BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
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The present invention relates to a table tennis ball-sorting
device and a table tennis apparatus including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
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Hitherto, a table tennis apparatus, for example, as
disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3017687
has been proposed. Such a conventional table tennis
apparatus includes a table having a net stretched on the center
thereof, a ball projecting section that is disposed on the
rearward of one playing surface (a playing surface on the side of
a machine) and that projects table tennis balls sequentially
towards the other surface (a playing surface on the side of a
player), wherein a plurality of optical sensors each having a
light emitting element and a light receiving element are
opposingly arranged on the left and right of the playing surface
on the machine side along a longitudinal direction thereof,
while a drop position of the ball returned by the player on the
machine-side playing surface is detected by the optical sensors,
and a score corresponding to the position is given to the player,
the result of a training thereby being displayed by a specific
numeral value.
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According to the conventional table tennis apparatus
constructed as described above, balls returned or failing to be
hit by the player are collected by an air flow formed along the
floor to a collecting port, and returned by a negative pressure
towards the ball projecting section through a hose. This
enables the player to play continuously with a fixed number of
balls. The construction of the ball projecting section of the
table tennis apparatus is disclosed in, for example, Japanese
Patent Publication No. 58-22229 and Japanese Utility Model
Publication No. 63-7264.
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According to the above conventional table tennis
apparatus, however, faulty balls that are erroneously stamped
on and deformed by the player's foot have been also collected
and returned to the ball projecting section, and are projected
from the ball projecting section after a lapse of a fixed period of
time, so that normal proceeding of a game (training) may be
prevented. In addition, since the player cannot continue the
game when the number of faulty balls mixed into the ball
projecting section increases, the faulty balls should be
periodically manually sorted, and the maintenance of the
apparatus becomes complicated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
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Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to
provide a table tennis ball-sorting device which can be played in
normal conditions at all times and which can simplify the
maintenance of the device, and to provide a table tennis
apparatus including the table tennis ball-sorting device.
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According to a first aspect of the present invention, there
is provided a table tennis ball-sorting device including a
plurality of rails that are arranged side by side in substantially
a horizontal direction at intervals that are capable of having
passed therethrough only deformed balls.
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With the described arrangement, dented and deformed
balls on the rails drop from the spacing between adjacent rails,
and non-dented normal balls roll on the rails towards
downstream to be collected.
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According to a second aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a table tennis apparatus in which a ball
projected from a ball projecting section disposed on a first
playing surface of a table towards the other playing surface is
returned towards the first playing surface, the table tennis
apparatus, including a table tennis ball-sorting device
including a plurality of rails that are arranged side by side in
substantially a horizontal direction at intervals that are
capable of having passed therethrough only deformed balls,
wherein the rails arranged side by side constitute first and
second ball sorting sections arranged from the upstream side of
the device, and wherein the first and second ball sorting
sections cross each other, and balls can be transferred from the
downstream end of the first ball sorting section to the upstream
part of the second ball sorting section.
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With the described arrangements, dented and deformed
balls on the rails of the table tennis ball-sorting device drop
from the spacing between adjacent rails, and non-dented normal
balls roll on the rails towards downstream to be collected, and
are returned towards the ball projecting section.
Consequently, since the dented balls that have been stamped on
by the player's foot are not returned towards the ball projecting
section, it is possible to play under a normal condition at all
times. In addition, since it is not necessary to manually sort
the dented faulty balls, the maintenance of the apparatus is
simplified.
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The table tennis apparatus of the present invention may
preferably include a ball returning unit for returning balls that
have reached the downstream of the table tennis ball-sorting
device towards the ball projecting section.
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With the described arrangement, balls are automatically
returned towards the ball projecting section. Consequently,
normal balls are always projected from the ball projecting
section, and a normal play can be continuously performed.
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The table tennis apparatus of the present invention may
preferably further includes a floor ball collecting section for
collecting balls that have dropped on the front floor of the other
playing surface towards the table; and a ball transfer unit for
transferring the balls collected by the floor ball collecting
section towards the upstream end of the table tennis-ball
sorting device.
