JPH10174776A - Game media polishing device and game machine island - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To improve the durability of a game medium by simplifying the structure and greatly reducing the cost, making it possible to use the space inside the gaming machine island as effectively as possible. A gaming machine island (20) is divided into two or more regions in the island longitudinal direction, and a polishing unit (30) is provided in a lower stage of the gaming machine island (20).
A, 30B are arranged, and the polishing units 30A, 30B are constituted by a pair of conveyors 31a, 31b, and drive the pair of conveyors 31a, 31b when any of the gaming machines 21 belonging to the divided area is operating. The upper part of the pair of conveyors 31a and 31b is made shorter than the lower part as much as possible, so that the configuration is simple and the cost can be greatly reduced, and the space and power consumption of the gaming machine island 20 can be reduced. In addition, the game medium is not excessively polished, and the durability of the game medium can be improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a game medium polishing apparatus which is installed at a lower stage in a game machine island in which a plurality of game machines are juxtaposed and conveys a game medium used in the game machine while polishing the medium. Here, the gaming machine mainly indicates a pachinko machine, and the game medium is a pachinko ball.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an apparatus of this type, for example, there has been a game medium polishing apparatus 1 as shown in FIG. That is, a stirring tube 4 in which a coil body 3 rotated and driven by a motor 2 is housed, a separating portion 5 of an abrasive C following an outlet 4a of the stirring tube 4, and the separating portion 5 and the stirring tube 4 entrance 4b
And a return cylinder 6 connecting the two. The pachinko ball P enters the receiving port 4b from the carry-in path 7 and mixes with the abrasive material C from the discharge port 6a of the return cylinder 6 into the receiving port 4b of the stirring cylinder 4 by the coil body 3 in the stirring cylinder 4 together with the abrasive C. Then, the abrasive C is separated from the discharge port 4 a, the abrasive C is separated by the separation unit 5, and only the pachinko ball P is sent out from the gutter 8. The abrasive C separated by the separation unit 5 falls into the hopper 6b, passes through the return cylinder 6, returns to the discharge port 6a, and circulates. The reduced amount of the abrasive C is supplied from the supply tank 9.

[0003] Such a polishing apparatus 1 is, for example, shown in Figs.
As shown in FIG. 11, the game machine island 10 is installed integrally. In the upper part of the gaming machine island 10, the gaming medium polishing device 1
The storage tank 11 of the pachinko ball polished by is provided. In addition, a lower tank 13 for storing spare pachinko balls is connected to the storage tank 11 via a bypass 12. When the amount of pachinko balls in the storage tank 11 decreases, the pachinko balls stored in the lower tank 13 are supplied to the storage tank 11 by the game medium polishing device 1.

On the other hand, there is a type in which a polishing unit is installed at a lower stage in a gaming machine island. The polishing unit transports a game medium used in the gaming machine toward a lifting mechanism while polishing the game medium. The pair of conveyors are set to a length corresponding to several gaming machines, and are configured to be driven when any of the several gaming machines is operating.

[0005]

However, in the conventional game media polishing apparatus, in the former, a polishing section such as a stirring tube 4 for polishing pachinko balls and a separation section for separating and recovering the abrasive are used. A collecting section such as the section 5 and the return cylinder 6 is required, and a tank for storing polished pachinko balls must be provided at the upper portion of the island or at the lower portion. Therefore, the number of components is increased, and the overall configuration tends to be complicated. This poses a problem in reducing the cost, and also requires a very large installation space. And pachinko ball and abrasive C
A separate structure is required to separate the pachinko balls, and if a part of the abrasive C is carried along with the pachinko balls, there is a possibility that the abrasive C may enter the board of the pachinko machine 14 and cause a failure.

Further, in the conventional gaming machine island 10 equipped with the gaming medium polishing apparatus 1, the depth of the pachinko machine 14 is
It is almost standardized to a size that takes into account the paper sheet conveying device 16 for the two units. Therefore, even if you want to increase the number of pachinko machines without expanding the floor area of the game store, due to the island width,
There was an inconvenience that the number of islands that can be installed on the floor was limited. In view of such circumstances, there has been a strong demand for the development of a space-saving gaming machine island that can reduce the space occupied in the depth direction of the island and increase the number of islands that can be installed on the floor.

