Medal arrangement device and medal game machine

Abstract

To provide a token arranging device and a token game machine capable of being miniaturized while reducing costs and stably and quickly supplying and stacking tokens.SOLUTION: The medal arrangement device 5 includes the holder 21 and the supplier 30, the supplier 30 has the medal hopper 32 and the guide 33, the medal passage part 400 has the first medal passage part 401 and the second medal passage part 402, and the guide 33 has the upstream abutting part 511 and the downstream abutting part 512 provided on the first side wall surface 461 side of the first medal passage part 401. At least a part of each of the upstream abutting part 511 and the downstream abutting part 512 is located in the first medal passage part 401 so as to press the one medal against the second side wall surface 462 when the one medal reaches the predetermined position B, and the downstream abutting part 512 is provided so as to be retracted to the outside of the first medal passage part 401 when the one medal passes through the predetermined position B.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a medal arrangement device and a medal game machine. [Background technology]

[0002] Currently, players can move back and forth on the field by inserting medals onto the field. The medals are pushed by a pusher and dropped, and the dropped medals are paid to the player. There are known medal game machines that are configured to dispense medals. The medal arrangement device is a device that arranges medals stored in a stocker through a take-out hole in a rotating plate. The medals are taken out one by one through the machine, transferred in the rotation direction, and fed into one of the medal holes at a predetermined position. By repeating this process of taking out and transferring medals, medals M are fitted into all medal holes. Patent Document 1 discloses a medal arrangement that can be mounted on a metal plate. It is said that by adopting this device, it is possible to easily and quickly insert medals. . [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-077810 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the conventional medal arrangement device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is unable to arrange medals in a circular pattern. Since each requires a certain amount of time, you can't accumulate medals that quickly. In addition, the structure and operation for transporting the medals were complicated. This not only increases the manufacturing cost, but also increases the risk of medals getting stuck inside the device when transporting them. Furthermore, in the conventional medal arrangement device, the medals are guided through an inclined medal passage. The medals slide down from the stocker to the rotating plate. In order to secure the required space, the entire device must be enlarged, and the medals must slide onto the rotating plate due to their own weight. Because the medals slide down, there is a large variation in the direction, speed, and posture of the medals as they slide down. This may result in an unstable supply of medals, which will have a major impact on the accumulation of medals. may be given.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to reduce costs and achieve miniaturization. A medal arrangement device that can realize stable and rapid supply and stacking of medals The present invention aims to provide a medal game machine. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the medal arrangement device according to the present invention is a device for arranging medals in a predetermined arrangement. a holder having a holding surface for holding a single-layer medal set made up of medals; a supply unit that supplies medals to the holding surface through a medal passage, and the supply unit A medal hopper that ejects medals one by one, and a guide that guides the ejected medals into the medal passage. The medal passage is formed upstream of the holding surface in the direction of movement of the medals, and a first medal passage having a first side wall surface and a second side wall surface facing each other; a second medal passage connected to the flow end and formed on the holding surface, and the guide portion is a second side wall A movable upstream stop is provided on the first side wall surface of the first medal passage so as to be biased toward the surface. The upstream contact portion and the downstream contact portion are connected to the medals ejected from the medal hopper. When one medal reaches a predetermined position at the downstream end, the medal is pressed against the second side wall surface. At least a part of each medal is located in the first medal passage so that it can be When the medal passes through the predetermined position, the downstream contact part is retracted to the outside of the first medal passage. It is what is being considered.

[0007] When this configuration is adopted, the upstream portion of the guide portion is located at a predetermined position upstream of the holding surface. The contact portion and downstream contact portion press the medal against the second side wall surface, slightly suppressing the movement of the medal. This realizes control of the movement state of the medals and the number of medals supplied to the holding surface. This improves measurement accuracy, and then the medals contact the downstream when passing through a predetermined position. By having the team retreat to the outside of the first medal passage, the load on the medals is released and the medals can be moved. By allowing this movement, the medal supply speed can be maintained. It is therefore possible to obtain a medal arrangement device that can supply and arrange medals consistently and quickly. .

[0008] In addition, the configuration in which a part of the medal passage is disposed on the holding surface is such that a part of the medal passage is disposed around the holding surface. The area occupied by the device is smaller than that occupied by the device placed in a closed space, which allows for the device to be made smaller and simpler. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a medal arrangement device that can be made smaller while reducing costs. It is possible.

[0009] In the medal arrangement device according to the present invention, the downstream contact portion is a first medal passage of the upstream contact portion. It may be linked to movement in the width direction.

[0010] By adopting such a configuration, the operation of the upstream contact portion and the downstream contact portion can be easily controlled. Cut.

[0011] In the medal arrangement device according to the present invention, the guide section includes a first guide section, It has a first contact part with a lever structure, and the first contact part is fixed to the first side wall surface side of the first medal passage. The upstream abutment portion and the downstream abutment portion have a fulcrum portion at which the upstream abutment portion is fixed and a free end provided on the downstream end side. The downstream contact portion is provided at the free end of the first contact portion, and the upstream contact portion is provided at the side of the medal. As the position where the medal contacts the fulcrum changes, the medal will rotate in a direction away from or closer to the first medal passage. The rotational axis may be arranged to rotate in a direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation.

[0012] By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to control the operation of the downstream contact portion using a simple configuration. Cut.

[0013] In the medal arrangement device according to the present invention, the upstream contact portion and the downstream contact portion are connected by rollers. The shortest distance between the upstream contact portion and the downstream contact portion is smaller than the diameter of the medal. This may also be done.

[0014] When this configuration is adopted, the frictional force when the upstream contact portion and the downstream contact portion contact the medal is This can reduce the amount of damage and can reliably prevent the medal from moving at a predetermined position.

[0015] In the medal arrangement device according to the present invention, the second medal passage is formed along the circumferential direction of the holding surface. The annular passage is formed, and the medals may be placed on the holding surface while filling the annular passage.

[0016] By adopting such a configuration, the holding surface can constitute a part of the medal passage, The configuration can be simplified.

[0017] In the medal arrangement device according to the present invention, the guide portion is disposed at the center of the holding surface and intersects with the holding surface. The medals are arranged to be fixed in a circular path so as to define the running direction of the medals in the circular path. The device may further include a second guide portion for guiding the device.

[0018] By adopting such a configuration, the second guide section controls the running direction of the guided medal in the circular passage. The direction of the medal can be specified (for example, clockwise), so that the medal can be Therefore, it is possible to prevent the medals from traveling in different directions in the circular path. It can be stably filled.

[0019] In the medal arrangement device according to the present invention, the second guide section guides the first medal in the circular passage. The passage has a protrusion provided toward the downstream end, and the tip of the protrusion and the most distal end of the first side wall surface The distance between the tip of the protrusion and the downstream end of the second side wall is equal to or greater than the diameter of the medal. The distance between the downstream ends may be smaller than the diameter of the medal.

[0020] By adopting such a configuration, the running direction of the medals in the circular passage can be controlled using a simple configuration. It can be prescribed.

[0021] In the medal arrangement device according to the present invention, the guide section is provided above the second medal passage. The third guide portion has a guide plate provided so as to cover at least a part of the pipe passage. The distance between the surface of the guide plate facing the holding surface and the holding surface is greater than the thickness of one medal. It may be made smaller than the thickness of two medals.

[0022] By adopting this configuration, the movement of the medal in the thickness direction during movement is restricted, This can prevent clogging of medals in the second medal passage.

[0023] In the medal arrangement device according to the present invention, the guide section extends from a position covering the second medal passage to a position covering the first medal passage. 2. The drive unit that moves the third guide unit is further provided within a range up to a position that does not cover the medal passage. It may have.

[0024] When this configuration is adopted, the position of the third guide portion relative to the second medal passage can be adjusted as needed. This allows for adjustment, thereby improving the degree of freedom in use of the third guide portion.

[0025] In the medal arrangement device according to the present invention, a single layer medal set and a multi-layer single layer medal set are a mounting section having a mounting surface on which a medal tower made of a metal plate is placed; The holding part is raised in the range from the position above to a position below the first medal passage. and a conveying unit that lowers the

[0026] By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to form and place medal towers using a simple configuration. This can be done.

[0027] The medal game machine according to the present invention comprises a medal insertion mechanism for inserting medals, and a mechanism for inserting the inserted medals. a pusher table for moving the medals placed on the table; The machine is equipped with a prize winning opening into which medals dropped from the stand enter, and the medal arrangement device described above. do.

