying tube 101 that extends in the vertical direction. The cross-sectional shape of the sub-conveying tube 101 is the same as the straight portion of the transport tube 12, and a description thereof will be omitted.

[0118] As shown in Figures 25 and 26, the auxiliary conveying device 13 includes an auxiliary conveying pipe 101 extending in the vertical direction, a conveying auxiliary body 16 which moves up and down within the auxiliary conveying pipe 101, a banknote intake section 103 attached to the lower end of the auxiliary conveying pipe 101, and an upward flow generating section 102 which sends an air flow from below to above the banknote intake section 103 into the auxiliary conveying pipe 101 via the banknote intake section 103.

[0119] The auxiliary transport pipe 101 is provided with a twisting section 51 just before its upper end. The twisting section 51 twists the auxiliary transport pipe 101 by 90 degrees. As described above, in the portion of the auxiliary transport pipe 101 above the twisting section 51, the paper surface of the banknote P passing through this portion is oriented in the direction facing the extension direction of the return transport pipe 12b at the installation location of the take-in device 14 (see FIG. 24). On the other hand, in the portion below the twisting section 51, the longitudinal direction of the cross section of the auxiliary transport pipe 101 is oriented in the same direction as the extension direction of the return transport pipe 12b at the installation location of the take-in device 14.

[0120] As shown in Figure 28, the banknote intake section 103 comprises a passage section 104 having a cross-sectional shape similar to that of the auxiliary transport pipe 101 and a length of approximately 15 cm which communicates with the lower end of the auxiliary transport pipe 101, an opening 104b for taking in banknotes P which is provided in one side wall of the passage section 104, and transport rollers 105a and transport belts 105b for sending banknotes P diagonally upwards from the opening 104b into the passage section 104.

[0121] The lower end of the passage 104 is narrowed to receive and hold the transport auxiliary body 16. Also, an inlet 104c for the air flow from the upward flow generating part 102 is provided at the lower end of the passage 104. An air duct 102b extending from a fan 102a (see FIG. 25) of the upward flow generating part 102 is connected to the inlet 104c.

[0122] 29 shows the banknote feeder 103 with the cover (the wall opposite the opening 104b) of the passage 104 removed, as viewed from the side opposite the opening 104b. The transport rollers 105a and the transport belts 105b stretched over them are provided on the left and right sides of the width of the passage 104. Since the left and right transport belts 105b send out banknotes P into the passage 104, the banknotes P do not tilt when sent upward, and can be sent straight into the passage 104.

[0123] As shown in Figure 27, the upper end of the auxiliary transport tube 101 has a narrowed opening 101a, and the transport auxiliary body 16 abuts against the narrowed part at the upper end of the auxiliary transport tube 101 and stops, and the banknotes P pushed up by the transport auxiliary body 16 pass through the opening 101a and advance into the intake device 14.

[0124] The sub-transport device 13 operates as follows.

[0125] Normally, the upward flow generating unit 102 is stopped, and the transport auxiliary body 16 is held at the lower end of the passage section 104 of the banknote intake unit 103 (see FIG. 26). When the banknote P is sent into the auxiliary transport pipe 101 by the banknote intake unit 103, the transport rollers 105a and the like of the banknote intake unit 103 are driven by a motor, and the banknote P received from the outside (relay box 6) is sent toward the opening 104b of the passage section 104. When the banknote P is completely sent into the passage section 104, the upward flow generating unit 102 is operated to generate an upward air flow. Due to the action of this air flow, the transport auxiliary body 16 rises in the auxiliary transport pipe 101 while pushing the banknote P from its rear end.

[0126] The banknote P transported to the upper end of the auxiliary transport pipe 101 by the transport auxiliary body 16 rising due to the air flow advances directly into the intake device 14 through the opening 101a and is taken in by the intake device 14 (see FIG. 27). The transport auxiliary body 16 abuts against the narrow part at the upper end of the auxiliary transport pipe 101 and stops. Thereafter, when the upward flow generating section 102 is stopped, the transport auxiliary body 16 naturally falls back to its original position and is held at the lower end of the passage section 104 of the banknote intake section 103. This completes the series of operations for transporting the banknote P to the intake device 14 above.

[0127] The sub-transport device 13 has a transport capacity for transporting multiple (e.g., 3 to 5) banknotes P upward at one time. The banknote feeder 103 performs an operation of sending the banknotes P one by one into the passage 104 multiple times, creating a state in which multiple banknotes P stay in the passage 104. When the upward flow generator 102 is operated in this state, the transport auxiliary body 16 transports the multiple banknotes P at one time to the feeder 14 at the upper end.

[0128] Next, the capture device 14 will be described.

[0129] As shown in FIG. 27, the take-in device 14 has a passage section 121 having the same cross-sectional shape as the transport tube 12 and connected to the front and rear of the transport tube 12 (return transport tube 12b). The passage section 121 has an inner shape similar to the straight portion of the transport tube 12, allowing the transport auxiliary body 16 to pass through the passage section 121 smoothly. The passage section 121 is in a horizontal position. An opening 121b is formed in the lower wall surface of the passage section 121 for taking in the banknote P into the passage section 121. The take-in device 14 has a transport section 122 for sending out the banknote P from the opening 121b into the passage section 121.

[0130] The transport unit 122 includes a bill guide path 123 leading to the opening 121b, a transport belt 124 for transporting the bills P transported by the sub-transport device 13 through the bill guide path 123 toward the opening 121b of the passage unit 121, a feed roller 125a and a feed belt 125b for feeding the bills P sent into the passage unit 121 by the transport belt 124 completely into the passage unit 121 to its end, a shutter 126 provided midway along the bill guide path 123 for opening and closing the bill guide path 123 to prevent air leakage from the bill guide path 123, and a motor for driving the transport belt 124, the feed roller 125a, and the feed belt 125b. The shutter 126 is biased to a closed position by a spring or the like.

[0131] When a deformed banknote P or a weak banknote P is discharged from the relay box 6 to the sub-conveyor device 13, the contact between the banknote P conveyed to the take-in device 14 by the sub-conveyor device 13 and the conveyor belt 124 of the take-in device 14 may become insufficient, and the banknote P may not be conveyed by the conveyor belt 124 and successfully taken into the passage section 121. Therefore, the take-in device 14 further includes a clamping roller 128 for pressing banknotes P that are not being conveyed properly by the conveyor belt 124 toward the conveyor belt 124 and clamping them between the conveyor belt 124 and the banknote P to assist in conveyance.

[0132] As shown in Fig. 30, the pinch roller 128 is attached to the lower end of a movable arm 129 that is pivotally supported at a support point 129a at the upper end, and the movable arm 129 is swung by turning on and off a solenoid 130. When the solenoid 130 is turned on, the pinch roller 128 at the lower end advances into the banknote guide path 123 to a pinch position (see Fig. 30(b)) where it pinches a banknote P between itself and the conveyor belt 124, and when the solenoid 130 is turned off, the pinch roller 128 is biased by a spring or the like to return to a retracted position (see Fig. 30(a)) where it has retracted to the side of the banknote guide path 123.

[0133] The conveyor belt 124 is provided in two separate locations, left and right, in the width direction of the banknote P, and the clamping roller 128 is located between the left and right conveyor belts 124. A banknote detection sensor 131 that detects banknotes P is provided near the center in the conveying direction of the area spanned by the conveyor belt 124. Here, the banknote detection sensor 131 is an optical sensor. Since the banknote detection sensor 131 and the movable arm 129 are located extremely close to each other, the movable arm 129 is provided with an optical sensor and an opening to avoid its light, so that the movable arm 129 does not obstruct the installation of the optical sensor or block the light of the optical sensor.

[0134] When the banknote detection sensor 131 detects the banknote P, the solenoid 130 is turned on to displace the pinch roller 128 to the pinch position, and the banknote P is pinched and conveyed between the pinch roller 128 and the conveyor belt 124. When the banknote detection sensor 131 no longer detects the banknote P, the solenoid 130 is turned off to return the pinch roller 128 to the retracted position.

[0135] The take-in device 14 is structured such that it can be separated into a main body side where the clamping roller 128 is provided and a door side where the conveyor belt 124 facing the clamping roller 128 is provided, with the banknote guide path 123 as a boundary, in order to deal with cases where a banknote P is jammed inside. The main body side is fixedly installed as one unit with the passage part 121. When a banknote P is jammed, the door side is removed to deal with the jam. Since the movable mechanism including the clamping roller 128, which is a relatively heavy object, is provided on the fixed main body side, it is easy to remove the door side. In addition, since the movable mechanism, which is a heavy object, is also a vibration generating element, if it is provided on the door side, problems such as the attachment of the door side becoming loose are likely to occur. Therefore, the movable mechanism such as the clamping roller 128 and the movable arm 129 is provided on the main body side.

[0136] As described above, the intake device 14 is provided with the clamping rollers 128, so that even deformed or weak bills P can be stably taken into the passage portion 121.

[0137] When multiple banknotes P are conveyed at one time from the sub-conveyance device 13, the take-in device 14 can make the multiple banknotes P wait at one time in the banknote guide path 123. When the take-in device 14 receives a command from the control unit 27 to send the banknotes P to the conveyance tube 12, the take-in device 14 drives the conveyance belt 124, the clamping roller 128, the feed roller 125a, the feed belt 125b, etc. to convey the banknotes P waiting in the banknote guide path 123 and send them into the passage unit 121.

[0138] Next, the collection of the bills P in the game machine island 3 and the relay box 6 will be described.

[0139] The intra-island bill transport device 8, which takes in bills P discharged from the back of each game ball dispensing machine 4 within the game machine island 3 and transports them to one end of the game machine island 3, also uses an air flow to move the transport auxiliary body 16, and transports the bills P by pushing them from the rear with the transport auxiliary body 16.

[0140] Fig. 31 is a plan view showing an intra-island banknote transport device 8 installed in the gaming machine island 3, and Fig. 32 is a front view showing the intra-island banknote transport device 8 installed in the gaming machine island 3. Fig. 33 is a diagram showing the inside of the relay box 6.

