JP4203433B2 - Medal direction changing device for medal gaming machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a medal direction changing device used in a transfer path for game medals used in a medal gaming machine.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, medal lending machines (game machine platform machines) that can automatically supply medals to gaming machines such as slot machines have been devised. In addition, a gaming machine platform machine having a medal lifting mechanism that automatically raises a gaming medal paid out from a gaming machine to a medal slot has been devised (Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-116906).
Each of these has a transfer passage for transferring game medals from the intermediary machine to the medal slot of the gaming machine, and has been raised by the game medals paid out from the medal lending machine and the lifting mechanism. The game medal was formed so that it could be inserted into the medal slot through the transfer passage.
Here, in many cases, the direction of the game medals discharged from the medal payout port or the exit of the medals raised by the raising mechanism does not match the direction in which the medal slot of the gaming machine can accept the game medals. In such a case, the transfer passage is curved or twisted in the middle to change the direction of game medals transferred through the passage (see Patent Document 1).
JP 2003-275451 A

However, in the above-described conventional transfer passage, in order to be able to change the direction of the medal without causing clogging of medals on the way, it takes a certain length, and the transfer passage obstructs the game or impairs the appearance. There was a problem. In addition, when the transfer passage is formed by bending or twisting, there is a problem that it is difficult to make fine adjustments based on the installation positions of the platform machine and the gaming machine.
Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of such problems, and the object of the invention is a game medal that can change the direction of a game medal in a narrow space and can set the conversion angle to some extent. It is intended to provide a direction changing device.

The present invention has been made to achieve each of the above-described objects, and features of the present invention will be described below using the embodiments of the invention shown in the drawings.
In addition, the code | symbol in parentheses and drawing number show the code | symbol and number used in embodiment of invention, and do not limit the technical scope of this invention.
(Claim 1)
(Feature point)
The invention described in claim 1 is characterized by the following points.
That is, the invention according to claim 1 is a medal direction changing device (1) that allows a game medal to pass from the upper side to the lower side in a standing state, the medal entry part (10) for receiving the game medal, and the medal A direction changing unit (20) for changing the direction of the front and back sides of the game medal entered from the entry unit (10), and a medal for discharging the game medal changed in direction by the direction changing unit (20) to the outside of the apparatus And a discharge part (30).

The present invention is a medal installed between a device for discharging game medals, such as a medal lending machine or a lift device, and a device for receiving game medals, for example, a medal slot (110) or a medal selector (130) of a game machine. This is a direction changing device that transfers the game medals from the medal discharge device to the medal receiving device, and at the same time changes the front and back directions of the standing game medals. Here, the “standing state” is a state where the side surface (outer periphery) of the game medal is up and down.
The medal entry portion (10) is capable of receiving a game medal discharged from a game medal payout device or the like, and can be, for example, a receiving nozzle (11) having a through passage for one game medal. . In addition, the medal entry unit (10) only needs to be able to transfer the received game medal from above to the direction changing unit (20) in a standing state (in other words, to discharge the game medal downward), It does not have to be above. The medal discharge unit (30) is for transferring the game medal received by the medal entry unit (10) and changed in direction by the direction changing unit (20) to a gaming machine, for example, a direction changing unit ( The discharge nozzle (31) may be provided below or on the side of 20).

The direction changing portion (20) has a receiving opening (an upper slit (23), a through hole (21c)) for receiving a game medal from above at the top, and a cylindrical body having an inner diameter larger than the diameter of the game medal A pair of guide protrusions (40A, 40B) projecting from the inner periphery of the cylindrical body toward the vertical center axis of the receiving opening (23, 21c) and facing each other with a gap of approximately medal thickness, and the guide Provided below the protrusions (40A, 40B), forming a drop gap (drop slit (24), lower gap (26)) having a width of approximately medal thickness and communicating with the medal discharge section (30), And at least a pair of inclined members (50) having symmetrical inclined surfaces across the drop gap (24, 26).
Here, the “cylindrical body” may be a cylinder or a square tube, and may penetrate vertically or may have an upper surface or a bottom surface. A receiving opening through which a game medal can pass in an upright state is formed in the upper part of the cylinder. The receiving opening may be a hole (through hole (21c)) opened above the cylinder, or a long hole or slit (upper slit (23)) formed on the upper surface of the cylinder. Also good. Further, the “cylinder” may be a combination of a plurality of cylinders (upper cylinder (21), lower cylinder (22)).

The guide protrusions (40A, 40B) are a pair of protrusions, and are provided inside the opening (21c) of the cylindrical body or below the opening (23). And the front-end | tip part (41, 41) of a pair of protrusion can support the game medal which approachs from the said medal approach part (10) in the center part of front and back.
The inclined member (50) is provided below the guide protrusions (40A, 40B). For example, the inclined member (50) has two slits (falling slit (24)) through which a game medal can pass at the center of the cylindrical body. Inclined blocks (51, 52) or inclined ribs (53, 54) facing each other with a gap (lower gap (26)) through which a game medal can pass can be formed at the center of the cylinder. In addition, the `` slope that is symmetrical across the drop gap (24, 26) '' means, for example, the opposite inclined faces that descend from the cylinder periphery toward the drop gap (24, 26), or the drop gap (24, 26). 26) including an inclined surface that rises from one to the other in the length direction and an inclined surface that descends from one to the other.

Further, the inclined member (50) can be arranged at a position where the width direction of the drop gap (24, 26) is not coincident with the direction of the front and back surfaces of the game medal entering from the medal entry portion (10). In addition, with the front and back surfaces of the game medal being sandwiched between the guide protrusions (40A, 40B), the lower end of the game medal is provided at a height position where it can contact both of the symmetrical inclined surfaces. The inclined surface is formed such that when the lower end portion of the game medal comes into contact, one contact portion becomes a downward inclination and the other contact portion becomes an upward inclination when viewed from the front and back sides of the game medal. The direction changing portion (20) includes, as the cylindrical body, an upper cylinder (21) having the guide protrusions (40A, 40B), and an inclined member (below the upper cylinder (21)). 50) and a lower cylinder (22), and the upper cylinder (21) and the lower cylinder (22) are coupled to be rotatable about a vertical central axis. The medal entry portion (10) is fixed to the upper cylinder (21), and the pair of guide protrusions (40A, 40B) are connected to the medal entry portion (10). The game medal discharged to the direction changing unit (20) is installed so that the center of the front and back surfaces can be supported from both sides .
Here, the “width direction of the drop gap (24, 26)” is the same direction as the direction of the front and back sides of the game medal passing through the drop gap (24, 26). The fact that this does not match the direction of the front and back sides of the game medals entering from the medal entry part (10) means that the game medals entering from the medal entry part (10) will contact the inclined member (50) even if they fall as they are. This means that it cannot pass through the drop gap (24, 26).