[0007] In the latter, the cost can be reduced, the cause of the failure of the pachinko machine can be eliminated, and the pace and power consumption of the gaming machine island can be reduced, but the pair of conveyors of the polishing unit is equivalent to several gaming machines. When the game medium passes through a gap between a pair of conveyors for a long distance, the game medium becomes over-sharpened, and the durability of the game medium becomes poor. . SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such problems of the conventional technology, and has a simple configuration, can significantly reduce costs, and aims to save space and power in a gaming machine island. It is an object of the present invention to provide a game medium polishing apparatus for a game medium, which can improve the durability of the game medium in addition to the above. It is another object of the present invention to provide a gaming machine island equipped with the above-described gaming medium polishing device, capable of reducing the space occupied by the island, and responding to a demand for space saving in a game arcade.

[0008]

The gist of the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned object lies in the matters described in the following items.

[1] A plurality of gaming machines (21) are installed at a lower stage in a gaming machine island (20) in which the gaming machines (2) are arranged side by side.
A game media polishing apparatus for polishing and transporting the game media used in 1), wherein the game machine island (20) is divided into two or more regions in the island longitudinal direction, and two or more belonging to the divided regions. In response to the gaming machine (21), the two or more gaming machines (2
Polishing units (30A, 30B) are respectively disposed below 1), and each polishing unit (30A, 30B) transports a pair of conveyors (31a, 31b) and a game medium between their transport belts (32). A pair of conveyors (31a, 31a, 3a)
1b), at least one of the conveyor belts (32) is formed of an abrasive, and the pair of conveyors (31a, 31)
The lower conveyor (31b) of b) has approximately the length of the area, while the starting end of the upper conveyor (31a) of the pair of conveyors (31a, 31b) is the lower conveyor (3).
1b) is set at a position corresponding to at least a length corresponding to one gaming machine (21) to the end of the lower conveyor (31b) from the start end of each polishing unit (3b).
0A, 30B) is configured to be driven when any one of the two or more gaming machines (21) belonging to the area is operating.

[2] A plurality of gaming machines (21) are installed at a lower stage in a gaming machine island (20) in which the gaming machines (21) are arranged side by side.
A game media polishing apparatus for polishing and transporting the game media used in 1), wherein the game machine island (20) is divided into two or more regions in the island longitudinal direction, and two or more belonging to the divided regions. In response to the gaming machine (21), the two or more gaming machines (2
Polishing units (30A, 30B) are respectively disposed below 1), and each polishing unit (30A, 30B) transports a pair of conveyors (31a, 31b) and a game medium between their transport belts (32). A pair of conveyors (31a, 31a, 3a)
1b), a polishing layer made of an abrasive is provided on the front side of at least one of the conveyor belts (32), and the lower conveyor (31b) of the pair of conveyors (31a, 31b) has substantially the length of the area, The pair of conveyors (31
a, 31b), the starting end of the upper conveyor is at least the gaming machine (21) 1 from the starting end of the lower conveyor (31b).
The lower conveyor (31b) by the length corresponding to the base
The polishing unit (30A, 30B) is configured to be driven when one of the two or more gaming machines (21) belonging to the area is operating. A polishing apparatus for a game medium, comprising:

[3] Detecting means (90) for detecting that any one of the two or more gaming machines (21) belonging to the area is operating, and responding to a signal from the detecting means (90). And control means (100) for driving each of the polishing units (30A, 30B).
Or the game medium polishing apparatus according to claim 2.

[4] Detecting means (90) for detecting that one of the two or more gaming machines (21) belonging to the area is operating, and responding to a signal from the detecting means (90). 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising control means (100) for driving an upper conveyor of each of the polishing units (30A, 30B).

[5] Detecting means (90) for detecting that any one of the two or more gaming machines (21) belonging to the area is operating, and responding to a signal from the detecting means (90). Control means (1) for driving a pair of conveyors (31a, 31b) of each polishing unit (30A, 30B).
3. The apparatus for polishing a game medium according to claim 1, wherein the polishing apparatus comprises:

[6] A plurality of gaming machines (21) are constructed so as to form a middle island (20B), and a plurality of gaming machines (21) are placed back to back in a state where they are in contact with each other without intervening other gaming-related equipment between their back surfaces. Game machine (21) installation section, which is arranged in a row extending in the direction and has a depth width corresponding to two game machines (21) which are in back-to-back contact with each other, and an island below the game machine installation section Each of the gaming machines (2
The game medium discharged from 1) is formed in a box-shaped frame shape for storing the game medium as it is, and 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 is formed therein.
A game machine island comprising: a game medium polishing storage section provided with the game medium polishing apparatus (30) described in the item.