[0028] By adopting this configuration, medals can be supplied and arranged stably and quickly. At the same time, it is possible to provide a medal game machine that can reduce costs. [Effects of the Invention]

[0029] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce costs, achieve miniaturization, and stably print medals. To provide a medal arrangement device and a medal game machine which can supply and stack medals efficiently and quickly. This becomes possible. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0030] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a medal game machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. [Figure 3] 1 is a block diagram for explaining the functional configuration of a medal game machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is an overall oblique view of a medal arrangement device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an exploded oblique view of the medal arrangement device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the medal arrangement device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 7] An oblique view showing a partial configuration of the supply section of the medal arrangement device of this embodiment. [Figure 8] A plan view showing a partial configuration of the supply section of the medal arrangement device of this embodiment. [Figure 9] A diagram showing the configuration and first state of the supply section of the medal arrangement device of this embodiment. [Figure 10] A figure showing the fourth state of the first guide part of the medal arrangement device of this embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a fifth state of the first guide section of the medal arrangement device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 12] 10 is a diagram showing a state in which a medal enters the upstream end of the second medal passage in the medal arrangement device according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 13]An oblique view showing the configuration of the conveying section of the medal arrangement device of this embodiment. [Figure 14] An oblique view showing part of the drive configuration of the holding section and conveying section of the medal arrangement device of this embodiment. [Figure 15] An oblique view showing another part of the drive configuration of the conveying section of the medal arrangement device of this embodiment. [Figure 16A] A figure showing the transport state of the transport section of the medal arrangement device of this embodiment when it is in the first position. [Figure 16B] A figure showing the transport state of the transport section of the medal arrangement device of this embodiment when it is in the second position. [Figure 16C] A figure showing the transport state of the transport section of the medal arrangement device of this embodiment at the third position. [Figure 17A] FIG. 16B is a diagram showing the state of the sensor in FIG. 16A. [Figure 17B] FIG. 16C is a diagram showing the state of the sensor in FIG. 16B. [Figure 17C] FIG. 16D is a diagram showing the state of the sensor in FIG. 16C. [Figure 18A] A figure showing a state in which the sensor of the conveying section of the medal arrangement device of this embodiment cannot measure the position of the conveying section. [Figure 18B] A figure showing a state in which the sensor of the conveying section of the medal arrangement device of this embodiment cannot measure the position of the conveying section. [Figure 19] 2 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of a control unit of the medal-winning game machine according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 20] 10 is a flowchart for explaining the control of the formation of a medal tower by the control unit of the medal game machine according to the present embodiment. [Figure 21] 21 is a flowchart for explaining the details of step S100 in FIG. 20. [Figure 22] FIG. 21 is a diagram for explaining the control relating to step S300 in FIG. 20. [Figure 23] FIG. 21 is a diagram for explaining the control relating to step S400 in FIG. 20. [Figure 24]FIG. 21 is a diagram for explaining the control relating to step S500 in FIG. 20. [Figure 25] FIG. 21 is a diagram for explaining the control relating to step S600 in FIG. 20. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0031] Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the positional relationship is based on the positional relationship shown in the drawings. The dimensional ratios are not limited to those shown in the drawings. This is an example for explaining the present invention, and it is not intended to limit the present invention to this embodiment. Furthermore, the present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the invention.

[0032] <Medal game machine> First, referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the configuration of the medal game machine 1 according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a medal game machine 1. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining the functional configuration of the medal game machine 1. In FIG. 2, the medal protection wall 6 is not shown.

[0033] The token game machine 1 according to this embodiment is an example of a device for playing a token game. As shown in the figure, the medal game machine 1 has a front side in the front-rear direction, where the player can play medals. The operation space S1 for inserting the Dal M and the medal tower on the rear side are created. and a game space S2 for playing the game.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 1, the medal game machine 1 has a medal insertion function. A mechanism 2, a partition 3 separating the operation space S1 and the game space S2, and a a medal arrangement device 5 that creates a medal tower; A transparent medal protection wall 6 that prevents the unfinished medal tower from collapsing, and a medal M on the mounting base 4 a pusher table 7 for moving the medals M; and a prize winning opening 8 for receiving the medals M dropped from the mounting base 4. It has a payout outlet 9 for paying out the dropped medals M.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 3, the medal game machine 1 includes a memory 110 for storing various data. a reciprocating drive unit 120 that moves the pusher table 7 back and forth; and a drive unit 121 that moves the medal protection wall 6 up and down. and a prize winning sensor 140 that detects that a medal M has entered the prize winning opening 8. , a control means 150 for controlling the operation of the medal arrangement device 5, a winning sensor 140 and a control means Game control means 16 controls the configuration of each driving unit and the game based on information from 150. 0 and.

[0036] The medal insertion mechanism 2 has a medal insertion port 2a, a handle 2b, and a medal ejection port 2c. During the game, the player inserts the medal M into the medal insertion slot 2a, and then turns the handle 2b. By turning the medal M in the medal insertion slot 2a, the medal M is ejected from the medal ejection slot 2b by the force of a spring or the like. It can be injected onto the mounting table 4 from c.

[0037] The mount base 4 has a mount surface 4a on which the medals M ejected from the medal ejection port 2c are placed, and a floor The game machine has a side wall 4b on the game machine side and a hole 4c formed in the placement surface 4a. In the space S2, a drop port P is provided on the front side of the side wall 4b of the mounting table 4. do.

[0038] The medal arrangement device 5 is provided on the front side of the table 4. Specifically, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the medal arrangement device 5 has a placement surface 111 of the medal arrangement device 5, which will be described later. The medals are arranged inside the mounting base 4 so that they can be exposed from the hole 4c. The device 5 will be described in detail later.

[0039] The medal protection wall 6 can be raised and lowered relative to the placement surface 4a by the lifting drive unit 130. The hole 4c is provided around the placement portion 10 of the medal arrangement device 5. If the Dal Tower is incomplete, the medal protection wall 6 is raised above the placement surface 4a. This prevents the medal tower from collapsing due to the pressure of the moving medals M. When completed, the medal protection wall 6 is lowered below the placement surface 4a, so the medal tower can be destroyed. It can be put into a state where

[0040] The pusher table 7 is movably set above the placement surface 4a and rearward of the medal protection wall 6. The pusher table 7 is driven by the reciprocating drive unit 120 in the D0 direction. The width of the reciprocation of the pusher table 7 can be changed.

[0041] The winning hole 8 is provided on the side wall 4b of the table 4. In this way, the medal M is When the medals M fall from the placement surface 4a to the drop hole P, some of the medals M can enter the prize hole 8. do.

[0042] The dispensing opening 9 is provided so as to penetrate the lower part of the partition part 3 in the front-rear direction. The medals M that have fallen to the bottom of the drop port P are delivered to the payout outlet 9 by the drive of a hopper mechanism (not shown). can be dispensed from the operation space S1 side.

[0043] <Outline of the medal arrangement device> Next, the outline of the medal arrangement device 5 according to this embodiment will be explained with reference to FIGS. 2, 4 to 6. 4 to 6 are an overall perspective view, an exploded perspective view, and a In the following description, the state of the medal arrangement device 5 shown in FIG. 4 is referred to as an "assembled state." The time when the medal arrangement device 5 operates is sometimes called "stacking time."

[0044] The medal arrangement device 5 according to this embodiment is a medal arrangement device for use in the medal game machine 1 shown in FIG. This is an example of a device for creating a medal tower. Here, the medal tower is made of medals arranged in a predetermined arrangement. A single-layer medal set consisting of multiple medals is stacked in multiple layers. As shown in FIG. 2, the medal tower MT according to this embodiment is a single-layer medal tower with multiple layers. It is a cylindrical set made up of stacked Dulcet MS. The MS consists of six medals M arranged in a ring on one circumference. The outer dimensions of the medal set MS are determined by the holding part for transporting each single-layer medal set MS, which will be described later. 21 (see Figure 6). Each medal M that makes up the nth layer MS) is For each medal M, the arrangement direction on the circumference is a predetermined central angle (for example, 30°) Only it is off.

[0045] Returning to the explanation of the outline of the medal arrangement device 5, the medal arrangement device 5 is as shown in FIGS. The single-layer medal set MS and the medal tower MT are placed on a placement section 10. A conveying section 20 that conveys the medal set MS to the placing section 10, and a supplying section that forms the single-layer medal set MS. 30, and a collecting unit 70 that collects medals M remaining in the device when a specific event occurs. a control unit 80 that controls the operations of the transport unit 20, the supply unit 30, and the collection unit 70; and a housing unit 90 that holds the above-described configuration of the queuing device 5.

[0046] In the assembled state, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a part of the conveying section 20, the supply section 30, and The control unit 80 is directly attached to the housing unit 90. The placement unit 10 is located above the supply unit 30. The collecting unit 70 is fixed below the supplying unit 30. The supply unit 30 and the recovery unit 70 have a through space that passes through the center of the three units in the vertical direction. This through space is used to transport the single-layer medal set MS to the placement section 10. The conveying passage 200 (see FIG. 16A) is formed. It is provided so that it can move up and down and rotate in the passage 200.

[0047] Here, the conveying passage 200 is located in the vertical direction between the holding section 21 inside the collecting section 70 and the The first position P1 where the medals are waiting on the lowest side, The position P3 is formed within a range up to the third position P3 for adjusting the placement state of the mat MS. The conveying passage 200 is a position where the supply unit 30 supplies the medals M, that is, the holding unit 2 The second position P2 when the holding surface 211 described later of the first medal path 402 forms the bottom of the second medal path 402 The holding surface 211 of the holding portion 21 passes through the first position P1, the second position P2, and the third position P3. It is provided so that it can stop at each of the positions P3.

[0048] In this way, during stacking, the holding surface 211 of the conveying unit 20 is placed in the second position under the control of the control unit 80. When the supply unit 30 moves to the position P2, the supply unit 30 supplies six medals M to the holding surface 211, and the first layer Next, the holding surface 211 is moved to the third position P3 while holding the first layer MS. The position of the first layer MS is adjusted to the placement surface 111 of the placement unit 10 and the placement surface of the second guide unit 55 (described later). It rotates to correspond to the position of the placement surface 557 (see FIGS. 4 and 6) and then descends. During the downward movement, the first layer MS held on the holding surface 211 is moved away from the placement surface 111 and the placement surface 112. The holding surface 211 is then placed at the second position P2. When the above-described operation is repeated, the holding surface 211 places the second layer MS to the n-th layer MS on the placement portion. In this way, the medal arrangement device 5 can be transported to the medal tower 10 and placed thereon. The details of the medal tower MT configuration using the medal arrangement device 5 will be explained later. The explanation will be given in conjunction with the control by the control unit 80 described below.

[0049] <Details of the medal arrangement device> Next, referring to Figs. 4 to 25, the important components of the medal arrangement device 5 will be described in detail. The following description will be made in the order of the placement unit 10, the supply unit 30, the transport unit 20, the recovery unit 70, and the control unit 80. It will be explained in turn.

[0050] [Placement section] First, the placement unit 10 will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 2 and 4 to 6. As shown in Figures 4 and 6, the unit 10 carries a single-layer medal set MS and a medal tower MT. and a support portion 12 that supports the mounting surface portion 11.