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With the described arrangements, balls that have
dropped by failing to be hit and the like on the front floor of the
playing surface on the side of the player are collected towards
the table by the floor ball collecting section and transferred
towards the upstream end of the table tennis ball-sorting device
by the ball transfer unit so as to be sorted.
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In the table tennis apparatus of the present invention, a
deformed ball carrying member consisting of a long receiver
plate may preferably be arranged below the table tennis ball-sorting
device.
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With the described arrangement, dented balls that have
dropped from the spacing of the rails are received by the
deformed ball carrying member and carried towards the
downstream.
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In the table tennis apparatus of the present invention, a
ball collecting box may preferably be disposed at the lowermost
position of the deformed ball carrying member.
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With the described arrangement, the deformed balls are
collected in the deformed ball collecting box, and it is possible
to perform after-treatment, such as disposal.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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- Fig. 1 is an external perspective view which
schematically illustrates a construction of a table tennis
apparatus to which a table tennis ball-sorting device according
to the present invention is applied;
- Fig. 2 illustrates a construction of one playing surface of
a table in the table tennis apparatus shown in Fig. 1;
- Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view showing a construction
of a ball projecting section in the table tennis apparatus shown
in Fig. 1;
- Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view showing a
construction of the ball projecting section in the table tennis
apparatus shown in Fig. 1;
- Fig. 5 is a rear elevation showing a construction of a
moving mechanism for the ball projecting section in the table
tennis apparatus shown in Fig. 1;
- Fig. 6 is a plan view showing a construction of a ball
collecting section in the table tennis apparatus shown in Fig. 1;
- Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along line VII-VII of Fig.
6;
- Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of Fig.
6;
- Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken along line IX-IX of Fig. 6;
- Fig. 10 is a plan view showing a construction of a ball
scooping-up unit of the ball collecting section shown in Fig. 6;
- Fig. 11 is a sectional view taken along line XI-XI of Fig.
10;
- Fig. 12 illustrates a control block of the table tennis
apparatus according to the present invention;
- Fig. 13 is a flow chart for the explanation of initialization
of the table tennis apparatus according to the present
invention;
- Fig. 14 is a flow chart for the explanation of a game
operation of the table tennis apparatus according to the present
invention;
- Fig. 15 is a flow chart for the explanation of an operation
of the ball scooping-up unit of the ball collecting section;
- Fig. 16 is a flow chart for the explanation of a ball
stirring unit of a ball supply section in the table tennis
apparatus according to the present invention;
- Fig. 17 is a flow chart for the explanation of a light-up
operation of a cold-cathode tube of a table in the table tennis
apparatus according to the present invention;
- Fig. 18 is a flow chart for the explanation of ball
projecting operation of the ball projecting section;
- Fig. 19 is a flow chart for the explanation of the detection
of ball drop position and a score handling operation in the table
tennis apparatus according to the present invention;
- Fig. 20 is a flow chart for the explanation of game-over
handling; and
- Fig. 21 is a schematic diagram for the explanation of ball
scoring operation in the table tennis apparatus according to the
present invention.
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DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
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Referring to Fig. 1, a table tennis apparatus includes a
table 10, a ball projecting section 20 for projecting balls towards
a player's playing surface, a ball collecting section 30 for
collecting balls dropped on a floor or the like, a display section
40 for displaying scores and a demonstration picture, a sound
section 50 for outputting presentation music and sound effects,
a box 60 for surrounding the table 10, a control box 70 for
setting various types of game (training) modes and the like, a
control section 80 (Fig. 12) for controlling the overall operations
of the apparatus, and a moving mechanism 90 for moving the
ball projecting section 20 laterally. In this embodiment, the
direction between both end lines of the table 10 is referred to as
a longitudinal direction, while the direction between both side
lines of the table 10 is referred to as a lateral direction from the
point of view of the player. However, it is not necessary to
actually provide the end lines and sidelines on the table 10 of
the table tennis apparatus according to the present invention.