Next, the operation of the invention described in each of the above items will be described. In the game medium polishing apparatus according to the item (1), the game medium polishing apparatus (30) divides a game machine island (20) in which a plurality of game machines (21) are juxtaposed into two or more regions in the island longitudinal direction, and Polishing units (30A, 30A) corresponding to two or more gaming machines (21) belonging to the designated area.
B). Each polishing unit (30A, 30B)
Are formed in such a manner that a pair of conveyors (31a, 31b) are vertically arranged in parallel with an interval enough to sandwich a game medium between the conveyor belts (32).

At least one of the conveyor belts (31a, 31b) of each of the polishing units (30A, 30B) is formed of an abrasive. Here, the abrasive is, for example, mainly composed of 6 nylon, mixed with a static electricity removing material and a polishing enhancing material, or synthesized with another synthetic resin, fiber material or the like. Each polishing unit (30A, 30
B) may be provided in the lower stage (20A) in the gaming machine island (20). The game medium discharged from the gaming machine (21) is polished by the polishing unit (30) corresponding to the lower portion thereof.
A, 30B) and a pair of conveyors (31a, 31B).
b), while being transported to the terminal side while being sandwiched between the upper and lower transport belts (32), it is polished by the transport belt (32). And after being polished,
Discharged downward.

Each polishing unit (30A, 30B)
Of the gaming machine (2)
1) Since it is configured to be driven when any of several units is in operation, unnecessary operation of the polishing units (30A, 30B) below the gaming machine (21) having no player is eliminated, Accordingly, waste of cost can be reduced. A gaming machine (2) corresponding to each polishing unit (30A, 30B)
If the number of items 1) is reduced, for example, the number of units can be reduced more efficiently and finely, and unnecessary operations of the polishing units (30A, 30B) below the gaming machine (21) having no players are eliminated, thereby significantly increasing costs. Can be reduced.

Since the game medium polishing device (30) is divided into the respective polishing units (30A, 30B), it is easy to carry and assemble before assembling.
Only some units can be easily exchanged for others. Further, the configuration of each polishing unit (30A, 30B) is relatively simple, and does not require a large installation space.

In the game medium polishing apparatus according to the item (2), a polishing layer made of an abrasive may be provided on the front side of the conveyor belt (32) without forming the conveyor belt (32) from the abrasive. Thereby, the conveyor belt (32) and the abrasive can be selected from a wider range of materials.

In the game medium polishing apparatus according to the item (3), the detecting means (90) includes two or more game machines (2) belonging to the area.
Upon detecting that any of 1) is in operation,
The control means (100) drives each of the polishing units (30A, 30B) according to the signal from the detection means (90). As the detecting means (90), the game media used by the gaming machines (21) belonging to the area may be collected at one location, and the gaming media collected at one location may be detected. The game medium used in (21) may be detected, and the detection signal may be processed by a logic circuit, for example, an OR circuit.

[0021] In the game medium polishing apparatus according to the item 4, for example, the lower conveyor (31b) is operated regardless of whether any one of the two or more gaming machines (21) belonging to the area is operating. Since the upper conveyor is driven in accordance with the detection signal from the detection means (90), even if the detection means (90) fails and does not output the detection signal correctly, the upper conveyor is driven. , The lower conveyor (31b) can transport game media. Polishing unit (30
A, 30B), it is possible to prevent such a problem that the game medium is clogged at the start end side.

In the game medium polishing apparatus according to the fifth aspect, a pair of conveyors (31a, 31B) of each polishing unit (30A, 30B) unless a signal is output from the detection means (90).
1b) are both stopped, so that power consumption can be reduced.

According to the gaming machine island (20) described in the item 6, in the gaming machine island (20) equipped with the above-described gaming medium polishing apparatus, a plurality of gaming machines (21) are back-to-back with other gaming machines between their backs. By arranging them so as to extend in the horizontal direction while being in contact with each other without intervening related equipment,
The gaming machine installation section that constitutes B) is suppressed to a depth width corresponding to two gaming machines (21) brought into back-to-back contact.
In this way, the middle part of the island (2
By reducing the thickness of 0B), the space occupied by the island can be significantly reduced. Thereby, more islands can be installed per predetermined floor area, and it is possible to respond to the demand for space saving. For example, even in a narrow shop, more gaming machines (21) are provided in the depth direction.
It is extremely advantageous in business, such as being able to equip it.