[0051] The mounting surface 11 is ring-shaped. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the mounting surface 11 is , six placement surfaces 111 for placing a portion of the main surface of each medal M of the single-layer medal set MS; and six conveying surfaces 112 provided between adjacent placement surfaces 111.

[0052] The support portion 12 has a cylindrical shape. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the inner circumferential surface of the support portion 12 is 121 are six conveying surfaces formed to correspond to the six conveying surfaces 112 of the placement surface portion 11. The conveying surface 122 has a cross-sectional area that narrows upward. As a result, the medal M placed on the holding surface 211 is conveyed upward. Therefore, the support 12 can be aligned toward the center.

[0053] [Supply Department] Next, the supply unit 30 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. After explaining the details of each component of the supply unit 30, the operation of the supply unit 30 will be explained. 8 is a perspective view and a plan view showing a partial configuration of the supply unit 30. 10 and 11 are diagrams showing the fourth and fifth states of the first guide portion. 12 shows the state in which the medal M enters the upstream end 404 of the second medal passage 402. FIG.

[0054] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 9, the supply unit 30 is an attachment part that constitutes a medal passage 400 described later. a medal hopper 32 for ejecting medals M one by one into a medal passage 400; A guide section 33 for guiding the medal M placed therein, and a medal M placed at a predetermined position B in the medal passage 400. a medal sensor 34 for acquiring information on the presence or absence of medals M flowing into the second medal passage 402; and a lever sensor 35 for acquiring information on the number of sheets.

[0055] (Mounting part) The mounting portion 31 is plate-shaped as shown in FIG. The mounting portion 31 is attached to the housing portion 90. The mounting portion 31 is made up of a first mounting plate 41 and a first mounting and a second mounting plate 42 provided on the mounting plate 41.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 5, the first mounting plate 41 has a first main surface 411 and a second main surface 412 on both sides in the thickness direction. The first mounting plate 41 has a main surface 412. The first mounting plate 41 has a central portion It has a through hole 43 and a number of other holes and grooves for attachment. The diameter of the hole 43 is larger than the outer shape of the holding portion 21.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 5, the second mounting plate 42 has a first main surface 421 and a second main surface 422 on both sides in the thickness direction. The second mounting plate 42 has a main surface 422. The second mounting plate 42 also has a It has holes 44, notches 46, and a number of other mounting holes and grooves. The hole 44 is provided at a position where it can be arranged concentrically with the hole 43 of the first mounting plate 41 in an assembled state. The notch 46 is provided so as to connect to the hole 44 .

[0058] As shown in FIG. 7, the hole 44 is formed on a side provided perpendicular to the first main surface 421. The hole 44 has a wall 440. The hole 44 has a circular shape in plan view. The diameter of the hole 44 is The diameter of the notch 46 is larger than the diameter of the hole 43 of the attachment plate 41. The width of the notch 46, i.e., the width of the first side wall surface 461 and the width of the second side wall surface 462, The distance between the side wall surfaces 462 is greater than the diameter of the medal M. 0 and the second side wall surface 462 of the notch 46, a protruding portion is provided at the connecting position of the hole 44. A protrusion 48 is provided.

[0059] In this way, by attaching the second mounting plate 42 to the first main surface 411 of the first mounting plate 41, Specifically, the first main surface 411, the first side wall surface 461, and the second The first medal passage 401 on the upstream side of the medal passage 400 is formed by the side wall surface 462. The first main surface 411, the holding surface 211 located at the second position P2, and the side wall portion 440 and a side surface 554 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) of the second guide portion 55, which will be described later, allow the medals to pass through. It forms a second medal passage 402 located downstream of the passage 400.

[0060] Here, the height of the holding surface 211 located at the second position P2 is, as shown in FIG. It is preferable that the height of the 411 is slightly lower (for example, 0.4 mm lower). This allows the medals M to move more smoothly in the second medal passage 402. In the following, at the second position P2, the holding surface 211 constituting the bottom of the second medal passage 402 is sometimes referred to as the "holding surface 211 of the second medal passage 402."

[0061] The first medal passage 401 is a substantially straight passage. The diameter of the first medal passage 401 is larger than the diameter of the dummy M. The first medal passage 401 has an upstream end 403 and a downstream end The upstream region 407 where the upstream end 403 is located is linear. The downstream end 405 is connected to the upstream area 407 and the upstream end 404 of the second medal passage 402, which will be described later. In this way, the first metal plate is guided by the downstream end 405. The medals M moving in the medal passage 401 smoothly flow into the second medal passage 402. It is possible.

[0062] The second medal passage 402 is located on the holding surface 211 at the second position P2. It is a circular passage formed along the direction, and is connected to the downstream end 405 of the first medal passage 401. The circumference of the second medal passage 402 is formed so that six medals M can be placed therein. The width of the second medal passage 402 is larger than the diameter of the medal M. The dull passage 402 has an upstream end 404 and a downstream end 406 .

[0063] At the tip side of the downstream end 406, there is a protrusion extending toward the inside of the second medal passage 402. Therefore, the part of the second medal passage 402 where the protrusion 48 exists is The width of the medal M is smaller than the diameter of the medal M. The medal M is stopped by the protrusion 48, and the second medal passage 402 The six medals M are filled in the second medal passage 402. It will be placed at 11.

[0064] (Medal Hopper) In the assembled state, the medal hopper 32 has an ejection port (not shown) for the medals M. The gas supply pipe 401 is attached to the housing 90 so as to be connected to the upstream end 403 of the passage 401. In addition, the height of the lower surface of the ejection port of the medal hopper 32 is the bottom of the first medal passage 401, Therefore, when stacked, the medal M is placed horizontally on the medal holder. The medals can be ejected from the ejector 32 into the first medal passage 401 at high speed and stably. The hopper 32 may be, for example, a coin hopper manufactured by Asahi Seiko Co., Ltd., model number FV-525. It should be noted that other medal hoppers may be used as the medal hopper 32.

[0065] (Information Department) The guide unit 33 guides the movement of the medal M when it moves in the medal passage 400. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 9, the guide portion 33 includes a first guide portion. A first guide unit 50 that adjusts the moving speed of the medal M in the medal passage 401, and a second guide unit 50 that adjusts the moving speed of the medal M in the medal passage 401. A second guide portion 55 that defines the running direction of the medal M in the medal passage 402, and a second medal passage and a third guide portion 60 that restricts the movement of the medal M in the thickness direction in the medal holder 402. The guide unit 33 has a guide drive unit 65 that drives the operation of the third guide unit 60.

[0066] The first guide section 50 is provided on the first medal passage 401 side. As shown, the first guide portion 50 is provided on the first side wall surface 461 side of the first medal passage 401. The contact portion 51 and the second contact portion 52 provided on the second side wall surface 462 side of the first medal passage 401. and a connecting portion that connects the first contact portion 51 and the second contact portion 52 so as to bias them toward each other. 54, and a mounting plate 5 for mounting the first contact portion 51, the second contact portion 52, and the connecting portion 54. 3. The first contact portion 51 and the second contact portion 52 are movable. has a spring structure.

[0067] The first contact portion 51 has a lever structure. As shown in FIG. 9, the first contact portion 51 has a lever structure. The lever has a main body 510 and a fulcrum part 513 that rotatably supports the lever main body 510. The lever body 513 is fixed to the first side wall surface 461 side of the first medal passage 401. The portion of the lever body 510 located downstream of the fulcrum portion 513 is the downstream free end of the lever body 510. 514, and is located upstream of the fulcrum portion 513 of the lever body 510. The downstream free end 514 and the upstream free end 516 of the lever body 510 are The downstream free end 516 rotates around the fulcrum part 513 by contact between the downstream free end 514 and the medal M. The rotating shaft is provided to rotate in a clockwise direction.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 9, the downstream free end 514 is located between the lever body 510 and the optical axis of the medal sensor 34. The downstream free end 514 has a recess 515 for avoiding interference with the upstream The upstream contact portion 511 and the downstream contact portion 512 are provided. The upstream contact portion 511 and the downstream contact portion 512 are configured by rollers of the same size. The contact portion 512 is a protrusion corresponding to a part of the lever body 510, a plate supported by a spring, Alternatively, it may be a recess formed in the lever body 510. The shortest distance between the contact portions 512 is smaller than the diameter of the medal M, as shown in FIG.

[0069] In addition, the upstream contact portion 511 and the downstream contact portion 512 contact the first medal M. The upstream contact portion 51 is provided so that the position of the medal M relative to the dull passage 401 can be changed. 1, the upstream contact portion 511 and the downstream contact portion 512 are connected by the connecting portion 54 as shown in FIG. 9, the second side wall surface 462 is biased toward the second side wall surface 462. At least a part of each of the upstream contact portion 511 and the downstream contact portion 512 is a first medal passage. Located at Route 401.

[0070] On the other hand, when the medal M moves and abuts against the upstream abutment portion 511, As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, the portion 511 is pressed by the medal M to form a first medal passage. At that time, the downstream contact portion 512 moves in the width direction of the upstream contact portion 511. As the position of the medal M abutting against the side of the medal M is changed, the first medal M is rotated around the fulcrum 513 as the center of rotation. It rotates in a direction away from or towards the path 401.

[0071] More specifically, the upstream contact portion 511 and the downstream contact portion 512 are as shown in FIG. When one medal M reaches a predetermined position B (see FIGS. 7 and 10) at the downstream end 405, At least a portion of each of the first and second side walls 462 is pressed against the second side wall surface 462. 1 medal passage 401. In this way, the medal M abuts on the upstream The downstream contact portion 511, the downstream contact portion 512, and the second side wall surface 462 are restrained for a short time. Therefore, the medal sensor 34 detects the movement of the medal at the predetermined position B. The presence or absence of the medal M can be accurately detected. The position immediately before entering the medal passage 402) is measured by the medal sensor 34 (see FIGS. 6 and 7). This is the position where the optical axis of time is illuminated.

