Conveyor error display device

Abstract

To provide a conveyance error display device capable of plainly displaying an occurrence place of a conveyance error occurring in a conveyance path circulating the inside of a game parlor.SOLUTION: A conveyance error display device displays a layout diagram of a game parlor while including a route of a conveyance path, and displays installation places of multiple passage sensors that are dispersively provided in the conveyance path and detect passage of a moving body traveling within the conveyance path on a route diagram of the conveyance path drawn in the layout diagram. When clogging of a moving body is detected on the basis of a detection situation of the passage sensors, a section on the route diagram between a passage sensor in the most downstream side that has already detected passage of a moving body and a passage sensor that has not detected passage of its one-step downstream side is displayed as an abnormal place.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 53

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to A conveyance error display device that displays the location where a conveyance error occurred on a conveyance path that circulates within a game arcade .

Background Art

[0002] In a game arcade, there are installed a plurality of sets of a combination of a game ball lending machine that accepts the insertion of paper money and lends out game balls (such as pachinko balls) to players and a game machine such as a pachinko machine. Inside the game machine island, a conveying device for conveying the paper money inserted into each game ball lending machine to a safe provided at the end of the game machine island is provided along the longitudinal direction of the game machine island.

[0003] In the game arcade, a plurality of the above game machine islands are arranged. After closing the store, employees and the like collect the paper money stored in the safes of the respective game machine islands and perform operations such as storing it in the main safe in the office.

[0004] Patent Document 1 below discloses a paper collection and conveyance system for collecting the paper money stored in the safes of each game machine island distributed in the game arcade to the main safe in the store office. This system is installed so as to go out from the main safe in the office, pass through the installation locations of the safes of each game machine island, and return to the main safe again. It is provided with a conveyance pipe, a taking-in device provided near the installation location of the safe of each game machine island in the middle of the conveyance pipe for taking in the paper materials discharged from the safe into the conveyance pipe, and an air flow generating device for generating an air flow from upstream to downstream in the conveyance pipe. The paper materials discharged from the safe of each game machine island, taken into the conveyance pipe, and waiting are pushed from behind by a conveyance assisting body that moves under the action of the air flow and conveyed to the main safe. The conveyance assisting body is sent out from the main safe, makes a round in the game arcade, returns to the main safe, and is reused for the next sending.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] In a system for collecting banknotes from the safes of each gaming machine island distributed in a game hall to the central safe of the store, the conveyance route becomes quite long. For example, a conveyance assist body sent out from a central safe installed in an office on the second floor of the store descends to the gaming floor on the first floor and goes forward, and then, after collecting banknotes by sequentially visiting the safes of each gaming machine island installed on the first floor, climbs up to the second floor and returns to the central safe, resulting in a long conveyance route. Therefore, a long time is required for one collection operation until the conveyance assist body sent out from the central safe returns after making one round of this conveyance route. As a result, when collecting banknotes evenly from each gaming machine island, the safes of the gaming machine islands with a high operation rate where a large number of popular gaming machines are installed will be full of banknotes during business hours, and game customers will not be able to insert banknotes into the game ball lending machines, and the game will have to be interrupted.

[0007] Note that not only in a game hall, but also in a paper sheet collection and conveyance system in which a secondary collection device collects paper sheets such as banknotes from the storage parts (corresponding to the safes of gaming machine islands in a game hall) of a plurality of primary collection devices, when the storage parts of the primary collection devices become full, the collection of paper sheets by the primary collection devices becomes impossible, and various problems occur. By the way, In a conveyance system that circulates within a game arcade, In the middle of the conveyance path it is desirable to clearly display the location where the occurred conveyance error occurred.

[0008] The present invention aims to solve the above problems, Clearly display the location where a conveyance error occurred on a conveyance path that circulates within a game arcade and is capable of Conveyance error display device providing the following.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] The gist of the present invention for achieving such an object lies in the inventions of the following respective items.

[0010] [1] Game A conveyance error display device that displays a conveyance error occurring in a conveyance path that circulates within a game hall, Of paper materials wherein Based on the preset layout direction, display a layout diagram including the path of the conveyance path according to the layout of the entire game arcade, and When it is detected that the moving body is jammed based on the detection status of a plurality of passage sensors that are dispersedly provided in the conveyance path and detect the passage of the moving body moving in the conveyance path, on the route map, between the most downstream passage sensor that has detected the passage of the moving body and the passage sensor that has not detected the passage one downstream of it, the section is regarded as an abnormal location, and the abnormal location is displayed so as to be specifiable as the position within the game hall in the layout diagram. A conveyance error display device characterized by the above.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

[0013] Figure 1 shows an example of the in-store layout of the game parlor 2 where the paper sheet collection and conveyance system according to the embodiment of the present invention is installed. Inside the game parlor 2, a plurality of gaming machine islands 3 are arranged in a plurality with passages therebetween. In each gaming machine island 3, a gaming ball lending machine 4 that receives the insertion of paper money and lends gaming balls (pachinko balls) to players and a gaming machine 5 such as a pachinko machine are combined in a set and a plurality of sets are accommodated back to back on the front and back surfaces.

[0014] Inside the gaming machine island 3, a primary collection device 8 is provided which takes in the paper money discharged from the back of each gaming ball lending machine 4 and conveys it to a storage section (safe) installed at one end of the gaming machine island 3 for accumulation. The relay box 6 at the end of the gaming machine island 3 is part of the primary collection device 8 and functions as a safe (storage section) that temporarily stores the paper money conveyed to the island end.

[0015] Figure 2 shows a secondary collection device 10 that collects paper money from the relay boxes 6 of the plurality of gaming machine islands 3 installed in the game parlor 2 shown in Figure 1 and conveys it to the collective safe 11 installed in the office etc. of the game parlor 2. The paper sheet collection and conveyance system according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured to include a plurality of primary collection devices 8, a secondary collection device 10, and a sub-conveyance device 13 described later.

[0016] The secondary collection device 10 includes a collective safe 11 installed in the office etc. of the game parlor 2, a conveyance pipe 12 that exits from the collective safe 11, passes through the installation locations of the relay boxes 6 of each gaming machine island 3 installed in the gaming area, and is piped to return to the collective safe 11 again, and a conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 provided in the middle of the conveyance pipe 12. The conveyance pipe 12 from the collective safe 11 to the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 is referred to as the forward conveyance pipe 12a, and the conveyance pipe 12 from the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 back to the collective safe 11 is referred to as the return conveyance pipe 12b. The collective safe 11 is the destination of the conveyance by the secondary collection device 10.

[0017] In FIG. 2, the collection safe 11 is shown installed on the same floor as the gaming area where the gaming machine islands 3 are installed. However, the collection safe 11 may be installed on a floor separate from the gaming area. In that case, the length of the conveyance pipe 12 from the collection safe 11 to the gaming floor and the length of the conveyance pipe 12 from the gaming floor back to the collection safe 11 will be considerably longer than those shown in FIG. 2.

[0018] The conveyance pipe 12 installed on the gaming floor is piped under the ceiling of the gaming floor. In the case of FIG. 2, the forward conveyance pipe 12a of the conveyance pipe 12 exits the collection safe 11 installed on one end side of the game hall, bends upward, extends to the height of the ceiling space, then bends again, enters the ceiling space, and extends to the conveyance auxiliary relay device 17 installed on the other end side of the game hall above the installation location of the relay box 6 of each gaming machine island 3. The return conveyance pipe 12b extends from the conveyance auxiliary relay device 17 along the forward conveyance pipe 12a (that is, extends so as to return to one end side of the game hall above the installation location of the relay box 6 of each gaming machine island 3), then bends downward, descends to the height of the collection safe 11, and then bends again to become horizontal and extends to the collection safe 11.

[0019] The secondary collection device 10 of the paper sheet collection conveyance system generates an air flow in the conveyance pipe 12, and uses a conveyance auxiliary body 16 (see FIG. 3) that moves in the conveyance pipe 12 under the influence of the air flow to push the paper money P from behind and convey it downstream (conveyance direction FW). The collection safe 11 and the conveyance auxiliary relay device 17 each have a blower that generates an air flow. The collection safe 11 generates an air flow from the start end of the forward conveyance pipe 12a toward the conveyance auxiliary relay device 17, and the conveyance auxiliary relay device 17 sucks in the air flow from the end of the forward conveyance pipe 12a. Also, the conveyance auxiliary relay device 17 generates an air flow from the start end of the return conveyance pipe 12b toward the collection safe 11, and the collection safe 11 sucks in the air flow from the end of the return conveyance pipe 12b.

[0020] At the bending point where the return conveyance pipe 12b bends downward from the ceiling space, an auxiliary blower 18 is provided to strengthen the air flow toward the downstream (from the conveyance auxiliary relay device 17 to the collection safe 11).

[0021] The paper currency collection and conveyance system further includes a sub-conveyance device 13 that conveys paper currency from each relay box 6 to a return conveyance pipe 12b passing above it. The secondary collection device 10 includes a capture device 14 that captures the paper currency conveyed from the relay box 6 by the sub-conveyance device 13 into the return conveyance pipe 12b in a posture where the paper surface is along the extending direction of the return conveyance pipe 12b.

[0022] Since the conveyance pipe 12 of the secondary collection device 10 is provided in the ceiling space, even if the conveyance pipe 12 is routed to various locations within the game hall 2, the conveyance pipe 12 will not interfere with the activities and movement of the players. Note that the conveyance pipe 12 is not limited to the ceiling space and may be extended, for example, along a high position near the ceiling. In this example, the conveyance pipe 12 is installed at a position higher than the area where people are active (playing games or passing through) within the game hall 2, avoiding the area where people are active. Also, the game ball lending machines 4 within the gaming machine island 3 are installed at a height suitable for the players playing games, and the relay box 6 of the gaming machine island 3 is installed at the same height. Therefore, the paper currency P is conveyed by the sub-conveyance device 13 from the relay box 6 to the return conveyance pipe 12b above it.

[0023] In this embodiment, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 that moves by an air flow and pushes the paper currency P from behind is sent from the aggregate safe 11, which is the base point, to the forward conveyance pipe 12a. When it reaches the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17, it is temporarily held by the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17. The held conveyance auxiliary body 16 is then sent from the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 to the return conveyance pipe 12b, and while collecting the paper currency P taken into the return conveyance pipe 12b by the capture device 14, it moves back to the aggregate safe 11.

[0024] Here, the sending out of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 from the aggregate safe 11 to the forward conveyance pipe 12a and the sending out of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 from the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 to the return conveyance pipe 12b are performed simultaneously. The conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 receives and holds the conveyance auxiliary body 16 coming from the forward conveyance pipe 12a. Then, the held conveyance auxiliary body 16 is moved to the starting end side of the return conveyance pipe 12b, and the next time, the held conveyance auxiliary body 16 is sent out to the return conveyance pipe 12b.

[0025] By using the transfer auxiliary body relay device 17, the movement from the cash collection vault 11 through the forward transfer pipe 12a to the transfer auxiliary body relay device 17 and the movement from the transfer auxiliary body relay device 17 back to the cash collection vault 11 through the return transfer pipe 12b can be carried out simultaneously. Without using the transfer auxiliary body relay device 17, compared with the case where the transfer auxiliary body 16 sent out from the base point (cash collection vault 11) continues to move as it is, makes a full circle through the transfer pipe 12, and returns to the base point (cash collection vault 11), the transfer auxiliary body 16 can be sent out at a shorter cycle (time interval), and the banknote collection ability per unit time can be enhanced.

[0026] For example, when the transfer auxiliary body relay device 17 is installed at the midpoint of the entire transfer path, compared with the case where the transfer auxiliary body 16 sent out from the base point makes a full circle through the transfer path and returns to the base point as it is, the time required for one collection operation by the transfer auxiliary body 16 can be shortened to half, and the collection ability per unit time can be doubled.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 8, inside the cash collection vault 11, an air flow generating device 21 and a banknote separation / transfer auxiliary body circulation device 22 are provided. The banknote separation / transfer auxiliary body circulation device 22 has the function of a transfer auxiliary body insertion device 23 that sends out the transfer auxiliary body 16 to the forward transfer pipe 12a, and the function of a separation and recovery device 24 that separates the banknote P and the transfer auxiliary body 16 that has been pushed and conveyed from behind and recovers each of them, and also functions to pass the transfer auxiliary body 16 recovered by the separation and recovery device 24 to the transfer auxiliary body insertion device 23 for cyclic use. The banknote P recovered by the separation and recovery device 24 is stored in the banknote storage section 25 inside the cash collection vault 11.

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

[0029] The transfer assist relay device 17 functions to suck air in the forward transfer pipe 12a from the terminal side of the forward transfer pipe 12a and to send an air flow toward the start end of the return transfer pipe 12b. That is, the air flow generator 21 in the aggregation storage 11 sends an air flow into the forward transfer pipe 12a from its start end side, and the transfer assist relay device 17 sucks the air flow from the terminal side of the forward transfer pipe 12a, thereby generating a strong air flow in the forward transfer pipe 12a. Similarly, the transfer assist relay device 17 sends an air flow into the return transfer pipe 12b from its start end side, and the air flow generator 21 in the aggregation storage 11 sucks the air flow from the terminal side of the return transfer pipe 12b, thereby generating a strong air flow in the return transfer pipe 12b.

[0030] Furthermore, an auxiliary blower 18 is provided in the return transfer pipe 12b downstream of the most downstream intake device 14. The auxiliary blower 18 is a blower that blows air downstream and serves to enhance the forward air flow in order to ensure that the transfer assist body 16 reaches the aggregation storage 11. In the example of FIG. 2, the transfer pipe 12 from the installation location of the auxiliary blower 18 to the aggregation storage 11 is shown briefly, but for example, the aggregation storage 11 is often provided on a different floor from the primary recovery device 8, and the transfer pipe 12 downstream of the auxiliary blower 18 may be long.

[0031] The recovery of the banknote P by the paper sheet recovery transfer system is performed as follows.

[0032] The banknotes inserted from each game ball lending machine 4 on the gaming machine island 3 are conveyed by the primary recovery device 8 to the relay box 6 at the end of the gaming machine island 3 and temporarily stored therein. When recovering the banknote P stored in the relay box 6 into the aggregation storage 11, the banknote P is discharged from one or two or more relay boxes 6 toward the sub-transfer device 13. The banknote P discharged from the relay box 6 is conveyed upward by the sub-transfer device 13 and then sent into the return transfer pipe 12b by the intake device 14.

[0033] The banknote intake device 14 sends the banknote P into the reverse path conveyance pipe 12b in a posture where the paper surface thereof is along the extending direction of the reverse path conveyance pipe 12b. Here, the banknote intake device 14 sends the banknote P into the reverse path conveyance pipe 12b so that the paper surface is in a horizontal posture facing up and down. The banknote P sent into the reverse path conveyance pipe 12b by the banknote intake device 14 stays at the sending completion position. The reverse path conveyance pipe 12b in the portion passing through the plurality of banknote intake devices 14 is in a horizontal posture and is piped horizontally and linearly. The horizontal posture is the posture of the reverse path conveyance pipe 12b where the paper surface of the banknote P in the reverse path conveyance pipe 12b is horizontal.

[0034] When the intake of the banknote P into the reverse path conveyance pipe 12b is completed, the conveyance assist body 16 is sent from the conveyance assist body relay device 17 into the forward path conveyance pipe 12a in order to convey and collect the banknote P staying in the reverse path conveyance pipe 12b to the coin collection vault 11. At the same time, the conveyance assist body 16 is sent from the coin collection vault 11 into the forward path conveyance pipe 12a. The conveyance assist body 16 sent into the forward path conveyance pipe 12a moves in the forward path conveyance pipe 12a under the action of the air flow, reaches the conveyance assist body relay device 17, and is received and held by the conveyance assist body relay device 17. On the other hand, the conveyance assist body 16 sent from the conveyance assist body relay device 17 into the reverse path conveyance pipe 12b moves in the reverse path conveyance pipe 12b under the action of the air flow and returns to the coin collection vault 11 while collecting the banknote P. At that time, as shown in FIG. 3, the conveyance assist body 16 pushes and moves the banknote P from the rear end side thereof for conveyance (conveyance direction FW in the figure).