The game medium polished by the game medium polishing device (30) is discharged, and then stored in a game medium polishing pool, which is the lower island (20A) of the game machine island (20). The inside of the lower island (20A) directly serves as a storage tank for the game medium. As described above, the game medium polishing apparatus of the present invention can polish a game medium by effectively utilizing the space of the lower island (20A) of the gaming machine island (20).

[0025]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 6 show an embodiment of a game medium polishing apparatus according to the present invention and a game machine island equipped with the apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 1, the game medium polishing apparatus 30
Is installed in the lower island 20A of the gaming machine island 20 in which a plurality of pachinko machines (gaming machines) 21 are arranged side by side.
This is a device that transports the pachinko balls (game media) used in 1 while polishing them. Here, the gaming machine island 20 includes a plurality of pachinko machines 21 arranged side by side in the horizontal direction, and a game-related facility (ball) for processing pachinko balls used in each of the pachinko machines 21 and bills taken in exchange for the lending of the pachinko balls. Rental machine 27,
Banknote transport device 70).

The gaming machine island 20 is divided into two regions in the longitudinal direction of the island, and the number of gaming machines 20 belonging to the divided region is two or three.

The game medium polishing apparatus 30 includes a plurality of polishing units 30A, 30A along the island longitudinal direction in the island lower stage 20A.
B, and each polishing unit 30A, 30B
The length is set substantially corresponding to each of the two pachinko machines 21 and the three pachinko machines. Each of the polishing units 30A, 30B includes a pair of upper and lower conveyors 31a, 31.
b.

A pair of conveyors 31a and 31b are driven by a driving motor (not shown) and driven by a driving pulley 33.
, A driven pulley 34, a transport belt 32 wound around each of the pulleys 33, 34, and their supports 35 (see FIG. 3). The pair of conveyors 31a, 31b
The transport belts 32, 32 are vertically arranged in parallel so as to face each other, and the interval is
It is set so that a pachinko ball can be sandwiched between 2 and 32.

The lower conveyor 31b of the pair of conveyors has a length substantially equivalent to the length of the divided area, and the upper conveyor 31a has a length substantially equivalent to the length of one pachinko machine. have. Upper conveyor 31a
The end of the lower conveyor 31b and the end of the lower conveyor 31b are substantially aligned, and the starting end of the upper conveyor 31a is extended from the starting end of the lower conveyor 31b to the end of the lower conveyor 31b by the length of one or two pachinko machines. It is located closer to you.

The transport belt 32 is formed by forming a material having elasticity into a belt shape, and may be arranged such that the transport belts 32 of the upper and lower conveyors 31a and 31b come into contact depending on the thickness of the transport belt 32. . It is a conveyor belt 3
This is because, depending on the thickness of 2, the pachinko ball can pass through the pulleys 33 and 34 so as to be immersed in the transport belt 32 even if the transport belt 32 is in contact therewith. Each of the polishing units 30A and 30B is configured to be easily attached to and detached from a predetermined position inside a waist plate 40 surrounding a lower island, which will be described later, by, for example, an engaging and disengaging structure provided on a support 35.

At least one of the upper and lower conveyors 31a and 31b is made of an abrasive belt. As the abrasive, for example, 6 nylon or 66 nylon is used. These abrasives are used as a main component, and a static electricity removing material and a polishing enhancing material are mixed with the abrasive, and the abrasive is synthesized from another synthetic resin, fiber material, or the like. In order to further increase the polishing force, both the conveyor belts 32 of the pair of conveyors 31a and 31b can be made of an abrasive or the like.

The pachinko balls are polished by rotating or sliding while being transported while being pinched by the upper and lower transport belts 32 driven at different speeds. A projection 32a as shown in FIG. 4 may be formed on the surface of the conveyor belt 32 for frequent operation. Or, conversely, a concave depression may be formed. Further, as described above, the transport belt 32 itself is not entirely formed of an abrasive material, but is omitted from the drawing, although not shown, on the front side of a normal conveyor belt.
A polishing layer made of an abrasive may be provided.

The rotation direction and the number of rotations of the upper and lower conveyor belts 32 can be arbitrarily set within a range that does not hinder polishing and conveyance of the pachinko balls. For example, when the rotation direction of the lower conveyor belt 32 is made to coincide with the direction of conveyance of the pachinko balls and the number of revolutions is set to 14 rpm, the rotation direction of the upper conveyor belt 32 is set to be opposite to that of the lower belt. If the rotation speed is suppressed to about 7 rpm, the polishing efficiency can be further improved.