[0141] Inside the game machine island 3, a transport pipe 140 having the same cross-sectional shape as the transport pipe 12 is installed. The transport pipe 140 is in a vertical position, and the bills P transported through the transport pipe 140 are transported in a vertical position. In the game machine island 3, the game ball dispensing machine 4 is formed in a box shape with a narrow front width in order to increase the number of machines to be installed. Therefore, the bill insertion slot provided in the game ball dispensing machine 4 is also usually made vertically long. The bills P are inserted in the bill insertion slot in a vertical position, and the bills P are discharged from the back of the game ball dispensing machine 4 in a vertical position. Therefore, the transport pipe 140 of the intra-island bill transport device 8 is configured to receive the bills P from the game ball dispensing machine 4 in a vertical position and transport them in that vertical position.

[0142] The conveying pipe 140 is extended from the relay box 6 toward the other end of the game machine island 3, and is piped so as to make a U-turn at the other end and return to the relay box 6. In the middle of the part of the conveying pipe 140 that makes a U-turn and returns to the relay box 6 (return route), a bill intake device 142 is installed at a position corresponding to each game ball dispensing machine 4, which takes in bills P discharged from the back of the game ball dispensing machine 4 into the conveying pipe 140. The bill intake device 142 is provided on both sides of the side wall of the conveying pipe 140 to take in bills P from the game ball dispensing machine 4 arranged on the front side of the game machine island 3 and bills P from the game ball dispensing machine 4 arranged on the back side of the game machine island 3. The bills P taken into the conveying pipe 140 from the bill intake device 142 stay at a predetermined intake completion position with the paper surface along the extension direction of the conveying pipe 140.

[0143] Provided within the relay box 6 are an air flow generating device 144 similar to the air flow generating device 21 provided in the collective safe 11, and a banknote separation / transport auxiliary body circulating device 145 having a configuration similar to the banknote separation / transport auxiliary body circulating device 22 provided in the collective safe 11. The banknote separation / transport auxiliary body circulating device 145 has a transport auxiliary body inserting device 146 similar to the transport auxiliary body inserting device 23, and a separation / collection device 147 similar to the separation / collection device 24 (see Figures 32 and 33).

[0144] Furthermore, the relay box 6 is provided with a banknote transport unit 148 (see FIG. 33) that transports the banknotes P discharged from the separation and collection device 147, and a temporary storage device 150 that temporarily stores the banknotes P. The temporary storage device 150 has a function of temporarily storing a plurality of banknotes P received from the banknote transport unit 148, and also has a function of feeding out the stored banknotes P based on an instruction from the control unit 27, and sending them to the banknote intake unit 103 of the sub-transport device 13 described above.

[0145] When the bills P discharged from the back of the game ball dispenser 4 in the game machine island 3 are transported to the relay box 6 and collected, the transport auxiliary body 16 is sent from the transport auxiliary body inserting device 146 in the relay box 6 into the beginning of the transport pipe 140. The transport auxiliary body 16 sent into the transport pipe 140 receives the air flow generated by the air flow generating device 144 and moves downstream in the transport pipe 140, and on the way back after making a U-turn, collects the bills P taken in from the game ball dispenser 4 by the bill take-in device 142 and returns to the separation and collection device 147 in the relay box 6. The separation and collection device 147 separates the bills P transported by the transport auxiliary body 16 from the transport auxiliary body 16, and delivers the transport auxiliary body 16 to the transport auxiliary body inserting device 146. Meanwhile, the separated bills P are transported to the temporary storage device 150 in the relay box 6 by the bill transport unit 148. 33 shows a path M along which the banknote transport unit 148 transports the banknote P. At this time, the banknote P is transported in an upright position.

[0146] Fig. 34 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the temporary storage device 150, and Fig. 35 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the temporary storage device 150. The temporary storage device 150 receives and stores the banknotes P transported in an upright position by the banknote transport unit 148.

[0147] The temporary storage device 150 has a posture changing unit 151 that changes the orientation of the banknote P received from the banknote transport unit 148 from a posture in which the paper surface is vertical (standing posture) to a posture in which the paper surface is horizontal (laying posture), an elevator unit 152 that transports the banknote P with the horizontal paper surface to a storage unit 154 below, and a feed-out transport unit 153 that feeds out the banknotes P accumulated in the storage unit 154 one by one in a lying posture and transports them toward the banknote take-in unit 103 of the sub-transport device 13. The thick line 156 shown in FIG. 34 indicates the transport path of the banknotes P by the feed-out transport unit 153.

[0148] Fig. 36 shows a schematic configuration and operation of the temporary storage device 150. As shown in Fig. 36, the posture changing unit 151 has a U-shaped base plate having one short side and a pair of long sides, and L-shaped protrusions are provided along both long sides of the base plate so that a pair of grooves having a U-shaped cross section facing each other are formed along both long sides of the base plate. The posture changing unit 151 is capable of storing a plurality of banknotes P between the pair of grooves. The posture changing unit 151 supports and stores only the edges of the banknotes P with the pair of opposing U-shaped grooves.

[0149] As shown in Fig. 36(a), the posture conversion unit 151 is in a vertical posture (a posture in which stored banknotes P are in an upright posture) during standby. In this state, the posture conversion unit 151 receives and stores banknotes transported in an upright posture from the banknote transport unit 148 between a pair of opposing U-shaped grooves. The posture conversion unit 151 is capable of being displaced between the vertical posture shown in Fig. 36(a) and a horizontal posture in which the posture is rotated 90 degrees around the lower end from the vertical posture and falls horizontally (a posture in which stored banknotes P are in a lying posture, see Fig. 36(b)). The posture conversion unit 151 is displaced between the vertical posture and the horizontal posture by a motor (not shown).

[0150] The elevator unit 152 transports the banknote P, which has been put into a horizontal position by the position changing unit 151, in the direction in which the paper surface faces (here, downward) while maintaining the horizontal position. The elevator unit 152 has a receiving plate 152a that supports the horizontally oriented banknote P from below, and a pressing plate 152b that sandwiches the banknote P placed on the receiving plate 152a between the receiving plate 152a and the banknote P from above. The receiving plate 152a is composed of two plates that support only both ends of the banknote P in the width direction, and the pressing plate 152b is a plate-like member whose width is narrower than the gap between the two plates of the receiving plate 152a, and is capable of passing between the two plates of the receiving plate 152a.

[0151] When in standby mode, the receiving plate 152a stops at a position where it just abuts against the underside of the attitude change part 151 in a horizontal position (the underside of a pair of U-shaped grooves of the attitude change part 151 rotated to a horizontal position), and the pressing plate 152b stops directly above the receiving plate 152a (between the two plates) at a position higher than the attitude change part 151 in the vertical position.

[0152] When the banknotes P stored in the attitude changing unit 151 are transported downward by the elevator unit 152 and stored in the storage unit 154, the temporary storage device 150 operates as follows.

[0153] First, as shown in Fig. 36(a), the posture changing unit 151 waits in a vertical posture, and in this state receives and stores the banknote P transported in an upright posture from the banknote transport unit 148. Next, as shown in Fig. 36(b), the posture changing unit 151 falls to a horizontal posture. The pressing plate 152b is sized and positioned to pass between a pair of opposing U-shaped grooves (referred to as a through-hole) of the posture changing unit 151 in the horizontal posture.

[0154] After the attitude changing unit 151 is in the horizontal attitude, the pressure plate 152b of the elevator unit 152 starts to descend (FIG. 36(c)). When the pressure plate 152b reaches the through-hole of the attitude changing unit 151, the receiving plate 152a also starts to descend at the same speed as the pressure plate 152b, and thereafter, the receiving plate 152a and the pressure plate 152b descend together. As a result, the banknote P held in the attitude changing unit 151 descends while being sandwiched between the receiving plate 152a and the pressure plate 152b of the elevator unit 152.

[0155] Since posture changing unit 151 holds only the edge of banknote P, banknote P easily leaves posture changing unit 151 as elevator unit 152 descends. Then, banknote P is conveyed downward by elevator unit 152 while being sandwiched between receiving plate 152a and pressing plate 152b of elevator unit 152 (FIG. 36(d)).

[0156] When the elevator unit 152 descends to a certain degree below the attitude changing unit 151, the attitude changing unit 151 returns to the vertical attitude (FIG. 36(e)).

[0157] When the elevator unit 152 descends to a predetermined position, the receiving plate 152a stops descending and the pressing plate 152b continues to descend (FIG. 36(e)). The space between the stopped receiving plate 152a and the surface on which the conveyor belt 153b of the payout conveyor unit 153 exists serves as the storage unit 154 (see FIGS. 34 and 35).

[0158] When the pressure plate 152b continues to descend after the descent of the receiving plate 152a has stopped, the pressure plate 152b passes between the two plates constituting the receiving plate 152a and descends further than the receiving plate 152a. At this time, the banknote P, both ends of which were supported by the two plates constituting the receiving plate 152a, is pressed by the pressure plate 152b and gradually curves, and eventually both ends come off the receiving plate 152a and fall downward to be stored in the storage section 154 (FIGS. 36(e) and (f)). Note that in order to separate both ends of the banknote P from the receiving plate 152a and allow them to fall downward, the receiving plate 152a may be raised while the pressure plate 152b is lowered.

[0159] After that, the elevator section 152 (receiving plate 152a and pressing plate 152b) starts to rise (FIG. 36(g)). Then, when the receiving plate 152a rises to the height of the lower end of the attitude changing section 151 (standby height) (FIG. 36(h)), it stops at that position, and the pressing plate 152b continues to rise, moving to a position higher than the attitude changing section 151 (standby position) and stopping there (FIG. 36(i)).