The present invention also allows front and back surfaces of game medals entering from the medal entry section (10) by appropriately changing the angular position (installation direction) of the guide protrusions (40A, 40B) and the inclined member (50). And the conversion angle between the direction of the front and back sides of the game medal discharged from the medal discharge unit (30) can be changed.
  Here, as means for “connecting the upper cylinder (21) and the lower cylinder (22) so as to be rotatable about the vertical central axis”, the means is provided in either the upper cylinder (21) or the lower cylinder (22). A convex part and a guide groove engageable with the convex part can be provided. When the upper tube (21) and the lower tube (22) are cylindrical, the convex portion is, for example, the lower outer surface (or inner surface) of the upper tube (21) or the upper outer surface (or inner surface) of the lower tube (22). It can be a pin (locking pin (63)) provided on the side surface, and the guide groove is an oblong long hole (61 provided on the upper side surface of the lower cylinder (22) or the lower side surface of the upper cylinder (21). ) Or a horizontally elongated recess provided on the upper inner surface (or outer surface) of the lower tube (22) or the lower inner surface (or outer surface) of the upper tube (21). The convex portion moves in the guide groove in the horizontal direction, so that the lower cylinder (22) (or vice versa) can rotate horizontally with respect to the upper cylinder (21), and the upper cylinder (21) and the lower cylinder ( 22) can be connected in the vertical direction.

(Function)
A game medal that has entered the direction changing unit (20) in a standing state from the medal entry unit (10) falls downward while being supported by the guide protrusion (40). And while a part (upper side) of the game medal does not fall out from the guide protrusions (40A, 40B), the lower end part comes into contact with both of the symmetrical inclined surfaces of the inclined member (50). At this time, since the inclined surface is formed so that one abutting portion is inclined downward and the other abutting portion is inclined upward as viewed from the front and back sides of the game medal, the game medal tries to fall further. Then, one abutting portion of the game medal descends along the descending slope, and the other abutting portion of the game medal tends to descend along the descending slope that is an ascending slope with respect to the descending slope. Accordingly, the game medal rotates laterally in the downward inclination direction of each inclined surface while the front and back surfaces are supported by the guide protrusions (40A, 40B). Then, when the game medal rotates to the position of the drop gap (24, 26), the support from the lower side of the inclined member (50) is lost, so that it falls into the drop gap (24, 26). The dropped game medal is discharged out of the apparatus through the medal discharging unit (30).

  For example, the front and back sides of a game medal entering from the medal entry part (10) are facing left and right when viewed from the front, and the fall gap (24, 26) is inclined so that the width direction is the front and rear direction when viewed from the front. When the member (50) is provided, the game medal can change the angle of the front and back surfaces by 90 degrees by passing through the medal direction changing device (1). The direction conversion angle can be set as appropriate depending on the intersection angle between the entry direction of the game medal and the width direction of the drop gap (24, 26).

Since the upper cylinder (21) is fixed below the medal entry portion (10), the direction of the front and back surfaces of the game medal entering the upper cylinder (21) is fixed. Specifically, the game medal enters in a direction in which the guide protrusions (40A, 40B) can support the front and back center portions of the game medal from both sides. Further, since the lower cylinder (22) is fixed above the medal discharging portion (30), the medal receiving port (32) of the medal discharging portion (30) coincides with the drop gap (24, 26). Yes. Therefore, by changing the mounting position of the upper cylinder (21) and the lower cylinder (22), the direction of the front and back of the game medal discharged from the medal discharge section (30) is the direction of the front and back of the game medal to enter And can be different.
Further, if the upper cylinder (21) and the lower cylinder (22) are attached so that the direction of the front and back sides of the game medal to enter and the width direction of the drop gap (24, 26) coincide with each other, the medal discharge section (30) It is also possible not to change the direction of the front and back sides of game medals discharged from the game.

When the medal direction changing device (1) having the above configuration is installed, for example, between the medal lending port of the medal lending machine and the medal insertion port of the gaming machine, the orientation of the front and back sides of the game medal discharged from the medal lending port Even if the orientations of the front and back sides of the game medals that can be inserted into the medal slot are different, the direction is changed by the game medals falling through the direction changing unit (20). Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a long transfer passage for changing the direction of the game medal between the medal lending slot and the medal slot.
According to the present invention, when the medal direction changing device (1) is installed between the medal discharge port of the medal lending machine and the medal insertion port of the gaming machine, the medal mounting unit (10) and the medal discharge unit (30 Subtle angle adjustment with) is possible. In addition, since the direction of the front and back sides of the game medal can be kept unchanged, the use range of one medal direction changing device (1) is widened, which is more economical.

(Claim 2)
(Feature point)
The invention described in claim 2 is characterized by the following points in addition to the features of the invention described in claim 1 described above.
That is, in the invention according to claim 2, the inclined members (50) face each other with a gap (falling gap / lower gap (26)) through which a game medal can pass in the center of the lower cylinder (22). It is a set of parallel plate members (inclined ribs 53, 54), and the inclined surfaces face each other and descend toward the drop gap (26) formed on the upper surface of the plate members (53, 54). The interval between the pair of plate members (53, 54) that are inclined surfaces and are parallel to each other is formed to be narrower than the diameter of the game medal and from the medal entry portion (10) to the direction changing portion (20). The lower end of the game medal to be discharged is formed so as to be received by the opposing plate members (53, 54) .

Since this invention is comprised as mentioned above, there exists an effect as described below.
That is, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a game medal direction changing device that can change the direction of a game medal in a narrow space and can set the conversion angle to some extent.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(Explanation of drawings)
1 to 21 show an embodiment of the present invention.
1 to 3 are perspective views of the medal direction changing device 1, FIGS. 4 to 6 are side views, front views, and plane views of the medal direction changing device 1, and FIGS. 7 and 8 are AA lines in FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 10 to 15 are diagrams showing another example of the direction changing unit 20 of the medal direction changing device 1, and FIGS. 16 to 19 are views showing examples of using the medal direction changing device 1. FIG. 20 and 21 are diagrams showing the operation of the change angle adjusting device 60. FIG.