In addition, in order to prevent the pachinko balls from spilling from between the upper and lower conveyor belts 32 during transportation and polishing, the lower conveyor belt 32 is provided with raised portions (see FIG. (Not shown), and the raised portion may reach the upper conveyor belt 32 from the outside. Conversely, a raised portion may be formed on both edges of the upper conveying belt 32 over the entire circumference, and the raised portion may reach the lower conveying belt 32 from the outside. Or,
A plate-like guide plate (not shown) or the like may be provided along both edges of the conveyor belt 32 in order to prevent the slingshot balls from falling off from between the conveyor belts 32.

As shown in FIG. 2, each polishing unit 30
A and 30B are connected to a power supply circuit via control means 100 which is a control circuit.
A and 30B are based on a command from the control means 100,
It is set so that driving is started. That is, the control means 100 outputs a command to drive the conveyors 31a, 31b of each of the polishing units 30A, 30B when any of the pachinko machines 21 positioned above the conveyors is operating. It is.

More specifically, the control means 100 has a relay circuit, and when a signal from a detection means 90 described later is input, the coil of the relay is energized and the relay a
The contacts are closed, and the power is supplied to the drive motors of the pair of conveyors 31a, 31b of each of the polishing units 30A, 30B so that power can be supplied from the power supply circuit.
The drive motor of the lower conveyor 31b is always driven, and when a signal is input from the detection means 90, power is supplied to the drive motor of the upper conveyor 31a so that the drive motor of the upper conveyor 31a starts driving. May be configured.

As the control means 100, a microcomputer comprising an interface, a CPU, a RAM, a ROM and the like for centrally managing various game-related facilities in the gaming machine island 20 may be used.

The lower island 20A in which the above-described game medium polishing apparatus 30 is disposed is formed in a box-like frame shape for storing the pachinko balls discharged from each pachinko table 21 after polishing. More specifically, the lower island 20A is formed in a box-like frame shape surrounded by a waist plate 40, a bottom plate 41, and a top plate 42, and the lower island 20A itself is configured as a pachinko ball polishing storage unit that stores pachinko balls as they are. Have been. Therefore, there is no need to separately provide a storage tank below the island as in the prior art.

A ball receiving trough 43 is provided above the polishing units 30A and 30B in the pachinko ball polishing storage section. The ball trough 43 includes a polishing unit 30A,
Similar to 30B, it is provided corresponding to two pachinko machines 21. The ball receiving trough 43 is used to transfer the pachinko balls discharged from each pachinko table 21 to the corresponding polishing unit 3.
It is a member that guides to the start ends of 0A and 30B. The terminal exit of the ball trough 43 is opened facing the starting end of the upper conveyor 31a of each of the polishing units 30A and 30B.

A detecting means 90 for detecting the amount of pachinko balls in the ball trough 43 is provided in the middle of the end of the ball trough 43. The detecting means 90 is for detecting that one of the two pachinko machines 21 corresponding to each of the polishing units 30A and 30B is in operation, and for example, the pachinko sphere serving as an object to be detected. And a non-contact type proximity switch or the like that operates according to the distance between them.

More specifically, the detecting means 90 turns on intermittently when the pachinko ball is flowing in the ball trough 43 at the corresponding position, while the ball trough 43 is a pachinko ball. When the pachinko ball is full and the pachinko ball stays in the ball trough 43 or flows slowly,
N, and if this ON state continues for 2 seconds or more, a signal is output to the control means 100 described above, but is not limited to this.

Further, on the bottom plate 41 of the pachinko ball polishing storage unit, a storage tank 50 for transferring the pachinko balls in one direction is provided. As shown in FIG. 5, the bottom of the storage tank 50 is formed of a guide portion 40a that is gently inclined downward in one direction. The guide portion 40a plays a role of collecting pachinko balls at the other end. In addition, a pachinko ball is placed on the top of the island at the other end of the storage tank 50.
A lifting mechanism 60 for lifting to the C side is adjacent.

As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG.
In the gaming machine installation section, a plurality of pachinko machines 21 are arranged back-to-back so as to extend in the lateral direction in a state where the pachinko machines 21 are in contact with each other without intervening other game-related equipment between their back surfaces. Accordingly, the width is set to a depth width corresponding to two gaming machines brought into back-to-back contact. A ball rental machine 27 is interposed between the pachinko machines 21 arranged in the horizontal direction.