[0160] By repeating the above operations, the temporary storage device 150 can convert the banknotes P received from the banknote transport unit 148 from a vertical position to a horizontal position and accumulate a large number of them in the storage unit 154. The storage unit 154 in this example can store approximately 500 banknotes P. When the transport belt 153b is driven with banknotes P present in the storage unit 154, the bottommost banknote P among the banknotes P stored in the storage unit 154 is fed out and transported toward the banknote intake unit 103 of the sub-transport device 13 along the path indicated by the thick line 156 in FIG.

[0161] When the banknotes P are fed, it is desirable to press the banknotes P downward with the pressure plate 152b as shown in Fig. 36(f). Therefore, the position in Fig. 36(f) may be set as the normal position, and when the banknotes P accumulate in the posture changing unit 151, the elevator unit 152 may be controlled to move as shown in Figs. 36(g)-(i), (a)-(f) to transport the banknotes P to the storage unit 154.

[0162] In the temporary storage device 150, the posture change unit 151 is rotated between a vertical posture and a horizontal posture to change the posture of the banknote P from a state in which the paper surface is vertical (upright posture) to a state in which the paper surface is horizontal (laid down posture). Therefore, the posture of the banknote P can be changed in a smaller space than when a mechanism is used that changes the posture of the banknote P from a state in which the paper surface is vertical to a horizontal state by twisting the banknote P while transporting it.

[0163] In addition, as soon as the attitude changing section 151 assumes the horizontal attitude, the pressure plate 152b immediately begins to descend, and as soon as the entire elevator section 152 descends from the attitude changing section 151, the attitude changing section 151 returns to the vertical attitude, so that the period during which the attitude changing section 151 cannot accept banknotes P from the banknote transport section 148 is only short, and there is no hindrance to the collection of banknotes P within the gaming machine island 3. In this embodiment, the return of the attitude changing section 151 to the vertical attitude is a condition for the intra-island banknote transport device 8 to send out the next transport auxiliary body 16.

[0164] In addition, since the posture conversion unit 151 can store multiple banknotes P, even if the elevator unit 152 is lowered for a long time due to some factor and multiple banknotes P are transported by the banknote transport unit 148 during that time, the posture conversion unit 151 can accept and store them.

[0165] As shown in FIG. 36(e), when the pressure plate 152b is lowered below the receiving plate 152a to remove the banknotes P from the receiving plate 152a and move them to the storage section 154, the banknotes P may be stored in a disordered manner, and as a result, the banknotes P may become jammed when the conveyor belt 153b of the delivery conveyor section 153 delivers the banknotes P from the storage section 154. For example, as shown in FIG. 37(a), when the pressure plate 152b starts to be lowered below the receiving plate 152a, only one end of the banknotes P may slip off the receiving plate 152a, causing the storage of the banknotes P to become disordered. To address this problem, as shown in FIG. 37(b), a sheet 155 made of a material (e.g., natural rubber) that has frictional force against the banknotes P is attached to the upper surfaces of the two plates that make up the receiving plate 152a.

[0166] When the pressure plate 152b descends relative to the receiving plate 152a of the elevator unit 152 to press the banknote P downward from above in order to store the banknote P in the storage unit 154, the natural rubber sheet 155 rubs against both ends of the banknote P to prevent it from slipping off. As a result, as shown in FIG. 37(b), the center of the banknote P pressed down by the action of the pressure plate 152b descends first, and finally both ends come off the receiving plate 152a and fall into the storage unit 154. This prevents one end from falling first and causing the banknote to lose its posture as shown in FIG. 37(a), and the banknote P can be moved and stored in the storage unit 154 in a stable posture, and the subsequent transport by the feeding transport unit 153 can be performed smoothly.

[0167] Fig. 38 shows a case where further improvements have been made to the structure of Fig. 37(b). A sheet 155 made of a material that is elastic and has frictional force against banknotes P (for example, natural rubber) is attached to the upper surfaces of the two plates that make up the receiving plate 152a and the lower surface of the pressing plate 152b. Furthermore, the inner ends (banknote passing side) of the two plates that make up the receiving plate 152a are bent downward into an inverted L-shape, so that the elastic and frictional material (sheet 155) protrudes toward the banknote passing side. Bending into an inverted L-shape increases the strength of the receiving plate 152a.

[0168] Furthermore, when the frictional material (sheet 155) is natural rubber or the like, it has elasticity, so that when the pressure plate 152b descends from the receiving plate 152a and presses the bill P downward, the portion of the sheet 155 protruding toward the bill passing side is slightly curved downward, so that the bill P falls more smoothly while being frictionally received from the sheet 155. Furthermore, the presence of the elastic sheet 155 provided on the upper surface of the receiving plate 152a and the lower surface of the pressure plate 152b prevents the bill P from being damaged or scratched. Even in the improved type shown in FIG. 38, one end of the bill P does not fall first and the bill P is no longer distorted in position, so the bill P can be moved and stored in the storage unit 154 in a stable position, and the subsequent transport by the feeding transport unit 153 can be smoothly performed.

[0169] In addition, in the intra-island banknote transport device 8, as shown in Figure 31, the transport pipe 140, which is piped along the longitudinal direction of the island, is extended straight and connected to the relay box 6, so that the space that needs to be secured at the end of the island to install the relay box 6 can be made smaller than in the case where a configuration is adopted in which the transport pipe 140 is bent 90 degrees via a curved pipe just before connecting to the relay box 6.

[0170] However, in a configuration in which the return transport pipe 12b passes above a number of relay boxes 6 as shown in Fig. 2, the orientation of the banknote P when it reaches the take-in device 14 needs to be such that the paper surface of the banknote P faces the extension direction Fw of the return transport pipe 12b as shown in Fig. 24. Therefore, the longitudinal direction of the banknote P that has flowed into the relay box 6 from the transport pipe 140 of the intra-island banknote transport device 8 needs to be changed by 90 degrees. Since it is difficult to perform such a direction change within the relay box 6 due to space limitations, a twisting section 51 is provided midway through the sub-transport pipe 101 of the sub-transport device 13 as shown in Fig. 23.

[0171] Since the conveying pipe 140 in the game machine island 3 is connected straight to the relay box 6, conveying errors are less likely to occur and conveying quality can be improved compared to when the pipe is bent 90 degrees just before the relay box 6. Also, as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 23, the door of the relay box 6 faces the front (the direction facing the island end), making it easier to open the door and perform maintenance and inspection work inside the relay box 6.

[0172] In this embodiment, a banknote validation device for inspecting the authenticity or detecting the denomination of banknotes P is not provided inside the relay box 6. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 34, it is possible to shorten the transport path of the feed transport unit 153 that transports banknotes P from the storage unit 154 of the temporary storage device 150 to the banknote intake unit 103 of the sub-transport device 13.

[0173] Since the relay box 6 is provided on the gaming machine island 3 as described above, the paper sheet collecting and transporting system 10 can automatically transport the paper notes P collected on the gaming machine island 3 to the collective safe 11 in the office while configuring the intra-island paper note transport device 8 that collects and transports the paper notes P on the gaming machine island 3 and the paper sheet collecting and transporting system 10 as separate devices. That is, the relay box 6 changes the posture of the paper notes P from an upright posture to a lying posture, so that the paper notes P received from the intra-island paper note transport device 8 that transports the paper notes P in an upright posture can be smoothly sent to the auxiliary transport device 13 that transports the paper notes P in a lying posture. In addition, the temporary storage device 150 has a function of temporarily storing and storing the paper notes P, so that it can absorb the difference between the timing when the paper notes P are transported by the intra-island paper note transport device 8 and the timing when the paper notes P should be sent to the auxiliary transport device 13.

[0174] In addition, if there is a risk of an abnormality in the transport route from the relay box 6 to the office collective safe 11 due to a malfunction of the office collective safe 11 or a disaster such as an earthquake, the use of the collective safe 11 can be discontinued and the relay box 6 can be switched to standalone operation mode, allowing it to be used as a conventional island-only safe.

[0175] Next, the connection part 15 inserted in the middle of the conveying tube 12 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the main conveying tube 12 of the paper sheet collecting and conveying system 10 is composed of multiple conveying tubes connected by the connection part 15. Unlike the intra-island banknote conveying device 8, the conveying tube 12 of the paper sheet collecting and conveying system 10 is installed over a very long distance, so that the expansion and contraction of the conveying tube 12 due to temperature changes cannot be ignored in construction. When the conveying tube 12 shrinks, a large gap is generated at the connection part, and when it expands, the conveying tubes 12 collide with each other at the connection part, causing a large stress and bending. Such gaps and bending hinder the smooth movement of the banknotes P and the conveying auxiliary body 16, and cause clogging.

[0176] Therefore, even if the length of the conveying pipe 12 changes due to temperature changes or the like, the change in length of the conveying pipe 12 is absorbed by the connecting portion 15 so that the overall installation condition is not distorted or a large gap is not created.

[0177] 39 is a diagram showing the connecting part 15 with the conveying tubes 12 in front and behind it disconnected. The connecting part 15 includes a connecting main body part 160 and a connection adapter 170. In the figure, the conveying direction of the banknotes P (direction of the air flow) is indicated by an arrow Fw. Also, the connecting main body part 160 is shown with one side wall removed.

[0178] Figure 40 is a diagram showing the front, left side, right side, top, and bottom of the conveying tube 12 connected to the connecting portion 15, and Figure 41 is a diagram showing the front, left side, right side, top, and bottom of the connection adapter 170.

[0179] The downstream end 172 of the connection adaptor 170 is inserted into the upstream connection port 161 of the connecting body 160, and the upstream conveying pipe 12 is connected to the upstream connection port 171 of the connection adaptor 170. The downstream connection port 162 of the connecting body 160 is connected to the downstream conveying pipe 12.

[0180] The inner shape of the upstream connection port 171 of the connection adaptor 170 corresponds to the outer shape of the conveying pipe 12. The inner shape of the downstream connection port 162 of the connecting main body 160 corresponds to the outer shape of the conveying pipe 12. The conveying pipe 12 is hermetically connected by being inserted into the upstream connection port 171 of the connection adaptor 170 and the downstream connection port 162 of the connecting main body 160, respectively, with a thin packing (not shown) made of an elastic material such as rubber covering the outer periphery.