(Medal direction changing device 1)
As shown in FIG. 1, the medal direction changing device 1 is roughly composed of three parts: a medal entry part 10, a direction changing part 20, and a medal discharging part 30. In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, the medal direction changing device 1 is attached to the direction changing unit 20 so that the medal entry unit 10 and the medal discharge unit 30 are orthogonal to each other when viewed from above. The angle formed by the medal entry unit 10 and the medal discharge unit 30 can be changed up to 180 degrees by a conversion angle adjusting device 60 described later.
Then, from the medal entry unit 10, for example, a game medal paid out from a gaming machine pedestal machine such as a medal lending machine is taken in a standing state, the direction changing unit 20 changes the direction of the front and back of the game medal, and the medal discharge unit From 30, for example, it is discharged toward the medal slot of a gaming machine.

(Medal entry part 10)
The medal entry portion 10 is for introducing game medals into the medal direction changing device 1, and as shown in FIG. 1 or 2, the medal entry portion 10 has a through passage formed to have a thickness approximately equal to one game medal M. It has a thin tubular receiving nozzle 11.
The receiving nozzle 11 is formed in a hollow arcuate plate shape having a medal receiving port 12 at the upper end and a medal discharging port 13 at the lower end, and the game medal M that has entered from the medal receiving port 12 passes through the through-passage and is discharged as a medal. It is configured to fall from the outlet 13. Then, it can be attached to the direction changing portion 20 via a disk-like flange portion provided on the medal discharge port 13 side.

(Direction changer 20)
As shown in FIG. 1, the direction changing part 20 is a cylindrical member composed of an upper cylinder 21 and a lower cylinder 22, and is attached below the medal entry part 10 with screws or the like, although not particularly shown. is there.
(Upper cylinder 21)
The upper cylinder 21 has a lid shape having a lower opening 21b, and an upper slit 23 having a width approximately equal to the thickness of one game medal and a length corresponding to the diameter of the game medal is formed on the upper surface 21a. ing. In addition, a guide portion 40 including a pair of guide protrusions 40A and 40B protruding toward the vertical central axis of the upper tube 21 is provided below the upper slit 23 and inside the upper tube 21.

The upper slit 23 is for receiving a game medal that falls from the medal discharge port 13 of the medal entry portion 10, and the medal entry portion 10 has an upper cylinder 21 so that the medal discharge port 13 coincides with the upper slit 23. It is attached and fixed to the upper surface.
Also, two horizontally long holes 61 are provided in the lower part of the side surface of the upper cylinder 21, which will be described later.
(Guide part 40)
As shown in FIG. 1, the guide portion 40 is configured by a substantially triangular prism-shaped guide protrusion 40A and a guide protrusion 40B that protrude from the inner periphery of the upper cylinder 21 and whose apexes face each other. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the guide protrusion 40A and the guide protrusion 40B have their tips 41 positioned on the center axis L3 in the width direction of the upper slit 23, and the center axis in the length direction of the upper slit 23. It arrange | positions so that it may become symmetrical to L1 (axis line which corresponds with the approach direction of a game medal). Further, the gap between the tip portion 41 of the guide projection 40A and the tip portion 41 of the guide projection 40B has a substantially medal thickness, and the tip portion 41 is formed in a circular arc shape in cross section. Therefore, the guide protrusion 40A and the guide protrusion 40B can sandwich the front and back center portions of the game medal that has entered from the upper slit 23 with the tip portion 41, and the game medal is sandwiched between the tip portion 41, The orientation of the front and back surfaces can be changed (see FIG. 7).

In addition, as shown in FIG. 9, a notch 42 into which an upper fitting portion 22a of the lower cylinder 22 described later can be fitted is provided at the lower portion of the guide portion 40.
(Lower tube 22)
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 9, the lower cylinder 22 is formed with an upper insertion portion 22a and a lower insertion portion 22b which are formed to have an outer diameter smaller than that of the center portion in the vertical direction. It can be fitted into the lower opening 21 b of the upper cylinder 21 and can be fitted into the notch 42 of the guide portion 40. In addition, an inclined member 50 and a drop slit 24 in which a game medal can fall in an upright state are formed inside the lower cylinder 22.

Note that, on the outer peripheral surface of the upper insertion portion 22a, a plurality of holes 62 formed at a height matching the elongated hole 61 when the upper insertion portion 22a is fitted into the upper cylinder 21 are formed. This will be described later.
(Inclined member 50)
Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the inclined member 50 is composed of a pair of flat meniscus inclined blocks 51, 52 formed on the inner periphery of the lower cylinder 22, and between these two inclined blocks 51, 52. The gap is a drop slit 24 having a width of approximately medal and a length of approximately medal diameter. As shown in FIG. 8, the inclined blocks 51 and 52 are configured such that the central axis L2 in the length direction of the falling slit 24 (the axial line coinciding with the game medal discharge direction) is the central axis in the length direction of the upper slit 23. It is provided at a position orthogonal to L1. The positional relationship between the drop slit 24 and the upper slit 23 can be appropriately changed by a conversion angle adjusting device 60 described later, but here, the description will be made assuming that the drop slit 24 and the upper slit 23 are set to be orthogonal to each other. .

Furthermore, the upper surfaces of the inclined blocks 51 and 52 are inclined surfaces formed symmetrically about the central axis L2. That is, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the upper surface 51a of the inclined block 51 has a downward inclination that gradually decreases from one end to the other end, and the upper surface 52a of the inclined block 52 increases from the one end to the other end. The slope is gradually rising. Further, when viewed from the side, the upper surface 51a of the inclined block 51 and the upper surface 52a of the inclined block 52 intersect at the center of the lower cylinder 22, as shown in FIG.
Then, when the lower cylinder 22 is fitted into the upper cylinder 21, as shown in FIG. 9, the distance between the lower end portion of the guide portion 40 and the central portion of the upper surfaces 51a, 52a of the inclined blocks 51, 52 is It is formed to be smaller than the diameter of the game medal M. Therefore, the lower end portion of the game medal M can be brought into contact with both the upper surfaces 51a and 52a of the inclined blocks 51 and 52 in a state where the upper half of the center portion of the game medal M is sandwiched between the guide portions 40. It is what.

(Medal discharge unit 30)
The medal discharge unit 30 is for discharging the game medal that has passed through the direction changing unit 20 to the outside of the apparatus, and is formed to have a thickness approximately equal to one game medal as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. A thin tubular discharge nozzle 31 having a formed through passage is provided.
The discharge nozzle 31 is formed in a substantially L shape having a medal receiving port 32 at the upper end and a medal discharging port 33 at the lower end, and a game medal that has entered from the medal receiving port 32 passes through the through path and passes through the medal discharging port 33. It is configured to be discharged. And it can be attached to the direction changing part 20 via the attaching part 34 provided on the medal receiving port 32 side.