[0035] In this way, the conveyance assist body 16 moves under the action of the air flow, and the banknote P is pushed and moved from the rear end side by the conveyance assist body 16 for conveyance. Therefore, the banknote P itself does not need to obtain a propulsive force from the air flow. Accordingly, the banknote P can be conveyed by the air flow without taking measures such as bending the banknote P to receive the air flow. Further, since the conveyance assist body 16 can obtain a propulsive force from the air flow more efficiently than the banknote P, the banknote P can be conveyed efficiently.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 2, the transport pipe 12 of the secondary collection device 10 of the paper sheet collection and transport system is configured by connecting a plurality of transport pipes with a connecting portion 15. The connecting portion 15 serves to absorb the change in the length of the transport pipe 12 so that even if the length of the transport pipe 12 changes due to temperature changes or the like, no distortion occurs in the overall installation state. Note that the intake device 14 also functions to connect the transport pipes 12 before and after it.

[0037] Further, the paper sheet collection and transport system includes a control unit 27 (see FIG. 8) having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. as main components. The control unit 27 controls the operations of various components such as the air flow generation device 21, the banknote separation / transport auxiliary body circulation device 22, the sub-transport device 13, the intake device 14, the transport auxiliary body relay device 17, the auxiliary blower 18, the sub-transport device 13, the primary collection device 8, and the relay box 6.

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

[0039] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the transport pipe 12 in the straight portion, and FIG. 5 is a view showing a cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the extending direction FW (= the transport direction FW of the banknote P = the flowing direction of the air flow) of the transport pipe 12 in the same portion. The transport pipe 12 is formed of a resin having a thickness of about 1.5 mm. The transport pipe 12 is formed, for example, by extrusion molding.

[0040] The shape of the cross-section perpendicular to the extending direction FW of the straight portion of the transport pipe 12 forms a shape in which the central portion of the long side of the rectangle extends outward in a rectangular shape. Specifically, the transport pipe 12 includes a wall portion 31 forming the short side of the rectangle in cross-section, a side wall portion 32 forming the long side of the rectangle in cross-section, and an extension portion 33 that projects outward in a rectangular shape at the central portion of the side wall portion 32. In addition, in the cross-section of the transport pipe 12 that is substantially rectangular perpendicular to the extending direction (transport direction FW) of the transport pipe 12, the short side direction is defined as the X direction and the long side direction is defined as the Y direction. The direction toward the center of the transport pipe 12 in each of the X direction and the Y direction is called the inner side, and the direction from the center to the inner wall is called the outer side.

[0041] The expansion part 33 is divided into two by a partition wall 34 erected in the inner direction of the conveying pipe 12. The partition wall 34 is formed by attaching a T-shaped member to the inner wall of the expansion part 33.

[0042] On the side wall part 32, a plurality of ribs 35 protruding in the inner direction of the conveying pipe 12 are formed to extend along the conveying direction. In this example, ribs 35 protruding inward of the conveying pipe 12 are formed along the conveying direction FW at the boundary between the side wall part 32 and the expansion part 33. The partition wall 34 has the same height as the ribs 35, and the top of the partition wall 34 functions as a rib. Hereinafter, the partition wall 34 is also referred to as the rib 34.

[0043] The side wall part 32 serves as a pair of inner walls facing the paper surface of the banknote P being conveyed. The banknote P is rectangular, and is conveyed in the conveying pipe 12 with the long side in the conveying direction FW. In other words, the paper surface P faces the side wall part 32 of the conveying pipe 12, and one short side of the banknote P is on the front end side in the conveying direction FW and the other short side is on the rear end side, and it is conveyed in this orientation.

[0044] The distance Dy between the pair of opposing wall parts 31 of the conveying pipe 12 is slightly longer than the short side of the banknote P. Also, the distance Dx between the pair of opposing side wall parts 32 (the part where no ribs 35, expansion parts 33, or partition walls 34 are formed (referred to as the reference plane part)) is set to about 21 mm. The expansion part 33 provided on each side wall part 32 expands about 6 mm outward from the side wall part 32 (reference plane part). The tops of the ribs 35 and the partition wall 34 are at a height of about 2 mm inward from the side wall part 32 (reference plane part). The height of the ribs 35 may be set as appropriate.

[0045] Note that the conveying pipe 12 can be installed and used with its longitudinal direction inclined at an arbitrary angle in addition to vertical and horizontal, and at any angle, the conveying auxiliary body 16 can smoothly move inside the conveying pipe 12. For example, in the twisting part 51 (see FIG. 9) described later, the banknote P and the conveying auxiliary body 16 can be conveyed smoothly. FIG. 5 shows the conveying pipe 12 in a vertical posture installed so that the long side of the rectangular cross section is vertical.

[0046] FIG. 6 shows the plan view and front view of the conveyance assisting body 16. The conveyance assisting body 16 has a columnar shape with a circular cross-section having different diameters at each part. The conveyance assisting body 16 is inserted into the conveyance pipe 12 and used such that the central axis of the cylinder is in the Y direction of the conveyance pipe 12. The conveyance assisting body 16 has a symmetric shape with respect to its center in the longitudinal direction, and in order from one end, it includes a head portion 16a, a neck portion 16b having a slightly smaller diameter than the head portion, a large-diameter portion 16c having a larger diameter than the head portion 16a, a constricted portion 16d having the same diameter as the neck portion 16b and located at the center in the longitudinal direction, the large-diameter portion 16c, the neck portion 16b, and the head portion 16a. The conveyance assisting body 16 is lightweight and strong, and for example, its interior is formed as a cavity by plastic or the like. Note that as long as it is lightweight and strong, it may be formed by expanded polystyrene, extruded expanded polystyrene, or the like.

[0047] FIG. 7 shows a cross-section of the state where the conveyance assisting body 16 is inserted into the conveyance pipe 12. This figure is a cross-section perpendicular to the extension direction FW and passing through the central axis of the conveyance assisting body 16. The diameter of each part of the conveyance assisting body 16 corresponds to the inner edge shape of the conveyance pipe 12. That is, the cross-sectional shape passing through the central axis of the conveyance assisting body 16 is a shape corresponding to the inner edge shape of the conveyance pipe 12 in a cross-section perpendicular to the extension direction FW, and it has a shape that substantially closes the inside of the conveyance pipe 12 with a predetermined clearance from the inner wall.

[0048] As described above, since the conveyance assisting body 16 has a shape corresponding to the inner edge shape of the conveyance pipe 12 (substantially the same shape with a slight clearance) and substantially closes the entire cross-section of the conveyance pipe 12, it can efficiently receive the action of the air flow and move. Further, the conveyance assisting body 16 serves to prevent the air flow from upstream from reaching the downstream side of the conveyance assisting body 16 and suppress the disturbance of the air flow on the downstream side.

[0049] When the banknote P is affected by the air flow in the conveyance pipe 12, it tends to stick to the side wall portion 32. That is, it is almost impossible for the distance between one paper surface of the banknote P and the side wall portion 32 facing it and the distance between the other paper surface and the side wall portion 32 facing it to be equal, and one of the distances becomes narrower than the other. Since the flow velocity of the air flow is faster on the narrow interval side than on the wide interval side, the air pressure on the narrow interval side becomes lower than the air pressure on the wide interval side, and due to this pressure difference, the banknote P is adsorbed and pressed against the side wall portion 32 on the narrow interval side. Then, the interval on the narrow interval side becomes even narrower, and a phenomenon occurs in which the banknote P sticks and adheres to the side wall portion 32.

[0050] When the banknote P strongly adheres to the side wall portion 32, it becomes difficult to push and convey the banknote P with the conveyance assist body 16. However, as described above, the conveyance assist body 16 serves to block (reduce) the flow of air to its downstream side, so the force with which the banknote P adheres and adsorbs becomes smaller, and smooth conveyance is realized.

[0051] The two large-diameter portions 16c of the conveyance assist body 16 engage with each of the two expansion portions 33 partitioned by the partition wall 34 of the conveyance pipe 12. In this example, since the expansion portion 33 is partitioned into two by the partition wall 34 and these expansion portions 33 are provided closer to the center in the Y direction of the conveyance pipe 12, the conveyance assist body 16 can be maintained in a stable posture and moved. Also, since the posture of the conveyance assist body 16 is stabilized, the large-diameter portion 16c of the conveyance assist body 16 can appropriately contact the rear end of the banknote P to provide a stable conveyance force. Also, it becomes difficult for the banknote P to be caught between the conveyance pipe 12 and the conveyance assist body 16.

[0052] Further, by providing the large-diameter portion 16c, the conveyance assist body 16 can expand the area of the portion that is affected by the air flow and efficiently receive the force for moving. Also, since the large-diameter portion 16c is provided to efficiently receive the action of the air flow, the diameter of the head portion 16a can be reduced accordingly. By reducing the diameter of the head portion, the interval (width (Dx)) between the pair of opposing side wall portions 32 in the conveyance pipe 12 can be narrowed, and the banknote P can be prevented from falling over.

[0053] Furthermore, due to the presence of a plurality of ribs 35 provided on the side wall portion 32, it is possible to prevent the banknote P from sticking tightly to the side wall portion 32. That is, the contact area between the banknote P and the side wall portion 32 is reduced, the friction is reduced, and the generation of static electricity and the like can be suppressed. Also, even when the banknote P is stuck to the side wall portion 32, since the banknote P is supported by the tip portion of the rib 35, a gap is secured between the side wall portion 32 and the banknote P around the rib 35, and the sticking force is kept small. Also, since the banknote P is supported by the separation wall 34, the banknote P is prevented from falling into the depression of the expansion portion 33.

[0054] In addition, the tops of the plurality of ribs 35 and the separation wall 34 that protrude inward from the side wall portion 32 serve to make the passage width W of the banknote P in the width direction (X direction) of the transport pipe 12 narrower than the reference plane portion distance Dx. As a result, it becomes difficult for the banknote P to fall to one side wall portion 32 side within the transport pipe 12, and the posture of the banknote 6 is held along the Y direction. In particular, by providing a plurality of ribs 35, the above-mentioned falling of the banknote P is appropriately prevented, and the sticking of the banknote P to the side wall portion 32 is also effectively prevented. Note that Dx can be increased by the amount of the ribs 35 provided, and thereby the cross-sectional area of the transport pipe 12 is increased and the transport auxiliary body 16 is more easily affected by the air flow.

[0055] In the case of the transport auxiliary body 16 according to the present embodiment, since the diameter of the large diameter portion 16c is the largest, as shown in FIG. 3, this large diameter portion 16c comes into contact with the rear end of the banknote 6 and pushes it.

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

[0057] FIG. 8 shows the collection vault 11 with the front cover removed and the transport pipe 12 in the vicinity thereof, and FIG. 9 shows the back side of the collection vault 11. At the connection position with the collection vault 11, as shown in FIG. 9, the forward transport pipe 12a and the return transport pipe 12b are each in a vertical posture.

[0058] The coin collection vault 11 has a vertically long rectangular parallelepiped shape. An air flow generating device 21 is arranged at the lower part inside thereof, and a banknote separation / conveyance auxiliary body circulation device 22 is attached to the upper part. In addition, inside the coin collection vault 11, there are accommodated a banknote storage section 25 for storing banknotes P, a banknote conveyance section 26 for conveying the banknotes P separated and recovered by the separation and recovery device 24 to the banknote storage section 25, a control section 27 for controlling the operation of the entire paper sheet collection and conveyance system, a power supply section, and the like.

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

[0060] FIGS. 10 and 11 show an overview of the banknote separation / conveyance auxiliary body circulation device 22. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the banknote separation / conveyance auxiliary body circulation device 22 as viewed from the side of the discharge port of the separated banknotes, and FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the banknote separation / conveyance auxiliary body circulation device 22 as viewed from the side of the connection portion of the conveyance pipe 12.

[0061] The banknote separation / conveyance auxiliary body circulation device 22 is configured by integrating a conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 23 that sends out a conveyance auxiliary body 16 into the conveyance pipe 12 (the start end of the forward conveyance pipe 12a), and a separation and recovery device 24 that is arranged above the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 23, to which the end of the return conveyance pipe 12b is connected, and that separates and recovers the banknotes P coming from the return conveyance pipe 12b and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 that has pushed and moved the banknotes P from behind.

[0062] The conveyance auxiliary body 16 separated and recovered from the banknotes P by the separation and recovery device 24 falls downward from the separation and recovery device 24 through a guide passage 28 (see FIG. 11) and is delivered to a standby location 29 inside the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 23. Thereby, the recovered conveyance auxiliary body 16 is used as the conveyance auxiliary body 16 to be sent out into the forward conveyance pipe 12a next, and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is repeatedly used.

[0063] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, the separation and recovery device 24 has a holding portion 41 that functions to allow the banknote P pushed and conveyed by the conveyance assisting member 16 to pass downstream and to abut and stop the conveyance assisting member 16. The holding portion 41 has a U-shaped receiving portion 42 for receiving the conveyance assisting member 16 at the tip of an arm that rotates within a predetermined angular range about one end. A slit 43 for allowing the banknote P to pass through is provided at the center of the receiving portion 42. Further, a discharge port for dropping the conveyance assisting member 16 is formed in the bottom surface of the receiving portion 42.

[0064] Normally, the holding portion 41 is positioned such that the tip with the receiving portion 42 faces the end of the conveyance pipe 12 (return conveyance pipe 12b) (the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 12). When the banknote P pushed by the conveyance assisting member 16 passes through the slit 43 of the receiving portion 42 and the conveyance assisting member 16 is received by the receiving portion 42, the holding portion 41 is driven by a motor to rotate, and the receiving portion 42 is moved to a position offset from the extension of the conveyance pipe 12 (return conveyance pipe 12b) to the side (the position shown by the broken line in FIG. 12). At this position, the opening at the bottom of the receiving portion 42 communicates with the guide passage 28, and the conveyance assisting member 16 drops downward through the guide passage 28.

[0065] The banknote P that has passed through the slit 43 is conveyed to a conveyance belt (not shown) and discharged from the discharge port at the rear end of the separation and recovery device 24. The discharged banknote P is conveyed to the banknote conveyance unit 26 and sent to the banknote storage unit 25 as described above.

[0066] The conveyance assisting member 16 that has dropped through the guide passage 28 enters and is received at a standby location 29 provided in the conveyance assisting member insertion device 23.

[0067] The conveyance assisting member insertion device 23 includes a movable arm 46 that rotates about one end and has a U-shaped delivery portion 45 that holds the conveyance assisting member 16 at the other end. The delivery portion 45 is provided with a large opening for smoothly flowing the air flow from the air flow generating device 21.

[0068] The movable arm 46 is driven by a motor to rotate between a standby position (the position shown by the broken line in Fig. 12) where the delivery unit 45 is housed within the standby location 29 and a delivery position (the position shown by the solid line in Fig. 12) where the delivery unit 45 is on the extension of the starting end of the transport pipe 12 (the forward transport pipe 12a). The movable arm 46 is normally in the standby position, and receives the transport auxiliary body 16 that has dropped from the separation and collection device 24 through the guide passage 28 at the delivery unit 45. When sending the transport auxiliary body 16 into the transport pipe 12 (the forward transport pipe 12a), the movable arm 46 is rotated to move the delivery unit 45 to the delivery position. Then, due to the air flow from the air flow generating device 21, the transport auxiliary body 16 detaches from the delivery unit 45 and is sent into the transport pipe 12 (the forward transport pipe 12a).

[0069] In this way, the transport auxiliary body 16 that has returned while pushing and moving the banknote P from behind is separated from the banknote P by the separation and collection device 24, collected, delivered to the transport auxiliary body insertion device 23, and reused for the next delivery.

[0070] Next, the postures of each part of the transport pipe 12 will be described.

[0071] Here, as shown in Fig. 1, four gaming machine islands 3 are installed side by side with passages in between. To collect the banknote P from the relay boxes 6 of these gaming machine islands 3, as shown in Fig. 2, the case where the transport pipe 12 is piped will be described as an example.