[0181] The downstream end 172 of the connection adapter 170 has inner and outer shapes that are substantially the same as those of the conveying pipe 12, and the inner shape of the upstream connection port 161 of the connecting main body 160 corresponds to the outer shape of the downstream end 172 of the connection adapter 170. The downstream end 172 of the connection adapter 170 is also inserted into the inside of the upstream connection port 161 of the connecting main body 160 while being covered with a packing similar to that described above, and is connected airtight.

[0182] The downstream conveying pipe 12 is connected and fixed with its upstream end butted against the butt portion 162b provided inside the downstream connection port 162 of the connecting body portion 160. For example, it is glued. The upstream conveying pipe 12 is inserted into the upstream connection port 171 of the connection adapter 170 until it butts against the back of the upstream connection port 171 and connected. On the inside of the downstream end portion 172 of the connection adapter 170, ribs 173, 174 similar to the ribs 34, 35 formed on the inside of the conveying pipe 12 are formed, and these ribs 173, 174 extend further downstream from the downstream end portion 172 of the connection adapter 170 and protrude.

[0183] Ribs 163, 164 are provided on the inside of the connecting main body portion 160, similar to the ribs 34, 35 of the conveying pipe 12, so that when the connection adapter 170 is connected to the connecting main body portion 160, the ribs 173, 174 of the connection adapter 170 are continuous with the ribs 163, 164 of the connecting main body portion 160.

[0184] 42 shows how the downstream end 172 of the connection adapter 170 is connected to the upstream connection port 161 of the connecting main body 160. When the downstream end 172 of the connection adapter 170 is inserted into the upstream connection port 161 of the connecting main body 160, the ribs 173, 174 of the connection adapter 170 and the ribs 163, 164 of the connecting main body 160 overlap and become continuous, as shown in FIG. 42(b). FIG. 42(c) shows the state in which the connection adapter 170 is inserted into the downstream connection port 162 of the connecting main body 160 as far as it will go.

[0185] During construction, as shown in FIG. 1B, the connection is made about 10 mm in front of the innermost position. This allows the connection between the connecting body 160 and the connection adaptor 170 to absorb any change in length due to contraction or expansion of the conveying pipe 12. The position 20 mm in front of the innermost position is the shallowest connection position, and the connecting part 15 can absorb changes in length due to contraction or expansion by ±10 mm compared to during construction. The ribs 163, 164 on the connecting body 160 side and the ribs 173, 174 on the connection adaptor 170 side overlap by a predetermined length (for example, 5 mm) even when the connection adaptor 170 is connected to the connecting body 160 in the shallowest position.

[0186] 43 is an enlarged view showing the connection state between the ribs 173, 174 on the connection adaptor 170 side and the ribs 163, 164 on the connection main body 160 side. The central rib 163 on the connection main body 160 side is divided into two parallel ribs 163a, 163b, and the central rib 173 on the connection adaptor 170 side is inserted between them. The distance between the two ribs 163a, 164b constituting the rib 163 matches the thickness of the rib 173, and the rib 173 is inserted between the two ribs 163a, 163b with no gap between them. In this way, by inserting rib 173 on the connection adapter 170 side between the two ribs 163a, 163b on the connection main body 160 side, even if the connection depth when connecting the downstream end 172 of the connection adapter 170 to the upstream connection port 161 of the connection main body 160 changes significantly due to contraction and expansion, it is possible to connect rib 163 on the connection main body 160 side and rib 173 on the connection adapter 170 side without their positional relationship being shifted.

[0187] The rib 164 of the connecting body 160 and the rib 174 of the connection adapter 170 overlap with one side surface of each abutting. Here, they abut in a positional relationship where the rib 164 is on the inside and the rib 174 is on the outside. By making the outer rib 174 slightly press the inner rib 164 inward, they abut closely and are smoothly connected.

[0188] In this way, in the connection part 15 of this embodiment, the rib on the connection main body part 160 side and the rib on the connection adapter 170 side are not simply faced to each other, but the rib 173 is fitted between the two ribs 163a and 163b, and the length of the fitted rib is set to a length that can absorb fluctuations due to contraction and expansion. As a result, even if there is a temperature change in the installation environment, the contraction and expansion of the conveying path due to the temperature change can be absorbed by the connection part 15, and inconveniences such as gaps at the connection part of the conveying tube or bending due to stress can be prevented. In addition, since the ribs are connected by fitting, there is no misalignment or step of the rib at the connection part, and the conveying auxiliary body 16 and the banknote P can be passed smoothly.

[0189] 42, a sensor 166 (optical sensor) is provided on the connection body 160 of the connection part 15 to detect the passage or snagging of the banknote P or the transport auxiliary body 16. Jamming of the banknote P and snagging of the transport auxiliary body 16 are likely to occur at the connection part.

[0190] (Auxiliary blower) In the return path conveying pipe 12b, along which the conveying auxiliary body 16 moves while conveying the banknotes P, the load is larger than that in the outward path conveying pipe 12a, along which the banknotes P are not being pushed, and the moving speed of the conveying auxiliary body 16 tends to decrease. Therefore, an auxiliary blower is provided to strengthen the air flow.

[0191] In particular, the larger the game center 2, the more the transport pipe 12 of the paper sheet collection and transport system 10 needs to go around a large number of game machine islands 3, and may even be spanned across multiple floors, resulting in an increased number of curved sections of the transport pipe 12. In curved sections, resistance increases, slowing the progress of the transport auxiliary body 16 and easily impeding the flow of air. In addition, curved sections also connect to straight sections before and after them. Air leaks may occur at the connecting points.

[0192] Therefore, an auxiliary blower for increasing the amount of air flow is installed at the point where the conveying pipe 12 is curved. For example, an auxiliary blower for increasing the air flow toward the downstream is installed immediately upstream of the curve (immediately before reaching the curve). Alternatively, an auxiliary blower for increasing the air flow toward the downstream may be installed immediately downstream of the curve.

[0193] Also, an auxiliary blower may be provided downstream of the most downstream intake device 14. That is, the transport auxiliary body 16 collects the bills P by visiting the installation locations of the relay boxes 6 of each gaming machine island 3 in the gaming facility, and then moves to the collective safe 11 while transporting the bills P. However, if the collective safe 11 is installed on a different floor from the gaming machine island 3, the transport pipe 12 from the last intake device 14 to the collective safe 11 may be a long distance.

[0194] In such a case, it becomes difficult to obtain a volume of air sufficient to reliably transport auxiliary body 16 to reach collective safe 11 using only the air blown from transport auxiliary body relay device 17. Therefore, an auxiliary blower is provided downstream of the most downstream intake device 14 to increase the volume of air. In addition, auxiliary blowers are provided at appropriate locations along the transport route as necessary.

[0195] Even if the volume of air is increased by the auxiliary blower, distortion may occur at the connection points of both ends of the curved portion as described above, and the conveying auxiliary body 16 may lose its posture at the connection points of the curved conveying pipe, which may cause it to get stuck. Therefore, a release air blower that generates an air flow (release air) from downstream to upstream is provided downstream of the point where the conveying auxiliary body 16 is likely to get stuck, and when the conveying auxiliary body 16 does not reach the point where the release air blower is installed, the release air blower is operated to send release air for a specified time (for example, 10 seconds) to release the stuck conveying auxiliary body 16. An obstacle in which the conveying auxiliary body 16 does not reach the specified point is considered to be a conveying auxiliary body conveying error.

[0196] For example, a release wind blower that generates an air flow (release wind) from downstream to upstream is provided immediately upstream of the curve or halfway along the curve, and when the transport auxiliary body 16 does not reach the downstream side of the curve, the release wind blower is operated to send in the release wind to release the stuck transport auxiliary body 16.

[0197] While the release air is being sent, the air flow in the normal direction is stopped. After the sending of the release air is completed, the air flow in the normal direction is generated again, and the transport auxiliary body 16 is moved to transport the banknotes P. This releases the transport auxiliary body 16 from being caught, and allows the transport auxiliary body 16 to stably transport the banknotes P.

[0198] The location where the release air blower is provided is not limited to upstream or midway of the curve, and it is sufficient that the release air blower's air outlet is located near the transport auxiliary body 16, as long as it can release the stuck transport auxiliary body 16. That is, the release air blower may be provided at an appropriate location on the transport path, particularly downstream of a location where the transport auxiliary body 16 is likely to get stuck, or, if there are several locations where the transport auxiliary body 16 is likely to get stuck, the release air blower may be provided immediately downstream of the most downstream location among them. Furthermore, the direction of the release air is not limited to the direction flowing from downstream to upstream, and since the effect of releasing the stuck state can be achieved by changing the wind direction in the transport pipe, the wind direction is not limited to one direction.

[0199] Figure 44 shows an example in which a release wind blower 19 is added to the system shown in Figure 2. The release wind blower 19 blows air upstream (sends release wind) from a position downstream of the most downstream intake device 14 (a position just before the curved part). The auxiliary blower 18 blows air downstream from a position downstream of the most downstream intake device 14 (a position just after passing the curved part), enhancing the forward air flow.

[0200] (Auxiliary blower startup setting) The auxiliary blower operates for a predetermined time based on the point when a sensor (see FIG. 44) installed slightly downstream of the installation location detects the passage of the transport auxiliary body 16. Normally, the banknote P is pushed and moved by the transport auxiliary body 16, but the action of the air flow can cause the banknote P to move on its own without being pushed by the transport auxiliary body 16. If the sensor detects a self-moving banknote P, it will erroneously detect that the transport auxiliary body 16 has passed, even though it has not yet arrived. At this time, the transport auxiliary body 16 is still upstream of the banknote P in the transport direction.

[0201] When the auxiliary blower is turned on, air flow stagnation occurs around the auxiliary blower's air outlet, and a headwind toward the upstream side may occur downstream of the auxiliary blower. Therefore, if the auxiliary blower is operated at the timing when the above-mentioned sensor detects a self-propelled banknote P, the movement of the transport auxiliary body 16 upstream of the sensor may be hindered due to the air flow stagnation phenomenon or the generation of a headwind, which may result in a transport auxiliary body transport error.