The mounting portion 34 is a flange having a rising portion having an inner diameter that can be fitted to the lower fitting portion 22b of the lower cylinder 21, and when the lower fitting portion 22b is fitted, the drop slit 24 and the medal receiving port 32 are It is attached and fixed so as to communicate.
(Change direction of game medals)
Next, the operation of the medal direction conversion device 1 having the above configuration will be described in detail.
First, a game medal that has entered the medal receiving port 12 of the medal entering unit 10 from the direction of the black arrow in FIG. 1 falls downward from the medal discharge port 13 through the receiving nozzle 11. Since the medal discharge port 13 and the upper slit 23 of the direction changing unit 20 coincide with each other, the game medal M falls into the upper slit 23 as it is. And the lower end part of the game medal M contacts the upper surfaces 51a, 52a of the inclined blocks 51, 52. At this time, the upper side (at least above the center) of the game medal M is sandwiched between the guide portions 40 (see FIG. 2).

  Here, the upper surfaces 51a and 52a of the inclined blocks 51 and 52 are such that the surfaces that are in contact with the game medal M are inclined downward with respect to the front or back surface of the game medal M, and one is upwardly inclined. The upper surfaces 51a and 52a support the lower end portion of the game medal M at two positions shifted left and right from the center in the vertical direction. Since the game medal M is further subjected to a force of dropping, the abutting portion at the lower end of one surface (for example, the front surface) of the game medal M attempts to descend along the downward slope (for example, the upper surface 51a). The abutting portion at the lower end of the other surface (for example, the back surface) of the game medal M attempts to descend along the descending slope (upper surface 52a) which is an ascending slope with respect to the descending slope (upper surface 51a). To do. At this time, since the center portion of the game medal M is held by the guide portion 40, the inclined blocks 51 and 52 are inclined downwardly at the center portions of the upper cylinder 21 and the lower cylinder 22 without falling on the slope. It rotates in the direction (clockwise) (see FIG. 9). When the game medal M rotates to a position coinciding with the drop slit 24, the game medal M loses support from below the inclined blocks 51 and 52 and falls into the drop slit 24. In this way, the game medal M that has entered from the upper slit 23 is discharged from the drop slit 24 orthogonal to the upper slit 23, whereby the orientation of the front and back surfaces is changed by 90 degrees.

The game medal M that has fallen into the drop slit 24 enters the discharge nozzle 31 from the medal receiving port 32 of the medal discharge unit 30, and is discharged from the medal discharge port 33 in the direction of the white arrow in FIG. Thereby, the game medal discharge direction is a direction rotated 90 degrees from the game medal entry direction.
(Conversion angle adjustment device 60)
The conversion angle adjustment device 60 is for adjusting the direction conversion angle of a game medal. In the present embodiment, the conversion angle adjusting device 60 also functions as a connecting means for the upper cylinder 21 and the lower cylinder 22.

Specifically, the conversion angle adjusting device 60 includes a long hole 61 provided in the lower side surface of the upper cylinder 21, a hole 62 provided in the side surface of the upper fitting portion 22a of the lower cylinder 22, and a locking pin 63. Become.
1 and 20, the long hole 61 is a plurality of horizontally long through holes (long holes 61a and 61b) formed slightly longer than the length obtained by dividing the outer periphery of the upper tube 21 into four equal parts. One end of the hole 61a and one end of the long hole 62b, and the other end of the long hole 61a and the other end of the long hole 62b are formed to face each other.
Four holes 62 are provided on the side surface of the upper fitting portion 22a of the lower cylinder 22 at equal intervals. Of these, the two opposite holes 62a and 62c are the central axis in the length direction of the drop slit 24. It is provided at a position that coincides with L2. The four holes 62a, 62b, 62c, 62d are formed at positions that coincide with the height of the long hole 61 when the lower cylinder 22 is fitted to the upper cylinder 21, and the inner diameter thereof is The dimension is slightly smaller than the short diameter of the long hole 61.

The locking pin 63 is a cylindrical pin having an outer diameter that is substantially the same as the inner diameter of the hole 62, and is formed longer than the thickness of the upper insertion portion 22a.
Then, the upper tube 21 and the lower tube 22 are joined by fitting the upper fitting portion 22a of the lower tube 22 into the lower opening 21b of the upper tube 21 and inserting the locking pin 63 into the hole 62 through the long hole 61. The In this case, the upper cylinder 21 and the lower cylinder 22 are fixed in the vertical direction, but the locking pin 63 is movable in the longitudinal direction within the long hole 61. Either the upper cylinder 21 or the lower cylinder 22 can be rotated in the horizontal direction within a range in which the inside can be moved. Thereby, the crossing angle between the upper slit 23 for receiving game medals and the drop slit 24 for discharging game medals, in other words, the direction of the front and back surfaces of the game medals that enter the direction change unit 20 and are discharged is set as appropriate. Can be done.

  Specifically, when the crossing angle between the upper slit 23 and the drop slit 24 is 90 degrees, as shown in FIG. 20A, one of the long holes 61a is formed by holes 62b and 62c. The upper cylinder 21 and the lower cylinder 22 are fitted so that the other long hole 61b matches both the holes 62a and 62d. Then, two locking pins 63a, 63b are attached and fixed to the pair of holes 62b, 62d located at a position orthogonal to the central axis L2 in the length direction of the drop slit 24. At this time, the locking pin 63a is located at the end of the long hole 61a, and the locking pin 63b is located at the end of the long hole 61b. If formed in this way, the center axis L1 in the length direction of the upper slit 23 and the center axis L2 in the length direction of the drop slit 24 are orthogonal to each other, and the game has entered the upper slit 23 from the medal entry portion 10 in the black arrow direction. The medal rotates 90 degrees clockwise on the inclined blocks 51 and 52, falls from the drop slit 24 to the medal discharge unit 30, and is discharged in the direction of the white arrow. That is, the directions of the front and back surfaces of the game medals that enter and the game medals that are discharged are changed by 90 degrees. Note that there are a plurality of black arrow directions (game medal entry directions) assuming that the direction of the receiving nozzle 11 is rotated 180 degrees and attached to the upper cylinder 21.