[0072] In addition, the upstream contact portion 511 and the downstream contact portion 512 are configured to contact the medal M when the medal M passes through the predetermined position B. 11 and 12, the downstream contact portion 512 contacts the first medal passage 401. In this way, the downstream contact portion 512 is provided to retract to the outside of the As a result, the supply speed of the medal M can be It can be maintained.

[0073] As shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, the upstream free end 516 has a rod-shaped protrusion 5 formed at the end. The protrusion 518 is configured to move the lever 18 by contact between the upstream contact portion 511 and the medal M. The upstream contact portion 511 is provided so that its position relative to the sensor 35 can be changed. When the lever sensor 514 is not reached, the protrusion 518 is connected to the lever sensor 516 by the connecting portion 54 as shown in FIG. In this case, the lever sensor 35 can detect the protrusion 518. In the following, the position of the protrusion 518 when the lever sensor 35 can detect the protrusion 518 is This is called the "detection possible position," and is the position where the lever sensor 35 cannot detect the protrusion 518. Position 18 is sometimes called the "non-detectable position."

[0074] On the other hand, when the medal M moves and abuts against the upstream abutment portion 511, the protrusion 5 10 to 12, the upstream contact portion 511 contacts the side surface of the medal M. As the position is changed, the lever sensor 35 moves away from or towards the lever sensor 35 with the fulcrum part 513 as the center of rotation. As a result, the protrusion 518 is positioned at the position where the lever sensor 35 can detect the lever. It can be moved to and from a non-detectable position.

[0075] More specifically, in the width direction of the first medal passage 401, the straight line of one medal M When the side surface portion corresponding to the diameter abuts against the upstream abutment portion 511, the protrusion 518 As shown in the figure, the lever sensor 35 is in a detection-disabled position. In the width direction of the medal M, the other side surface portion corresponding to the non-diameter of the medal M is the upstream contact portion 51 1, the protrusion 518 contacts the lever sensor 35 as shown in FIGS. is in a detectable position.

[0076] In this way, from the time when one medal M starts to contact the upstream contact portion 511, 511 is released (i.e., passes through the predetermined position B), The position of the protrusion 518 relative to the lever sensor 35 changes from the detection possible position to the detection impossible position. Then, the lever sensor 35 changes to return to the detection position. By detecting the change in the position of the protrusion 518, one medal M passes through the predetermined position B. The lever sensor 35 can detect the position change of the protrusion 518. By calculating the number of times, the second medal passage at the downstream end 405 of the first medal passage 401 The number of medals M that are about to flow into 402 can be accurately detected.

[0077] The second contact portion 52 is used as a sub-contact portion of the first contact portion 51. The contact portion 52 has a lever structure and is formed smaller than the first contact portion 51. As shown in FIG. 1, the second contact portion 52 supports the lever body 520 so as to be rotatable. The fulcrum portion 523 is supported by the second side wall surface 4 of the first medal passage 401. It is fixed on the 62 side.

[0078] The portion of the lever body 520 located on the downstream end 405 side is the free end 5 24. The free end 524 is provided with an abutment portion 521. The first medal passage 401 is configured by a roller similar to that of the upstream contact portion 511. The contact portion 521 is provided so as to face the upstream contact portion 511 in the width direction. That is, the contact portion 521 is provided so as to come into contact with the medal M at the same time as the upstream contact portion 511. It is being done.

[0079] When the medal M does not come into contact with the contact portion 521, the connecting portion 54 causes the contact portion 521 to In this case, one of the contact portions 521 is provided so as to be biased toward the side wall surface 461. The contact portion 521 is located in the first medal passage 401. On the other hand, when the medal M comes into contact with the contact portion 521, The contact portion 521 changes the position where the contact portion 521 contacts the side surface of the medal M. 23 as the center of rotation, in the direction away from or approaching the first medal passage 401.

[0080] The second guide portion 55 is rod-shaped. In the assembled state, the second guide portion 55 is a holding portion. 21 is fixed to the central axis of the housing part 90 so as to pass through the center of the housing part 90 (see FIG. 13). 5, 7, and 8, the second guide portion 55 is The first part 551 is for attaching the medal to the central axis of the housing part 90, and the side wall of the second medal passage 402. and a third part 553 that maintains the position of the medal M during transportation. In the assembled state, the second part 552 is arranged on the second medal passage 402 side, The third section 553 is disposed on the placement section 10 side.

[0081] As shown in FIG. 7, the second part 552 is located at the center of the holding surface 211 of the second medal passage 402. The second part 552 is provided perpendicular to the holding surface 211. The side wall 554 has a side surface 554 and a protrusion 556 formed on the side surface 554. The protrusion 556, together with the protrusion 440, constitutes the side wall of the second medal passage 402. 8, it is provided so as to face the downstream end 405 of the first medal passage 401. .

[0082] 8, the tip of the protrusion 556 and the most downstream end of the first side wall surface 461 The distance between the medals M, i.e., the width dimension W1 of the upstream end 404 of the second medal passage 402, is The diameter is equal to or larger than the diameter of the medal M. 2. In order to maintain the guiding effect of the both side walls of the medal passage 402 in the moving direction of the medal M, The width W1 of the upstream end 404 is preferably formed to be slightly larger than the diameter of the medal M. On the other hand, the distance between the protrusion 556 and the most downstream end of the second side wall surface 462, i.e., The width W2 of the downstream end 406 of the second medal passage 402 is smaller than the diameter of the medal M. Thus, when the medals M flow from the first medal passage 401 to the second medal passage 402, The raised portion 556 is configured to allow the medals M to flow in from the upstream end 404 of the second medal passage 402. It can be induced.

[0083] As shown in Figures 5 and 7, the third portion 553 has a substantially hexagonal prism shape. As shown in FIG. 7, the third part 553 has six side surfaces 555 of a substantially hexagonal prism and a top surface 556 of the substantially hexagonal prism. and six mounting surfaces 557 that form the end surfaces on the opposite sides.

[0084] Each side surface 555 is a curved surface formed to fit the shape of the medal M. 10, the support portion 12 is provided concentrically with the inner circumferential surface 121 of the support portion 12 of the mounting portion 10. While the surface 211 holds the single-layer medal set MS, it moves from the second position P2 to the third position P3. When the third portion 553 rises, the side surfaces 555 of the third portion 553 and the conveying surfaces 122 of the inner circumferential surface 121 are Each medal M of the single-layer medal set MS can be guided from both sides in the diameter direction. In the conveyance path 200, the position of each medal M in the single-layer medal set MS is shifted during conveyance. can be suppressed.

[0085] As shown in FIG. 4, each of the placement surfaces 557 is at the same height as each of the placement surfaces 111 of the placement unit 10. As shown in FIG. 6, each of the placement surfaces 557 is provided on the placement surface 111. In this way, each medal M of the single-layer medal set MS is provided at a corresponding position. The medal main surface is arranged by one placement surface 557 and one placement surface 111 provided at the position corresponding to the medal main surface. As a result, the single-layer medal set MS can be supported from both sides in the diameter direction. It can be placed on the placement surface 557 and the placement surface 111 in a stable state.

[0086] The third guide portion 60 has a link structure. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 9, the third guide portion 60 The first link portion 61, the second link portion 62, and the first link portion 61 and the second link portion 62 and a mounting plate 63 and a mounting plate 64 for mounting the first link portion 61 and the second link portion 62. The link portion 62 is attached to the attachment portion 31 by an attachment plate 63. The first link portion 61 and the second link portion 62 are symmetrical. The description will focus on the configuration, and the description of the second link portion 62 will be simplified.

[0087] As shown in FIG. 9, the first link portion 61 includes a first link 611 and a A second link 612 connects to the attachment plate 63, and a third link 613 connects the first link 611 to the attachment plate 64. The first link 611 is an example of a guide plate and has a C-shape. Specifically, the first link 611 is connected to the second medal passage 402 from above. It is formed so as to cover the upstream half of the passage 402 .

[0088] In addition, when the first link 611 covers the second medal passage 402, The surface facing the holding surface 211 of the second medal passage 402 and the holding surface 21 The distance between 1 and 2 is greater than the thickness of one medal M and less than the thickness of two medals M. In this way, during the movement of the medal M moving to the upstream half of the second medal passage 402, The movement of the medal M in the thickness direction and the number of medals M that can pass through the second medal passage 402 are calculated. can be regulated at the same time.

[0089] As shown in FIG. 9, the second link portion 62 has the same configuration as the first link portion 61. The arrangement direction of the second link 621 is opposite to that of the first link 611. 1 covers the downstream half of the second medal passage 402 from above the second medal passage 402. It is formed so that it can be

[0090] When the second link 621 covers the second medal passage 402, The surface facing the holding surface 211 of the medal passage 402 and the holding surface 211 of the second medal passage 402 The distance between them is greater than the thickness of one medal M and less than the thickness of two medals M. In this way, the medal M moving to the downstream half of the second medal passage 402 The thickness direction movement of the medal M and the number of medals M that can pass through the second medal passage 402 are simultaneously determined. It can be controlled.

[0091] The guide drive unit 65 is configured to drive the movement of the third guide unit 60. As shown in FIG. The guide drive unit 65 is attached to the second main surface 412 side of the attachment unit 31. 65 is connected to the control unit 80. During stacking, the guide drive unit 65 moves the first link 611 and The second link 612 is moved to a position that covers the second medal passage 402. The movement of the medal M in the thickness direction moving in the medal passage 402 can be restricted. On the other hand, after the single-layer medal set MS is formed, the guide drive unit 65 moves the first link 611 and The second link 612 is moved to a position where it does not cover the second medal passage. The holding portion 21, which is located at the second position, rises to the third position, and the single-layer medal set MS is placed on the placement portion 10. It can be transported to.