In this embodiment, the gaming machine is a pachinko machine 2
It is one. That is, the pachinko machine 21 hits the pachinko ball on the board by operating the handle 22 and aims at winning the pachinko ball. On the front side, the front plate 23 for introducing the pachinko ball into the cabin and the pachinko ball storage device are provided. Spare plate 2
4 are provided. The ball lending machine 27 counts and pays out a considerable number of balls when receiving a signal from the bill judgment means.

As shown in FIG. 6, on the back side of the pachinko machine 21, a bulky specific component 2 such as a CRT used for an accessory is provided.
5 are protruding, but the two back-to-back pachinko machines 21 are arranged so that these specific parts 25 can be brought into good contact with each other while avoiding each other. Two pachinko machines 21
The back sides of the two may be exactly contacted with each other, or may be abutted with a slight gap. In any case, before and after 2
There is no room for interposing other game-related equipment between the backs of the pachinko machines 21 in the row, and the banknote transport device 70 conventionally interposed between the backs is disposed on the island upper tier 20C side. .

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the upper island 20C
A bill transport device 70 for transporting bills taken in exchange for pachinko balls in the lateral direction, and a supply gutter 71 for supplying pachinko balls to each pachinko table 21 are arranged so as to extend in the lateral direction, respectively. I have. Note that the bill transfer device 70
And the supply gutter 71 are covered with a dome-shaped cover member 72 forming the outer wall of the island upper stage 20C.

Next, the operation will be described. Game media polishing device 3
In the gaming machine island 20 equipped with a game machine 0, as shown in FIG. 6, the middle island 20B is a state in which a plurality of pachinko machines 21 are back-to-back with each other without intervening other game-related equipment between their back surfaces. To be arranged in a row so as to extend in the horizontal direction and to be constructed as a gaming machine installation section. There is no room for other gaming-related equipment to be interposed between the backs of the two rows of pachinko machines 21, and the gaming machine installation part forming the middle island 20 </ b> B is equivalent to two pachinko machines 21 that are back-to-back facing. Is obtained as the depth width L1. According to the width L1, the lower island 20A and the upper island 20
C is also reduced in thickness.

As described above, the space occupied by the island 20 can be greatly reduced by reducing the thickness of the middle island 20B, which substantially determines the depth width of the entire island. Thereby,
Since more islands 20 can be installed per a predetermined floor area, and it is possible to meet the demand for space saving, for example, even in a small shop, more pachinko tables 21 can be equipped in the depth direction, etc. This is extremely advantageous for business.

The game medium polishing apparatus 30 is provided with the above-mentioned island lower stage 20A.
The gaming medium polishing apparatus 30 can polish a pachinko ball by effectively utilizing the space of the lower island 20A of the gaming machine island 20 as described below. A plurality of polishing units 30 constituting the game medium polishing apparatus 30
A and 30B are a pair of conveyors 31a and 31b, respectively.
Are formed in parallel in the vertical direction with an interval enough to hold the pachinko balls between the transport belts 32.

At least one of the pair of conveyors 31a and 31b of each of the polishing units 30A and 30B is formed of an abrasive. Alternatively, a polishing layer made of an abrasive may be provided on the front side of at least one of the conveyor belts 32. Here, the abrasive is, for example, 6 nylon or 6 nylon.
6 Nylon as a main component, mixed with a static eliminator, a polishing enhancer, or synthesized with another synthetic resin, fiber material, or the like. Conveyor belt 32 of a pair of conveyors 31a, 31b
Of these, only one may be made of an abrasive, but by forming both transport belts 32 with an abrasive, more effective polishing can be performed.

As shown in FIG. 1, each polishing unit 30
A, 30B is along the island longitudinal direction in the island lower stage 20A,
It is arranged so as to correspond to each of the two pachinko machines 21. FIG.
The driving of the conveyors 31a, 31b of each of the polishing units 30A, 30B starts when any of the pachinko machines 21 corresponding to the upper part thereof is operating based on the instruction from the control means 100 shown in FIG. I do. For example, when the pachinko machine 21 is operating with only the leftmost pachinko machine 21 in FIG. 1, the pachinko balls discharged from the leftmost pachinko machine 21 are in the ball trough 43 located immediately below the pachinko machine. Flow down.

When the pachinko balls gradually accumulate on the downstream side in the ball trough 43, the ON state of the detecting means 90 is continued for 2 seconds or more, the coil of the relay of the control means 100 is energized, and the contact a of the coil is turned on. Is closed, the power from the power supply circuit is supplied to the respective drive motors of the conveyors 30a and 30b of the corresponding polishing unit 30A, and the conveyor 3 is turned on.
Oa and 30b start driving. The pachinko balls introduced into the starting end side of the polishing unit 30A are moved to the lower conveyor 30b.
After that, while being sandwiched between the upper and lower conveyor belts 32, it is uniformly polished in order to advance while rotating and the like, and then is discharged into the island lower stage 20A.

