Conventionally, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, this kind of coin feeder generally employs the so-called rotor system using a disc-shaped rotating body called a rotor 83 provided with a plurality of coin receiving aperture 84 arranged in the circumferential direction thereof at equal intervals (see, for example, Japanese Examined Laid-open Utility Model Publication No. 4-45084).
In this rotor system coin feeder B, a number of coins randomly accommodated in a hopper 80 provided at the upper portion of the rotor 83 are sequentially fed from the coins CN located at the lowermost portion of the hopper.
That is, in accordance with the rotational movement of the rotor 83, which is equipped below the hopper bottom 81, in the direction of the arrow driven by the electric motor 82, coins CN are fitted in each coin receiving apertures 84. When the coin CN fitted in the coin receiving aperture 84 approaches the coin exit 85, the coin CN gets under the rotor 83 and is moved toward the coin exit 85 while being guided by a guide (not illustrated) to be discharged outside.
Although this rotary system coin feeder B can feed coins each having a diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the coin receiving aperture 84 smoothly at high speed, it was not possible to assuredly feed coins having a diameter other than the above-mentioned diameter or coins having different thickness.
Accordingly, in cases where two types of game machines using coins different in size are manufactured, it is required to manufacture two types of coin feeders each corresponding to each coin size, which is indeed irrational.
The present invention was made in view of the aforementioned technical backgrounds, and the object is to provide a coin feeder capable of feeding not only one size of coins but also different sizes of coins and increasing the allowable range as large as possible.
Other objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following embodiment of the present invention.