[0092] (Medal sensor) The medal sensor 34 is located at a predetermined position B of the first medal passage 401 (see FIGS. 7 and 10). 5 and 7, the sensor detects the presence or absence of a medal M. The sensor 34 is fixed to the mounting portion 31 so as to face a predetermined position B of the first medal passage 401. In this way, the medal sensor 34 detects when the medal M flows into the second medal passage 402. It is possible to detect the presence or absence of the medal M at the position immediately before the medal M is dropped.

[0093] The medal sensor 34 controls the information on the presence or absence of the medal M at the predetermined position B. Then, the control unit 80 transmits the medal M information to the control unit 80 based on the medal M information. The supply of medals M by the hopper 32 is started, and the guide drive unit 65 is activated. The second link 611 and the second link 612 are placed in a position that does not cover the second medal passage 402 or in a position that covers the second medal passage 402. In addition, it is possible to move the medal hopper 32 and the guide drive unit 65 in case of malfunction. In this way, the presence or absence of the medal M acquired by the medal sensor 34 can be detected. Based on the presence / absence information, the medals M are supplied in a stable state and flow into the second medal passage 402. It is possible.

[0094] (lever sensor) The lever sensor 35 detects the number of medals M that are about to flow into the second medal passage 402. As shown in FIG. 9, the lever sensor 35 is a sensor for acquiring the first contact portion 51 The lever sensor 3 is fixed to the mounting portion 31 so as to be located on the upstream free end 516 side of the lever sensor 3. 5 detects whether the protrusion 518 of the upstream free end 516 is in the detectable position or the non-detectable position. It is possible to detect the position of the protrusion 518 and measure the number of times the protrusion 518 has changed from the detectable position. As a result, the lever sensor 35 determines whether the first medal passage is in the first medal passage or not based on the number of position changes of the protrusion 518. 401 at the downstream end 405 of the second medal passage 402. The number can be accurately detected.

[0095] Here, in the process where one medal M passes through the upstream contact portion 511 (or the predetermined position B), In this state, the lever sensor 35 detects when the position of the protrusion 518 changes from the detection position to the detection non-detection position. It is possible to detect the change from the normal position to the normal position and then back to the detectable position. In other words, the lever sensor 35 detects such a change in the position of the protrusion 518, and thereby It is possible to detect that the number of medals M that have passed through the fixed position B is one. The sensor 35 measures the number of such position changes of the protrusion 518 to determine the predetermined position B. The number of medals M passing through and attempting to flow into the second medal passage 402 can be accurately detected. Cut.

[0096] Furthermore, the lever sensor 35 transmits the acquired number information of the medals M to the control unit 80. Then, the control unit 80 determines whether or not the medals M are to be dispensed by the medal hopper 32 based on the information on the number of medals M. The control unit 80 can start, continue, stop, or resume the supply of the dal M. Based on the information on the number of medals M, the operation of the guide drive unit 65 can be controlled. Then, based on the information on the number of medals M acquired by the lever sensor 35, a preset number of medals M is Only the medals M can flow into the second medal passage 402. A defect in the medal tower MT due to a shortage of medals M flowing into the medal passage 402, or The excessive number of medals M flowing into the medal passage 402 may cause clogging of the medal passage 400 and This can prevent the dull hopper 32 from malfunctioning.

[0097] [Operation of the supply unit] Next, the operation of the supply unit 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. For the sake of convenience, in the width direction of the first medal passage 401, The side portion corresponding to the diameter of the medal M passing through is called the "diameter portion of the medal M." The half of the side downstream of the diameter part of medal M is called "the first part of medal M", and the diameter part of medal M The half of the side upstream of the first half is sometimes called the "second half of the medal M." Based on the order in which they are ejected from the hopper 32, the nth medal M is called "medal Mn." 9 to 11 are diagrams showing the state of the second medal passage 402 in order to make it easier to see. In the figure, the third guide section 60 is shown not to cover the second medal passage 402, but in reality, The third guide portion 60 is formed to cover the second medal passage 402.

[0098] The supply unit 30 starts to operate under the control of the control unit 80. First, the guide drive unit 65 By this movement, the first link 611 and the second link 612 of the third guide portion 60 are guided to the second medal passage. Next, the medal hopper 32 is driven by a motor (not shown) to move the medals to a position that covers the path. The medals M are then ejected one by one into the upstream end 403 of the first medal passage 401. In the first state where the upstream contact portion 511 and the upstream contact portion 521 are not reached, as shown in FIG. The upstream contact portion 511 and the downstream contact portion 512 are biased by the connecting portion 54 to contact the second side wall surface 4. 62, and the contact portion 521 is urged toward the first side wall surface 461. In this case, the upstream contact portion 511 and the downstream contact portion 512 are provided so as to be biased by the upstream contact portion 511 and the downstream contact portion 512. At least a portion of each of the contact portion 521 and the contact portion 522 is located in the first medal passage 401. In the first state, the medal sensor 34 does not detect the medal M1. 35 detects the protrusion 518 in the detection position.

[0099] On the other hand, as the medal M1 moves, the medal M1 contacts the upstream contact portion 511 and the contact portion 521. In the contact state, the upstream contact portion 511 and the contact portion 521 are pressed by the medal M1. Therefore, it moves in the width direction of the first medal passage 401. At that time, the downstream contact portion 512 is linked to the movement of the upstream contact portion 511 in the width direction of the first medal passage 401.

[0100] Specifically, by the movement of the medal M1, the first state described above is When the medal M1 abuts against the upstream abutment portion 511 and the abutment portion 521, the diameter portion of the medal M1 abuts against the upstream abutment portion 511 and the abutment portion 521. 511 and the abutment portion 521. In the second state, The downstream contact portion 512 and the upstream contact portion 511 rotate about the fulcrum portion 513, and the first medallion is rotated. The medal M1 continues to rotate in the direction away from the medal passage 401. The moving posture is stabilized by contact with the contact portion 511 and the contact portion 521. The contact portion 521 may not be used. In the second state, the medal sensor 34 As shown in FIG. 11, the lever sensor 35 does not detect the medal M1. When the protrusion 518 abuts against the upstream abutment portion 511, the protrusion 518, which is in the non-detection position, is not detected.

[0101] Next, as the medal M1 continues to move, the second state described above is The second part of the medal M1 abuts against the upstream abutment part 511 and the abutment part 521, and the first part of the medal M1 abuts against the downstream abutment part 5 In the third state, the downstream contact portion 512 does not contact the upstream contact portion 12. Together with the contact part 511, the fulcrum part 513 rotates as a rotation center in a direction approaching the first medal passage 401. In the third state, the medal sensor 34 detects the medal M1. The lever sensor 35 detects the protrusion 518 returning from the non-detection position to the detection position. They are becoming more aware of this.

[0102] Subsequently, when the medal M1 moves further, the third state described above occurs when the medal M1 abuts on the upstream side. The first part of the medal M1 reaches a predetermined position B in the center between the downstream contact part 511 and the downstream contact part 512, and the first part of the medal M1 moves downstream. A fourth state in which the second part of the medal M1 abuts against the upstream abutment part 511 while abutting against the abutment part 512. In this case, the medal M1 does not come into contact with the contact portion 521. 10, the upstream contact portion 511 and the downstream contact portion 512 contact the medal M1. The medal M1 is biased so as to be pressed against the second side wall surface 462. In this case, the medal M1 moves slightly. Therefore, the medal M1 is in a state where it can be inserted into the upstream contact portion 511, the downstream contact portion 512, and The second side wall surface 462 restrains the movement of the roller 462 for a short period of time, slightly suppressing the movement. In the fourth state, the medal sensor 34 detects the medal M1 passing through the predetermined position B. The lever sensor 35 detects the protrusion 518 in the detection position. In this state, the movement of the medal M1 is slightly restricted by the upstream contact portion 511 and the downstream contact portion 512. Since the protrusion 518 is suppressed, the lever sensor 35 can reliably detect the protrusion 518, and the medal M1 The number of can be calculated accurately.

[0103] Immediately after the medal M1 is restrained, the first portion of the medal M2 begins to abut against the upstream abutment portion 511. In this way, the upstream contact portion 511 and the downstream contact portion 512 are in the second state of the medal M1 described above. As in the state above, the medal continues to rotate in the direction away from the first medal passage 401. The contact portion 512 is retracted to the outside of the first medal passage 401 and is not in contact with the medal M1. At the same time, the medal M1, whose movement has been slightly restricted, is pushed by the medal M2, which is still moving. 11, the upstream contact portion 511 is separated from the upstream contact portion 511. In this case, the upstream contact portion 511 and the downstream contact portion 512 are in a fifth state where they are not in contact with the medal M1. This releases the load on M1, allowing the medal M1 to move. As shown in FIG. 12, the medal M1 is pulled by the force from the medal M2. In the fifth state, the medal can move at high speed toward the medal passage 402. The sensor 34 does not detect the medal M1. The lever sensor 35 detects the medal M1 by detecting the protrusion Detect 518.

[0104] Furthermore, when the medal M1 flows into the second medal passage 402, the protrusion 55 of the second guide portion 55 The movement direction of the medal M1 is restricted by the guide of the guide 6, and the medal M1 is guided to the upstream end 4 of the second medal passage 402. 04 to the upstream side of the second medal passage 402. The third guide section 60 provided at the top of the passage 402 guides the medals bouncing in the second medal passage 402. It can move in a stable state without any trouble.