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The table 10 includes a player's playing surface 12, a
playing surface 14 on the side of which the ball projecting
section 20 is disposed, and a net 16 that is disposed between the
playing surfaces 12 and 14 and stretched to have a
predetermined height. As shown in detail in Fig. 2, the playing
surface 14 includes a frame structure 141 and a plate body 142
formed by, for example, white semi-transparent resin for
covering the top of the frame structure 141.
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The frame structure 141 is separated into a plurality of
areas by lateral partition walls 148 and 149, and a longitudinal
partition wall 150. That is, the frame structure 141 divides
the playing surface 14 into almost three equal parts in the
longitudinal direction to form a front area (a first area 143), a
center area and a rear area. The center area is divided into
two equal parts in the lateral direction to form a right-side
second area 144 and a left-side third area 145, and the rear area
is divided into two equal parts to form a right-side fourth area
146 and a left-side fifth area 147.
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A plurality of green-luminary cold-cathode tubes 181 are
disposed in the second area 141, and a plurality of blue-luminary
cold-cathode tubes 182 are disposed in the third area
145. In addition, a plurality of red-luminary cold-cathode
tubes 183 are disposed in the fourth area 146, and a plurality of
yellow-luminary cold-cathode tubes are disposed in the fifth
area 147. Color bulbs lit up by the passage of electric current
through filaments may be used in place of the above cold-cathode
tubes 181 to 184. In the present invention, the cold-cathode
tubes and bulbs are named generically as lamps.
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The semi-transparent plate body 142 serves as a surface
illuminant for each color light emitted from each cold-cathode
tube, and as a diaphragm that is vibrated by a ball drop impact.
The plate body 142 consists of a first plate 151, a second plate
152, a third plate 153, a fourth plate 154 and a fifth plate 155
that correspond to the areas 143, 144, 145, 146 and 147,
respectively. The first to fifth plates 151 to 155 form first to
fifth areas E1 to E5, respectively, of the playing surface 14.
The plate body 142 has lateral grooves 156 and 157, and a
longitudinal groove 158 formed in the lower surfaces of the
boundaries of the plates 151 to 155, while uses the plates 151 to
155 as surface illuminants, thereby obtaining an illumination
effect.
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The first plate 151 has a pair of microphones 190 and 191
disposed on the lower surface thereof in the vicinity of diagonal
positions, the second plate 152 has a pair of microphones 192
and 193 disposed on the lower surface thereof in the vicinity of
diagonal positions, and the third plate 153 has a pair of
microphones 194 and 195 disposed on the lower surface thereof
in the vicinity of diagonal positions. In addition, the fourth
plate 154 has a pair of microphones 196 and 197 disposed on the
lower surface thereof in the vicinity of diagonal positions, and
the fifth plate 155 has a pair of microphones 198 and 199
disposed on the lower surface thereof in the vicinity of diagonal
positions.
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Each of the microphones 190 to 199 serves as a vibration
sensor, and detects onto which of the first to fifth plates 151 to
155 a ball has dropped. For example, when the ball drops onto
the second plate 152, a vibration radially propagates from the
drop point to the periphery of the plate 152 while being damped,
and the vibration is detected by the microphones 192 and 193.
While the vibration is also detected by the microphones of other
plates, the plate onto which the ball has dropped can be defined
from the difference in detection levels, a time lag of the
propagation of the vibration, and so forth. In particular, since
the grooves 156 to 158 are provided in the plate body 142, the
vibration is abruptly damped at the grooves, thereby preventing
a wrong detection of the vibration. A detection signal output
from each of the microphones 190 to 199 is input to a control
section 30 and used for score handling or the like.