When the upper tube 21 is rotated 45 degrees counterclockwise from the state shown in FIG. 20A, the locking pin 63a is positioned at the center of the long hole 61a in the length direction as shown in FIG. 20B. The locking pin 63b is located at the center of the long hole 61b in the length direction. If formed in this way, L1 and L2 intersect at an angle of 45 degrees (or 135 degrees), and a game medal that has entered the upper slit 23 from the medal entry section 10 in the direction of the black arrow moves on the inclined blocks 51 and 52. It rotates 135 degrees clockwise, falls from the drop slit 24 to the medal discharge unit 30, and is discharged in the direction of the white arrow. That is, the directions of the front and back surfaces of the game medals that enter and the game medals that are discharged are changed by 45 degrees.
In FIG. 20A, if the locking pins 63a and 63b are attached to the holes 62a and 62c and the upper cylinder 21 is rotated 45 degrees clockwise in the drawing, the game medal is viewed from the direction of the broken arrow in FIG. Can be allowed to enter. In this case, a game medal that has entered the upper slit 23 in the direction of the broken line arrow from the medal entry portion 10 rotates 45 degrees clockwise on the inclined blocks 51 and 52 and falls from the drop slit 24 to the medal discharge portion 30. And discharged in the direction of the white arrow.

Further, when the upper tube 21 is rotated 45 degrees counterclockwise from the state of FIG. 20B, the locking pin 63a is located at the other end of the long hole 61a as shown in FIG. 20C. The locking pin 63b is positioned at the other end of the long hole 61b. If formed in this way, L1 and L2 coincide, that is, the crossing angle between L1 and L2 becomes 0 degrees, and the game medal that has entered the upper slit 23 in the direction of the black arrow from the medal entry portion 10 remains as it is from the drop slit 24. It falls to the discharge part 30 and is discharged in the direction of the white arrow. That is, the directions of the front and back surfaces of the game medals that enter and the game medals that are discharged are not changed.
In this way, by appropriately changing the attachment positions of the upper cylinder 21 and the lower cylinder 22, the orientation of the front and back surfaces of the game medals entering the direction changing unit 20 is changed within the range of 0 degrees to 90 degrees and discharged. Will be able to.

The configuration of the conversion angle adjusting device 60 is not limited to the above. For example, the long hole 61 may be provided in the lower cylinder 22, and the hole 62 and the locking pin 63 may be provided in the upper cylinder 21. Further, instead of the locking pin 63, a protrusion may be provided on the upper cylinder 21 or the lower cylinder 22. Further, instead of the long hole 61, a horizontally long groove may be provided.
(Another example of the direction changing unit 20)
Here, the direction changing unit 20 may be formed as shown in FIGS.
(Upper cylinder 21)
As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, the upper cylinder 21 has a ring shape having a through hole 21c at the center. The through hole 21c extends from the inner periphery of the through hole 21c toward the vertical central axis of the upper cylinder 21. A guide portion 40 including a pair of guide protrusions 40A and 40B protruding in the manner is provided. An upper gap 25 of approximately medal thickness is formed between the tip 41 of the guide projection 40A and the tip 41 of the guide projection 40B, and a game medal that falls from the medal discharge port 13 of the medal entry portion 10 is received. Can be done. That is, although not particularly illustrated, the medal entry portion 10 is attached to the upper surface of the upper cylinder 21 so that the longitudinal direction of the medal discharge port 13 and the guide protrusion 40A and the guide protrusion 40B are orthogonal to each other. The operation of the guide unit 40 is the same as that in the above-described embodiment. The upper surface 21a of the upper cylinder 21 is provided with two arc-shaped elongated holes 61, which will be described later.

(Lower tube 22)
As shown in FIG. 11, the lower cylinder 22 includes a planar circular recess 22c and a side slit 27 that communicates from the recess 22c to the outside of the side cylinder and has a width of approximately medal thickness and a height of medal diameter. As shown in FIG. 13, the bottom surface of the recess 22 c is formed to be inclined downward toward the side slit 27. A plurality of plate-like inclined members 50 project from the inner periphery of the recess 22c.
As shown in FIG. 11, the inclined member 50 includes two parallel inclined ribs 53 (ribs 53A and 53B) and two inclined ribs 54 (ribs 54A) formed to face the inclined ribs 53. , Ribs 54B), and each of the inclined ribs 53, 54 has a downward slope opposite to each other (see FIG. 12), and forms a downward gap 26 (26A, 26B) having a substantially medal thickness between the tip portions. ing. That is, as shown in FIG. 15, a lower gap 26A is formed between the tips of the ribs 53A and 54A, and a lower gap 26B is formed between the tips of the ribs 53B and 54B. The gap 26A, the center of the lower cylinder 22, the lower gap 26B, and the side slits 27 are arranged in a straight line (L4). This L4 is the same as the axis (L2) that coincides with the game medal discharge direction.

Here, as shown in FIG. 11, the inclined ribs 53, 54 have an axis L1 that is perpendicular to the central axis in the length direction of the guide portion 40, that is, the axis L1 that coincides with the entry direction of the game medal (see FIG. 14). ) And at an angle of 45 degrees. The positional relationship between L1 and L4 can be appropriately changed by a conversion angle adjusting device 60 described later, but here, it is assumed that L1 and L4 are set to intersect at an angle of 45 degrees.
Further, as shown in FIG. 15, the gap between the rib 53A and the rib 53B, and the rib 54A and the rib 54B is formed to be narrower than the diameter of the game medal M. Then, when the lower cylinder 22 is fitted into the upper cylinder 21, as shown in FIG. 12, the distance from the lower end portion of the guide portion 40 to the lower end portions of the inclined rib 53 and the inclined rib 54 is the diameter of the game medal M. It is formed to be smaller than that. Therefore, the lower end portion of the game medal M can come into contact with both the inclined rib 53 and the inclined surface of the inclined rib 54 with the upper half of the center portion of the game medal M held between the guide portions 40. It is what.

(Change of direction of game medals by other examples)
Next, the direction change of the game medal when the direction changing unit 20 is formed as described above will be described in detail.
First, the game medal M entered from the direction of the black arrow in FIG. 14 falls downward through the upper gap 25 of the through hole 21c. Then, the lower end portion of the game medal M comes into contact with the inclined surfaces of the inclined ribs 53 and 54, but as shown in FIG. 13, one lower end portion of the game medal M is placed on the inclined surface of the rib 54A and the other one. The lower end is in contact with the inclined surface of the rib 53B. At this time, the upper center portion of the game medal M is held between the guide portions 40 (see FIGS. 12 and 13).