[0202] Therefore, the following measures were introduced: 1. The expected passing time required for the transport auxiliary body 16 to pass the location of the sensor, which is the reference for the operation timing of the auxiliary blower, is set after the transport auxiliary body 16 is sent out, and the auxiliary blower is controlled not to be turned on even if the sensor detects the passage of an object until the expected passing time has elapsed after the transport auxiliary body 16 is sent out. In other words, if the sensor turns on before the expected passing time has elapsed, the auxiliary blower is turned on after the expected passing time has elapsed. If the sensor turns on after the expected passing time has elapsed, the auxiliary blower is immediately controlled to be turned on.

[0203] 2. A test run is performed three times in succession in which the transport auxiliary body 16 is moved alone without transporting banknotes P, and the time from when the transport auxiliary body 16 is sent out to when the sensor detects the transport auxiliary body 16 is automatically measured, and if the time difference between the three measurements is within two seconds, the latest measured time is set as the expected passage time.

[0204] 3. The scheduled passage time can be changed by operating the control device (DIP switch, push button, etc.).

[0205] By taking the above measures, the sensor will not detect the self-propelled banknote P and the auxiliary blower will not be turned on before the transport auxiliary body 16 reaches the location where the auxiliary blower is installed, thereby preventing transport auxiliary body transport errors due to this cause.

[0206] (Automatic setting of auxiliary body rotation reference time) In the paper sheet collection and transport system 10, a reference auxiliary body rotation time is set, which is the time it takes for the transport auxiliary body 16 sent out from the collective safe 11 to go around the transport tube 12 and return to the collective safe 11, and the presence or absence of a transport auxiliary body transport error is judged based on the reference auxiliary body rotation time. The auxiliary body rotation reference time may be set based on the time it actually takes for the transport auxiliary body 16 to go around the transport tube 12 manually measured by an operator using a stopwatch or the like, but if it can be measured and set automatically, it would be more convenient and labor-saving.

[0207] Therefore, the paper sheet collection and transport system 10 has a function of automatically and continuously performing a test rotation run in which the transport auxiliary body 16 alone goes around the transport tube 12 once without transporting the banknotes P multiple times, automatically measuring the rotation time, and automatically setting the auxiliary body rotation reference time after taking into consideration the equipment configuration. The auxiliary body rotation reference time can be manually changed. By providing a function for automatically setting the auxiliary body rotation reference time, the effort required for initial setup is reduced and human errors during input setup can be avoided.

[0208] (Auxiliary blower control) If the transport route has a complex configuration (such as many curves) or if the distance to the collective safe 11 is very long, it becomes necessary to install multiple auxiliary blowers 18 at appropriate locations on the transport route. Several control methods for controlling one or multiple auxiliary blowers 18 are shown below. In any control method, each auxiliary blower 18 is controlled to start in accordance with the timing at which the transport auxiliary body 16 passes.

[0209] <Independent control> As explained in the section "Auxiliary Blower Activation Setting," in the independent control, when a sensor installed slightly downstream of the auxiliary blower 18 detects the passage of the transport auxiliary body 16, an operation decision is made based on the passage time, and the auxiliary blower 18 is activated and operated for a predetermined time. Even if multiple auxiliary blowers 18 are installed, the operation of each auxiliary blower 18 is decided individually. In the independent control, if there is a place along the transport path where the air volume is insufficient, this can be addressed by simply adding an independently controlled auxiliary blower 18 near the upstream of that place, so measures to increase the air volume can be easily taken as necessary.

[0210] <Administrative Control> In management control, the control unit (control unit 27 of collective safe 11) that controls the overall operation of paper sheet collection and transport system 10 centrally manages the operation timing of auxiliary blower 18. In management control, the timing at which transport auxiliary body 16 passes each point on the transport route (the elapsed time since being sent out) is checked and understood in advance. The passing points are, for example, the locations where sensor 166 (see FIG. 42) provided on connecting part 15 is installed, and this sensor detects the passing to check the passing timing at each point.

[0211] The timing for activating each auxiliary blower 18 is preset based on the timing of passing each point thus checked. The control unit 27 measures the elapsed time from the time when the transport auxiliary body 16 is sent out to the transport pipe 12, and transmits an operation command to each auxiliary blower when it is time to start the auxiliary blower. Upon receiving this operation command, the auxiliary blower 18 operates the fan for a predetermined time and then stops it.

[0212] As a result, when a plurality of auxiliary blowers 18 are installed, the auxiliary blowers 18 operate for a predetermined time and then stop, one after the other, starting from the one installed upstream.

[0213] In the management control, it is not necessary to provide a judgment unit for judging the start timing on the auxiliary blower 18 side, and the configuration is simplified. Also, even if a malfunction or abnormality occurs in the sensor that detects the passage of the auxiliary transport body while the system is in operation, each auxiliary blower 18 can be operated at a predetermined timing, and a more reliable paper sheet collection and transport system 10 can be provided.

[0214] As another method of control, the start timing of each auxiliary blower 18 checked as described above may be set in each auxiliary blower 18, and the control unit 27 may notify each auxiliary blower 18 when it has sent out the transport auxiliary body 16, and each auxiliary blower 18 may measure the elapsed time since it received the notification, and autonomously start the fan when the start timing set in the device arrives. In this configuration, each auxiliary blower 18 requires a circuit for measuring the elapsed time and determining whether the start timing has arrived, but even if a defect or abnormality occurs in the passage sensor, each auxiliary blower 18 can be operated at a predetermined timing.

[0215] Next, the structure of the twisted portion 51 will be described.

[0216] As shown in Fig. 45, the twisting section 51 realizes a desired angle of twist by connecting a plurality of short sub-torsion tubes 51a that are twisted by small amounts. In this example, ten sub-torsion tubes 51a are connected to form a 90-degree twist, and a connection section 51b with the conveying pipe 12 is connected to the downstream end of the sub-torsion tubes 51a. There is no twist in the connection section 51b.

[0217] Next, an operation sequence when the paper sheet collecting and transporting system 10 collects the paper notes P from the relay box 6 of each gaming machine island 3 will be described.

[0218] 46 is a diagram showing the above sequence. The control unit 27 of the collective safe 11 inquires of the relay box 6 of each game machine island 3 and confirms the number of bills P stored in the bill storage unit 25 of each relay box 6 (P1, P2).

[0219] Next, based on the number of banknotes P stored in the banknote storage section 25 of each relay box 6, it is determined how many banknotes P to collect from which relay box 6's banknote storage section 25 (P3), and a banknote discharge instruction specifying the number of banknotes to be discharged is sent to one or more relay boxes 6 determined as the collection destination (P4).

[0220] The relay box 6 that has received the banknote discharge instruction discharges the instructed number of banknotes P from the banknote storage unit 25, and causes the sub-transport device 13 installed in the relay box 6 to transport the banknotes P to the corresponding intake device 14 on the return transport pipe 12b (P5). When the intake device 14 takes in the banknotes P, a signal indicating that the discharge of the banknotes P into the return transport pipe 12b has been completed is transmitted from the intake device 14 to the control unit 27 of the collective safe 11 (P6).

[0221] When the control unit 27 of the collective safe 11 confirms that the banknote P specified in the banknote discharge instruction has been taken into the transport tube 12 (return transport tube 12b) by the take-in device 14, it instructs its own device and the transport auxiliary body relay device 17 to start the air blowing and suction operation and to send out the transport auxiliary body 16 (P7).

[0222] The control unit 27 of the collective safe 11 operates the air flow generating device 21 to blow air to the beginning of the outward conveying pipe 12a and to suck in the air flow from the end of the return conveying pipe 12b, and sends the conveying auxiliary body 16 to the outward conveying pipe 12a by the conveying auxiliary body inserting device 23 (P8, P9). At the same time, the conveying auxiliary body relay device 17 operates the fan 63 of the blower unit 62 to suck in the air flow from the end of the outward conveying pipe 12a and to blow air from the beginning of the return conveying pipe 12b into the return conveying pipe 12b, and sends the conveying auxiliary body 16 to the return conveying pipe 12b (P10, P11). That is, the conveying auxiliary body 16 is sent from the collective safe 11 to the outward conveying pipe 12a and the conveying auxiliary body 16 is sent from the conveying auxiliary body relay device 17 to the return conveying pipe 12b at the same time.

[0223] Sensors installed midway along the outward transport pipe 12a and the return transport pipe 12b detect the passage of the transport auxiliary body 16 (P12, P13). When the transport auxiliary body 16 sent out from the collective safe 11 at P8 reaches its own inflow side connection port 67, the transport auxiliary body relay device 17 receives and holds it in its holding section 74 (P14). Then, it notifies the control section 27 of the collective safe 11 that it has received and held the transport auxiliary body 16 (P15).

[0224] When the transport auxiliary body 16 sent out from the transport auxiliary body relay device 17 to the return transport pipe 12b at P11 reaches the collective safe 11 itself, the separation and recovery device 24 separates the banknotes P from the transport auxiliary body 16, recovers the banknotes P in the banknote storage section 25, and moves the transport auxiliary body 16 to the transport auxiliary body insertion device 23 to wait for the next sending out (P16).

[0225] Then, the control unit 27 of the collective safe 11 instructs its own device and the transport auxiliary relay device 17 to stop the air blowing and suction operations (P17). In response to this instruction, the air flow generating device 21 of the collective safe 11 and the fan 63 of the blower unit 62 of the transport auxiliary relay device 17 stop (P18 to P20).

[0226] Furthermore, upon receiving this instruction, the transport auxiliary relay device 17 rotates the rotating plate 72 180 degrees (P21). When this rotation is completed, the lock (hold) of the transport auxiliary 16 by the holding roller 82 of the holding part 74 that has moved to the outlet side connection port 68 is automatically released (P22).

[0227] The above operation is repeated every time a bill P is collected.