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The grooves 156 to 158 are not necessary to detect the
drop position of the ball, and the plate body 142 may have the
plates 151 to 155 formed by individual members. When the
plates 151 to 155 are formed by individual members, a member,
such as a rubber, for preventing the propagation of the vibration
may preferably be provided in a gap formed between each of the
adjacent members, and a member, such as a rubber, for
preventing the propagation of the vibration may preferably be
disposed on a boundary of each of the plates so that each of the
plates are provided on the member with a small gap formed
therebetween. In addition, the plate body 142 and the
microphones 190 to 199 constitutes a detection unit for
detecting a drop position of the ball returned back from the
player. In this embodiment, one or a plurality of areas E2 to
E5 of the playing surface 14 is illuminated to recommend to the
player that the ball be returned the illuminating areas so that
the player can obtain a score higher than that obtained by the
returning it to the non-illuminating areas when the return of
the ball on the illuminating area is detected by the microphones.
It should be appreciated that a score may be given to the player
when returning the ball only to the illuminating areas.
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The ball projecting section 20 is disposed on the rear of
the playing surface 14 with almost the entire thereof
accommodated in a casing 200.
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Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, the ball projecting section 20
includes a ball projecting cylinder 21 for projecting table tennis
balls from one end thereof, a ball feeding cylinder 22 for feeding
the balls to the ball projecting cylinder 21, a ball supply section
23 for supplying the balls to the ball feeding cylinder, a ball
dispensing unit 24 for dispensing balls one at a time from the
ball feeding cylinder 22, an urging force-imparting unit 25 for
imparting an urging force in the direction of projection to the
ball dispensed to the ball projecting cylinder 21, a rotary unit
26 for rotating the ball projecting cylinder 21 around the axis
thereof to change the type of projection of ball (such as curved
ball, straight ball, etc.) an oscillating mechanism 27 for
swinging the ball projecting cylinder 21 in the lateral direction
of the table 10 to change the projecting direction of the ball, and
an angle changing unit 28 for changing an angle of the ball in a
direction of elevation.
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The ball projecting cylinder 21 is disposed so as to be
directed slightly diagonally upward with a projecting port 211
projected to the outside from an oblong window 201, and
projects the ball urged by the urging force-imparting unit 25
from the projecting port 211 towards the playing surface 12. In
addition, cutouts 212 and 213 into which a pair of rollers 251
and 252, which are described later, partially enter are formed at
opposite positions of an intermediate portion of the ball
projecting cylinder 21.
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The ball feeding cylinder 22 is provided in the casing 200,
and has an L-shape consisting of a horizontal part 221 and a
vertical part 222, and the horizontal part 221 is fitted to the
rear end outer periphery of the ball projecting cylinder 21
through a ball bearing 223. This allows the ball projecting
cylinder 21 to be rotated around the axis thereof. In addition,
an opening 224 is formed at the rear of the lower end of the
vertical part 222 into which a plate cam 241, which is described
later, of the ball dispensing unit 24 partially enters.
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The ball supply section 23 is disposed above the ball
projecting section 20, which can be moved laterally by a moving
mechanism 90 to be described later, and is fixed on the upper
part in the casing 200. The ball supply section 23 includes a
ball hopper 231 for containing a plurality of balls, and a flexible
tube 233 that is connected to a supply port 232 formed on the
bottom of the hopper 231 and the vertical part of the ball
feeding cylinder 22. The hopper 231 includes a ball stirring
unit 236 consisting of an external-mounted hopper-inside
stirring motor 234, and a stirring bar 235 having, for example,
elasticity disposed inside thereof. The stirring bar 235 is
rotationally driven by the motor 234, whereby a jam of the ball
BL at the supply port 232 is prevented.