  Here, as for the inclined surfaces of the rib 54A and the rib 53B, the surface in contact with the game medal M is inclined downward with respect to the front or back surface of the game medal M, and one is inclined upward. The lower end portion of the medal M is supported at two positions shifted left and right from the center in the vertical direction. Since the game medal M is further subjected to a force of dropping, the abutting portion at the lower end of one surface (for example, the surface) of the game medal M is along the downward slope (for example, the inclined surface of the rib 54A). The lower end of the other surface (for example, the back surface) of the game medal M is going to descend, and the contact portion of the lower surface of the game medal M is an upward inclination with respect to the downward inclination (inclined surface of the rib 54A). Try to descend along the slope. At this time, since the upper part of the game medal M is held by the guide part 40, it falls while rotating in the downward inclination direction (counterclockwise) of the inclined ribs 53 and 54 without falling on the slope. (See FIG. 15). When the game medal M rotates to a position that coincides with the lower gap 26, the game medal M loses support from the lower side of the inclined ribs 53 and 54 and falls into the lower gap 26.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, when the inclined surfaces of the inclined ribs 53 and 54 are formed in a mountain shape along the ridgeline, the contact portion with the game medal M may be caught by the side corners of the game medal M. This is preferable.
As shown in FIG. 13, the game medal M that has fallen into the lower gap 26 rolls on the bottom surface of the recess 22c that is inclined downward toward the side slit 27, and is discharged from the side slit 27 to the outside of the lower cylinder 22. Is done. The medal discharge unit 30 may have a shape that can receive the game medal M discharged from the side of the lower cylinder 22 as shown in FIGS. 15 and 19.
In this way, the game medal M that has entered from the through hole 21c while being supported by the guide portion 40 is provided along the axis L4 that intersects the axis L1 that coincides with the medal entry direction at an angle of 45 degrees. By discharging from the slit 27, the orientation of the front and back surfaces is changed by 45 degrees.

The game medal M discharged from the side slit 27 enters the discharge nozzle 31 from the medal receiving port 32 of the medal discharging unit 30 and is discharged from the medal discharging port 33 in the direction of the black arrow in FIG. . Thus, the game medal discharge direction is a direction rotated 45 degrees from the game medal entry direction.
(Conversion angle adjustment device 60 according to another example)
Next, the conversion angle adjustment device 60 of the direction conversion unit 20 according to another example will be described. 10 to 12, the conversion angle adjusting device 60 includes a long hole 61 provided in the upper surface 21a of the upper cylinder 21, a screw hole 64 provided in the upper surface of the lower cylinder 22, and a screw 65. Become.

As shown in FIG. 11, the long hole 61 has a plurality of arc-shaped through holes (long holes 61a, 61b) provided on the circumference outside the through hole 21c with the vertical center axis of the upper cylinder 21 as the center. And is formed to be slightly longer than a length obtained by dividing the circumference into four equal parts, and as shown in FIG. 21, one end of the long hole 61a, one end of the long hole 62b, and a long hole The other end of 61a and the other end of the long hole 62b are formed so as to be symmetrical with respect to the vertical central axis of the upper cylinder 21, respectively.
As shown in FIG. 12, two screw holes 64 are provided on the upper surface of the lower cylinder 22, and as shown in FIG. 21, the two screw holes 64a and 64b are formed by connecting the lower cylinder 22 to the upper cylinder 21. Is formed at a position where both the end of the long hole 61a and the end of the long hole 61b can coincide with each other at the same time, and the inner diameter thereof is slightly larger than the short diameter of the long hole 61. The dimensions are small.

As shown in FIG. 12, the screw 65 has a screw portion that is screwed into the screw hole 64. The shaft diameter above the screw portion is smaller than the short diameter of the long hole 61, and The total length is formed longer than the length obtained by adding the depth of the screw hole 64 and the height of the upper cylinder 21.
Then, the upper cylinder 21 and the lower cylinder 22 are coupled by overlapping the lower cylinder 22 below the upper cylinder 21 and screwing the screw 65 into the screw hole 64 through the long hole 61. In this case, the upper cylinder 21 and the lower cylinder 22 are fixed so as not to be disengaged in the vertical direction, but the screw 65 is movable in the longitudinal direction within the elongated hole 61. Either the upper cylinder 21 or the lower cylinder 22 can be rotated in the horizontal direction within a range in which can be moved. As a result, the crossing angle of the axis L1 perpendicular to the central axis in the length direction of the guide portion 40 and the line L4 connecting the side slit 27 and the lower gap 26, in other words, enters the direction changing portion 20 and is discharged. The direction of the front and back sides of the game medals can be set as appropriate.

  Specifically, when the crossing angle between L1 and L4 is 45 degrees, as shown in FIG. 21A, the end of one of the long holes 61a is aligned with the screw hole 64a. Then, the upper cylinder 21 and the lower cylinder 22 are fitted so that the end of the other one long hole 61b coincides with the screw hole 64b. Then, two screws 65a and 65b are attached and fixed to the screw holes 64a and 64b. If formed in this way, a game medal that has entered from the medal entry portion 10 in the direction of the black arrow rotates 45 degrees counterclockwise on the inclined ribs 53 and 54 (see FIG. 15), falls into the lower gap 26, and is on the side. It is transferred to the direction slit 27, moves to the medal discharge unit 30, and is discharged in the direction of the white arrow. That is, the directions of the front and back surfaces of the game medals that enter and the game medals that are discharged are changed by 45 degrees.

When the upper tube 21 is rotated 45 degrees counterclockwise from the state shown in FIG. 21A, the screw 65a is positioned at the center in the length direction of the long hole 61a as shown in FIG. 21B. The screw 65b is located at the center of the long hole 61b in the length direction. If formed in this way, a game medal that has entered from the medal entry portion 10 in the direction of the black arrow falls directly into the lower gap 26, is transferred from the side slit 27 to the medal discharge portion 30, and is discharged in the direction of the white arrow. That is, the directions of the front and back surfaces of the game medals that enter and the game medals that are discharged are not changed.
Further, when the upper tube 21 is rotated 45 degrees counterclockwise from the state of FIG. 21B, the screw 65a is positioned at the other end of the long hole 61a as shown in FIG. 21C. The screw 65b is located at the other end of the long hole 61b. If formed in this way, a game medal that has entered from the medal entry portion 10 in the direction of the black arrow rotates 45 degrees clockwise on the inclined ribs 53, 54, falls to the lower gap 26, and is transferred to the side slit 27. Then, it moves to the medal discharge unit 30 and is discharged in the direction of the white arrow.