[0228] Next, an operation of the control unit 27 of the collective safe 11 in determining how many bills P are to be collected from which relay box 6 in P3 of the above-mentioned collection operation will be described.

[0229] The paper sheet collecting and conveying system 10 can collect up to six banknotes P for each collection operation of the banknotes P by the conveying auxiliary body 16. Also, the number of banknotes P that the sub-conveying device 13 conveys to the intake device 14 at one time is restricted to three or less.

[0230] The control unit 27 of the collective safe 11 determines one or more relay boxes 6 to be collection destinations and the number of banknotes P to be collected from each, so that the total number of banknotes P to be collected in each collection operation is within the maximum number that can be collected in one collection operation (six in this example). Here, the number of banknotes P to be discharged from one relay box 6 is further limited to a predetermined upper limit number or less. The maximum value of the upper limit number is set to three, and the upper limit number is changed depending on the number of banknotes in stock.

[0231] That is, the control unit 27 of the collective safe 11 allocates the number of bills to be discharged to one or more relay boxes 6 so that, for each collection operation, the number of bills to be allocated to each relay box 6 does not exceed a set upper limit (for example, three bills) and so that the total number of bills P to be collected does not exceed the maximum number of bills that can be collected, six bills.

[0232] The control unit 27, which controls the overall operation of the paper sheet collection and transport system 10, determines the collection destination and the number of bills to be discharged at each collection destination so that the temporary storage device 150 of each relay box 6 does not become full during business hours, and the relay box 6 with a larger number of bills P stored therein (stock number) is given priority for discharge.

[0233] The control unit 27 classifies the number of banknotes P stored in each relay box 6 into a plurality of levels, and manages the relay boxes 6 by grouping them according to the levels. Each relay box 6 can store approximately 500 banknotes P, and so they are managed by dividing them into seven levels (G1 to G7) as shown in Fig. 47. Fig. 47 shows the relationship between the groups (G1 to G7), the number of banknotes stored, and the priority order for collection.

[0234] In this example, G1 is a group with 1 stock, G2 is a group with 2 stocks, G3 is a group with 3-9 stocks, G4 is a group with 10-49 stocks, G5 is a group with 50-149 stocks, G6 is a group with 150-254 stocks, and G7 is a group with 255 or more stocks.

[0235] G7 has the highest priority for collection, followed by G6, G5, G4, G3, and G2, with G1 being set as the lowest priority for collection.

[0236] G1 and G2 are provided so that banknotes P less than the maximum number (3) that can be instructed to be discharged from one relay box 6 are grouped by the number of banknotes stocked. If G1 and G2 were not provided and G3 were set as the group with the smallest number of banknotes stocked, even if a relay box 6 belonging to G3 was instructed to discharge 3 banknotes, the actual number of banknotes stocked may be 2 or 1, in which case only the number of banknotes stocked would be discharged. To prevent such a situation, G1 and G2 are provided so that the same number of banknotes P as the number instructed by the control unit 27 to be discharged is discharged from the relay box 6.

[0237] For example, when there are four relay boxes 6 in G1 (stocked number is 1) and one relay box 6 in G2 (stocked number is 2), it is possible to control the four relay boxes 6 belonging to G1 to eject one banknote P each, and the one relay box 6 belonging to G2 to eject two banknotes P.

[0238] In addition, even when the number of stocked sheets is large, multiple groups (G4 to G7) are set according to the number of stocked sheets, so that priority can be given to discharge from relay boxes 6 with a large number of stocked sheets. Specifically, since G4 to G7 are provided, discharge can be controlled more precisely than when all sheets with 10 or more sheets are classified into one group.

[0239] The control unit 27 determines the number of times and the collection destination of the banknotes P so that the relay box 6 having the larger number of banknotes P in stock has higher priority in collection of the banknotes P.

[0240] The control unit 27 also classifies the relay boxes 6 into multiple groups based on the number of bills in stock, and determines the number of bills P to be discharged and the collection destination by dividing the number of bills P into groups according to the number of bills in stock, limiting the number of bills to be discharged to each relay box 6 to within a predetermined upper limit, and allocating the number of bills to be discharged as evenly as possible to the relay boxes 6 belonging to the same group.

[0241] For example, if there are six or more relay boxes 6 belonging to G7, one sheet is assigned to each of those six relay boxes 6. If there is only one relay box 6 belonging to G7 and two relay boxes 6 belonging to G6, three sheets are assigned to that one relay box 6 belonging to G7, two sheets are assigned to one of the relay boxes 6 belonging to G6, and one sheet is assigned to the other.

[0242] In addition, the upper limit number set for groups with a stock amount less than a predetermined number (the upper limit number of sheets to be discharged allocated to one relay box 6) is set to be less than the upper limit number set for groups with a stock amount equal to or greater than the predetermined number. In this example, the upper limit number is set to 3 sheets for G4 or above, and 2 sheets for G3 or below.

[0243] Note that if the total number of sheets does not reach 6 as a result of allocating the number of sheets discharged with the upper limit of 2 sheets limited, the upper limit of sheets may be changed to 3 sheets. Also, if the task of allocating the number of sheets discharged is performed in order from the group with the greatest number of sheets stocked, and the total number of sheets discharged does not reach the maximum number (6 sheets) that can be collected in one collection operation even after going through all the groups, the remaining number of sheets discharged may be allocated in order from the relay box 6 belonging to the group with the greatest number of sheets stocked. For example, if only G3 and below exist and the total number does not reach 6 even if the upper limit of sheets is set to 2 sheets and the number of sheets discharged is allocated to these, the upper limit of sheets for G3 is changed to 3 sheets, and the remaining number is allocated in order from G3.

[0244] A method for determining the collection destination and the number of sheets to be discharged will be described below with a specific example.

[0245] Depending on what groups (G1 to G7) exist in the entire system, control is performed in the following three patterns.

[0246] <Pattern 1> If there is a relay box 6 corresponding to G4 or higher In this case, the relay box 6 with the higher priority is given priority for ejection.

[0247] The specific steps are as follows: - The number of sheets to be discharged is allocated in order of priority to the group with the highest priority. The upper limit of the number of sheets discharged that can be assigned to one relay box 6 is set to 3 sheets, and the number of sheets discharged is allocated to the same group as evenly as possible until the total number of sheets discharged reaches 6 sheets. If the total number of sheets to be discharged does not reach 6 even after the number of sheets to be discharged is allocated to all relay boxes 6 belonging to the group, the number of sheets to be discharged is allocated to the group with the next highest priority.

[0248] In the example shown in Fig. 48(a), there are seven relay boxes 6 belonging to G7, so one sheet is allocated equally to each of six of them (ID1-6). In the example shown in Fig. 48(b), there are five relay boxes 6 belonging to G7 (ID1-5), so two sheets are allocated to the relay box 6 with ID1 as the number of sheets to be discharged, and one sheet is allocated to each of the other relay boxes 6 (ID2-5) as the number of sheets to be discharged. For example, the first sheet is allocated sequentially to each relay box 6 belonging to G7, and if six sheets are not reached after one round, the second sheet is allocated sequentially to the relay boxes 6 belonging to G7 as the second round.

[0249] In the example shown in FIG. 1(c), there are three relay boxes 6 (ID1-3) belonging to G7, so each is assigned two sheets as the number of sheets to be discharged. In the example shown in FIG. 1(d), there is only one relay box 6 (ID1) belonging to G7, so in the first stage of allocation work, the relay box 6 is assigned the upper limit of three sheets as the number of sheets to be discharged. Then, in the second stage of allocation work, the remaining sheets are assigned to the group with the next highest priority. In this example, there is only one relay box 6 (ID2) belonging to G6, which has the next highest priority, so the relay box 6 (ID2) is assigned the upper limit of three sheets as the number of sheets to be discharged.

[0250] <Pattern 2> When all relay boxes 6 are G3 or lower and there is a relay box 6 that belongs to G3 [a] If there is only one G3 In this case, the number of sheets to be discharged is instructed to the relay box 6 in G3 to be 2 sheets (the upper limit number), and the remaining 4 sheets are allocated to G2 and below, thereby reducing the number of relay boxes 6 in G2 and below.

[0251] The specific steps are as follows: Two sheets (the maximum number) are assigned to one relay box 6 in G3, and the remaining four sheets are assigned to relay boxes 6 in G2 or lower. If there is a relay box 6 belonging to G2, 2 sheets (the upper limit) are assigned as the number of sheets to be discharged to each relay box 6 belonging to G2. If the total number does not reach six, the remainder will be assigned one to each relay box 6 in G1. If the total number does not reach 6, the number of cards discharged from relay boxes belonging to G3 will be increased to 3 (the upper limit will be raised from 2 to 3). If the total number still does not reach 6, the allocation process ends.

[0252] In the example shown in Fig. 49(a), in the first stage of allocation work, two sheets (the upper limit number) are allocated as the number of sheets to be discharged to one relay box 6 (ID1) belonging to G3. In the second stage of allocation work, since there are two relay boxes 6 (ID2, 3) belonging to G2, two sheets are allocated as the number of sheets to each of them. Since the total number now reaches six, the allocation process is terminated.

[0253] In FIG. 13B, in the first stage of allocation, two sheets (the upper limit) are allocated to one relay box 6 (ID1) belonging to G3 as the number of sheets to be discharged. Next, in the second stage of allocation, since there is only one relay box 6 (ID2) belonging to G2, two sheets (the upper limit) are allocated to it as the number of sheets to be discharged. Since the total number is still four sheets at this stage, one sheet is further allocated to each of the relay boxes 6 (ID3, 4) belonging to G1 as the number of sheets to be discharged, in the third stage of allocation. Since the total number reaches six sheets, the allocation process ends here.