[0072] As shown in Figs. 9 and 2, the forward transport pipe 12a is in a vertical posture when it exits from the back of the coin box 11. After that, it changes to a horizontal posture after passing through the torsion part 51 and then changes its path vertically upward. When it reaches the ceiling space, it returns the path horizontally and then becomes vertical again after passing through the torsion part 51, and extends to the transport auxiliary body relay device 17 in the ceiling space in this vertical posture. The terminal of the forward transport pipe 12a is connected to the transport auxiliary body relay device 17 in a vertical posture.

[0073] The return conveyance pipe 12b is in a vertical posture at the starting end portion connected to the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17. However, after that, before reaching the first intake device 14, it is changed to a horizontal posture through the torsion portion 51. The return conveyance pipe 12b extends straight above the relay box 6 of each gaming machine island 3 while remaining in the horizontal posture through the ceiling space and passing through a plurality of intake devices 14 on the way. When the return conveyance pipe 12b reaches the end of the portion passing through the ceiling space, it changes its path vertically downward while remaining in the horizontal posture, returns its path horizontally after descending to the height of the collection safe 11, and then becomes vertical through the torsion portion 51 and is connected to the connection port on the back of the collection safe 11 in a vertical posture (see Fig. 9).

[0074] When the conveyance pipe 12 (return conveyance pipe 12b) of the portion where the bill P is conveyed is curved to change the path, if the plane of the bill P faces the inside or outside of the arc, the bill P can pass through the curved portion smoothly. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 2, the conveyance pipe 12 is in a horizontal posture before and after the portion where the path of the conveyance pipe 12 (return conveyance pipe 12b) is changed horizontally / vertically.

[0075] In addition, even when the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is moving alone without conveying the bill P, by making the axis of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 perpendicular to the radial direction of the portion to be curved, it can smoothly proceed through the portion curved with a small radius. That is, also for the forward conveyance pipe 12a, it is preferable that the conveyance pipe 12 is in a horizontal posture before and after the portion where the path of the conveyance pipe 12 is changed horizontally / vertically as shown in Fig. 2.

[0076] Also, when extending the conveyance pipe 12 in a thin wall, it is preferable that the longitudinal direction of the cross-section of the conveyance pipe 12 is along the wall surface (the short side direction of the cross-section is the wall thickness direction). Therefore, the conveyance pipe 12 of the portion extending vertically in the wall is arranged in the above-mentioned orientation.

[0077] Since the torsion portion 51 is provided in the middle of the conveyance pipe 12, it is possible to freely set the path of the conveyance pipe 12 in a plane such as the ceiling space while mixing the vertical direction and the horizontal direction as the conveyance direction of the bill P.

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

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

[0080] As shown in FIG. 14, on the front side of the relay part 61 of the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17, an inflow side connection port 67 to which the forward conveyance pipe 12a is connected and an outflow side connection port 68 to which the return conveyance pipe 12b is connected are provided so as to protrude forward. The inflow side connection port 67 and the outflow side connection port 68 each have an inner edge shape corresponding to the outer edge shape of the conveyance pipe 12. The end of the forward conveyance pipe 12a is closely inserted into the inflow side connection port 67, and the start end of the return conveyance pipe 12b is closely inserted into the outflow side connection port 68.

[0081] FIG. 15 shows a state in which the cover on the front side of the relay part 61 is removed. The relay part 61 has a rectangular base plate 71 that constitutes the back surface of the relay part 61, and a rotating plate 72 pivotally supported on the base plate 71 by a support shaft 73 so as to be rotatable. A pair of holding parts 74 are provided at symmetric positions around the support shaft 73 on the rotating plate 72. The holding part 74 functions to temporarily hold the conveyance auxiliary body 16.

[0082] The rotating plate 72 can stop at two positions: the first stop position shown in FIG. 15 and the second stop position rotated 180 degrees from the first stop position. FIG. 16 shows the state of the rotating plate 72 during rotation from the first stop position to the second stop position. A transmissive optical sensor 76 is provided to detect whether the rotating plate 72 is at the first stop position or the second stop position.

[0083] When the rotating plate 72 stops at either stop position, one holding portion 74 is positioned exactly at the inner most part of the inflow side connection port 67 and is in a position (referred to as the receiving position) where it is connected to the inflow side connection port 67, and the other holding portion 74 is positioned exactly at the inner most part of the outflow side connection port 68 and is in a position (referred to as the discharging position) where it is connected to the outflow side connection port 68.

[0084] Ventilation holes 72a are opened in the rotating plate 72 at positions corresponding to the centers of the respective holding portions 74. When the rotating plate 72 stops at the stop position, the suction duct 65 communicates with the inflow side connection port 67 through the suction duct connection port 71a provided on the base plate 71 and the ventilation holes 72a provided in the rotating plate 72, and the blower duct 66 communicates with the outflow side connection port 68 through the blower duct connection port 71b provided on the base plate 71 and the ventilation holes 72a provided in the rotating plate 72.

[0085] FIG. 17 is a view of the relay portion 61 with the front cover removed, seen from above. The holding portion 74 includes a receiving portion 81 that contacts the conveying auxiliary body 16 coming from the forward conveying pipe 12a and receives the conveying auxiliary body 16, and a pair of holding rollers 82 that sandwich the conveying auxiliary body 16 in contact with the receiving portion 81 from the left and right sides. The conveying auxiliary body 16 is held sandwiched between the pair of holding rollers 82 and the receiving portion 81. The receiving portion 81 is composed of a shock absorbing member that absorbs the shock when receiving the conveying auxiliary body 16.

[0086] A pair of holding rollers 82 are arranged at intervals left and right so that the conveying auxiliary body 16 can be pushed open and pass between them. The holding rollers 82 are attached inside the tips of a pair of holding arms 83 whose longitudinal direction is the advancing direction of the conveying auxiliary body 16. The rear ends of the holding arms 83 are pivotally supported, and the holding arms 83 rotate between a closed position where the interval between the pair of holding rollers 82 is slightly narrower than the diameter of the conveying auxiliary body 16 and an open position where the interval between the pair of holding rollers 82 is sufficiently wider than the diameter of the conveying auxiliary body 16, and are biased toward the closed position by a spring or the like.

[0087] On the outer side surface of the outer holding arm 83 among the pair of holding arms 83, a release plate 84 that is parallel to the rotating plate 72 and protrudes outward is attached. As shown in FIG. 15, the release plate 84 is a rectangular metal plate whose longitudinal direction is the tangential direction of the circle on which the rotating plate 72 rotates, and both ends in the longitudinal direction are bent obliquely in a direction away from the rotating plate 72. On the base plate 71, when the rotating plate 72 rotates and the holding portion 74 comes to the release position, a release roller 85 is attached that abuts against the release plate 84 of the holding portion 74 that has come to the release position and pushes the holding arm 83 to which the release plate 84 is attached to an open position where the tip opens outward. The base plate 71 is provided with a sensor 75 for detecting whether or not the holding portion 74 at the first stop position and the second stop position holds the conveying auxiliary body 16. The sensor 75 is a transmissive optical sensor.

[0088] FIG. 18 shows a state in which the holding portion 74 at the receiving position holds the conveying auxiliary body 16 coming from the forward conveying pipe 12a. As shown in FIG. (a) of the same figure, the holding portion 74 is waiting in a closed position where the interval between the pair of holding rollers 82 is slightly narrower than the diameter of the conveying auxiliary body 16. The conveying auxiliary body 16 coming from the end of the forward conveying pipe 12a passes through a location with the holding rollers 82 while pushing open the interval between the pair of holding rollers 82, and abuts against the receiving portion 81 as shown in FIG. (c) of the same figure. At the position where it abuts against the receiving portion 81, the center of the conveying auxiliary body 16 is at a position slightly closer to the receiving portion 81 side than the line C1 connecting the centers of the pair of holding rollers 82, and is held by the receiving portion 81 and the pair of holding rollers 82.

[0089] Figure 19 shows the state when the holding part 74 reaches the release position. When it reaches the release position, since the release plate 84 abuts against the release roller 85, the outer holding arm 83 to which the release plate 84 is attached rotates in the opening direction, and the interval between the pair of holding rollers 82 becomes wider than the diameter of the conveyance auxiliary body 16, and the holding of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 by the receiving part 81 and the holding rollers 82 is released.

[0090] Inside the inflow-side connection port 67 and the outflow-side connection port 68, and inside the holding part 74, as shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, various ribs 91, 92, 93 for restricting the position and posture of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 are provided. The ribs 91 and 92 are provided inside the inflow-side connection port 67 and the outflow-side connection port 68, and the rib 93 is provided inside the holding part 74. The side rib 91 that abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter part 16c of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is set such that the passage width of the portion through which the large-diameter part 16c of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 passes gradually becomes narrower from the inlet side of the connection port toward the back, and then gradually widens suddenly. The side rib 91 prevents lateral play of the conveyance auxiliary body 16.

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

[0092] The upper and lower guide ribs 92 have a taper with the interval between them widening from the connection port 67, 68 side toward the holding part 74 side. The pair of upper and lower guide ribs 93 following the back side of the upper and lower guide ribs 92 have a taper with the interval between them widening toward the connection port 67, 68 side (a taper opposite to that of the guide ribs 92).

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

[0094] By driving the fan 63 of the blower unit 62, air is sucked from the end of the forward conveyance pipe 12a, and an air flow is sent into the start end of the return conveyance pipe 12b. As a result, an air flow from the start end to the end of the forward conveyance pipe 12a and an air flow from the start end to the end of the return conveyance pipe 12b are generated and strengthened.

[0095] The holding part 74 at the receiving position receives and holds the conveyance auxiliary body 16 coming from the forward conveyance pipe 12a. At this time, when the conveyance auxiliary body 16 coming from the forward conveyance pipe 12a passes through the inflow-side connection port 67, its position and posture are regulated by the side rib 91, guide ribs 92, 93, and it is held by the holding part 74 at the receiving position in a predetermined correct position and posture.

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

[0097] In the present embodiment, control is performed so that the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is sent out from the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 to the return conveyance pipe 12b and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is sent out from the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 23 of the aggregate storage 11 to the forward conveyance pipe 12a simultaneously. Thereby, the first movement of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 from the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 23 of the aggregate storage 11 through the forward conveyance pipe 12a to the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 and the second movement of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 from the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 through the return conveyance pipe 12b to the separation and recovery device 24 of the aggregate storage 11 are performed in parallel.

[0098] As a result, without providing the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17, compared to the case where the conveyance auxiliary body 16 sent out from the cash collecting vault 11 to the forward conveyance pipe 12a makes one full round of the entire conveyance pipe 12 and returns to the cash collecting vault 11 before the next conveyance auxiliary body 16 is sent out, the recovery operation of the banknote P by the conveyance auxiliary body 16 can be performed in a shorter cycle, and the recovery capacity of the secondary recovery device 10 per unit time can be increased.

[0099] Note that the sending out of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 from the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 to the return conveyance pipe 12b and the sending out of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 from the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 23 of the cash collecting vault 11 to the forward conveyance pipe 12a are not limited to being performed simultaneously. At least a part of the first movement in which the conveyance auxiliary body 16 sent out by the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 23 moves in the forward conveyance pipe 12a and the second movement in which the conveyance auxiliary body 16 sent out by the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 moves in the return conveyance pipe 12b may be performed in parallel. If at least a part of the first movement and the second movement are performed in parallel, the sending out cycle can be shortened accordingly, and the recovery capacity can be increased.

[0100] For example, when the second movement on the return path from the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 to the cash collecting vault 11 takes more time than the first movement on the forward path from the cash collecting vault 11 to the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17, the sending out of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 to the return path (return conveyance pipe 12b) with a longer movement time may be performed first, and then the sending out to the forward path (forward conveyance pipe 12a) with a shorter movement time may be performed. It is desirable to control the sending out at a timing such that the first movement on the forward path ends simultaneously with or before the completion of the second movement on the return path.

[0101] In the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17, as shown in FIG. 13, the inflow side connection port 67 and the outflow side connection port 68 are arranged such that the longitudinal direction of the cross section of the forward conveyance pipe 12a and the longitudinal direction of the cross section of the return conveyance pipe 12b are parallel (coincide) at the connection location between the connection port of the inflow side connection port 67 and the end of the forward conveyance pipe 12a and at the connection location between the connection port of the outflow side connection port 68 and the start of the return conveyance pipe 12b.

[0102] In the installation example of FIG. 2, the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 is arranged on an extension line obtained by directly extending the forward conveyance pipe 12a and the return conveyance pipe 12b in a portion extending along the upper side of the relay box 6 of each gaming machine island 3. However, for example, when the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 has to be bent from the above extension line for installation, it is necessary to bend the forward conveyance pipe 12a and the return conveyance pipe 12b. At this time, if the longitudinal directions of the cross sections of the forward conveyance pipe 12a and the return conveyance pipe 12b are parallel at the connection portion to the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17, it is possible to connect curve connection members having the same structure to the curved portions of the forward conveyance pipe 12a and the return conveyance pipe 12b to cope with the situation.

[0103] However, when the longitudinal directions of the cross sections of the forward conveyance pipe 12a and the return conveyance pipe 12b are not parallel at the connection portion to the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17, it is necessary to use curve connection members having different curvatures for the curved portions of the forward conveyance pipe 12a and the return conveyance pipe 12b, respectively. Therefore, not only does it take time and effort to design and manufacture them individually, but since they are individually manufactured products, it also becomes difficult to perform maintenance. By making the forward conveyance pipe 12a and the return conveyance pipe 12b both in a vertical posture and the longitudinal directions of the cross sections parallel at the connection portion to the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 as in the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 of the present embodiment, the above problems are solved, and the degree of freedom in the installation location of the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 can be increased.

[0104] In the secondary recovery device 10 shown in FIG. 2, since it is necessary to make the return conveyance pipe 12b in a horizontal posture in the portion passing above the relay box 6, the return conveyance pipe 12b connected to the outflow side connection port 68 of the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 has a torsion portion 51 inserted at a location upstream of the first intake device 14 and is changed from a vertical posture to a horizontal posture.

[0105] Due to its mechanism, the transfer assist body relay device 17 can be installed horizontally (the posture shown in FIG. 13), vertically (a posture in which the entire device is rotated 90 degrees around the rotation axis of the rotary plate 72 with respect to the posture shown in FIG. 13), or with the inflow side connection port 67 or the outflow side connection port 68 facing upward. However, at the discharge position, since the holding by the holding roller 82 is released, it is necessary to avoid a posture in which the outflow side connection port 68 faces downward so that the transfer assist body 16 does not naturally fall into the return transfer pipe 12b through the outflow side connection port 68.

[0106] The configuration of the transfer assist body relay device 17 is not limited to that illustrated in FIGS. 13 to 21. For example, the transfer assist body relay device 17 may be configured to provide a buffer section that can hold a plurality of transfer assist bodies 16 arriving from the forward transfer pipe 12a, and use one of the transfer assist bodies 16 held in the buffer section for the next delivery.

[0107] Also, in the transfer assist body relay device 17 shown in FIG. 13 and the like, the rotary plate 72 is rotated 180 degrees to move the transfer assist body 16 received from the inflow side connection port 67 to the outflow side connection port 68 side, but the method of movement may be arbitrary. For example, as shown in FIG. 22, four holding sections 74 are provided on the rotary plate 72 at every 90 degrees, and the stop positions of the rotary plate 72 are set at every 90 degrees. Then, the inflow side connection port 67 is provided at a position facing one holding section 74a, the outflow side connection port 68 is provided at a position facing the holding section 74b at a position where the rotary plate 72 is rotated 90 degrees from there, and the transfer assist body 16 is moved from the receiving position to the discharge position by rotating the rotary plate 72 by 90 degrees. In addition, a configuration in which the transfer assist body 16 is slid and moved from the receiving position to the discharge position may be employed.

[0108] In the transfer assist body relay device 17 shown in FIG. 13 and the like, since the rotary plate 72 is used to move the transfer assist body 16 from the receiving position to the discharge position, the relay section 61 of the transfer assist body relay device 17 becomes thin, and it becomes difficult for the installation of the transfer assist body relay device 17 to interfere with the decorations of the game hall 2 or the gaming machine island 3.