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The ball dispensing unit 24 consists of a plate cam 241,
and a plate cam motor 242 for rotationally driving the plate cam
241. The plate cam 241 is integrally fixed to a perpendicular
rotary shaft 242a of the plate cam motor 242 at the rear position
of the ball feeding cylinder 22. The plate cam 241 consists of a
small diameter part M and a cam part N of which the diameter
gradually increases in the direction of rotation. The small
diameter part M has a diameter so as not to enter into the ball
feeding cylinder 22, and one side of the cam part N adjacent to
the small diameter part M has a small diameter size and the
other side has a large diameter size of at least one table tennis
ball. The direction of the plate cam 241 is reversed in Figs. 3
and 4 for reasons of explanation.
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The plate cam motor 242 is fixed upward to a motor
mounting plate 222b fitted on the bottom of the vertical part
222. The plate cam motor 242 is rotated to rotate the plate
cam 241 once in the direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 4,
whereby the balls fed to the lower end of the vertical part 222
are dispensed one at a time towards the horizontal part 221.
That is, when the small diameter part M of the plate cam 241
starts to rotate at the position (initial position) opposite to the
ball feeding cylinder 22, the ball fed to the lower end of the
vertical part 222 is abutted against the cam part N and
dispensed to the horizontal part 221.
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A shielding plate 241b in an upright position is fixed on
the plate cam 241 at a position apart from the rotary shaft 242a.
On the other hand, a plate cam sensor 243 consisting of a
photo-interrupter is fixed to a sensor mounting plate 222c
provided above the plate cam 241. In the plate cam sensor 243,
the positions of a light emitting element and a light receiving
element are set so that the shielding plate 241b can pass
through a gap formed therebetween. This allows the initial
position of the plate cam 241 to be detected when the shielding
plate 241b interrupts between the light emitting element and
the light receiving element of the plate cam sensor 243, so that
the number of rotation of the plate cam 241 is counted each time
the initial position is detected.
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The urging force-imparting unit 25 includes a pair of
rollers 251 and 252 disposed so that they are opposite to each
other, and a pair of roller motors (DC motors) 253 and 254 for
individually rotationally driving the rollers 251 and 252. The
rollers 251 and 252 are constructed by arranging rubber
members 251b and 252b on the outer periphery of metallic
members 251a and 251a, and partially enter into the cutouts
212 and 213. The roller motors 253 and 254 are fixed to motor
mounting plates 214 and 215, respectively. By the described
arrangement, the rollers 251 and 252 are rotated in the
directions shown by the arrows with sandwiching of the ball BL
from both sides when the ball projecting cylinder 21 rotates
around the axis thereof together with the roller motors 253 and
254, thereby imparting an urging force in the projecting
direction (forward direction) to the ball BL. The rollers 251
and 252 can impart a projecting speed to the ball corresponding
to the peripheral speed thereof, and can apply a spin on the ball
projected from the ball projecting cylinder 21 because of the
impartment of a difference in the peripheral speed.
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In other words, a top spin (drive) can be applied on the
ball when the peripheral speed of the roller 251 is increased to
relatively faster than the peripheral speed of the roller 252.
Conversely, a back spin can be applied on the ball when the
peripheral speed of the roller 252 is increased to relatively
faster than the peripheral speed of the roller 251. In addition,
when the peripheral speeds of the rollers 251 and 252 are
substantially equalized, almost no rotating force is applied to
the ball, and a so-called knuckle ball can be obtained.
Furthermore, if a difference in peripheral speed is imparted to
the rollers 251 and 252 in a state where the ball projecting
cylinder 21 is rotated around the axis thereof, and the rollers
251 and 252 are tilted, it is possible to obtain a ball on which a
side spin is applied.
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The rotary unit 26 includes a follower gear 261 attached
to the rear end outer periphery of the ball projecting cylinder 21,
a drive gear 262 meshed with the follower gear 261, and a
projecting cylinder motor 263 for rotationally driving the drive
gear 262. The motor 263 is fixed to a motor mounting plate
221a attached to the horizontal part 221 of the ball feeding
cylinder 22. The motor 263 rotates in both normal and reverse
directions, whereby the ball projecting cylinder 21 is rotated
around the axis thereof.