[0254] In the case of FIG. 1(c), in the first stage of allocation, two sheets (maximum number) are allocated as the number of sheets to be discharged to one relay box 6 (ID1) belonging to G3, and in the second stage of allocation, since there is only one relay box 6 (ID2) belonging to G2, two sheets (maximum number) are allocated as the number of sheets to be discharged. Furthermore, in the third stage of allocation, one sheet is allocated as the number of sheets to be discharged to the relay box 6 (ID3) belonging to G1. Since the total number of sheets at this stage is five, the remaining process increases the number of sheets to be discharged to the relay box 6 of ID1 belonging to G3 by +1, making it three. This brings the total number to six, so the allocation process ends. In other words, since the total number does not reach six even after going around each group once, the maximum number of sheets to be discharged to G3 is increased to three, and the remaining number is allocated again, starting from the group with the largest number of sheets in stock.

[0255] [b] When there are two G3s In this case, the number of sheets to be discharged is instructed to the relay box 6 of each G3 to be two sheets (the upper limit number), and the remaining two sheets are allocated to G2 and below, thereby reducing the number of relay boxes 6 in G2 and below.

[0256] The specific steps are as follows: Two sheets (the maximum number) are assigned to each of the two relay boxes 6 belonging to G3, and the remaining two sheets are assigned to the relay boxes 6 belonging to G2 or lower. If there is a relay box 6 belonging to G2, 2 sheets (the upper limit) will be assigned as the number of sheets to be discharged to the relay box 6 belonging to G2. If the total number does not reach six, the remainder will be assigned one to each relay box 6 in G1. If the total number does not reach 6, the number of cards discharged from relay boxes belonging to G3 will be increased to 3 (the upper limit will be raised from 2 to 3).

[0257] In the example shown in Fig. 50(a), in the first stage of allocation work, two sheets (upper limit) are allocated as the number of sheets to be discharged to two relay boxes 6 (ID1, 2) belonging to G3. In the second stage of allocation work, there are two relay boxes 6 (ID3, 4) belonging to G2, and two sheets (upper limit) are allocated as the number of sheets to one of them. Since the total number now reaches six, the allocation process is terminated.

[0258] In FIG. 13B, in the first stage of allocation, two sheets (maximum number) are allocated to each of the two relay boxes 6 (ID1) belonging to G3 as the number of sheets to be discharged. Next, in the second stage of allocation, allocation is performed to the relay boxes 6 belonging to G2; however, in this example, no allocation is performed because there are no relay boxes 6 belonging to G2. Next, in the third stage of allocation, allocation is performed to the relay boxes 6 belonging to G1. There are four relay boxes 6 (ID3-7) belonging to G1, so two of them (ID3, 4) are allocated one sheet as the number of sheets to be discharged. Since the total number of sheets reaches six, the allocation process ends here.

[0259] In FIG. 1C, in the first stage of allocation, two sheets (maximum number) are allocated to the two relay boxes 6 (ID1) belonging to G3 as the number of sheets to be discharged. Next, in the second stage of allocation, allocation is performed to the relay box 6 belonging to G2. However, in this example, no allocation is performed because there is no relay box 6 belonging to G2. In the third stage of allocation, allocation is performed to the relay box 6 belonging to G1. Since there is only one relay box 6 (ID3) belonging to G1, one sheet is allocated to that relay box 6 (ID3) as the number of sheets to be discharged. Since the total number of sheets at this stage is five, the remaining process adds one to the number of sheets to be discharged for the relay box 6 of ID1 belonging to G3, making it three. Since the total number now reaches six, the allocation process is terminated. In the remaining process, the maximum number of sheets for G3 is raised from two to three.

[0260] [c] When there are 3 or more G3s The number of sheets to be discharged is allocated only to relay box 6 of G3, and priority is given to discharge from relay box 6 of G3.

[0261] The specific steps are as follows: ·Allocate one output quantity to each relay box 6 in G3. If the total number of cards dispensed does not reach 6, they will be re-allocated one at a time in order of the number of cards in stock.

[0262] In the example shown in Fig. 51(a), there are seven relay boxes 6 (ID1-7) belonging to G3, so one sheet is assigned to each of six of them as the number of sheets to be discharged. In the example shown in Fig. 51(b), there are four relay boxes 6 (ID1-4) belonging to G3, so one sheet is assigned to each of them. Since the total number of sheets is four and does not reach six, one sheet is assigned to each relay box 6 belonging to G3 in order until the total number reaches six. In this example, the second sheet is assigned to relay boxes 6 with ID1 and ID2.

[0263] In the allocation in the above-mentioned pattern 2, the upper limit of the number of discharged notes that can be allocated to one relay box 6 belonging to G3 is set to 2, which is less than the upper limit of the number of discharged notes that can be allocated to relay boxes 6 belonging to groups G4 and above, which is 3. This allows the banknotes P to be collected by distributing them to more relay boxes 6.

[0264] <Pattern 3> When all relay boxes 6 are G2 or lower In this case, one sheet (upper limit) is allocated as the number of sheets to be discharged to each relay box 6 in descending order of the number of sheets in stock.

[0265] In the example shown in Figure 52(a), there are two relay boxes 6 (IDs 1 and 2) belonging to G2 and five relay boxes 6 (IDs 3 to 7) belonging to G1, so priority is given to allocating one each to the relay boxes 6 (IDs 1 and 2) belonging to G2 which have the largest number of stocks, and then one each to the four relay boxes 6 (IDs 3 to 6) belonging to G1.

[0266] In the example shown in FIG. 1B, there are two relay boxes 6 (ID1, 2) belonging to G2 and three relay boxes 6 (ID3-5) belonging to G1, so priority is given to allocating one sheet each to the relay boxes 6 (ID1, 2) belonging to G2 which have the largest number of stock sheets, and then one sheet each to the three relay boxes 6 (ID3-5) belonging to G1. At this stage, the total number is five sheets, which does not reach six sheets, so as a remaining process, the number of sheets discharged from the relay box 6 with ID1 belonging to G2 is increased by one to two sheets. This brings the total number to six sheets, so the allocation process is terminated. This is equivalent to raising the upper limit number for G2 from one sheet to two sheets and re-allocating the sheets.

[0267] The above allocation method is just an example and is not limited to this.

[0268] In addition, regardless of the number of stocked sheets, the manager or the like can arbitrarily change the priority setting for the relay boxes 6. For example, when the manager switches the collection mode of the paper sheet collection and transport system 10 to the special collection mode after business hours, the control unit 27 determines the collection destinations and the number of sheets to be discharged to each collection destination so that the banknotes P are preferentially collected from relay boxes 6 having higher priority levels.

[0269] For example, during business hours, bills P are continuously inserted into the game ball dispensing machine 4 of a game machine island 3 where many popular models are installed, so bills P are likely to be stocked in the relay box 6 of that game machine island 3, and control during business hours to collect bills P preferentially from the relay box 6 with the largest number of bills stocked may not eliminate the uneven stock amount of bills P between game machine islands 3. In addition, after business hours, it is often desired to quickly replace or maintain the game machines 5 of a specific game machine island 3. In order to meet such a request, by switching to a special collection mode after business hours, bills P can be collected according to an arbitrarily set priority order.

[0270] Next, an error indicator provided in the paper sheet collection and transport system 10 will be described.

[0271] 53 shows the front of the error display device 180 of the paper sheet collecting and transporting system 10. The error display device 180 has a function of clearly displaying the location of the error. The error display device 180 displays the layout of the paper sheet collecting and transporting system 10 installed in the game center 2. The display is customized for each game center 2.

[0272] The error display 180 has, as layout display sections, a vertical section transport path display section 181 and a horizontal section transport path display section 182. The vertical section transport path display section 181 shows a simulation of the transport path from the ceiling on the first floor to the collective safe 11 in the office on the fourth floor. The horizontal section transport path display section 182 shows the state of the transport path in the ceiling on the first floor and the relay box 6 on the first floor.

[0273] Furthermore, the error display 180 is equipped with a message display section 183, an up / down button 184, and an alarm button 185. When an error occurs, the message display section 183 displays the contents of the error. When multiple errors occur, the up / down button 184 is used to select which error to display. The alarm button 185 lights up when an error occurs. When an error occurs, the occurrence is notified to an intercom worn by a staff member of the arcade. When the alarm button 185 is pressed while it is lit, the error output to the intercom stops.

[0274] The vertical transport path display unit 181 and the horizontal transport path display unit 182 display symbols corresponding to the game machine islands 3 and the transport pipes 12 according to the layout of the game center 2, and further display icons corresponding to the relay boxes 6 and the passage sensors installed at various points along the transport pipes 12 superimposed on the symbols. When the game machine islands 3 are installed on multiple floors, it is possible to switch which floor's status is displayed on the horizontal transport path display unit 182. When an error occurs, the status of the floor on which the error occurred may be automatically displayed.

[0275] When an error occurs, the location where the error occurred flashes red. When an abnormality occurs in the auxiliary blower 18 or the transport auxiliary relay device 17, only that location flashes red. When a jam occurs with a banknote P or the transport auxiliary 16, as shown in Fig. 54, the part corresponding to the transport pipe in the section from the passing sensor that has detected the banknote P or the transport auxiliary 16 to the passing sensor in the next downstream location that has not been detected flashes red.

[0276] In this way, the error content and the location where the error occurred are displayed in an easy-to-understand manner by the error display device 180, so that the error can be dealt with promptly. A plurality of error displays 180 may be provided at various locations in the gaming center 2.

[0277] As described above, the paper sheet collection and transport system 10 of this embodiment can collect the banknotes P collected at each of the multiple gaming machine islands 3 arranged in the gaming facility 2 and transport them from each gaming machine island 3 to the collective safe 11 in the office, so that the banknotes P can be safely and hassle-freely collected from each gaming machine island 3 to the collective safe 11 in the office.

[0278] Next, an improved version of the transport auxiliary relay device 19 will be described.

[0279] 55 and 56 show relay section 61B of improved transport auxiliary body relay device 19B. In the improved transport auxiliary body relay device 19B, the following two improvements have been made to address problems that arise when a transport auxiliary body 16 sent out from collective safe 11 does not arrive at transport auxiliary body relay device 19B properly and a second transport auxiliary body 16 is sent out from collective safe 11 to transport auxiliary body relay device 19B.