[0109] Also, as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 catches the conveyance auxiliary body 16 with a holding roller 82 biased by a spring, holds it even during the rotation of the rotary plate 72, and when the rotary plate 72 rotates and the holding portion 74 comes to the release position, the release plate 84 abuts against the release roller 85 to release the holding by the holding roller 82 biased by the spring. Therefore, it is not necessary to use an electromagnetic relay or the like, and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 can be received, held, and released from holding with a simple configuration.

[0110] Also, as shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, since side ribs 91, guide ribs 92, and 93 are provided inside the inflow side connection port 67 and the outflow side connection port 68, the posture of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is restricted, the catching of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is made stable and reliable, and the posture of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 sent out from the inflow side connection port 67 to the return path conveyance pipe 12b is corrected, and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 can be sent out to the return path conveyance pipe 12b without inclination.

[0111] Next, the portion where the banknote P conveyed from the sub-conveyance device 13 is sent into the conveyance pipe 12 by the taking-in device 14 will be described.

[0112] As shown in FIG. 23, the sub-conveyance device 13 functions to convey the banknote P from the relay box 6 toward the return path conveyance pipe 12b horizontally extending above the relay box 6. When taken into the return path conveyance pipe 12b from the sub-conveyance device 13, the traveling direction of the banknote P changes from vertical to horizontal. As described above, when changing the traveling direction, it is necessary to set the posture of the banknote P so that the paper surface faces the inside and outside of the arc. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, the posture of the return path conveyance pipe 12b horizontally extending above the relay box 6 is set to a horizontal posture in which the paper surface of the banknote P (P3 in FIG. 24) to be conveyed is in the vertical direction. And at least the terminal portion (the portion immediately before reaching the taking-in device 14) of the conveyance pipe (referred to as the sub-conveyance pipe 101) extending in the vertical direction of the sub-conveyance device 13 is arranged so that the paper surface of the banknote P (P1 in FIG. 24) to be conveyed faces the extending direction Fw of the return path conveyance pipe 12b at a location where the taking-in device 14 is provided.

[0113] FIG. 24 shows the periphery of the taking-in device 14 inserted into the return conveyance pipe 12b of the portion passing above the relay box 6. Inside the taking-in device 14, the path of the banknote P is changed as P1, P2, P3 in FIG. 24 and sent into the return conveyance pipe 12b. The taking-in device 14 can smoothly send out the banknote P conveyed by the sub-conveying device 13 into the conveyance pipe 12 by changing the path of the banknote P without twisting it.

[0114] Note that, in order to change the return conveyance pipe 12b connected in a vertical posture to the outflow-side connection port 68 of the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 to a horizontal posture before reaching the first taking-in device 14, in the secondary collection device 10, a twisting portion 51 is inserted into the return conveyance pipe 12b immediately after it exits the outflow-side connection port 68 of the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17 (see FIG. 2).

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

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

[0117] The sub-conveying device 13 conveys the banknote P using a conveyance auxiliary body 16 different from the conveyance auxiliary body 16 that moves the conveyance pipe 12. However, the shape is the same as that of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 that moves the conveyance pipe 12. In the sub-conveying device 13, one conveyance auxiliary body 16 reciprocates in the sub-conveying pipe 101 extending in the vertical direction. The cross-sectional shape of the sub-conveying pipe 101 is the same as the straight portion of the conveyance pipe 12, and its description is omitted.

[0118] As shown in FIGS. 25 and 26, the sub-conveying device 13 includes a sub-conveying pipe 101 extending in the vertical direction, a conveying auxiliary body 16 reciprocating up and down inside the sub-conveying pipe 101, a banknote taking-in part 103 attached to the lower end of the sub-conveying pipe 101, and an upward flow generating part 102 that sends an air flow from below to above the banknote taking-in part 103 into the sub-conveying pipe 101 through the banknote taking-in part 103.

[0119] The sub-conveying pipe 101 has a torsion part 51 slightly in front of its upper end. The torsion part 51 twists the sub-conveying pipe 101 by 90 degrees. The part above the torsion part 51 of the sub-conveying pipe 101 is, as described above, in a direction where the plane of the banknote P passing through this part faces the extending direction of the return conveying pipe 12b at the installation location of the taking-in device 14 (see FIG. 24). On the other hand, in the part below the torsion part 51, the longitudinal direction of the cross-section of the sub-conveying pipe 101 is in a direction that coincides with the extending direction of the return conveying pipe 12b at the installation location of the taking-in device 14.

[0120] As shown in FIG. 28, the banknote taking-in part 103 has a passage part 104 having the same cross-sectional shape as the sub-conveying pipe 101 and a length of about 15 cm communicating with the lower end of the sub-conveying pipe 101, an opening 104b provided on one side wall of the passage part 104 for taking in the banknote P, and conveying rollers 105a, a conveying belt 105b, etc. for sending the banknote P obliquely upward from the opening 104b into the passage part 104.

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

[0122] FIG. 29 shows the banknote intake unit 103 with the lid (the wall portion on the side facing the opening 104b) of the passage portion 104 removed, as viewed from the side facing the opening 104b. The conveying roller 105a and the conveying belt 105b stretched thereover are respectively provided on the left and right in the width direction of the passage portion 104. Since the banknote P is sent into the passage portion 104 by the left and right conveying belts 105b, when the banknote P is sent upward, the banknote P does not tilt obliquely and can be sent straight into the passage portion 104.

[0123] As shown in FIG. 27, the upper end of the sub-conveying pipe 101 is provided with a narrowed opening 101a. The conveying auxiliary body 16 abuts against the narrowed portion at the upper end of the sub-conveying pipe 101 and stops. The banknote P pushed up by the conveying auxiliary body 16 passes through the opening 101a and advances into the intake device 14.

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

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

[0126] The banknote P conveyed to the upper end of the auxiliary conveyance pipe 101 by the conveyance auxiliary member 16 that rises due to the air flow advances into the taking-in device 14 as it is through the opening 101a and is taken into the taking-in device 14 (see FIG. 27). The conveyance auxiliary member 16 abuts against the narrow portion at the upper end of the auxiliary conveyance pipe 101 and stops. Then, when the upward flow generation unit 102 is stopped, the conveyance auxiliary member 16 falls naturally and returns to its original position and is held at the lower end of the passage portion 104 of the banknote taking-in portion 103. Thereby, a series of operations for conveying the banknote P to the upper taking-in device 14 are completed.

[0127] Note that the auxiliary conveyance device 13 has a conveyance capacity for conveying a plurality of (for example, 3 to 5) banknotes P upward at once. The banknote taking-in portion 103 performs the operation of sending out the banknotes P one by one into the passage portion 104 a plurality of times to form a state in which a plurality of banknotes P stay in the passage portion 104. When the upward flow generation unit 102 is operated in this state, the conveyance auxiliary member 16 conveys the plurality of banknotes P to the upper taking-in device 14 at once.

[0128] Next, the taking-in device 14 will be described.

[0129] As shown in FIG. 27, the taking-in device 14 has a passage portion 121 having a cross-sectional shape equivalent to that of the conveyance pipe 12 and the conveyance pipe 12 (return path conveyance pipe 12b) is connected to the front and rear. The passage portion 121 has the same inner shape as the straight portion of the conveyance pipe 12, and the conveyance auxiliary member 16 can pass through the passage portion 121 smoothly. The passage portion 121 is in a horizontal posture. An opening 121b for taking the banknote P into the passage portion 121 is formed in the lower wall surface of the passage portion 121. The taking-in device 14 includes a conveyance portion 122 for sending out the banknote P from the opening 121b into the passage portion 121.

[0130] The conveying unit 122 includes a banknote guiding path 123 that communicates with the opening 121b, a conveying belt 124 that conveys the banknote P conveyed by the sub-conveying device 13 through this banknote guiding path 123 toward the opening 121b of the passage portion 121, a feeding roller 125a and a feeding belt 125b that function to completely feed the banknote P sent into the passage portion 121 by the conveying belt 124 to the end thereof within the passage portion 121, a shutter 126 provided in the middle of the banknote guiding path 123 to open and close the banknote guiding path 123 in order to prevent leakage of the air flow from the banknote guiding path 123, and a motor or the like that drives the conveying belt 124, the feeding roller 125a, and the feeding belt 125b. The shutter 126 is biased to the closed position by a spring or the like.

[0131] When a deformed banknote P or a flimsy banknote P discharged from the relay box 6 to the sub-conveying device 13, the contact between the banknote P conveyed to the taking-in device 14 by the sub-conveying device 13 and the conveying belt 124 of the taking-in device 14 may become insufficient, and the situation may occur that the banknote P cannot be properly taken into the passage portion 121 by being conveyed by the conveying belt 124. Therefore, the taking-in device 14 further includes a sandwiching roller 128 for pressing the banknote P that is stagnant and not conveyed well by the conveying belt 124 toward the conveying belt 124 and sandwiching it between them to assist in conveying.

[0132] As shown in FIG. 30, the sandwiching roller 128 is attached to the lower end of a movable arm 129 pivotally supported by a support point 129a at the upper end portion, and the movable arm 129 is swung by turning on and off a solenoid 130. When the solenoid 130 is turned on, the sandwiching roller 128 at the lower end advances into the banknote guiding path 123 to reach a sandwiching position where the banknote P is sandwiched between it and the conveying belt 124 (see FIG. 30(b)). When the solenoid 130 is turned off, the sandwiching roller 128 is biased by a spring or the like to a retracted position where it retracts to the side of the banknote guiding path 123 (see FIG. 30(a)) and returns.

[0133] The conveying belt 124 is provided at two locations on the left and right in the width direction of the banknote P, and the clamping roller 128 is located between the left and right conveying belts 124. Also, near the center in the conveying direction within the range where the conveying belt 124 is spanned, a banknote detection sensor 131 for detecting the banknote P is provided. Here, the banknote detection sensor 131 is an optical sensor. Since the banknote detection sensor 131 and the movable arm 129 are in extremely close positions, an opening is provided in the movable arm 129 to avoid the optical sensor and its light so that the movable arm 129 does not obstruct the installation of the optical sensor or block the light of the optical sensor with the movable arm 129.

[0134] When the banknote detection sensor 131 detects the banknote P, the solenoid 130 is turned on to displace the clamping roller 128 to the clamping position, and the banknote P is sandwiched and conveyed between the clamping roller 128 and the conveying belt 124. When the banknote detection sensor 131 stops detecting the banknote P, the solenoid 130 is turned off to return the clamping roller 128 to the retracted position.

[0135] The intake device 14 has a structure that can be separated with the banknote guide path 123 as a boundary between the main body side where the clamping roller 128 is provided and the door side where the conveying belt 124 facing the clamping roller 128 is provided in order to handle the case where the banknote P jams inside. The main body side is integrated with the passage portion 121 and is fixedly installed. When the banknote P jams, the door side is removed for handling. Since the movable mechanism including the relatively heavy clamping roller 128 etc. is provided on the fixed main body side, it becomes easier to remove the door side. Also, since the heavy movable mechanism is also a source of vibration, if it is provided on the door side, problems such as the loosening of the attachment on the door side are likely to occur. Therefore, the movable mechanisms such as the clamping roller 128 and the movable arm 129 are provided on the main body side.

[0136] As described above, by providing the clamping roller 128, the intake device 14 can stably take in the deformed banknote P or the banknote P with a weak body into the passage portion 121.

[0137] When a plurality of banknotes P are conveyed from the sub-conveying device 13 at once, the taking-in device 14 can make the plurality of banknotes P wait in the banknote guiding path 123 at once. When the taking-in device 14 receives a command from the control unit 27 to send out the banknote P to the conveying pipe 12, the taking-in device 14 drives and conveys the banknote P waiting in the banknote guiding path 123 by driving the conveying belt 124, the clamping roller 128, the feeding roller 125a, the feeding belt 125b, etc., and sends it out into the passage portion 121.

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

[0139] The primary collection device 8 that takes in the banknote P discharged from the back of each gaming ball lending machine 4 in the gaming machine island 3 and conveys it to one end of the gaming machine island 3 also moves the conveying auxiliary body 16 by an air flow and pushes and conveys the banknote P from behind with the conveying auxiliary body 16.

[0140] FIG. 31 is a plan view showing the primary collection device 8 installed in the gaming machine island 3, and FIG. 32 is a front view showing the primary collection device 8 installed in the gaming machine island 3. FIG. 33 is a view showing the inside of the relay box 6.

[0141] Inside the gaming machine island 3, a conveying pipe 140 having the same cross-sectional shape as the conveying pipe 12 is installed. The conveying pipe 140 is in a vertical posture, and the banknote P conveyed through the conveying pipe 140 is conveyed in a standing posture. In the gaming machine island 3, in order to increase the number of installed units, the gaming ball lending machine 4 is formed in a box shape with a narrow front width. Therefore, the banknote insertion slot provided in the gaming ball lending machine 4 is usually vertically long. The banknote P is inserted into the banknote insertion slot in a standing posture, and the banknote P is discharged from the back of the gaming ball lending machine 4 in a standing posture. Therefore, the conveying pipe 140 of the primary collection device 8 is configured to receive the banknote P from the gaming ball lending machine 4 while remaining in a standing posture and convey it while remaining in that standing posture.

[0142] The conveyance pipe 140 extends from the relay box 6 toward the other end of the gaming machine island 3, and is piped so as to make a U-turn at the other end and return to the relay box 6. In the portion of the conveyance pipe 140 that returns to the relay box 6 after making a U-turn (referred to as the return path), a bill intake device 142 for taking in the bills P discharged from the back of each gaming ball lending machine 4 is installed at a position corresponding to each gaming ball lending machine 4. The bill intake device 142 is provided on both sides of the side wall of the conveyance pipe 140 in order to take in the bills P from the gaming ball lending machines 4 arranged on the front side of the gaming machine island 3 and the bills P from the gaming ball lending machines 4 arranged on the back side of the gaming machine island 3. The bill P taken into the conveyance pipe 140 from the bill intake device 142 stays at a predetermined intake completion position in a posture where its paper surface is along the extending direction of the conveyance pipe 140.

[0143] Inside the relay box 6, there is provided an air flow generation device 144 similar to the air flow generation device 21 provided in the collection safe 11, and a bill separation / conveyance auxiliary body circulation device 145 having the same configuration as the bill separation / conveyance auxiliary body circulation device 22 provided in the collection safe 11. The bill separation / conveyance auxiliary body circulation device 145 includes a conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 146 similar to the conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 23 and a separation / collection device 147 similar to the separation / collection device 24 (see FIGS. 32 and 33).

[0144] Furthermore, inside the relay box 6, there is provided a bill conveyance unit 148 for conveying the bill P discharged from the separation / collection device 147 (see FIG. 33) and a temporary storage device 150 for temporarily storing the bill P. The temporary storage device 150 has a function of temporarily storing a plurality of the bills P received from the bill conveyance unit 148 and feeding out the stored bills P based on an instruction from the control unit 27 and sending them to the bill intake unit 103 of the sub-conveyance device 13 described above.

[0145] When the paper money P discharged from the back of the game ball lending machine 4 in the game machine island 3 is conveyed to the relay box 6 for collection, the conveyance assisting body 16 is sent out from the conveyance assisting body insertion device 146 in the relay box 6 into the starting end of the conveyance pipe 140. The conveyance assisting body 16 sent out into the conveyance pipe 140 receives the air flow generated by the air flow generating device 144 and moves downstream in the conveyance pipe 140. On the way back after making a U-turn, the paper money P taken into the return path from the game ball lending machine 4 by the paper money taking-in device 142 is collected and returned to the separation and collection device 147 in the relay box 6. The separation and collection device 147 separates the paper money P conveyed by the conveyance assisting body 16 from the conveyance assisting body 16 and delivers the conveyance assisting body 16 to the conveyance assisting body insertion device 146. On the other hand, the separated paper money P is conveyed to the temporary storage device 150 in the relay box 6 by the paper money conveyance unit 148. FIG. 33 shows the path M along which the paper money conveyance unit 148 conveys the paper money P. At this time, the paper money P is conveyed in an upright posture.

[0146] FIG. 34 is a cross-sectional view showing the schematic configuration of the temporary storage device 150, and FIG. 35 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the temporary storage device 150. The temporary storage device 150 receives and stores the paper money P conveyed in an upright posture by the paper money conveyance unit 148.