In this way, by appropriately changing the attachment positions of the upper cylinder 21 and the lower cylinder 22, the orientation of the front and back surfaces of the game medals entering the direction changing unit 20 is changed within the range of 0 to 45 degrees and discharged. Will be able to.
The configuration of the conversion angle adjustment device 60 according to another example is not limited to the above. For example, an engaging portion (for example, a protruding piece and a concave portion) that connects the upper cylinder 21 and the lower cylinder 22 up and down is provided, and the upper cylinder 21 and the lower cylinder 22 are combined, and then the long hole 61 or the groove having the same shape is formed. The lower cylinder 22 may be provided and the screw hole 64 may be provided in the upper cylinder 21.
(Usage example of medal direction changing device 1)
Next, a usage example of the medal direction conversion device 1 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, a case where the medal direction changing device 1 is used for the gaming machine inter-machine 3 installed adjacent to the slot machine 4 will be described.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 16, the slot machine 4 is formed of a casing and a front door attached to the front side of the casing, and a symbol of a rotating reel (not shown) is visible on the front side. A symbol display window 100 is formed. Below the symbol display window 100 and in the substantially central portion of the slot machine 4 is an operation unit provided with operation means such as a start switch and a stop switch. A medal slot 110 is provided for inserting the token. In addition, a payout medal tray 120 capable of storing payout medals is provided at the bottom of the slot machine 4. Below the medal slot 110 is provided a medal selector 130 for judging the authenticity of game medals and counting the number of inserted medals.

Then, a game medal is inserted from the medal insertion slot 110, the rotating reel is rotated by operating the start switch, and the rotating reel is stopped by operating the stop switch. At this time, the symbols displayed on the plurality of rotating reels are predetermined. When the position mode is stopped, a prize is won, and a predetermined number of medals are paid out.
The inter-machine machine 3 for gaming machines is a box-type device installed adjacent to the side of the slot machine 4, and the medals paid out from the slot machine 4 are automatically inserted into the medals of the slot machine 4. It is for putting into the mouth 110. That is, as shown in FIG. 16, the medal lifting mechanism 2 is built in the inter-machine machine 3 for gaming machines. Although not particularly shown, the gaming machine inter-machine 3 may have a lending port, a bill insertion port for lending gaming medals, a tank for storing lending medals, etc. as a medal lending machine. is there.

The medal lifting mechanism 2 is a mechanism for lifting a payout medal paid out from the slot machine 4 and automatically inserting it into the medal slot 110 of the slot machine 4.
Specifically, the medal lifting mechanism 2 has a batch slot 90, a medal feeding device 70, and a lifting device 80 as shown in FIGS. Then, even if the payout medals accumulated in the payout medal tray 120 of the slot machine 41 are moved to the medal insertion slot 110 by hand and thrown one by one at random, the medal feeding device 70 can be thrown into the batch insertion slot 90 at random. The game medals are formed so as to be sent out to the ascent device 80 and inserted into the medal insertion slot 110 from the ascent device 80.

As shown in FIG. 17, the collective slot 90 is an opening that opens upward in the front lower portion of the gaming machine platform machine 3, and as shown in FIG. 16, the payout medal of the slot machine 4 It is formed so as to be located on the side of the plate 120. Further, the bottom of the collective slot 90 is formed so as to be inclined downward in the back direction, and the inserted game medals are moved to the back side.
As shown in FIG. 17, the medal feeding device 70 is installed on the back side of the collective slot 90, and game medals thrown into the collective slot 90 are placed one by one in the horizontal state to the ascending device 80. It is for sending out. Specifically, the medal feeder 70 includes a delivery disk 71 (see FIG. 18A) having a plurality of medal holes 72 that open upward, and a drive motor (for rotating the delivery disk 71 ( (Not shown). When the delivery disc 71 is rotated with the game medals inserted in the medal holes 72, the game medals fitted in the medal holes 72 are rotated together with the delivery discs 71 and discharged one by one from the discharge unit. Is formed. The medal feeding device 70 is operated by a predetermined switch or sensor, although not particularly shown. The game medal sent out by the medal feeding device 70 is transferred to the ascending device 80 through a standing device, although not particularly shown.

Here, the standing device is for raising the game medal sent out in a horizontal state from the medal feeding device 70 in the vertical direction, and pushes the game medal along the inclined surface with a rotating arm to stand up. The bottom of the rail is twisted so that the game medal can be held in a horizontal state at the medal receiving slot by using a deforming cam, and the game medal can be discharged in the standing state when reaching the medal outlet. It can be a transfer rail or the like formed.
The ascent device 80 is for transferring the game medal, which has been erected by the erecting device, in an upright state. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 16, a screw type lifting machine that transfers a game medal upward by a spiral shaft 81 having a spiral projecting portion can be provided. The game medals transferred to the upper end of the spiral shaft 81 are discharged from the rising medal discharge port 82 to the outside of the apparatus.

  Here, the game medals discharged from the rising medal discharge port 82 are transferred to the medal selector 4 of the slot machine 4 through the medal direction changing device 1 according to the present embodiment. That is, as shown in FIG. 18 (B), the rising medal discharge port 82 and the receiving nozzle 11 of the medal direction changing device 1 are connected, while the side surface of the slot machine 4 is as shown in FIGS. A side insertion port 140 communicating with the medal selector 130 is provided, and the side insertion port 140 and the medal discharge port 33 of the discharge nozzle 31 are connected to each other. That is, the receiving nozzle 11 is provided from the front side to the front side of the gaming machine inter-machine 3 and the discharge nozzle 31 is provided from the direction changing unit 20 toward the left side. Specifically, it is attached to the receiving nozzle 11 in a direction rotated about 90 degrees toward the slot machine 4. Note that the attachment angle can be finely adjusted by the conversion angle adjusting device 60 as described above.

When a game medal is inserted into the slot machine 4 using the medal lifting mechanism 2 having the above-described configuration, a game medal is randomly inserted into the batch slot 90 and a sensor is operated by operating a predetermined drive switch. When a game medal is detected, the medal feeder 70 starts operating. The medal feeder 70 separates the inserted medals one by one and sends them out to the ascending device 80.
The operation of the raising device 80 is synchronized with the operation of the medal feeding device 70. Then, as shown in FIG. 18 (B), the game medals lifted by the ascent device 80 are arranged with the side surfaces in the front-rear direction (the direction in which the front and rear surfaces are left and right) from the front of the gaming machine platform machine 3. Then, it is discharged from the rising medal discharge port 82. Then, the game medal discharged from the rising medal discharge port 82 passes through the direction changing unit 20 through the receiving nozzle 11, rotates the direction of the front and back surfaces by about 90 degrees, and is discharged from the discharge nozzle 31. The game medals discharged from the discharge nozzle 31 are transferred to the medal selector 130 through the side insertion port 140.