[0280] (Improvement point 1) When the first transport auxiliary body 16 is received by the holding portion 74, a part of the second transport auxiliary body 16 is prevented from entering the holding portion 74. 55(a) shows the relay section 61 of the transport auxiliary relay device 19 before the improvement in a state where two transport auxiliary bodies 16 have arrived in succession, and FIG. 55(b) shows the relay section 61 of the improved transport auxiliary relay device 19B in the same state. In the transport auxiliary relay device 19 before the improvement, the position where the holding part 74 holds the first transport auxiliary body 16 is deep inside the holding part 74, so when the second transport auxiliary body 16 arrives in succession, a part of it enters the holding part 74, and the second transport auxiliary body 16 stops at a position where it straddles both the inlet side connection port 67 (fixed side) and the holding part 74 (rotating side). Therefore, if an attempt is made to rotate the rotating plate 72 in this state, the second transport auxiliary body 16 gets caught between the inlet side connection port 67 and the holding part 74, preventing the rotation of the rotating plate 72.

[0281] 55(b), the position where the holding part 74 supports the first transport auxiliary body 16 is made shallow, so that the second transport auxiliary body 16 does not enter the holding part 74 when it abuts against the first transport auxiliary body 16. This prevents the second transport auxiliary body 16 from stopping at a position straddling both the inlet side connection port 67 (fixed side) and the holding part 74 (rotating side), and does not impede the rotation of the rotating plate 72.

[0282] In the improved transport auxiliary body relay device 19B, in order to make the position where the holding part 74 holds the transport auxiliary body 16 shallower, the receiving part 81 is made longer toward the downstream side, and the pair of holding arms 83 are supported at their rear ends on the base plate 71 side and have holding rollers 82 at their tips on the inlet side connection port 67 side for opening and closing. In addition, the positions of the release plate 84 and the release roller 85 are changed. Furthermore, as the position where the transport auxiliary body 16 is held becomes shallower, the position of the transmission type optical sensor 75 that detects the transport auxiliary body 16 held by the holding part 74 is changed.

[0283] (Improvement point 2) While the rotary plate 72 is rotating, the inlet side connection port 67 is closed so that the transport auxiliary body 16 does not pass through the inlet side connection port 67. In the transport auxiliary body relay device 19 before the improvement, while the rotating plate 72 was rotating, the transport auxiliary body 16 arriving from upstream was able to pass through the inlet side connection port 67 and enter the relay section 61, even though the holding section 74 was not located at the back of the inlet side connection port 67. Therefore, when a second transport auxiliary body 16 arrived in this state, the second transport auxiliary body 16 would not be received by the holding section 74 and would fly into the suction duct 65 or fall into the relay section 61, hindering the rotation of the rotating plate 72.

[0284] Therefore, in the improved transport auxiliary body relay device 19B, as shown in Figure 56, a guard plate 87 is provided to prevent the transport auxiliary body 16 arriving from upstream from passing through the inlet side connection port 67 while the rotating plate 72 is rotating.

[0285] 56 is a metal plate having a shape corresponding to the remaining portion obtained by removing the portion covering the retaining portion 74 from an annular plate obtained by hollowing out a small concentric circle from a disk that is concentric with the rotating plate 72 and has a radius that exactly covers the retaining portion 74, and is attached to the rotating plate 72 so as to be flush with the upper end of the retaining portion 74 (the opening at the end on the inlet side connection port 67 side), and rotates together with the rotating plate 72. The guard plate 87 faces the outlet of the inlet side connection port 67 and closes the inlet side connection port 67 during rotation when the retaining portion 74 is not in a position facing the inlet side connection port 67.

[0286] Here, for ease of manufacture and installation, the guard plate 87 is divided into two at the holding portion 74. A collar portion 88 that spreads outward and is flush with the guard plate 87 is provided on the periphery of the opening of the holding portion 74 on the inlet side connection port 67 side. The collar portion 88 serves to close a small gap that occurs between the outer periphery of the opening of the holding portion 74 on the inlet side connection port 67 side and the inlet side connection port 67 when the holding portion 74 shifts slightly from a position facing the front of the inlet side connection port 67, such as immediately after the start of rotation or immediately before the end of rotation.

[0287] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to that shown in the embodiment, and the present invention also includes modifications and additions that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

[0288] In the embodiment, a transport method using air flow and a transport auxiliary body 16 is adopted for the intra-island banknote transport device 8 within the gaming machine island 3, but the intra-island banknote transport device 8 may use other methods, such as transporting banknotes P by belt.

[0289] In the embodiment, the conveying pipe 12 is installed above the ceiling, but it may be configured to be installed near the ceiling or under the floor. In the case of being installed under the floor, the sub-conveying device 13 only needs to convey the banknotes discharged from the rear face of the relay box 6 downward.

[0290] In the embodiment, the conveying pipe 12 is arranged vertically and horizontally, but the conveying pipe 12 may be arranged at an incline. For example, in the case of a sloping ceiling, the conveying pipe 12 may be arranged at an incline along the ceiling.

[0291] The gaming machine island 3 is not limited to the configuration accommodating the pachinko machines and gaming ball dispensing machines exemplified in the embodiment, but may be a gaming machine island accommodating medal dispensing machines and slot machines, etc.

[0292] The shape of the transport auxiliary body 16 is not limited to that shown in the embodiment. For example, it may be a column shape with a rectangular or polygonal cross section. Although the transport auxiliary body 16 is symmetrical with respect to the center in the Y direction, it may be asymmetrical in the Y direction.

[0293] In the embodiment, the paper sheets are described by taking banknotes P as an example, but other types of paper sheets such as tickets and cards may be used. The shape of the paper sheets is not limited to a rectangular shape. The installation location of the paper sheet collection and transport system 10 is not limited to an amusement center, and may be other facilities.

[0294] In the embodiment, the cross section of the conveying tube 12 is approximately rectangular, but it may be other shapes such as circular or elliptical. However, it is preferable that the conveying auxiliary body has a shape corresponding to the inner edge shape and covers almost the entire cross section. In addition, it is preferable to provide multiple ribs to narrow the effective passage width of the paper sheets. [Explanation of symbols]

[0295] 2. Amusement park 3. Gaming Machine Island 4. Gaming ball rental machine 5. Gaming machines 6…Junction box 8…Banknote transport device on the island 10...Paper collection and transport system 11...Collective safe 12...Transport pipe 12a...Outward conveying pipe 12b…Return transport pipe 13...Sub-transport device 14...Capturing device 15...Connection part 16...Transportation auxiliary body 16a...Head 16b...Neck 16c…Large diameter section 16d…Constricted part 17...Transportation auxiliary relay device 18...Auxiliary blower 19…Release air blower 21...Air flow generator 22...Banknote separation and transport auxiliary circulation device 23...Transportation auxiliary body insertion device 24…Separation and recovery device 25…Banknote storage section 26...Banknote transport section 27...Control section 28...Guide passage 29…Waiting area 32…Side wall 33…Extension 34…Rib 34a...Slope 36…Guide rail 37…Connecting wall part 41...Holding part 42…Receiving part 43...Slit 45…Sending section 46... Movable arm 51...Twisted section 51a...Sub-torsion tube 51b…Connection 61…Relay section 62…Blower section 63…Fan 65…Suction duct 66…Ventilation duct 67…Inlet connection port 68…Outlet connection port 71...Base plate 71a…Suction duct connection port 71b…Ventilation duct connection port 72...Rotating plate 72a...Ventilation hole 73…Support shaft 74...Holding part 75…Sensor 76...Transmissive optical sensor 81…Receiving part 82...Holding roller 83…Holding arm 84...Release board 85...Release roller 87…Guard plate 88...collar part 91…Side rib 92…Guide rib 93...Guide rib 101...Sub-transport pipe 101a...Aperture 102...Upward flow generation part 102a...Fan 102b…Ventilation duct 103...Banknote take-in section 104...Aisle section 104b…Aperture 104c…Inlet 105a...Transport roller 105b...Conveyor belt 121...Aisle section 122...Transportation section 123…Banknote guideway 124...Conveyor belt 125a...Feed roller 125b...Payment belt 126...Shutter 128... Clamping roller 129...Movable arm 129a...Support point 130…Solenoid 131...Banknote detection sensor 140...Transport pipe 142...Banknote take-in device 144...Air flow generating device 145...Banknote separation and transport auxiliary circulation device 146...Transportation auxiliary body insertion device 147…Separation and recovery device 148...Banknote transport section 150...Temporary storage device 151... Posture change unit 152…Elevator section 152a…Support plate 152b…Press plate 153...Feed-out conveying section 153b...Conveyor belt 154…Storage section 155...Natural rubber sheet 156…Thick line showing transport route 160…Connecting body 161…Upstream connection port 162…Downstream connection port 162b...butt section 163…Rib (center) 163a, 163b...two parallel ribs 164…Ribs (both sides) 166…Sensor 170…Connection adapter 171…Upstream connection port 172...Downstream end 173…Rib (center) 174…Ribs (both sides) 180...Error indicator 181...Vertical section conveying path display section 182...Horizontal conveying path display section 183...Message display section 184...Up and down buttons 185...Alarm button Dx: Distance between reference flat surfaces of transfer pipes Dy…Inner dimension of conveying pipe in Y direction Ds: Shift amount FW: Extension direction of conveying pipe M: Path of bill transport section P, P1, P2, P3…Banknotes W…Aisle width X: Width direction of conveying pipe passage Y: Height direction of the transport pipe

Claims

1. A paper sheet transport device that transports paper sheets from an outlet section to an inlet section using an air flow, a conveying pipe through which the paper sheets are conveyed is disposed between the discharge unit and the input unit; The conveying pipe is twisted at a desired angle around a central axis along the conveying direction. A paper sheet transport device characterized by the above.

2. The conveying pipe is made by connecting a plurality of short sub-twisted pipes each twisted in small increments to be twisted to a desired angle.

2. The paper sheet transport device according to claim 1,

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