[0147] The temporary storage device 150 includes a posture conversion unit 151 that converts the orientation of the paper money P received from the paper money conveyance unit 148 from a posture where the paper surface is vertical (upright posture) to a posture where the paper surface is horizontal (lying-down posture), an elevator unit 152 that conveys the paper money P with the paper surface made horizontal to the lower storage unit 154, and a feeding conveyance unit 153 that feeds out the paper money P accumulated in the storage unit 154 one by one while keeping it in the lying-down posture and conveys it toward the paper money taking-in unit 103 of the sub-conveyance device 13. The thick line 156 shown in FIG. 34 indicates the conveyance path of the paper money P by the feeding conveyance unit 153.

[0148] Figure 36 schematically shows the configuration and operation of the temporary storage device 150. As shown in Figure 36, the posture conversion unit 151 has a shape in which L-shaped protrusions are provided along both long sides such that a pair of U-shaped grooves facing each other are formed along both long sides of a U-shaped base plate having one short side and a pair of long sides. The posture conversion unit 151 can store a plurality of banknotes P between the pair of grooves. The posture conversion unit 151 supports and stores only the edges of the banknote P by the pair of opposing U-shaped grooves.

[0149] As shown in Figure 36(a), during standby, the posture conversion unit 151 is in a vertical posture (a posture in which the stored banknote P stands upright). In this state, the banknote transported in an upright posture from the banknote transport unit 148 is received and stored between the pair of opposing U-shaped grooves. The posture conversion unit 151 is displaceable between the vertical posture shown in Figure 36(a) and a horizontal posture (a posture in which the stored banknote P lies down, see Figure 36(b)) in which it rotates 90 degrees about the lower end from the vertical posture and falls horizontally. The posture conversion unit 151 is displaced between the vertical posture and the horizontal posture by a motor (not shown).

[0150] The elevator unit 152 transports the banknote P placed in the horizontal posture by the posture conversion unit 151 in the direction facing the paper surface (here, downward) while maintaining the horizontal posture. The elevator unit 152 has a receiving plate 152a that supports the horizontal banknote P from below and a pressing plate 152b for sandwiching the banknote P placed on the receiving plate 152a between the receiving plate 152a and the upper side thereof. The receiving plate 152a is composed of two plates that support only both ends in the width direction of the banknote P, and the pressing plate 152b is a plate-shaped member narrower than the interval between the two plates of the receiving plate 152a and can pass between the two plates of the receiving plate 152a.

[0151] During standby, the receiving plate 152a stops at a position where it just contacts the lower surface of the posture conversion unit 151 in the horizontal posture (the lower surfaces of the pair of U-shaped grooves of the posture conversion unit 151 rotated to the horizontal posture), and the pressing plate 152b stops directly above the receiving plate 152a (between the two plates) and at a position higher than the vertical posture conversion unit 151.

[0152] When the paper currency P stored in the posture conversion unit 151 is conveyed downward by the elevator unit 152 and stored in the storage unit 154, the temporary storage device 150 operates as follows.

[0153] First, as shown in Fig. 36(a), the posture conversion unit 151 waits in the vertical posture, and in this state, it receives and stores the paper currency P conveyed in the standing posture from the paper currency conveyance unit 148. Next, as shown in Fig. 36(b), the posture conversion unit 151 falls to the horizontal posture. The pressing plate 152b is sized and positioned to pass through between a pair of opposed U-shaped grooves (serving as a through portion) of the posture conversion unit 151 that has become the horizontal posture.

[0154] After the posture conversion unit 151 becomes the horizontal posture, the pressing plate 152b of the elevator unit 152 starts to descend (Fig. 36(c)). When the pressing plate 152b reaches the through portion of the posture conversion unit 151, the receiving plate 152a also starts to descend at the same speed as the pressing plate 152b, and thereafter, the receiving plate 152a and the pressing plate 152b descend integrally. As a result, the paper currency P held by the posture conversion unit 151 descends while being sandwiched between the receiving plate 152a and the pressing plate 152b of the elevator unit 152.

[0155] Since the posture conversion unit 151 holds only the edge portion of the paper currency P, the paper currency P easily detaches from the posture conversion unit 151 as the elevator unit 152 descends. Then, the paper currency P is conveyed downward by the elevator unit 152 while being sandwiched between the receiving plate 152a and the pressing plate 152b of the elevator unit 152 (Fig. 36(d)).

[0156] When the elevator unit 152 descends a certain distance below the posture conversion unit 151, the posture conversion unit 151 returns to the vertical posture (Fig. 36(e)).

[0157] When the elevator unit 152 descends to a predetermined position, the receiving plate 152a stops descending, and the pressing plate 152b continues to descend further (Fig. 36(e)). The space between the stopped receiving plate 152a and the surface where the conveyor belt 153b of the feeding conveyor unit 153 is located serves as the storage unit 154 (see Figs. 34 and 35).

[0158] When the pressing plate 152b continues to descend while the descent of the receiving plate 152a has stopped, the pressing plate 152b descends below the receiving plate 152a by passing between the two plates that make up the receiving plate 152a. At this time, the banknote P that was supported at both ends by the two plates that make up the receiving plate 152a is pressed by the pressing plate 152b and gradually bends, and eventually both ends come off the receiving plate 152a and fall downward into the storage unit 154 (Figs. 36(e) and (f)). Note that in order to separate both ends of the banknote P from the receiving plate 152a and let it fall downward, the receiving plate 152a may be raised while the pressing plate 152b is being lowered.

[0159] After that, the elevator unit 152 (the receiving plate 152a and the pressing plate 152b) starts to rise (Fig. 36(g)). Then, when the receiving plate 152a rises to the height of the lower end of the posture conversion unit 151 (the height during standby) (Fig. 36(h)), it stops at that position, and the pressing plate 152b continues to rise further and moves to a position higher than the posture conversion unit 151 (the position during standby) and stops (Fig. 36(i)).

[0160] By repeating the above operations, the temporary storage device 150 can convert the banknote P received from the banknote conveying unit 148 from a vertical posture to a horizontal posture and accumulate a large number of them in the storage unit 154. The storage unit 154 in this example can accommodate approximately 500 banknotes P. When the conveyor belt 153b is driven with the banknote P present in the storage unit 154, the lowermost banknote P among the banknotes P stored in the storage unit 154 is fed out and conveyed along the path indicated by the thick line 156 in Fig. 34 toward the banknote intake unit 103 of the sub-conveyor device 13.

[0161] When feeding out the banknote P, as shown in Fig. 36(f), it is desirable to press the banknote P downward with the pressing plate 152b. Therefore, taking the position in Fig. 36(f) as the normal position, when banknotes P accumulate in the posture conversion unit 151, the elevator unit 152 may be controlled to move as shown in Figs. 36(g)-(i), (a)-(f) to convey the banknotes P to the storage unit 154.

[0162] In the temporary storage device 150, by rotating the posture conversion unit 151 between the vertical posture and the horizontal posture, the posture of the banknote P is converted from a state where the paper surface is vertical (standing posture) to a state where the paper surface is horizontal (lying posture). Therefore, compared with the case of adopting a mechanism that conveys the banknote P while twisting it and changes the posture of the banknote P from a state where the paper surface is vertical to a state where the paper surface is horizontal, the posture of the banknote P can be converted in a smaller space.

[0163] Also, when the posture conversion unit 151 becomes the horizontal posture, the pressing plate 152b immediately starts to descend. As soon as the entire elevator unit 152 descends below the posture conversion unit 151, the posture conversion unit 151 immediately returns to the vertical posture. Therefore, the period during which the posture conversion unit 151 cannot receive the banknote P from the banknote conveyance unit 148 is only a short time, and it does not interfere with the collection of the banknote P in the gaming machine island 3. In the present embodiment, the return of the posture conversion unit 151 to the vertical posture is a condition for the primary recovery device 8 to send out the next conveyance auxiliary body 16.

[0164] Also, since the posture conversion unit 151 can store a plurality of banknotes P, even if the time during which the elevator unit 152 descends becomes long due to some factors and a plurality of banknotes P are conveyed by the banknote conveyance unit 148 during that time, these banknotes can be received and stored.

[0165] Note that, as shown in FIG. 36(e), when the pressing plate 152b is lowered below the receiving plate 152a to separate the banknote P from the receiving plate 152a and move it to the storage unit 154, the banknote P may be disordered and stored. As a result, when the transport belt 153b of the feeding transport unit 153 feeds the banknote P from the storage unit 154, the banknote P may be jammed. For example, as shown in FIG. 37(a), when the pressing plate 152b starts to be lowered below the receiving plate 152a, only one end of the banknote P may slip off the receiving plate 152a, and the storage of the banknote P may be disrupted. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 37(b), a sheet 155 made of a material (e.g., natural rubber) having a frictional force with respect to the banknote P is attached to the upper surfaces of the two plates constituting the receiving plate 152a.

[0166] In order to store the banknote P placed on the receiving plate 152a of the elevator unit 152 in the storage unit 154, when the pressing plate 152b descends with respect to the receiving plate 152a and presses the banknote P from above to below, the natural rubber sheet 155 frictions with both ends of the banknote P to prevent it from slipping off. As a result, as shown in FIG. 37(b), the banknote P pressed by the action of the pressing plate 152b descends with the central part first, and finally both ends come off the receiving plate 152a and fall into the storage unit 154. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 37(a), the situation where one end falls first and the posture is disrupted does not occur, the banknote P can be moved and stored in the storage unit 154 in a stable posture, and the subsequent conveyance by the feeding conveyance unit 153 can also be performed smoothly.

[0167] FIG. 38 shows a case where further improvement is made to the structure of FIG. 37(b). Sheets 155 made of a material (e.g., natural rubber) having elasticity and a frictional force with respect to the banknote P are attached to the upper surfaces of the two plates constituting the receiving plate 152a and the lower surface of the pressing plate 152b. Further, the ends of the two plates constituting the receiving plate 152a on the inner side (banknote passing side) are bent downward into an inverted L shape so that the material (sheet 155) having elasticity and frictional force protrudes to the banknote passing side. By bending it into an inverted L shape, the strength of the receiving plate 152a is increased.

[0168] In addition, when the material with frictional force (sheet 155) is natural rubber or the like, since it has elasticity, when the pressing plate 152b descends from the receiving plate 152a and presses the banknote P downward, the portion protruding on the banknote passing side of the sheet 155 is slightly curved downward. As a result, while the banknote P is frictionally received by the sheet 155, it falls more smoothly. Further, the presence of the elastic sheet 155 provided on the upper surface of the receiving plate 152a and the lower surface of the pressing plate 152b prevents damage or injury to the banknote P. Also, in the improved type shown in Fig. 38, the situation where one end of the banknote P falls first and the posture is disturbed is eliminated, and the banknote P can be moved and stored in the storage section 154 in a stable posture, and the subsequent conveyance by the feeding and conveying section 153 can also be performed smoothly.

[0169] Note that in the primary collection device 8, as shown in Fig. 31, since the conveyance pipe 140 piped along the longitudinal direction of the island is directly extended as it is and connected to the relay box 6, compared with the case of adopting a configuration in which it is bent 90 degrees via a curved pipe immediately before connecting to the relay box 6, the space to be secured at the island end for installing the relay box 6 can be reduced.

[0170] However, as shown in Fig. 2, in the configuration where the return conveyance pipe 12b passes above a plurality of relay boxes 6, as shown in Fig. 24, it is necessary to orient the banknote P when reaching the taking-in device 14 such that the plane of the banknote P faces the extending direction Fw of the return conveyance pipe 12b. Therefore, it is necessary to change the longitudinal direction of the banknote P flowing into the relay box 6 from the conveyance pipe 140 of the primary collection device 8 by 90 degrees. Since it is difficult in terms of space to perform such a direction conversion inside the relay box 6, as shown in Fig. 23, a torsion portion 51 is provided in the middle of the sub-conveyance pipe 101 of the sub-conveyance device 13 to cope with this.

[0171] Since the conveyance pipe 140 inside the gaming machine island 3 is directly connected to the relay box 6, conveyance errors are less likely to occur compared to the case where it is bent 90 degrees in front of the relay box 6, and the quality of conveyance can be improved. Also, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 23, since the door of the relay box 6 faces the front (the direction in which the island end faces), operations such as opening the door and performing maintenance and inspection of the inside of the relay box 6 are facilitated.

[0172] Note that in this embodiment, a banknote determination device for inspecting the authenticity of the banknote P or detecting the denomination is not provided inside the relay box 6. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 34, the conveyance path of the pay-out conveyance unit 153 that conveys the banknote P from the storage unit 154 of the temporary storage device 150 to the banknote intake unit 103 of the sub-conveyance device 13 can be shortened.

[0173] Since the sheet-like material collection and conveyance system is provided with the relay box 6 in the gaming machine island 3 as described above, the primary collection device 8 and the secondary collection device 10 that collect and convey the banknote P inside the gaming machine island 3 are configured as separate devices, and the banknote P collected inside the gaming machine island 3 can be automatically conveyed to the collection safe 11 in the office. That is, since the relay box 6 converts the posture of the banknote P from an upright posture to a lying-down posture, the banknote P received from the primary collection device 8 that conveys the banknote P in an upright posture can be smoothly sent out to the sub-conveyance device 13 that conveys the banknote P in a lying-down posture. Also, since the temporary storage device 150 has a function of temporarily storing and retaining the banknote P, it is possible to absorb the deviation between the timing when the banknote P is conveyed by the primary collection device 8 and the timing when the banknote P should be sent out to the sub-conveyance device 13.

[0174] Also, when there is a possibility of an abnormality in the conveyance path (such as the secondary collection device 10) from the relay box 6 to the collection safe 11 in the office due to a malfunction of the collection safe 11 in the office or a disaster such as an earthquake, the use of the collection safe 11 can be suspended, and by switching the relay box 6 to the single operation mode, it can also be used as a conventional island-only safe.

[0175] Next, the connecting portion 15 inserted in the middle of the conveying pipe 12 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the conveying pipe 12 of the secondary recovery device 10 is configured by connecting a plurality of conveying pipes with the connecting portion 15. Different from the primary recovery device 8, the conveying pipe 12 of the secondary recovery device 10 extends over a very long distance, so that the expansion and contraction of the conveying pipe 12 due to temperature changes cannot be ignored in terms of construction. When the conveying pipe 12 shrinks, a large gap is generated at the connection location. When it expands, the conveying pipes 12 may collide with each other at the connection location, resulting in a large stress being applied and causing bending. Such gaps and bending hinder the smooth movement of the banknote P and the conveying auxiliary body 16 and become factors for jamming.

[0176] Therefore, even if the length of the conveying pipe 12 changes due to temperature changes or the like, the change in the length of the conveying pipe 12 is absorbed by the connecting portion 15 so that no distortion occurs in the overall installation state and no large gap is generated.

[0177] FIG. 39 is a diagram showing the connection of the connecting portion 15 and the conveying pipes 12 before and after it being disconnected. The connecting portion 15 includes a connecting main body portion 160 and a connection adapter 170. In the figure, the conveying direction of the banknote P (the direction in which the air flow flows) is indicated by an arrow Fw. Also, for the connecting main body portion 160, a state in which one side wall is removed is shown.

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

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

[0180] The inner shape of the upstream connection port 171 of the connection adapter 170 is formed to correspond to the outer shape of the transfer pipe 12. Also, the inner shape of the downstream connection port 162 of the connection main body 160 is formed to correspond to the outer shape of the transfer pipe 12. The transfer pipe 12 is inserted into the upstream connection port 171 of the connection adapter 170 and the downstream connection port 162 of the connection main body 160 respectively in a state where the outer periphery is covered with a thin packing (not shown) formed of an elastic material such as rubber, and is airtightly connected.

[0181] The downstream end 172 of the connection adapter 170 has substantially the same shape as the transfer pipe 12 in terms of both inner and outer shapes, and the inner shape of the upstream connection port 161 of the connection main body 160 is formed to correspond to the outer shape of the downstream end 172 of the connection adapter 170. The downstream end 172 of the connection adapter 170 is also inserted into the inside of the upstream connection port 161 of the connection main body 160 in a state where it is covered with the same packing as above, and is airtightly connected.