At this time, there is no pachinko machine 21 with no players.
The other abrading units 30B located below are connected to the a-contact of the coil because the detecting means 90 corresponding to the polishing unit 30B is not turned on and the coil of the relay of the control means 100 is not energized. With the circuit not energizing each drive motor, the conveyors 30a, 30b are in a stopped state. As described above, each of the polishing units 30A, 30A
The B conveyors 31a and 31b are not driven unless any of the pachinko machines 21 corresponding to the upper part thereof are operating, so that unnecessary operation of the polishing units 30A and 30B is eliminated, and a corresponding amount is eliminated. Thus, cost can be saved.

Further, since the game medium polishing apparatus 30 is divided into the polishing units 30A and 30B, it is easy to carry and assemble work before assembling, and moreover, only some of the units are easily replaced with others. can do. Further, the configuration of each of the polishing units 30A and 30B is relatively simple, and a large installation space is not required. The length of each of the polishing units 30A and 30B can be set to be different as required.

For example, in this embodiment, each of the polishing units 30A and 30B is provided with two or three pachinko machines 21.
However, the length may be set to correspond to one pachinko machine 21, or may be set to a length corresponding to four or more pachinko machines 21. Generally, if the number of the pachinko machines 21 corresponding to the lengths of the respective polishing units 30A and 30B is increased, the number of components of the entire game medium polishing apparatus is reduced, but unnecessary operation of the game medium polishing apparatus 30 is roughly suppressed. Can be

Conversely, if the number of pachinko machines 21 corresponding to the lengths of the respective polishing units 30A and 30B is reduced, the number of components of the entire game medium polishing apparatus increases, but unnecessary operation of the game medium polishing apparatus 30 is performed. Can be suppressed more finely.
Therefore, when the length of each of the polishing units 30A and 30B is set to about two or three pachinko machines 21, the total cost can be minimized.

The pachinko balls polished by the game medium polishing device 30 are discharged and then dropped into a storage tank 50 arranged in the lower island 20A. As described above, the game medium polishing apparatus 30 of the present invention can polish a pachinko ball by effectively utilizing the space of the lower island 20A.

The pachinko balls in the storage tank 50 are transferred to the lower end of the lifting mechanism 60 by the guide 40a of the storage tank 50. Subsequently, the pachinko balls are picked up by the lifting mechanism 60 and lifted to the upper island 20C, where the replenishing gutter 7 is provided.
1 is returned to each pachinko machine 21 and ball rental machine 27 in the middle island 20B.

The game medium polishing apparatus and the game machine island according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, the number of polishing units constituting the game medium polishing apparatus can be appropriately selected according to the total length of the game machine island. For example, the gaming machine is not limited to a pachinko machine, but may be a slot machine using a medal as a pachinko ball.

The length of each polishing unit is not limited to the length corresponding to two or three pachinko machines, but can be adjusted as appropriate according to the total length of the island. Further, the detecting means for detecting that any one of the number of pachinko machines corresponding to each polishing unit is in operation is not limited to the one shown in the above-described embodiment. Various other configurations are conceivable, such as providing a sensor for detecting angular displacement on the handle of the table.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the conveyor width of the pair of conveyors 31a and 31b may be increased to the full width in the lower island of the gaming machine island. A large amount of game media can be ground in a short time with respect to the conveyor length.

[0063]

According to the game medium polishing apparatus of the present invention, the game machine island is divided into two or more regions in the island longitudinal direction,
Arranging the polishing unit in the lower stage of the gaming machine island, the polishing unit is constituted by a pair of conveyors, so that when one of the gaming machines belonging to the divided area is operating, the pair of conveyors is driven, The upper part of the pair of conveyors is made shorter than the lower part as much as possible, so the structure is simple and the cost can be greatly reduced, the space and power consumption of the gaming machine island can be reduced, and the gaming media is polished. This prevents the game medium from being overplayed, thereby improving the durability of the game medium.