[0105] In addition, from medal M2 to medal M6, the upstream contact portion 511 and the downstream contact portion 512 are The operation is the same as in the second to fifth states described above. When the medal M6 reaches the predetermined position B, For example, the lever sensor 35 transmits medal number information to the control unit 80. The medal hopper 32 is temporarily stopped by the control of the unit 80. The first layer MS is transferred to the placement unit 10, and the holding surface 211 is brought to the second position P2 After returning to the state shown in FIG. 1, for example, the medal sensor 34 may receive information indicating that there is no medal M at the predetermined position B. Then, under the control of the control unit 80, the operation of the medal hopper 32 is restarted. It will be opened.

[0106] [Transport section] Next, the transport unit 20 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the configuration of the transport unit 20 will be explained, followed by the operation of the transport unit 20. 14 and 15 are perspective views showing the configuration of the conveying unit 20. 16A to 18B are perspective views showing the driving configuration of the conveying unit 20. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the state of a position sensor 24.

[0107] As shown in FIG. 5, the transport unit 20 includes a holding unit 21 for holding the single-layer medal set M, and a holding unit 22 for holding the single-layer medal set M. A lift table 22 and a lift crank 23 move and rotate the part 21, and a holding surface 2 and a position sensor 24 for detecting the position of the sensor 11.

[0108] Here, the lift table 22 and the lift crank 23 are combined to form a holding unit 2 The drive unit 25 (see FIG. 13) moves the holding unit 21 in the vertical direction. and a rotation drive unit 252 that rotates the holding unit 21 horizontally. The lifting drive unit 251 includes a first lifting unit 2511 provided on the lift table 22, and a second lifting section 2512 provided on the lift crank 23.

[0109] (holding part) As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the holding portion 21 is a holder for holding a single-layer medal set M. A holding surface 211, a cylindrical holding body 212, and a holding surface 211 and a holding body 212 are rotated. and a support portion 213 for attachment to the movable portion 252.

[0110] The holding surface 211 is an annular flat surface as shown in Fig. 14. At the center of the holding body 212, A hole 214 is provided for passing the second guide portion 55. In this way, the holding portion 21 can move up and down around the second guide portion 55 without interfering with the second guide portion 55. Cut.

[0111] (Lift table) As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the lift table 22 constitutes a rotation drive unit 252. The rotating part 26, the positioning plate 28 constituting the first lifting part 2511, and the rotating part 26 and the positioning and a mounting portion 220 for mounting the bracket 28.

[0112] The mounting portion 220 includes a lift guide 222 fixed to the housing portion 90 and a lift guide 222 A base portion 223 attached to the lift guide 222 is movable up and down relative to the lift guide 222. The base portion 223 has an upper surface 221, a hole 225 formed in the upper surface 221, and It has.

[0113] The rotating part 26 is a component for rotating the holding part 21. As shown in FIG. The rotating part 26 is connected to the support part 213 of the holding part 21. The sensor is rotatably attached to the central axis of the housing 90 via a fixed portion that is not fixed to the sensor. The rotating portion 26 is provided so as to pass through the hole 225 of the base portion 223. The rotating portion 26 can prevent interference with the vertical movement of the base portion 223.

[0114] The positioning plate 28 is a structure for determining the position of a cam portion 27 of the lift crank 23, which will be described later. As shown in FIG. 14, the positioning plate 28 is attached to the side of the base portion 223. The positioning plate 28 is plate-shaped and has a first groove 281 formed on the lower side. and a second groove 282 formed on the upper side. The first groove 281 and the second groove 282 are The first lift roller 271 and the second lift roller 272 of the lift crank 23, which will be described later, The two patterns interlock with each other to allow the lift table 22 to move up and down.

[0115] (Lift crank) As shown in FIGS. 13 and 15, the lift crank 23 constitutes a second lifting section 2512. a cam portion 27 and a drive portion 29 that drives the rotation of the cam portion 27; and a mounting portion 230 for mounting the

[0116] As shown in FIG. 15, the cam portion 27 includes a rotatable disk portion 270 and a The first lift roller 271 and the second lift roller 272 are attached to the disk portion. A detection hole 275 is provided on the peripheral edge of 270.

[0117] The first lift roller 271 and the second lift roller 272 are inserted into the first groove 28 of the positioning plate 28. The first and second grooves 282 engage with each other to form a cam structure of the lifting drive unit 251. As shown in FIG. 15, the first lift roller 271 and the second lift roller 272 When viewed from above, they are provided on a straight line that passes through the center of rotation of the disk portion 270. Specifically, the first lift roller 271 is provided on the peripheral edge of one side of the rotation center of the disk portion 270. The second lift roller 272 is located on the other peripheral side of the center of rotation of the disk portion 270. Thus, the first lift roller 271 and the second lift roller 272 are provided at a position close to the center of rotation. The lift rollers 272 constitute both ends of the cam in the major axis direction.

[0118] (position sensor) The position sensor 24 is connected to the upper surface 221 of the mounting portion 220 and the detection hole 275 of the disk portion 270. This is a configuration for detecting the position of the holding surface 211 by detecting the positions of these positions. As shown in FIGS. 17A to 17C, the position sensor 24 detects the position of the upper surface 221 of the attachment portion 220. a first position sensor 241 for detecting the position of the upper surface 221 of the mounting portion 220 and the disk portion 270; a second position sensor 242 for detecting the position of one of the detection holes 275; and a third position sensor 243 for detecting the position of the detection hole 275 of the sensor 270.

[0119] The first position sensor 241, the second position sensor 242, and the third position sensor 243 are all When the detection target is detected, the sensor is turned on, and when the detection target is not detected, the sensor is turned off. Any one of the first position sensor 241, the second position sensor 242, and the third position sensor 243 The two sensors detect the positions of the upper surface 221 of the mounting portion 220 and the detection hole 275 of the disk portion 270. If it is detected and turned on, the position of the holding surface 211 can be detected.

[0120] In the assembled state, the first position sensor 241 is mounted on the mounting portion 220 as shown in FIG. The second position sensor 242 is fixed to a bracket 227 attached to the surface 221. 15, the third position sensor 243 detects the horizontal diameter of the disk portion 270 of the cam portion 27. The mounting portions 230 are fixed to the mounting portions 230 so as to be positioned on both sides of the direction.

[0121] [Transport unit operation] Next, the operation of the transport unit 20 will be described with reference to Figures 16A to 18B. 16A to 18B, some components of the lift crank 23 are not shown. 17A to 18B show the detection hole 275, the upper surface 221, and each sensor of the position sensor 24. In order to clearly show the relationship between the on and off of the sensor, both the detection hole 275 and the top surface 221 are in actual shape. Unlike the shape shown in FIG. 1, the protrusions are shown as protruding from the base portion 223 and the disk portion 270. The first position sensor 241 is shown as being separated from the upper surface 221, which is different from the actual installation. is doing.

[0122] In this embodiment, before the conveying unit 20 is operated, the holding surface 211 is located at the first position P1. In this case, the holding surface 211 may be located at the second position P2 or the third position P3. When the support surface 211 is located at the first position P1, as shown in FIGS. 16A and 17A, The second lift roller 272 of the positioning plate 27 is engaged with the second groove 282 of the positioning plate 28. The first lift roller 271 of the cam portion 27 is engaged with the first groove 281 of the positioning plate 28. Therefore, the third position sensor 243 detects the detection hole 275 and is turned on. On the other hand, the first position sensor 241 and the second position sensor 242 are turned off. The control unit 80 can confirm that the holding surface 211 is located at the first position P1.

[0123] The conveying unit 20 starts to operate under the control of the control unit 80. First, the driving unit 29 is started. Therefore, the cam portion 27 moves the holding surface 211 upward from the first position P1 to the second position P2. In this case, the cam portion 27 rotates the first lift roller 271 so that the first lift roller 271 is engaged with the first groove 281. The second lift roller 272, which is engaged with the second groove 282, is rotated around the center of rotation so that the 16B and 17B, the first position sensor 241 detects the upper surface 221. The second position sensor 242 detects the detection hole 275 and turns on, and the third position sensor 243 detects the detection hole 275 and turns on. If the position sensor 243 is off, the control unit 80 determines that the first lift roller 271 is in the first The second lift roller 272 engages with the second groove 282, and the second lift roller 272 engages with the second groove 282. In this case, it can be confirmed that the control unit 80 controls the The drive unit 29 is stopped. In this way, the lift table 22 stops rising, and the holding surface 2 Therefore, the supply unit 30 can maintain a stable state. The medal M can be provided on the holding surface 211 having the same.

[0124] Subsequently, the drive unit 29 is restarted to move the holding surface 211 from the second position P2 to the third position P3. In this case, the cam portion 27 rotates to lift the second lift roller. 272 and the second groove 282 so as to disengage from each other. The second lift roller 272 is rotated around the center of rotation. As shown, the first position sensor 241 detects the upper surface 221 of the mounting portion 220 and turns on. The position sensor 243 detects the detection hole 275 of the cam portion 27 and turns on. If the switch 2 is turned off, the control unit 80 determines whether the first lift roller 271 is engaged with the first groove 281. The engagement between the second lift roller 272 and the second groove 282 is released, and the holding surface 21 In this case, the control unit 80 controls the drive In this way, the lift table 22 stops rising, and the holding surface 21 1 can be maintained in the third position P3. When the single-layer medal set MS is placed, the rotating part 26 rotates the holding surface 211. The placement position on the placement surface 111 can be adjusted.

[0125] Thereafter, the drive unit 29 is restarted to move the holding surface 211 from the third position P3 to the second position P2. In this case, the cam portion 27 rotates in the opposite direction to lower the second lift. The second lift roller 272 is rotated so that the second lift roller 272 engages with the second groove 282. 16B and 17B, the first position sensor 241 is The second position sensor 242 detects the detection hole 275 and turns on. If the third position sensor 243 is turned off, the control unit 80 71 engages with the first groove 281 and the second lift roller 272 engages with the second groove 282. It can be seen that the holding surface 211 has descended to the second position P2. The drive unit 29 is stopped by the control. In this way, the lowering of the lift table 22 is stopped. Therefore, the holding surface 211 can be maintained in the second position P2. During the lowering process, the single-layer medal set MS can be placed on the placement surface 111. After the holding surface 211 returns to the second position P2, the supply unit 30 again places the medal M on the holding surface 211. The following single-layer medal set MS can be provided.