[0182] The downstream transfer pipe 12 is connected and fixed in a state where the upstream end abuts against the abutting portion 162b provided inside the downstream connection port 162 of the connection main body 160. For example, it is adhered. The upstream transfer pipe 12 is inserted and connected until it abuts against the back of the upstream connection port 171 of the connection adapter 170. Inside the downstream end 172 of the connection adapter 170, ribs 173 and 174 similar to the ribs 34 and 35 formed inside the transfer pipe 12 are formed, and these ribs 173 and 174 extend longer in the downstream direction from the downstream end 172 of the connection adapter 170 and protrude.

[0183] Inside the connection main body 160, ribs 163 and 164 are also provided in the same manner as the ribs 34 and 35 of the transfer pipe 12. When the connection adapter 170 is connected to the connection main body 160, the ribs 173 and 174 of the connection adapter 170 and the ribs 163 and 164 of the connection main body 160 are continuous.

[0184] FIG. 42 shows a state in which the downstream end 172 of the connection adapter 170 is connected to the upstream connection port 161 of the connection main body 160. When the downstream end 172 of the connection adapter 170 is inserted into the upstream connection port 161 of the connection main body 160, as shown in FIG. (b) of this figure, the ribs 173 and 174 of the connection adapter 170 and the ribs 163 and 164 of the connection main body 160 overlap and are continuous. FIG. (c) of this figure shows a state in which the connection adapter 170 is inserted into the downstream connection port 162 of the connection main body 160 until it abuts against the deepest part.

[0185] During construction, as shown in FIG. (b) of this figure, it is connected in a state about 10 mm in front of the deepest part. Thereby, when the length changes due to the contraction and expansion of the transfer pipe 12, the change in length can be absorbed at the connection part between the connection main body 160 and the connection adapter 170. The position 20 mm in front of the deepest part is the state where the connection is the shallowest, and the connection part 15 can absorb a change in length of ±10 mm due to contraction and expansion during construction. The ribs 163 and 164 on the connection main body 160 side and the ribs 173 and 174 on the connection adapter 170 side overlap by a predetermined length (for example, 5 mm) even in the state where the connection adapter 170 is connected to the connection main body 160 most shallowly.

[0186] FIG. 43 is a diagram showing an enlarged connection state between the ribs 173 and 174 on the connection adapter 170 side and the ribs 163 and 164 on the connection main body 160 side. The central rib 163 on the connection main body 160 side is configured by dividing into two parallel ribs 163a and 163b, and the central rib 173 on the connection adapter 170 side is inserted between them. The interval between the two ribs 163a and 164b constituting the rib 163 coincides with the thickness of the rib 173, and the rib 173 is inserted between the two ribs 163a and 163b without a gap. In this way, by inserting the rib 173 on the connection adapter 170 side between the two ribs 163a and 163b on the connection main body 160 side, even if the connection depth changes greatly due to contraction and expansion when connecting the downstream end 172 of the connection adapter 170 to the upstream connection port 161 of the connection main body 160, the rib 163 on the connection main body 160 side and the rib 173 on the connection adapter 170 side can be connected without their positional relationship shifting.

[0187] Note that the rib 164 of the connecting main body 160 and the rib 174 on the side of the connection adapter 170 overlap with each other such that one side surface of each abuts against the other. Here, the rib 164 abuts against the rib 174 in a positional relationship where the rib 164 is on the inner side and the rib 174 is on the outer side. By causing the outer rib 174 to slightly press the inner rib 164 inward, they closely abut against each other and are smoothly connected.

[0188] Thus, in the connecting portion 15 of the present embodiment, instead of simply facing the ribs on the connecting main body 160 side and the ribs on the connection adapter 170 side, a structure is adopted in which the rib 173 is fitted between the two ribs 163a and 163b, and the length of the fitting ribs is set to a length that can absorb fluctuations due to contraction and expansion. Thereby, even when there is a temperature change in the installation environment, the connecting portion 15 can absorb the contraction and expansion of the transport path due to the temperature change, and it is possible to prevent inconveniences such as the generation of gaps at the connection portion of the transport pipe or bending due to stress. Further, since the ribs are fitted and connected, there is no displacement or step of the ribs at the connection portion, and the transport auxiliary body 16 and the banknote P can pass smoothly.

[0189] As shown in FIG. 42, a sensor 166 (optical sensor) for detecting the passage or snagging of the banknote P and the transport auxiliary body 16 is provided in the connecting main body 160 of the connecting portion 15. This is because jamming of the banknote P and snagging of the transport auxiliary body 16 are likely to occur at the connection portion.

[0190] (Regarding the auxiliary blower) In the return transport pipe 12b in which the transport auxiliary body 16 moves while transporting the banknote P, the load is larger than that in the forward transport pipe 12a that does not push the banknote P, and the moving speed of the transport auxiliary body 16 tends to decrease. Therefore, an auxiliary blower is provided to strengthen the air flow.

[0191] In particular, as the scale of the game hall 2 increases, the transport pipe 12 of the secondary counting device 10 needs to go around a large number of gaming machine islands 3, and may even be spanned across multiple floors. Therefore, the number of parts where the transport pipe 12 is curved increases. In the curved parts, the resistance increases, which deteriorates the progress of the transport assist body 16, and the flow of the air current is also easily obstructed. In addition, at the curved parts, connection with the straight parts before and after them also occurs. Air leakage may occur at the connection points.

[0192] Therefore, an auxiliary blower for increasing the air volume is installed at the location where the transport pipe 12 is curved. For example, an auxiliary blower for enhancing the air current flowing downstream is provided immediately upstream of the curve (right before reaching the curve). Alternatively, an auxiliary blower for flowing downstream may be provided immediately downstream of the curve.

[0193] Also, an auxiliary blower may be provided downstream of the most downstream intake device 14. That is, the transport assist body 16 collects the banknotes P while going around the installation locations of the relay boxes 6 of each gaming machine island 3 in the game hall, and then moves to the collection safe 11 while transporting the banknotes P. However, when the collection safe 11 is installed on a floor different from the gaming machine island 3, the transport pipe 12 from the last intake device 14 to the collection safe 11 may be long.

[0194] In such a case, it becomes difficult to obtain an air volume sufficient to ensure that the transport assist body 16 reaches the collection safe 11 only with the air blown from the transport assist body relay device 17. Therefore, an auxiliary blower is provided downstream of the most downstream intake device 14 to enhance the air volume. In addition, the auxiliary blower is provided at an appropriate location in the middle of the transport path as needed.

[0195] Even if the air volume is increased by the auxiliary blower, in the curved portion as described above, distortion may occur at the connection points at both ends to be connected, and since the posture of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 collapses at the connection points of the conveyance pipes where the conveyance auxiliary body 16 curves, there is a risk of snagging. Therefore, a release air blower that generates an air flow (release air) flowing from downstream to upstream or the like is provided downstream of the location where the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is likely to get snagged. When the conveyance auxiliary body 16 does not reach the location where the release air blower is installed, the release air blower is operated to send the release air for a predetermined time (for example, 10 seconds) to release the snagging of the conveyance auxiliary body 16. A failure in which the conveyance auxiliary body 16 does not reach a predetermined location is defined as a conveyance auxiliary body conveyance error.

[0196] For example, a release air blower that generates an air flow (release air) flowing from downstream to upstream is provided immediately upstream of the curve or in the middle of the curve. When the conveyance auxiliary body 16 does not reach the downstream side of the curve, the release air blower is operated to send the release air to release the snagging of the conveyance auxiliary body 16.

[0197] While the release air is being sent, the air flow in the normal direction is stopped. When the sending of the release is completed, the air flow in the normal direction is generated again, and the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is moved to convey the banknote P. Thereby, the snagging of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 can be released, and the conveyance of the banknote P by the conveyance auxiliary body 16 can be stably performed.

[0198] Note that the location where the release air blower is provided is not limited to upstream or in the middle of the curve. As long as the snagging of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is released, it is sufficient if the air outlet of the release air blower is near the conveyance auxiliary body 16. That is, the release air blower is provided at an appropriate location in the conveyance path, particularly downstream of the location where the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is likely to get snagged. Alternatively, when there are several locations where the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is likely to get snagged, the release air blower may be provided immediately downstream of the most downstream location among them. Also, the direction of the release air is not limited to flowing from downstream to upstream. Since the effect of releasing the snagging can be achieved by causing a change in the air direction in the conveyance pipe, the air direction is not limited to one direction.

[0199] FIG. 44 shows an example in which a release air blower 19 is added to the system shown in FIG. 2. The release air blower 19 blows air (sends in release air) upstream from a position downstream of the most downstream intake device 14 (a position before reaching the curved portion). The auxiliary blower 18 blows air downstream from a position downstream of the most downstream intake device 14 (a position immediately after passing through the curved portion) to enhance the forward air flow.

[0200] (Startup setting of auxiliary blower) The auxiliary blower is operated for a predetermined time based on the time when a sensor (see FIG. 44) provided slightly downstream of its installation location detects the passage of the conveying auxiliary body 16. Usually, the banknote P is pushed and moved by the conveying auxiliary body 16, but due to the action of the air flow, the banknote P may move forward by itself even without being pushed by the conveying auxiliary body 16. When the above sensor detects the self-propelled banknote P, it may erroneously detect that the conveying auxiliary body 16 has passed even though the conveying auxiliary body 16 has not reached. At this time, the conveying auxiliary body 16 is still upstream of the banknote P in the conveying direction.

[0201] When the auxiliary blower is turned on, in addition to the phenomenon of air flow stagnation occurring around the air outlet of the auxiliary blower, a reverse wind flowing upstream may occur on the downstream side of the auxiliary blower. Therefore, if the auxiliary blower is operated at the timing when the above sensor detects the self-propelled banknote P, the movement of the conveying auxiliary body 16 upstream of the sensor may be hindered due to the air flow stagnation phenomenon and the generation of the reverse wind, resulting in a conveying auxiliary body conveyance error.

[0202] Therefore, the following countermeasures were introduced. 1. After sending out the conveying auxiliary body 16, set the estimated passing time required for the conveying auxiliary body 16 to pass through the location of the above sensor that serves as the operation timing reference of the auxiliary blower. Until the estimated passing time has elapsed after sending out the conveying auxiliary body 16, even if the sensor detects the passage of an object, control is performed not to turn on the auxiliary blower. That is, when the sensor turns on before the estimated passing time has elapsed, turn on the auxiliary blower after the estimated passing time has elapsed. When the sensor turns on after the estimated passing time has elapsed, perform control to immediately turn on the auxiliary blower.

[0203] 2. Conduct a test run three times in a row to move the transport assist body 16 alone without transporting the banknote P, automatically measure the time from when the transport assist body 16 is sent out until the sensor detects the transport assist body 16, and if the time difference for the three times is within 2 seconds, set the latest measurement time as the scheduled passing time.

[0204] 3. The scheduled passing time can be changed by operating a control device (such as a DIP-SW, push button, etc.).

[0205] By the above measures, before the transport assist body 16 reaches the installation location of the auxiliary blower, the sensor does not detect the self-running banknote P and the auxiliary blower is not turned on, and the transport assist body transport error based on this factor is prevented.

[0206] (Automatic setting of the reference time for the auxiliary body to circle) In the paper sheet collection and transport system, set the reference time for the auxiliary body to circle until the transport assist body 16 sent out from the collection vault 11 makes a full circle around the transport pipe 12 and returns to the collection vault 11, and based on this reference time for the auxiliary body to circle, determine whether there is a transport assist body transport error. The reference time for the auxiliary body to circle may be set manually by an operator using a stopwatch or the like by actually measuring the time it takes for the transport assist body 16 to make a full circle around the transport pipe 12, but if it can be automatically measured and set, labor can be saved and convenience is good.

[0207] Therefore, the secondary collection device 10 of the paper sheet collection and transport system has a function of automatically and continuously performing a plurality of test circular runs to make the transport assist body 16 alone make a full circle around the transport pipe 12 without transporting the banknote P, automatically measuring the circular time, and automatically setting the reference time for the auxiliary body to circle in consideration of the device configuration. Note that the reference time for the auxiliary body to circle can be manually set and changed. By providing the automatic setting function for the reference time for the auxiliary body to circle, the labor for initial setting is reduced, and human errors during input setting can also be avoided.

[0208] (Regarding the control of the auxiliary blower) When the configuration of the conveying path is complex (with many curves, etc.) or the distance to the aggregate storage 11 is very long, it becomes necessary to install a plurality of auxiliary blowers 18 at appropriate positions on the conveying path. A plurality of control methods for controlling one or more auxiliary blowers 18 are shown below. In any of the control methods, each auxiliary blower 18 is controlled to start in accordance with the timing when the conveying auxiliary body 16 passes through.

[0209] <Individual control> In individual control, as described in the section of "Startup setting of auxiliary blower", when the passage sensor provided slightly downstream of the auxiliary blower 18 detects the passage of the conveying auxiliary body 16, an operation determination is made based on the passage time, and the auxiliary blower 18 is started and operated for a predetermined time. Even if a plurality of auxiliary blowers 18 are installed, each auxiliary blower 18 makes an operation determination individually. In individual control, when there is a location with insufficient air volume in the middle of the conveying path, it can be dealt with by simply adding an individually controlled auxiliary blower 18 near the upstream of that location, so the measure of increasing the air volume can be easily carried out as needed.

[0210] <Management control> In management control, the control unit (control unit 27 of the aggregate storage 11) that controls the overall operation of the secondary recovery device 10 collectively manages the operation timing of the auxiliary blowers 18. In management control, the timing (elapsed time since delivery) when the conveying auxiliary body 16 passes through each point on the conveying path is investigated and grasped in advance. The passing point is, for example, the installation location of the sensor 166 (see FIG. 42) provided at the connecting portion 15, and the passage is detected by this sensor to investigate the passing timing at each point.

[0211] From the passing timing of each point investigated in this way, the startup timing at which each auxiliary blower 18 should operate is set in advance. The control unit 27 measures the elapsed time since the conveying auxiliary body 16 was sent out into the conveying pipe 12, and when the startup timing of each auxiliary blower is reached, an operation instruction is sent to each auxiliary blower. The auxiliary blower 18 that receives this operation instruction operates the fan for a predetermined time and then stops.

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

[0213] In the management control, it is not necessary to provide a determination unit for determining the start timing on the auxiliary blower 18 side, and the configuration is simplified. Also, even if a sensor for detecting the passage of the conveyance auxiliary body malfunctions or becomes abnormal during the operation of the system, each auxiliary blower 18 can be operated at a predetermined timing, and a more reliable secondary recovery device 10 can be provided.

[0214] As another method of control, the start timing of each auxiliary blower 18 examined as described above is set in each auxiliary blower 18, and when the control unit 27 sends out the conveyance auxiliary body 16, it notifies each auxiliary blower 18 to that effect. Each auxiliary blower 18 measures the elapsed time since it received the notification, and may be configured to autonomously start the fan when the start timing set for its own device is reached. In this configuration, although a circuit for measuring the elapsed time in each auxiliary blower 18 and determining whether the start timing has arrived is required, each auxiliary blower 18 can be operated at a predetermined timing even if the passage sensor malfunctions or becomes abnormal.

[0215] Next, the structure of the torsion part 51 will be described.

[0216] As shown in FIG. 45, the torsion part 51 realizes torsion at a desired angle by connecting a plurality of short sub-torsion pipes 51a that are torsionally twisted little by little. In this example, 10 sub-torsion pipes 51a are connected to form a 90-degree torsion, and a connection part 51b with the conveyance pipe 12 is connected to the downstream end thereof. There is no torsion in the connection part 51b.

[0217] Next, the operation sequence when the secondary recovery device 10 of the paper sheet recovery conveyance system recovers the paper money P from the relay box 6 (the storage part of the primary recovery device 8) of each gaming machine island 3 will be described.

[0218] FIG. 46 is a diagram showing the above sequence. The control unit 27 of the collection cashbox 11 inquires the relay box 6 of each gaming machine island 3 to confirm the number of banknotes P stored in the banknote storage unit 25 of each relay box 6 (P1, P2).