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A radially extending shielding plate 262a is fixed to the
side surface of the drive gear 262. On the other hand, a sensor
mounting plate 221b is attached to the motor mounting plate
221a, and a rotation sensor 264 consisting of a photo-interrupter
is fixed to the sensor mounting plate 221b. In the
rotation sensor 264, the positions of a light emitting element
and a light receiving element are set so that the shielding plate
262a can pass through a gap formed therebetween. This allows
the initial position of the ball projecting cylinder 21 around the
axis thereof to be detected when the shielding plate 262a
interrupts between the light emitting element and the light
receiving element of the rotation sensor 264. A state where the
rollers 251 and 252 are vertically positioned is regarded as the
initial position of the ball projecting cylinder 21. In this
embodiment, the ball projecting cylinder 21 rotates both
rightward and leftward based on the initial position within a
range of 45°.
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The oscillating mechanism 27 includes a cylindrical strut
271 fixed to a base 91 (see Fig. 5), a rotary shaft 273 which is
fixed to the bottom of the horizontal part 221, and is mounted in
the strut 271 through a ball bearing 272, a follower gear 274
fixed to the upper portion of the rotary shaft 273, a drive gear
275 meshed with the follower gear 274, and a projecting section
oscillating motor 276 for rotationally driving the drive gear 275.
The motor 276 is fixed to a motor mounting plate 221c attached
to the vertical part 222 of the ball feeding cylinder 22. The
motor 276 rotates in both normal and reverse directions,
whereby the ball projecting section 20 is laterally rotated
around the rotary shaft 273 to effect oscillating. By the
described arrangement, a straight ball can be projected when
the ball projecting section 20 is located laterally, and the ball
can be projected aiming at both corners of the table 10 when the
ball projecting section 20 is located in a slanting position.
That is, the balls can be projected in a crosswise direction in
addition to a straight direction by the oscillating mechanism 27.
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A shielding plate 273a of which one end is directed
upward is attached to the lower end of the rotary shaft 273. A
sensor mounting plate 271a is attached to the front outer
periphery of the lower end of the strut 271, and a rotation
sensor 277 consisting of a photo-interrupter is fixed to the
sensor mounting plate 271a. In the rotation sensor 277, the
positions of a light emitting element and a light receiving
element are set so that the shielding plate 273a can pass
through a gap formed therebetween. This allows the initial
position of the ball projecting section 20 in the direction of
rotation around the rotary shaft 273 to be detected when the
shielding plate 273a interrupts between the light emitting
element and the light receiving element of the rotation sensor
277. A direction straight along the longitudinal direction of
the table 10 is regarded as the initial position of the ball
projecting section 20.
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A sensor mounting plate 271b is attached to the rear
outer periphery of the lower end of the strut 271, and an
oscillating angle sensor 278 consisting of a variable resistor is
attached to the sensor mounting plate 271b. A rotary shaft
element 277a of the oscillating angle sensor 278 is coaxially
fixed to the rotary shaft 273 of the oscillating mechanism 27.
By the above arrangement, the oscillating angle of the ball
projecting section 20 is detected by a voltage value output from
the sensor 278 according to the amount of rotation of the rotary
shaft 273, so that the oscillating angle of the ball projecting
section 20 is controlled based on the initial position thereof.
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The angle changing unit 28 includes a guide plate 281
rotatably and forward-projectingly attached to the periphery of
the projecting port 211, and a guide plate motor 282 for rotating
the guide plate 281 in a direction to interrupt the course of the
ball projected from the projecting port 211 (i.e., a direction to
cross the projecting direction). Both base ends of the guide
plate 281 are journaled at opposite positions of the outer
periphery of the proximal end of the projecting port 211 when
the ball projecting cylinder 21 is in the initial position around
the axis thereof. That is, one base end is journaled by a
projection 211a, and the other base end is journaled by a rotary
shaft 282a of the guide plate motor 282 fixed to the motor
mounting plate 211b which is fitted to a suitable position of the
outer periphery of the projecting port 211.