Note that the positional relationship among the medal feeding device 70, the raising device 80, and the batch insertion port 90 can be set as appropriate (see FIG. 19A). In the above use example, the direction change angle is 90 degrees, but as shown in FIG. 19, the direction change angle may be 45 degrees. Further, in the above usage example, the medal direction changing device 1 is configured to accept the game medals lifted by the medal lifting mechanism 2, but for example, it is configured to accept the game medals paid out from the medal lending machine. Also good. Further, the discharge nozzle 31 may be connected to the medal slot 110 of the slot machine 4.
As described above, when the medal direction changing device 1 according to the present embodiment is used, the medal discharge direction of the discharge unit (the ascending medal discharge port 82 and the payout port of the medal lending machine) that discharges the game medals and the acceptance of the game medals are received. The direction of the game medal can be reliably and easily changed without providing a curved transfer passage even if the direction of the medal receiving direction of the portion (the side insertion port 140 or the medal insertion port 110) does not match. . Moreover, since the direction change was made possible by dropping the game medal from the upper side to the lower side, it is possible to cope with a short distance between the discharging unit and the receiving unit. Furthermore, since the upper cylinder 21 having the guide portion 40 and the lower cylinder 22 having the inclined member 50 are divided and both are connected so as to be rotatable in the horizontal direction, the direction change angle can be finely adjusted, and more support is provided. The range is widened.

  Note that the medal direction changing device 1 according to the present invention is not only used for transferring medals between the gaming machine pedestal machine 3 and the slot machine 4, but also for changing the direction of game medals in other medal gaming machines. Is available.

1 is an exploded perspective view showing a medal direction changing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is an embodiment of the present invention, and is a partial section perspective view showing a medal direction changing device. It is an embodiment of the present invention, and is a perspective view showing a medal direction changing device. It is embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is a side view of a medal direction conversion apparatus. It is embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is a front view of a medal direction conversion apparatus. 1 is a plan view of a medal direction conversion device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. It is the BB sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is CC sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is an embodiment of the present invention, and is a perspective view showing another example of the direction changing part of the medal direction changing device. It is embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is a top view of the direction change part by another example. It is the DD sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the EE sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the FF sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the GG sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is an embodiment of the present invention, and is a front view of the appearance of the slot machine and the gaming machine platform machine. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the slot machine and the gaming machine platform machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is an embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram showing a state in which the medal direction changing device is attached to the medal lifting mechanism. It is an embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram showing a state in which the medal direction changing device is attached to the medal lifting mechanism. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an operation of a conversion angle adjusting device 60 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an operation of a conversion angle adjusting device 60 according to another example, which is an embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Medal direction change apparatus 2 Medal lifting mechanism 3 Pinch machine for gaming machines 4 Slot machine
10 Medal entry section 11 Receiving nozzle
12 Medal entrance 13 Medal exit
20 Direction change part 21 Upper cylinder (cylinder)
22 Lower cylinder (cylinder) 23 Upper slit (receiving opening)
24 Falling slit (falling gap) 25 Upper gap
26 Lower gap (fall gap) 27 Side slit
30 Medal discharge part 31 Discharge nozzle
32 Medal entrance 33 Medal exit
40 Guide part 40A, 40B Guide protrusion
41 Tip 42 Notch
50 Inclined member 51 Inclined block
52 Inclined block 53 Inclined rib
54 inclined ribs
60 Conversion angle adjustment device 61 Slotted hole
62 hole 63 locking pin
64 Screw hole 65 Screw
70 Medal feeder 71 Feeding disc
72 Medals hole
80 Lifting device 81 Spiral shaft
82 Rising medal outlet
90 Collective slot
100 Symbol display window 110 Medal slot
120 payout medal tray 130 medal selector
140 Side slot M Game medal

Claims (2)

A medal direction changing device that allows a game medal to pass from above to below in a standing state,
A medal entry part for accepting game medals, a direction changing part for changing the direction of the front and back sides of the game medals entered from the medal entry part, and discharging the game medals changed in direction by the direction change part to the outside of the apparatus And a medal discharge unit for
The direction changing unit is
A cylinder having a receiving opening for receiving a game medal from above at the top, and having an inner diameter larger than the diameter of the game medal;
A pair of guide protrusions projecting from the inner periphery of the cylindrical body toward the vertical central axis of the receiving opening and facing each other with a gap of approximately medal thickness;
At least a pair of inclined members provided below the guide protrusion, having a width of approximately medal thickness and communicating with the medal discharge portion, and having a symmetric inclined surface across the drop gap; Have
The inclined member can be arranged at a position where the width direction of the drop gap is not coincident with the direction of the front and back surfaces of the game medal that enters from the medal entry portion, and the front and back surfaces of the game medal are the guide protrusions. The lower end of the game medal is provided at a height position that can contact both of the symmetric inclined surfaces in a state of being sandwiched between
The inclined surface is formed such that when the lower end portion of the game medal comes into contact, one contact portion becomes a downward inclination and the other contact portion becomes an upward inclination when viewed from the front and back sides of the game medal. And
The direction changing portion includes, as the cylindrical body, an upper cylinder having the guide protrusion and a lower cylinder attached to the lower side of the upper cylinder and having the inclined member, and the upper cylinder and the lower cylinder are vertically centered. A conversion angle adjustment device that is rotatably connected around the center,
The medal entry portion is fixed to the upper cylinder, and the pair of guide protrusions are positioned to support the front and back center of the game medal discharged from the medal entry portion to the direction changing portion from both sides. A medal direction changing device characterized by being installed . The inclined member is a pair of parallel plate members facing each other with a gap through which a game medal can pass in the center of the lower cylinder,
The inclined surfaces are opposed inclined surfaces that descend toward the drop gap formed on the upper surface of the plate member,
The interval between the pair of plate members in parallel is formed to be narrower than the diameter of the game medal, and the lower ends of the game medals discharged from the medal entry portion to the direction changing portion are opposed plate members. that are received can be formed medal direction converter according to claim 1, wherein.

Images