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

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

[0221] When the control unit 27 of the collection cashbox 11 confirms that the banknotes P instructed by the banknote discharge instruction have been taken into the conveyance pipe 12 (return conveyance pipe 12b) by the intake device 14, it instructs the blower / suction operation start of itself and the conveyance auxiliary body relay device 17, and the delivery of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 (P7).

[0222] The control unit 27 of the coin collection vault 11 moves the air flow generator 21 to blow air to the starting end of the forward conveyance pipe 12a and suck the air flow from the ending end of the return conveyance pipe 12b, and at the same time, sends out the conveyance assist body 16 to the forward conveyance pipe 12a by the conveyance assist body insertion device 23 (P8, P9). At the same time, the conveyance assist body relay device 17 operates the fan 63 of the blower unit 62 to suck the air flow from the ending end of the forward conveyance pipe 12a and blow air into the return conveyance pipe 12b from the starting end side of the return conveyance pipe 12b, and at the same time, sends out the conveyance assist body 16 to the return conveyance pipe 12b (P10, P11). That is, the sending out of the conveyance assist body 16 from the coin collection vault 11 to the forward conveyance pipe 12a and the sending out of the conveyance assist body 16 from the conveyance assist body relay device 17 to the return conveyance pipe 12b are performed simultaneously.

[0223] Sensors provided in the middle of the forward conveyance pipe 12a and the return conveyance pipe 12b detect the passage of the conveyance assist body 16 (P12, P13). When the conveyance assist body 16 sent out from the coin collection vault 11 at P8 reaches the inflow side connection port 67 of its own device, the conveyance assist body relay device 17 receives and holds it with the holding unit 74 (P14). Then, it notifies the control unit 27 of the coin collection vault 11 that it has received and held the conveyance assist body 16 (P15).

[0224] When the conveyance assist body 16 sent out from the conveyance assist body relay device 17 to the return conveyance pipe 12b at P11 reaches the coin collection vault 11, the coin collection vault 11 separates the banknote P and the conveyance assist body 16 by the separation and recovery device 24, collects the banknote P in the banknote storage unit 25, and moves the conveyance assist body 16 to the conveyance assist body insertion device 23 for the next sending out and makes it standby (P16).

[0225] Then, the control unit 27 of the coin collection vault 11 instructs its own device and the conveyance assist body relay device 17 to stop the blowing and sucking operations (P17). In response to this instruction, the air flow generator 21 of the coin collection vault 11 and the fan 63 of the blower unit 62 of the conveyance assist body relay device 17 stop (P18 - P20).

[0226] Also, the conveyance assist body relay device 17 that has received this instruction rotates the rotating plate 72 by 180 degrees (P21). When this rotation is completed, the locking (holding) of the conveyance assist body 16 by the holding roller 82 of the holding portion 74 that has moved to the outflow side connection port 68 is automatically released (P22).

[0227] The above operations are repeated for each banknote P recovery operation.

[0228] Next, an operation in which the control unit 27 of the collection safe 11 determines which relay box 6 and how many banknotes P are to be recovered in P3 of the above recovery operation will be described.

[0229] The secondary recovery device 10 of the sheet collection conveyance system can recover a maximum of six banknotes P for each banknote P recovery operation by the conveyance assist body 16. Also, it is assumed that the number of banknotes P that the sub-conveyance device 13 conveys to the take-in device 14 at one time is restricted to three or less.

[0230] For each banknote P recovery operation, the control unit 27 of the collection safe 11 determines the one or two or more relay boxes 6 that are the recovery destinations and the number of banknotes P to be recovered from each of them so that the total number of banknotes P recovered in that recovery operation is within the maximum number of banknotes that can be recovered in one recovery operation (six in this example). Here, further, the number of banknotes P discharged from one relay box 6 is restricted to be equal to or less than a predetermined upper limit number. The maximum value of the upper limit number is three, and the upper limit number is changed according to the stock number.

[0231] That is, for each recovery operation, the control unit 27 of the collection safe 11 assigns the discharge number to one or two or more relay boxes 6 so that the number assigned to each individual relay box 6 does not exceed the set upper limit number (for example, three), and the total number of banknotes P to be recovered does not exceed the maximum recoverable number of six banknotes.

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

[0233] The control unit 27 classifies the stock quantity of the banknotes P in each relay box 6 into a plurality of levels, and groups and manages the relay boxes 6 by level. Since each relay box 6 can store approximately 500 banknotes P, as shown in FIG. 47, it is divided into seven levels (G1 to G7) for management. FIG. 47 shows the relationship between the groups (G1 to G7), the stock quantity, and the collection priority.

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

[0235] G7 has the highest priority for collection, the priority decreases in the order of G6, G5, G4, G3, G2, and G1 is set to have the lowest priority for collection.

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

[0237] For example, when there are 4 relay boxes 6 of G1 (stock quantity is 1 sheet) and 1 relay box 6 of G2 (stock quantity is 2 sheets), control such as instructing to discharge one banknote P to each of the 4 relay boxes 6 belonging to G1 and instructing to discharge 2 banknotes P to the 1 relay box 6 belonging to G2 becomes possible.

[0238] Also, even when the stock quantity is large, since a plurality of groups (G4 to G7) are set according to the stock quantity, it is possible to preferentially perform discharge from the relay box 6 with a large stock quantity. Specifically, since G4 to G7 are provided, discharge can be controlled in more detail compared to the case where all 10 or more sheets are classified into one group.

[0239] The control unit 27 determines the number of banknotes P to be discharged and the collection destination so that the banknotes P are preferentially collected from the relay box 6 with a larger stock quantity.

[0240] Also, the control unit 27 classifies the relay boxes 6 into a plurality of groups based on the stock quantity, and after limiting the number of banknotes P to be discharged assigned to one relay box 6 within a predetermined upper limit number in order from the group with the largest stock quantity, assigns the number of banknotes P to be discharged as evenly as possible to the relay boxes 6 belonging to the same group, thereby determining the number of banknotes P to be discharged and the collection destination.

[0241] For example, if there are 6 or more relay boxes 6 belonging to G7, assign 1 banknote P to each of 6 of those relay boxes 6. If there is only 1 relay box 6 belonging to G7 and 2 relay boxes 6 belonging to G6, assign 3 banknotes P to the 1 relay box 6 belonging to G7, 2 banknotes P to 1 of the relay boxes 6 belonging to G6, and 1 banknote P to the other 1 relay box 6.

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

[0243] In addition, if the total number of sheets does not reach 6 after allocating the discharge number of sheets with the upper limit number of sheets restricted to 2, the upper limit number of sheets may be changed to 3. Also, perform the operation of allocating the discharge number of sheets in order from the group with a large stock number of sheets. If the total number of discharged sheets does not reach the maximum number of sheets (6 sheets) that can be collected in one collection operation even after going through all the groups, the remaining number of sheets to be discharged may be allocated in order from the relay box 6 belonging to the group with a large stock number of sheets. For example, when only G3 and below exist, if the upper limit number of sheets is set to 2 and the discharge number of sheets is allocated to them but the total number of sheets does not reach 6, change the upper limit number of sheets for G3 to 3 and allocate the remaining number of sheets in order from G3.

[0244] A specific example of the method for determining the collection destination and the discharge number of sheets will be shown and explained below.

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

[0246] <Pattern 1> When there is a relay box 6 corresponding to G4 or above In this case, give priority to discharging the relay box 6 with a high priority.

[0247] The specific procedure is as follows · Allocate the discharge number of sheets in order from the group with a high priority. · Set the upper limit number of sheets to be discharged allocated to one relay box 6 to 3, and make the discharge number of sheets as even as possible, and allocate to the same group until the total discharge number of sheets reaches 6. · If the total number of assigned discharge sheets does not reach 6 even when the discharge sheets are assigned to all the relay boxes 6 belonging to the group, then the discharge sheets are assigned to the group with the next highest priority.

[0248] In the example shown in Fig. 48(a), since there are 7 relay boxes 6 belonging to G7, 1 sheet is evenly assigned to 6 of them (ID1 to 6). In the example shown in Fig. 48(b), since there are 5 relay boxes 6 belonging to G7 (ID1 to 5), 2 sheets are assigned as the discharge sheets to the relay box 6 of ID1, and 1 sheet is assigned as the discharge sheets to the other relay boxes 6 (ID2 to 5), respectively. For example, if the first sheets are sequentially assigned to each relay box 6 belonging to G7 and the total does not reach 6 even after one round, the operation of sequentially assigning the second sheets to the relay boxes 6 belonging to G7 as the second round can be performed.

[0249] In the example shown in Fig. 48(c), since there are 3 relay boxes 6 belonging to G7 (ID1 to 3), 2 sheets are assigned as the discharge sheets to each of them. In the example shown in Fig. 48(d), as the first-stage assignment work, since there is only 1 relay box 6 belonging to G7 (ID1), 3 sheets, the upper limit number of sheets, are assigned as the discharge sheets to the relay box 6. Then, as the second-stage assignment work, the remaining sheets are assigned to the group with the next highest priority. In this example, since there is only 1 relay box 6 belonging to G6, the next highest priority (ID2), 3 sheets, the upper limit number of sheets, are assigned as the discharge sheets to the relay box 6 (ID2).

[0250] <Pattern 2> When all the relay boxes 6 are G3 or lower and there are relay boxes 6 belonging to G3 [a] When the number of G3 is only 1 In this case, 2 sheets (the upper limit number of sheets) are set as the discharge sheets instructed to the relay box 6 of G3, and the remaining 4 sheets are assigned to G2 or lower to reduce the relay boxes 6 of G2 or lower.

[0251] The specific procedure is as follows ·Allocate 2 sheets (the upper limit) as the number of sheets to be discharged to one relay box 6 belonging to G3, and allocate the remaining 4 sheets to the relay boxes 6 belonging to G2 or lower. ·If there are relay boxes 6 belonging to G2, allocate 2 sheets (the upper limit) as the number of sheets to be discharged to each relay box 6 belonging to G2. ·If the total number of sheets does not reach 6, allocate the remaining one by one to each relay box 6 belonging to G1. ·If the total number of sheets does not reach 6, increase the number of sheets to be discharged from the relay box belonging to G3 up to 3 sheets (raise the upper limit from 2 sheets to 3 sheets). ·If the total number of sheets still does not reach 6, end the allocation process.

[0252] In the example shown in Fig. 49(a), as the first-stage allocation operation, allocate 2 sheets (the upper limit) as the number of sheets to be discharged to one relay box 6 (ID1) belonging to G3. As the second-stage allocation operation, since there are 2 relay boxes 6 (ID2, 3) belonging to G2, allocate 2 sheets each as the number of sheets to be discharged. Since the total number of sheets reaches 6 in this way, the allocation process is ended.

[0253] In Fig. (b), as the first-stage allocation operation, allocate 2 sheets (the upper limit) as the number of sheets to be discharged to one relay box 6 (ID1) belonging to G3. Next, as the second-stage allocation operation, since there is only 1 relay box 6 (ID2) belonging to G2, allocate 2 sheets (the upper limit) as the number of sheets to be discharged to this box. At this stage, the total number of sheets is still 4, so further, as the third-stage allocation operation, allocate 1 sheet each as the number of sheets to be discharged to the relay boxes 6 (ID3, 4) belonging to G1. Since the total number of sheets reaches 6, the allocation process ends here.

[0254] In the case of Fig. (c), as the first-stage allocation operation, 2 sheets (upper limit number) are allocated as the discharge number to one relay box 6 (ID1) belonging to G3. As the second-stage allocation operation, since there is only one relay box 6 (ID2) belonging to G2, 2 sheets (upper limit number) are allocated to this as the discharge number. Further, as the third-stage allocation operation, 1 sheet is allocated as the discharge number to the relay box 6 (ID3) belonging to G1. At this stage, the total number of sheets is 5, so as the remaining process, the discharge number of the relay box 6 of ID1 belonging to G3 is increased by 1 to 3 sheets. Since the total number of sheets reaches 6 in this way, the allocation process is terminated. That is, since the total number of sheets does not reach 6 even after going around each group, the upper limit number of G3 is increased to 3 sheets, and the allocation of the remaining number of sheets is performed again in order from the group with the largest stock number.

[0255] [b]When the number of units of G3 is 2 In this case, the discharge number instructed to each relay box 6 of G3 is set to 2 sheets (upper limit number), and the remaining 2 sheets are allocated to G2 and below, thereby reducing the relay boxes 6 of G2 and below.

[0256] The specific procedure is as follows · Allocate 2 sheets (upper limit number) as the discharge number to each of the two relay boxes 6 belonging to G3, and allocate the remaining 2 sheets to the relay boxes 6 belonging to G2 and below. · If there is a relay box 6 belonging to G2, allocate 2 sheets (upper limit number) as the discharge number to the relay box 6 belonging to G2. · When the total number of sheets does not reach 6, allocate the remaining one by one to each relay box 6 belonging to G1. · When the total number of sheets does not reach 6, increase the discharge number of the relay boxes belonging to G3 up to 3 sheets (raise the upper limit number from 2 sheets to 3 sheets).

[0257] In the example shown in Fig. 50(a), as the first-stage allocation operation, 2 relay boxes 6 (ID1, 2) belonging to G3 are each allocated 2 sheets (upper limit number of sheets) as the number of discharged sheets. As the second-stage allocation operation, there are 2 relay boxes 6 (ID3, 4) belonging to G2, but 2 sheets (upper limit number of sheets) are allocated as the number of discharged sheets to 1 of them. Since the total number of sheets reaches 6 at this point, the allocation process ends.

[0258] In Fig. (b), as the first-stage allocation operation, 2 relay boxes 6 (ID1) belonging to G3 are each allocated 2 sheets (upper limit number of sheets) as the number of discharged sheets. Next, as the second-stage allocation operation, an operation of allocating to the relay box 6 belonging to G2 is performed. However, in this example, since there is no relay box 6 belonging to G2, no allocation is performed. Next, as the third-stage allocation operation, an allocation to the relay box 6 belonging to G1 is performed. Since there are 4 relay boxes 6 (ID3 to 7) belonging to G1, 1 sheet is allocated as the number of discharged sheets to 2 of them (ID3, 4). Since the total number of sheets reaches 6, the allocation process ends here.

[0259] In Fig. (c), as the first-stage allocation operation, 2 relay boxes 6 (ID1) belonging to G3 are each allocated 2 sheets (upper limit number of sheets) as the number of discharged sheets. Next, as the second-stage allocation operation, an operation of allocating to the relay box 6 belonging to G2 is performed. However, in this example, since there is no relay box 6 belonging to G2, no allocation is performed. As the third-stage allocation operation, an allocation to the relay box 6 belonging to G1 is performed. Since there is only 1 relay box 6 (ID3) belonging to G1, 1 sheet is allocated as the number of discharged sheets to that relay box 6 (ID3). At this stage, since the total number of sheets is 5, as the remaining process, the number of discharged sheets of the relay box 6 with ID1 belonging to G3 is increased by 1 to 3 sheets. Since the total number of sheets reaches 6 at this point, the allocation process ends. In the remaining process, the upper limit number of sheets of G3 is increased from 2 to 3.

[0260] [c] When the number of units of G3 is 3 or more Assign the number of bills to be discharged only to the relay box 6 of G3, and prioritize the discharge from the relay box 6 of G3.

[0261] The specific procedure is as follows ·Assign the number of bills to be discharged one by one to the relay boxes 6 belonging to G3. ·If the total number of bills assigned does not reach 6 in the above step, reassign one by one in descending order of the stock quantity.

[0262] In the example shown in Fig. 51(a), there are 7 relay boxes 6 belonging to G3 (ID1~7). Therefore, assign one bill each to 6 of them. In the example shown in Fig. 51(b), there are 4 relay boxes 6 belonging to G3 (ID1~4). Therefore, assign one bill each to them. Since the total number of bills is 4 and does not reach 6, assign one bill each to the relay boxes 6 belonging to G3 in order until the total number reaches 6. In this example, the second bill is assigned to the relay boxes 6 of ID1 and ID2.

[0263] In the assignment in Pattern 2 above, the upper limit of the number of bills that can be assigned to one relay box 6 belonging to G3 is set to 2, which is less than the upper limit of 3 for the relay boxes 6 belonging to groups G4 and above. This allows the banknotes P to be collected by distributing them to more relay boxes 6.