[0126] In this way, by repeating the above-mentioned operation, the transport unit 20 can transport a plurality of single-layer medal sets MS By transporting the medals to the placement section 10 and placing them thereon, a medal tower MT can be constructed. As shown in FIGS. 18A and 18B, the first position sensor 241 and the second position sensor 2 If only one of the first position sensors 241 to 42 is on, or if only one of the first position sensors 241 to 42 is on, When the position sensor 24 and the sensor 243 are both turned off, the control unit 80 determines that the position sensor 24 is In this case, the control unit 80 determines that the position of the sensor 1 is not detected. The cam portion 27 then rotates further to find the correct position.

[0127] In this way, the conveying unit 20 can easily construct the medal tower MT by adopting a simple cam configuration. Only the first position P1, the second position P2, and the third position P3 are required to achieve this. By stopping the rotation at this point, the formation of the medal tower MT is realized. Compared to the case where gears are used, the conveying unit 20 that uses a cam configuration has the advantage of simplifying the conveying structure and By realizing compactness and simplification of transport control, it is possible to reduce manufacturing costs. As a result, it is possible to obtain a conveying section 20 that has good durability and productivity.

[0128] [Recovery Department] The recovery unit 70 will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 4 and 5. If an event occurs (for example, a power outage while medals are being stacked), The collecting unit 70 is a mechanism for quickly collecting medals M that have been collected. When a specific event occurs, a collection operation is performed to collect the medals M remaining on the holding surface 211. A mechanism 71 and a collection box for storing medals M collected by the collection mechanism 71. 72, and the medal M that has fallen from the holding surface 211 is stored in the collection box 72. The recovery mechanism 71 has a recovery guide portion 73 that guides the holding surface 21 (not shown). The collection guide unit 73 has a configuration for pushing down the medals M remaining in the collection machine. The structure 71 is tilted so that the medal M pushed down slides into the collection box 72. The collection box 72 is provided below the collection guide portion 73. 72 is configured to be removable. In this way, the medals M stored in the collection box 72 can be easily recovered.

[0129] [Control Unit] Next, the control unit 80 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. After explaining the configuration of the control unit 80, the control by the control unit 80 will be explained in detail. 20 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of the control unit 80. 21 to 25 are flowcharts for explaining control over the formation of the tower MT. 20, the details of step S100, the control relating to step S300, and the step The control relating to step S400, the control relating to step S500, and the control relating to step S600 will be explained. In the following description, the process of forming the medal tower MT is referred to as the "main process." It is sometimes called.

[0130] (Configuration of control unit) First, the configuration of the control unit 80 will be described with reference to Fig. 19. The control unit 80 is configured to control the overall operation of the cable arrangement device 5. As shown in the figure, the memory 100 stores various data, and the control means controls various driving devices. 150 and has.

[0131] Memory 100 is the number of tower layers n, the maximum number of layers N of the Medal Tower MT, Various information such as the rotation angles R1 to Rn of the holding surface 211 in each layer is stored. For example, "R1=30" means that the stacked medals M are aligned horizontally in the direction of arrangement using a 30° central angle. The rotation angles R1 to Rn can be set between -30 and +30. When the rotation angles R1 to Rn are positive values, the holding portion 21 rotates horizontally in the clockwise direction. If the value is negative, the holding portion 21 rotates horizontally in the counterclockwise direction.

[0132] In this embodiment, the rotation angles R1 to Rn are set, but the stacked medals M The distance and direction of horizontal movement may be set. The values ​​of the horizontal movement distance and direction may be values ​​determined in advance in the memory 100. This may be set by a dip switch or the like (not shown). Therefore, when setting, the control means 150 reads the value of the DIP switch and sets each Determine the value.

[0133] (Controlled by the control unit) Next, referring to FIGS. 20 to 25, the control by the control unit 80, i.e., the control unit 8 Regarding the main processing that the control means 150 of FIG. 0 performs based on the data stored in the memory 100, The following will be explained in detail. The placement of the first layer MS will be explained as an example. The placement of the Nth layer MS is the same as the placement of the first layer MS, so the explanation will be simplified.

[0134] (Step S100) First, the control means 150 performs an initialization process.

[0135] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 21, the control means 150 first determines the maximum number of layers of the medal tower. The control means 150 determines N and stores it in the memory 100 (step S110). The rotation angles R1 to Rn of the holding surface 211 in each stage of the medal tower MT are set, and the memory 1 00 (step S120). Next, the control means 150 stores the generated medal tower The number of layers n is initialized to 1 (step S130). After that, the control means 150 starts the first position Based on the information transmitted from the sensor 241, the lifting drive unit 251 is driven to lift the holding surface 21 The holding surface 211 is moved to the second position P2 (step S140). By reaching the first medal passage 402, the second medal passage 402 is formed. The conversion process ends.

[0136] In this embodiment, in step S140, the holding surface 211 is moved to the second position P2. However, the holding surface 211 may be moved to the first position P1 or the third position P2 as needed. It may be moved to position P3.

[0137] (Step S200) Next, the control means 150 performs the configuration process of the single-layer medal set MS.

[0138] Specifically, the control means 150 controls the supply unit 30, specifically the guide drive unit 65 and the medal By driving the motor (not shown) of the hopper 32, the holding surface 21 of the second medal passage 402 1 constitutes a single-layer medal set MS (corresponding to the first layer MS here). The details of the operation of the supply unit 30 are the same as those explained in the explanation of the operation of the supply unit 30. , which will be omitted here.

[0139] (Step S300) Next, the control means 150 drives the lifting drive unit 251 to hold the Specifically, the control means 150 raises the holding surface 211 to the third position P3 ( 16C and 23).

[0140] (Step S400) Next, the control means 150 drives the rotation drive unit 252 to rotate the holding surface 251 as shown in FIG. 211 is rotated horizontally by R1 in the arrangement direction. The first layer MS is arranged in the arrangement direction so as to be located above the position corresponding to the placement surface 111 of the placement unit 10. is adjusted.

[0141] (Step S500) Subsequently, the control means 150 drives the lifting drive unit 251 to raise the holding surface 211 to the second position P 2. As a result, the first layer MS held on the holding surface 211 is Also, when passing through the placement surface 111, the first layer MS 11, the first layer MS remains on the placement surface 111. This first layer MS constitutes the bottom layer of the unfinished medal tower. On the other hand, the holding portion 21 does not interfere with the placement surface 111 and moves toward the second position P2. It can continue to fall.

[0142] (Step S600) Next, the control means 150 increments the tower layer number n. In this example, The number n goes from "0" to "1".

[0143] (Step S700) After that, the control means 150 detects that the number of tower layers n (here, "1") has reached the maximum number of layers N. Determine whether or not.

[0144] In this example, the number of tower layers n is "1", so the number of tower layers n has reached the maximum number of layers N. This corresponds to the case where there is no such person (Yes in step S700). The process returns to step S200, and the same process is repeated until the maximum number of layers N is reached.

[0145] Also, for example, in the second step S300, the holding surface 211 holds the second layer MS. The second layer MS held on the holding surface 211 is raised to the third position P3. It is located on the underside of the first floor MS of the lowest floor of the unfinished medal tower placed on 0. The first layer MS is rotated by a predetermined angle in the same arrangement as the second layer MS held on the holding surface 211. Therefore, the second layer M held on the holding surface 211 has an overlapping area. By raising S, the holding portion 21 is held on the holding surface 211 by the overlapping area. The second layer MS and the first layer MS of the unfinished medal tower placed on the placement section 10 are held together. Thus, the second layer MS becomes the new bottom layer of the unfinished medal tower, and the tower layer A new unfinished medal tower with the number n being "2" is constructed. Other processing is as described above. Since the contents are the same, the explanation will be omitted.

[0146] On the other hand, if the number of tower layers n reaches the maximum number of layers N (No in step S700), the control procedure The stage 150 ends the main process. As a result, as shown in FIG. 25, The medal tower MT is completed with each stage moving horizontally in the direction of arrangement. .

[0147] In the medal arrangement device 5 according to the embodiment described above, the upstream contact portion 511 and the downstream The contact portion 512 is a portion where a single medal M ejected from the medal hopper 32 contacts the downstream end portion 405. When the medal M reaches the fixed position B, the medal M is pressed against the second side wall surface 462. At least a part of each is located in the first medal passage 401, and one medal is in a predetermined position. When passing through B, the downstream contact portion 512 is retracted to the outside of the first medal passage 401. As a result, the holding surface 211 can be provided at a predetermined position B located upstream of the holding surface 211. The upstream contact portion 511 and the downstream contact portion 512 of the guide portion 33 guide the medal M to the second side wall surface 46 By pressing it against 2 and slightly suppressing the movement of medal M, the movement state of medal M can be controlled. and improve the measurement accuracy of the number of medals M supplied to the holding surface 211. Then, when the medal M passes through the predetermined position B, the downstream contact portion 512 contacts the first medal By retreating to the outside of the passage 401, the load on the medal M is released and the movement of the medal M is stopped. By allowing this, the supply speed of the medals M can be maintained. It is possible to obtain a medal arrangement device 5 that can supply and arrange medals consistently and quickly. In addition, the configuration in which the second medal passage 402 of the medal passage 400 is disposed on the holding surface 211 is , compared with a configuration in which the second medal passage 402 of the medal passage 400 is arranged around the holding surface 211 This reduces the area occupied, making it possible to make the medal arrangement device 5 smaller and simpler. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a medal arrangement device 5 that can be made smaller while reducing costs. can.