Further, in the gaming machine island equipped with the above-mentioned gaming medium polishing apparatus, a plurality of gaming machines are arranged back to back in a lateral direction in a state where the gaming machines are in contact with each other without intervening other gaming-related equipment between their back surfaces. By arranging them so as to extend and thinning the middle island, which almost determines the depth width of the entire island, the space occupied by the island can be significantly reduced, and it is possible to meet the demand for space saving, More islands can be installed per a given floor area, which is extremely advantageous for business.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view schematically showing a game media polishing apparatus and a game machine island according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing control of the game medium polishing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an end view showing a conveyor included in the game medium polishing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a part of a conveyor constituting the game medium polishing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a game medium polishing apparatus and a game machine island according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a middle island of the gaming machine island according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view showing a game medium polishing apparatus.

FIG. 8 shows a conventional example, and is a cross-sectional view of a game medium polishing apparatus.

FIG. 9 shows a conventional example, and is a schematic front view of a game machine island including a game medium polishing apparatus.

FIG. 10 shows a conventional example and is an end view of a gaming machine island.

FIG. 11 shows a conventional example, and is a plan view of a middle stage of a gaming machine island.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference numeral 20: gaming machine island 20C: upper island 20B: middle island (gaming machine installation section) 20A: lower island (gaming medium polishing storage section) 21: pachinko machine (game machine) 30: gaming medium polishing apparatus 30A, 30B: polishing unit 31a Upper conveyor 31b Lower conveyor 32 Transport belt 43 Ball gutter 50 Storage tank 60 Lifting mechanism 71 Supply gutter 90 Detection means 100 Control means

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A game media polishing apparatus installed at a lower stage in a gaming machine island in which a plurality of gaming machines are juxtaposed, and for transporting a gaming medium used in said gaming machine while polishing the island. The polishing unit is divided into two or more regions in the longitudinal direction, and a polishing unit is arranged below each of the two or more gaming machines corresponding to the two or more gaming machines belonging to the divided region. Are arranged in parallel in the vertical direction with an interval sufficient to sandwich the game medium between the conveyor belts, and at least one of the conveyor belts of the pair of conveyors is formed of an abrasive material. Has a length substantially equal to the length of the area, while the start of the upper conveyor of the pair of conveyors is at least as long as the length of the lower conveyor from the start of the lower conveyor corresponding to one gaming machine. And the conveyor of each polishing unit is configured to be driven when any of the two or more gaming machines belonging to the area is operating. Game media polishing equipment. 2. A game media polishing apparatus which is installed at a lower stage in a gaming machine island in which a plurality of gaming machines are juxtaposed and conveys a gaming medium used in the gaming machine while polishing the island. The polishing unit is divided into two or more regions in the longitudinal direction, and a polishing unit is arranged below each of the two or more gaming machines corresponding to the two or more gaming machines belonging to the divided region. The conveyors are arranged vertically in parallel with an interval sufficient to sandwich the game medium between the conveyor belts, and a polishing layer made of an abrasive is provided on the front side of at least one of the conveyor belts of the pair of conveyors. The lower conveyor of the pair of conveyors has substantially the length of the area, while the starting end of the upper conveyor of the pair of conveyors has a length corresponding to at least one gaming machine from the starting end of the lower conveyor. It is set at a position close to the end of the lower conveyor, and configured to drive each polishing unit when any one of two or more gaming machines belonging to the area is operating. Game media polishing equipment. 3. A detecting means for detecting that one of the two or more gaming machines belonging to the area is operating, and a controlling means for driving each polishing unit in response to a signal from the detecting means. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein
Or the game medium polishing apparatus according to 2. 4. A detecting means for detecting that any one of the two or more gaming machines belonging to the area is in operation, and driving an upper conveyor of each polishing unit in response to a signal from the detecting means. 3. The apparatus for polishing a game medium according to claim 1, further comprising control means for causing the game medium to be polished. 5. A detecting means for detecting that any one of two or more gaming machines belonging to said area is in operation, and a pair of conveyors of each polishing unit in response to a signal from said detecting means. 3. The apparatus for polishing a game medium according to claim 1, further comprising control means for driving. 6. A plurality of gaming machines, which are constructed to form a middle island, are arranged back-to-back so as to extend in the lateral direction in a state where the gaming machines are in contact with each other without intervening other game-related equipment between their back surfaces. A game machine installation unit configured to have a depth width equivalent to two game machines that are brought into back-to-back contact with each other, and constructed to form a lower island below the game machine installation unit, and discharged from each of the game machines. Claims 1 and 2 which are formed in the shape of a box frame for storing game media as they are,
A game machine island comprising: a game medium polishing storage unit provided with the game medium polishing apparatus according to 3, 4, or 5.