[0264] <Pattern 3> When all relay boxes 6 belong to G2 or lower In this case, assign one bill (the upper limit) as the number of bills to be discharged to each relay box 6 in descending order of the stock quantity.

[0265] In the example shown in Fig. 52(a), there are 2 relay boxes 6 belonging to G2 (ID1, 2) and 5 relay boxes 6 belonging to G1 (ID3~7). Therefore, preferentially assign one bill each to the relay boxes 6 belonging to G2 with a larger stock quantity (ID1, 2), and then assign one bill each to 4 of the relay boxes 6 belonging to G1 (ID3~6).

[0266] In the example shown in FIG. (b), since there are two relay boxes 6 belonging to G2 (ID1, 2) and three relay boxes 6 belonging to G1 (ID3 to 5), the relay boxes 6 belonging to G2 with a large stock quantity (ID1, 2) are preferentially assigned one by one, and then the three relay boxes 6 belonging to G1 (ID3 to 5) are assigned one by one. Since the total number of sheets at this stage is 5 and does not reach 6, as a remaining process, the discharge quantity of the relay box 6 of ID1 belonging to G2 is increased by +1 to 2 sheets. Thus, since the total number of sheets reaches 6, the assignment process ends. This is equivalent to raising the upper limit quantity for G2 from 1 sheet to 2 sheets and performing the assignment again.

[0267] Note that the above assignment method is an example and is not limited thereto.

[0268] In addition, regardless of the stock quantity, an administrator or the like can arbitrarily set and change the priority order for the relay box 6. For example, when the administrator switches the collection mode of the secondary collection device 10 to a special collection mode after the end of business hours, the control unit 27 determines the collection destination and the discharge quantity instructed to each collection destination so that the banknote P is preferentially collected from the relay box 6 with a higher set priority.

[0269] For example, during business hours, since banknotes P continue to be inserted into the game ball lending machines 4 on the game machine island 3 where many popular models are installed, banknotes P are likely to be stocked in the relay box 6 of that game machine island 3. In the control during business hours to preferentially collect banknotes P from the relay box 6 with a large stock quantity, the imbalance in the stock quantity of banknotes P between the game machine islands 3 may not be eliminated. Also, after business hours, there are often cases where it is desired to quickly perform replacement and maintenance of the game machines 5 for a specific game machine island 3. In order to meet such demands, after business hours, by switching to the special collection mode, it is possible to collect banknotes P according to an arbitrarily set priority order.

[0270] Next, an error display device provided in the paper sheet collection and conveyance system will be described.

[0271] Figure 53 shows the front of the error display 180 of the paper sheet collection and conveyance system. The error display 180 has a function of clearly displaying the location where an error has occurred. The error display 180 displays the layout of the secondary collection device 10 installed in the amusement hall 2. The display is customized according to each amusement hall 2.

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

[0273] Furthermore, the error display 180 includes a message display section 183, upper and lower buttons 184, and an alarm button 185. The message display section 183 displays the details of the error when an error occurs. The upper and lower buttons 184 are used to select which error to display when multiple errors have occurred. The alarm button 185 lights up when an error occurs. When an error occurs, this fact is notified to the in-come inserted by the staff in the amusement hall. When the alarm button 185 is pressed in the lit state, the error output to the in-come stops.

[0274] On the vertical conveyance path display section 181 and the horizontal conveyance path display section 182, symbols corresponding to the gaming machine islands 3 and the conveyance pipes 12 are displayed according to the layout of the amusement hall 2. Further, icons corresponding to the passing sensors installed at various locations in the relay box 6 and in the middle of the conveyance pipe 12 are displayed superimposed on the symbols. When the gaming machine islands 3 are installed on multiple floors, it is possible to switch which floor state is displayed on the horizontal conveyance path display section 182. When an error occurs, the state of the floor where the error has occurred may be automatically displayed.

[0275] When an error occurs, the location where the error occurs blinks in red. When an abnormality occurs in the auxiliary blower 18 or the transport auxiliary relay device 17, only that location blinks in red. When there is a jam of the banknote P or the transport auxiliary body 16, as shown in FIG. 54, the portion corresponding to the transport pipe in the section from the passing sensor that has detected the banknote P or the transport auxiliary body 16 to the passing sensor at the next undetected location downstream blinks in red.

[0276] In this way, since the error display device 180 clearly displays the content of the error and the location where the error occurs, it is possible to quickly respond to the error. A plurality of error display devices 180 may be provided at various locations in the game arcade 2.

[0277] As described above, the paper sheet collection and transport system according to the present embodiment collects the banknotes P collected by the primary collection device 10 at each of the plurality of gaming machine islands 3 arranged in the game arcade 2 from each gaming machine island 3 and transports them to the collection safe 11 in the office by the secondary collection device 10. Therefore, the banknotes P can be safely and easily collected from each gaming machine island 3 to the collection safe 11 in the office.

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

[0279] FIGS. 55 and 56 show the relay portion 61B of the improved transport auxiliary relay device 19B. In the improved transport auxiliary relay device 19B, in order to address the problems that occur when the transport auxiliary body 16 sent out from the collection safe 11 does not reach the transport auxiliary relay device 19B normally, or when the second transport auxiliary body 16 is sent from the collection safe 11 to the transport auxiliary relay device 19B, the following two points are improved.

[0280] (Improvement Point 1) Prevent a part of the second transport auxiliary body 16 from entering the holding portion 74 while the holding portion 74 receives the first transport auxiliary body 16. Fig. 55(a) shows the relay section 61 of the conventional conveyance assisting body relay device 19 in a state where two conveyance assisting bodies 16 have successively arrived, and Fig. 55(b) shows the relay section 61 of the improved conveyance assisting body relay device 19B in the same state. In the conventional conveyance assisting body relay device 19, since the position where the holding section 74 holds the first conveyance assisting body 16 is a deep position in the holding section 74, when the second conveyance assisting body 16 subsequently arrives, a part of it enters the holding section 74, and the second conveyance assisting body 16 stops at a position straddling both the inflow-side connection port 67 (fixed side) and the holding section 74 (rotating side). Therefore, if an attempt is made to rotate the rotating plate 72 in this state, the second conveyance assisting body 16 gets caught between the inflow-side connection port 67 and the holding section 74, preventing the rotation of the rotating plate 72.

[0281] Therefore, in the improved conveyance assisting body relay device 19B shown in Fig. 55(b), the position where the holding section 74 assists the first conveyance assisting body 16 is made shallower so that when the second conveyance assisting body 16 abuts against the first conveyance assisting body 16, the second conveyance assisting body 16 does not enter the holding section 74. As a result, the second conveyance assisting body 16 does not stop at a position straddling both the inflow-side connection port 67 (fixed side) and the holding section 74 (rotating side), and does not inhibit the rotation of the rotating plate 72.

[0282] In the improved conveyance assisting body relay device 19B, in order to make the position where the holding section 74 holds the conveyance assisting body 16 shallower, the receiving section 81 is lengthened toward the downstream side, and the rear ends of the pair of holding arms 83 on the base plate 71 side are pivotally supported, and the tips on the inflow-side connection port 67 side are provided with holding rollers 82 and open and close. Also, the positions of the release plate 84 and the release roller 85 are changed. Furthermore, as the position where the conveyance assisting body 16 is held in the holding section 74 becomes shallower, the position of the transmissive optical sensor 75 that detects the conveyance assisting body 16 held in the holding section 74 is changed.

[0283] (Improvement Point 2) While the rotating plate 72 is rotating, the inflow-side connection port 67 is closed so that the conveyance assisting body 16 does not pass through the inflow-side connection port 67. In the prior transfer assist body relay device 19, while the holding part 74 was not positioned at the back of the inflow-side connection port 67 during the rotation of the rotary plate 72, the transfer assist body 16 arriving from upstream could pass through the inflow-side connection port 67 and enter the relay part 61. Therefore, when the second transfer assist body 16 arrived in this state, the second transfer assist body 16 could not be received by the holding part 74 and would jump into the suction duct 65 or fall into the relay part 61, hindering the rotation of the rotary plate 72.

[0284] Therefore, in the improved transfer assist body relay device 19B, as shown in Fig. 56, a guard plate 87 is provided to prevent the transfer assist body 16 arriving from upstream from passing through the inflow-side connection port 67 during the rotation of the rotary plate 72.

[0285] The guard plate 87 shown in Fig. 56 is a metal plate having a shape corresponding to the remaining part obtained by cutting out the part covering the holding part 74 from an annular plate obtained by boring a concentric small circle through a disc having the same radius as the rotary plate 72 and just covering the holding part 74. The guard plate 87 is attached to the rotary plate 72 so as to be in the same plane as the upper end of the holding part 74 (the opening at the end on the inflow-side connection port 67 side) and rotates together with the rotary plate 72. The guard plate 87 closes the inflow-side connection port 67 by facing the outlet of the inflow-side connection port 67 during rotation when the holding part 74 is not in a position facing the inflow-side connection port 67.

[0286] Here, for the convenience of manufacturing and installation, the guard plate 87 is configured to be divided into two parts with the holding part 74 as the boundary. A flange part 88 is provided on the peripheral edge of the opening on the inflow-side connection port 67 side of the holding part 74 so as to extend outward in the same plane as the guard plate 87. The flange part 88 serves to close a slight gap generated between the outer periphery of the opening on the inflow-side connection port 67 side of the holding part 74 and the inflow-side connection port 67 when the holding part 74 is slightly displaced from a position facing the front of the inflow-side connection port 67, such as immediately after the start of rotation or immediately before the end of rotation.

[0287] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been explained with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to that shown in the embodiments, and even if there are changes or additions without departing from the gist of the present invention, they are included in the present invention.

[0288] In the embodiment, the primary collection device 8 in the gaming machine island 3 also adopts a conveyance method using an air flow and a conveyance auxiliary body 16. However, the primary collection device 8 may adopt other methods such as conveying banknotes P by a belt. Furthermore, the secondary collection device 10 is not limited to the conveyance method using the conveyance auxiliary body 16 that moves by the action of an air flow. For example, a self-propelled moving body may move inside the conveyance pipe 12 to collect banknotes. The conveyance method of the secondary collection device may be arbitrary as long as it is a conveyance device whose maximum number of banknotes that can be conveyed by one collection operation is limited.

[0289] In the embodiment, the conveyance pipe 12 is installed in the ceiling space, but it may be configured to be piped near the ceiling or under the floor. In the case of under the floor, the sub-conveyance device 13 may convey the banknotes discharged from the back of the relay box 6 downward.

[0290] In the embodiment, the conveyance pipe 12 is piped in the vertical direction and in the horizontal plane, but it may be installed with the conveyance pipe 12 inclined. For example, in the case of an inclined ceiling, the conveyance pipe 12 may be inclined and piped along the ceiling.

[0291] The gaming machine island 3 is not limited to the configuration that houses the pachinko machine and the game ball lending machine exemplified in the embodiment, and may also be a gaming machine island that houses medal lending machines, slot machines, etc.

[0292] Note that the shape of the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is not limited to that shown in the embodiment. For example, it may have a column shape such as a rectangular or polygonal cross-section. Also, although the conveyance auxiliary body 16 has a symmetric shape with respect to the central portion in the Y direction, it may have an asymmetric shape in the Y direction.

[0293] In the embodiment, the paper currency P is described as an example of paper sheets, but other types of paper sheets such as tickets and cards may be used. Further, the shape of the paper sheets is not limited to a rectangle. Also, the installation location of the paper sheet collection and conveyance system is not limited to a game arcade, and other facilities may be used.

[0294] In the embodiment, the cross section of the conveyance pipe 12 is substantially rectangular, but it may be other shapes such as circular or elliptical. However, it is preferable that the conveyance auxiliary body has a shape corresponding to the inner edge shape thereof and closes substantially the entire cross section. Further, a plurality of ribs may be provided to narrow the substantial passage width of the paper sheets.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0295] 2... Game arcade 3... Game machine island 4... Game ball lending machine 5... Game machine 6... Relay box 8... Primary collection device 10... Secondary collection device 11... Aggregate safe 12... Conveyance pipe 12a... Forward conveyance pipe 12b... Return conveyance pipe 13... Sub-conveyance device 14... Take-in device 15... Connection part 16... Conveyance auxiliary body 16a... Head part 16b... Neck part 16c... Large-diameter part 16d... Constricted part 17... Conveyance auxiliary body relay device 18... Auxiliary blower 19... Release air blower 21... Air flow generation device 22... Paper currency separation / conveyance auxiliary body circulation device 23... Conveyance auxiliary body insertion device 24... Separation and collection device 25... Paper currency storage part 26... Paper currency conveyance part 27... Control part 28... Guide passage 29... Waiting place 32…Side wall 33…Expansion part 34…Rib 34a…Inclined plane 36…Guide rail 37…Connecting wall part 41…Holding part 42…Receiving part 43…Slit 45…Feeding part 46…Movable arm 51…Twisting part 51a…Sub-twisting pipe 51b…Connection part 61…Relay part 62…Blower part 63…Fan 65…Suction duct 66…Air supply duct 67…Inflow side connection port 68…Outflow side connection port 71…Base plate 71a…Suction duct connection port 71b…Air supply duct connection port 72…Rotating plate 72a…Ventilation hole 73…Support shaft 74…Holding part 75…Sensor 76…Transmissive optical sensor 81…Receiving part 82…Holding roller 83…Holding arm 84…Release plate 85…Release roller 87…Guard plate 88…Flap part 91…Side rib 92…Guide rib 93…Guide rib 101…Sub-conveying pipe 101a…Opening 102…Upward flow generating part 102a…Fan 102b…Air supply duct 103…Banknote taking-in part 104…Passage part 104b…Opening 104c…Inflow port 105a…Conveyor roller 105b…Conveyor belt 121…Passage part 122…Conveyor part 123…Paper currency guide path 124…Conveyor belt 125a…Pay-out roller 125b…Pay-out belt 126…Shutter 128…Pinch roller 129…Movable arm 129a…Support point 130…Solenoid 131…Paper currency detection sensor 140…Conveyor pipe 142…Paper currency intake device 144…Airflow generation device 145…Paper currency separation / conveyor auxiliary body circulation device 146…Conveyor auxiliary body insertion device 147…Separation and recovery device 148…Paper currency conveyor part 150…Temporary storage device 151…Posture conversion part 152…Elevator part 152a…Receiving plate 152b…Pressing plate 153…Pay-out conveyor part 153b…Conveyor belt 154…Storage part 155…Natural rubber sheet 156…Thick line indicating the conveyor path 160…Connection main body part 161…Upstream connection port 162…Downstream connection port 162b…Butting part 163…Rib (center) 163a, 163b…Two parallel ribs 164…Ribs (both sides) 166…Sensor 170…Connection adapter 171…Upstream connection port 172…Downstream end 173…Rib (center) 174… Ribs (both sides) 180… Error display unit 181… Vertical conveyance path display unit 182… Horizontal conveyance path display unit 183… Message display unit 184… Upper and lower buttons 185… Alarm button Dx… Distance between reference plane parts of conveyance pipe Dy… Inner dimension in the Y direction of conveyance pipe Ds… Shift amount FW… Extension direction of conveyance pipe M… Path of banknote conveyance unit P, P1, P2, P3… Banknotes W… Passage width X… Passage width direction of conveyance pipe Y… Height direction of conveyance pipe

Claims

1. A conveyance error display device that displays a conveyance error occurring in a conveyance path for paper sheets circulating in an amusement facility, According to the layout of the entire game center, a layout diagram including the route of the transport path is displayed based on a preset layout direction, and when a blockage of the moving object is detected based on the detection status of a plurality of passing sensors that are provided in a dispersed manner on the transport path and detect the passage of the moving object moving in the transport path, a section on the route diagram between the most downstream passing sensor that has detected the passage of the moving object and a passing sensor one position downstream that has not detected the passage is determined to be an abnormal portion, and the abnormal portion is displayed on the layout diagram so as to be identifiable as a position within the game center. A transport error display device comprising:

2. The installation locations of each passing sensor are displayed on the route map.

2. The transport error display device according to claim 1.

Images