[0148] In addition, in the medal arrangement device 5 according to the embodiment described above, the downstream contact portion 512 is , and can be linked to the movement of the upstream contact portion 511 in the width direction of the first medal passage 401. As a result, the operations of the upstream contact portion 511 and the downstream contact portion 512 can be easily controlled. Cut.

[0149] In addition, in the medal arrangement device 5 according to the embodiment described above, the guide section 33 is The first guide portion 50 has a first contact portion 51 having a lever structure. The contact portion 51 has a fulcrum portion 513 fixed to the first side wall surface 461 of the first medal passage 401, a downstream free end 514 provided on the downstream end 405 side, and The abutment portion 512 is provided at the downstream free end 514 of the first abutment portion 51, and the downstream abutment portion 51 2, the fulcrum part 513 is moved in accordance with the change in the position where the upstream contact part 511 contacts the side surface of the medal M. The center of rotation is set so that the medals rotate in the direction away from or approaching the first medal passage 401. As a result, the operation of the downstream contact portion 512 can be controlled using a simple configuration. can be controlled.

[0150] In addition, in the medal arrangement device 5 according to the embodiment described above, the upstream contact portion 511 and The upstream contact portion 511 and the downstream contact portion 512 are configured by rollers. The shortest distance between the portions 512 can be smaller than the diameter of the medal M. The frictional force when the contact portion 511 and the downstream contact portion 512 contact the medal M can be reduced. In addition, movement of the medal M at the predetermined position B can be reliably suppressed.

[0151] In addition, in the medal arrangement device 5 according to the embodiment described above, the second medal passage 40 2 is an annular passage formed along the circumferential direction of the holding surface 211, and the medal M is The support surface 211 can be placed while filling the hole passage 402. 11 can constitute a part of the medal passage 400, and therefore the configuration of the medal passage 400 can be simplified. It can be realized.

[0152] In addition, in the medal arrangement device 5 according to the embodiment described above, the guide portion 33 is A second medal passage 40 is provided in the center of the surface 211 so as to intersect with the holding surface 311. The medal M can be guided so as to regulate the running direction of the medal M in the As a result, the second guide section 55 guides the medals in the second medal passage 402, which is a circular passage. Since the running direction of M can be specified (for example, clockwise), the medal It is possible to prevent M from traveling in different directions in the second medal passage 402. Therefore, the medals M can be stably loaded into the second medal passage 402.

[0153] In addition, in the medal arrangement device 5 according to the embodiment described above, the second guide section 55 is In the second medal passage 402, toward the downstream end 405 of the first medal passage 401 The protrusion 48 is provided at the downstream end of the first side wall surface 461. The distance between the tip of the protrusion 48 and the bottom of the second side wall surface 462 is equal to or greater than the diameter of the medal M. The distance between the flow end and the medal M can be made smaller than the diameter of the medal M. By using such a configuration, the running direction of the medal M in the second medal passage 402 can be regulated. Cut.

[0154] In addition, in the medal arrangement device 5 according to the embodiment described above, the guide section 33 is A second medal passage 402 is provided above the second medal passage 402 so as to cover at least a part of the second medal passage 402. The third guide portion 6 has a first link 611 and a second link 621, which are an example of a guide plate. 0, and the surfaces of the first link 611 and the second link 621 facing the holding surface 211 The distance between the holding surface 211 is greater than the thickness of one medal M and is less than the thickness of two medals M. As a result, the movement in the thickness direction of the medal M during movement can be reduced. By restricting this, clogging of the medals M in the second medal passage 402 is suppressed. It can be controlled.

[0155] In addition, in the medal arrangement device 5 according to the embodiment described above, the guide section 33 is In the range from the position that covers the medal passage 402 to the position that does not cover the second medal passage 402 In addition, a guide drive unit 65 for moving the third guide unit 60 may be further provided. As a result, the position of the third guide section 60 relative to the second medal passage 402 can be adjusted as necessary. This allows the third guide portion 60 to be used with greater flexibility.

[0156] In addition, in the medal arrangement device 5 according to the embodiment described above, the single-layer medal set M A medal tower MT consisting of S and multiple single-layer medal sets MS is placed on the platform. The placement unit 10 has a placement surface 111, and the first metal plate 111 is positioned at a third position P3 above the placement surface 111. The holding portion 21 is raised and lowered in the range from the dull passage 401 to the first position P1. As a result, the apparatus can be configured simply and A medal tower MT can be formed and placed.

[0157] In the embodiment described above, the medal game machine 1 includes a medal insertion device for inserting medals. The mechanism 2, the table 4 on which the inserted medals are placed, and the medals M placed on the table 4 are moved. a pusher table 7 for pushing the medal M, a prize winning opening 8 for receiving the medal M dropped from the mounting base 4, and a mounting base 4, and any one of the above-mentioned medal arrangement devices 5 provided therein. As a result, medals M can be supplied and arranged stably and quickly, and at a low cost. This makes it possible to provide a medal game machine 1 that can reduce costs.

[0158] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and those skilled in the art will be able to adapt these embodiments to their own needs. Appropriate design modifications are also included within the scope of the present invention as long as they retain the features of the present invention. That is, each element included in each embodiment and its arrangement, material, condition, shape, size, etc. The above-mentioned embodiments are not limited to those exemplified above and can be changed as appropriate. The elements of the embodiments can be combined to the extent technically possible. Any combination of the above is also included within the scope of the present invention as long as it includes the features of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0159] 1. Medal game machine 5...Medal arrangement device 10...Placement section 20...Transport unit 21...Holding part 22...Lift table 23...Lift crank 30…Supply section 31...Mounting part 32...Medal Hopper 33…Information Department 50…1st information section 51...First contact part 55…Second guide section 60...Third Information Department 65...Guide drive unit 70...Recovery section 80...Control unit 90…Housing 211…Holding surface 400...Medal passage 401...1st Medal Passage 402...2nd Medal Passage 405...Downstream end 461...First side wall 462...Second side wall 511...Upstream abutment 512...Downstream contact part M...Medal MS... Single layer medal set MT…Medal Tower

Claims

1. A storage device that holds a single-layer medal set made up of multiple medals arranged in a predetermined array. a holding portion having a holding surface; a supply unit that supplies medals to the holding surface through a medal passage, The supply unit includes a medal hopper that ejects medals one by one into the medal passage, a guide section for guiding the medals ejected into the medal passage; The medal passage is formed upstream of the holding surface in the direction of movement of the medals, and a first medal passage having a first side wall surface and a second side wall surface facing each other; A second medal passage connected to the flow end and formed on the holding surface, The guide portion is configured to guide the first medal passage so as to be biased toward the second side wall surface. The nozzle has a movable upstream contact portion and a movable downstream contact portion provided on one side wall surface, The upstream contact portion and the downstream contact portion are connected to each other by a single medal ejected from the medal hopper. When the medal reaches a predetermined position at the downstream end, the medal is pressed against the second side wall surface. At least a part of each of them is located in the first medal passage, and When the medal passes through the predetermined position, the downstream contact portion is located outside the first medal passage. It is provided to evacuate, Medal arrangement device.

2. The downstream contact portion moves in conjunction with the movement of the upstream contact portion in the width direction of the first medal passage. The medal arrangement device according to claim 1 .

3. the guide portion includes a first guide portion, the first guide portion has a first contact portion having a lever structure, The first contact portion has a fulcrum portion fixed to the first side wall surface side of the first medal passage and a front a downstream free end provided on the downstream end side, The upstream contact portion and the downstream contact portion are provided at the downstream free end of the first contact portion. And, The downstream contact portion changes the position where the upstream contact portion contacts the side surface of the medal. Rotates around the fulcrum part as the center of rotation in the direction away from or approaching the first medal passage. It is set up as follows: A medal arrangement device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the upstream contact portion and the downstream contact portion are configured by rollers, a minimum distance between the upstream contact portion and the downstream contact portion is smaller than a diameter of a medal; A medal arrangement device described in any one of 1 to 3.

5. The second medal passage is an annular passage formed along the circumferential direction of the holding surface, 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the annular passage is filled with the anode and the cathode is disposed on the support surface. A medal arrangement device as described in item .

6. The guide portion is provided at the center of the holding surface so as to intersect with the holding surface. a second guide section that guides the medals so as to define the running direction of the medals in the circular passage; The medal arrangement device according to claim 5, further comprising:

7. The second guide portion guides the medals in the circular passage toward the downstream end of the first medal passage. The projection is provided so as to The distance between the tip of the protrusion and the downstream end of the first side wall surface is equal to or greater than the diameter of the medal. and the distance between the tip of the protrusion and the downstream end of the second side wall surface is 7. The medal arrangement device according to claim 6, wherein the diameter of the medal is smaller than the diameter of the medal.

8. The guide section is located above the second medal passage and guides at least a portion of the second medal passage. a third guide portion having a guide plate provided to cover the third guide portion; The distance between the surface of the guide plate facing the holding surface and the holding surface is set to the thickness of one medal.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the metal plate is larger than the thickness of the metal plate and smaller than the thickness of two medals. The medal arrangement device is mounted on the board.

9. The guide portion is moved from a position covering the second medal passage to a position not covering the second medal passage.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising a drive unit for moving the third guide unit in a range from the first guide unit to the second guide unit. The medal arrangement device described.

10. Equipped with a medal tower consisting of a single-layer medal set and multiple single-layer medal sets. a placement section having a placement surface on which the object is placed; Within the range from a position above the placement surface to a position below the first medal passage a conveying unit that raises and lowers the holding unit; The medal arrangement device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising:

11. a medal insertion mechanism for inserting medals; a table on which inserted medals are placed; a pusher table that moves the medals placed on the placement table; a prize winning port into which medals dropped from the placing table are inserted; A medal game comprising the medal arrangement device according to any one of claims 1 to 10. Machine.

Images