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By the described arrangement, when the ball projecting
cylinder 21 is in the initial position around the axis thereof, the
guide plate motor 282 is rotated by a predetermined amount to
rotate the guide plate 281, whereby the projecting direction of
the ball can be changed to be directed diagonally upward (i.e.,
the projection angle of the ball can be changed). That is, the
ball at the projecting port 211 abuts against the guide plate 281
to be directed upward, so that it is possible to project the ball in
a path describing a parabola. The shape of the parabola can be
controlled by the amount of rotation (elevation angle) of the
guide plate 281 and the ball-projecting speed. An angle control
plate 283 is disposed on the opposite side of the guide plate 281
along the axial direction of the ball projecting cylinder 21. By
the described arrangement, when the projecting angle of a fast
ball is greatly changed by the guide plate 281, the ball comes
into contact with the angle control plate so that the shape of the
parabola can be controlled and it becomes difficult for the ball
to go over the playing surface 12.
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A shielding plate 281a is attached on the base end of the
guide plate 281 so as to extend rearward. On the other hand, a
sensor mounting plate 211c is attached in the vicinity of the
projecting port 211, and a guide plate sensor 284 consisting of a
photo-interrupter is fixed to the sensor mounting plate 211c.
In the guide plate sensor 284, the positions of a light emitting
element and a light receiving element are set so that the
shielding plate 281a can pass through a gap formed
therebetween. This allows the initial position of the guide
plate 281 to be detected when the shielding plate 281a
interrupts between the light emitting element and the light
receiving element of the guide plate sensor 284. A direction
along the axial direction of the ball projecting cylinder 21 is
regarded as the initial position of the guide plate 281.
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A projecting angle sensor 285 consisting of a variable
resistor is attached to the sensor mounting plate 211c, and a
rotary shaft element 285a of the sensor 285 is fixed to a
projection 281b of the guide plate 281 that is coaxially fixed to a
projection 211a. By the above arrangement, the amount of
rotation of the guide plate 281 is detected by a voltage value
output from the sensor 285, so that the ball projecting angle is
controlled based on the initial position thereof.
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A description will now be given of the moving mechanism
90. As shown in Fig. 5, the moving mechanism 90 includes a
pair of guide members 92a and 92b fixed to the bottom of the
base 91, a guide rail 93 which is mounted on a table 202 fixed
within the casing 200 (see Fig. 1) and which is disposed along
the lateral direction in which the guide members 92a and 92b
are slid, a pair of pulleys 94a and 94b disposed outside both the
left and right ends of the guide rail 93, a timing belt 95 which is
looped over the pulleys 94a and 94b and to which the guide
members 92a and 92b are attached, and a drive unit 96 for
driving the pulley 94a. The drive unit 96 consists of a
projecting section moving motor (AC servo motor) 96a, a pulley
96c fitted to a rotary shaft 96b of the motor 96a, and a timing
belt 96d looped over the pulleys 96c and 94a.
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A shielding plate 91a is attached in the rear center of the
base 91 so as to extend downward. On the other hand, a center
base sensor 97 consisting of a photo-interrupter is fixed to a
sensor mounting plate 93a, which projects rearward from the
center of the guide rail 93. In the center base sensor 97, the
positions of a light emitting element and a light receiving
element are set so that the shielding plate 93a can pass through
a gap formed therebetween. This allows the initial position of
the base 91, i.e., the initial position of the ball projecting
section 20 in the lateral direction, to be detected when the
shielding plate 91a interrupts between the light emitting
element and the light receiving element of the sensor 97. The
center position of the table 202 in the lateral direction is
regarded as the initial position of the ball projecting section 20,
and the lateral movement of the ball projecting section 20 is
controlled based on the initial position.
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A left base sensor 98 and a right base sensor 99 are fixed
to sensor mounting plates 93b and 93c, respectively. The left
base sensor 98 projects rearward from a left-of-center portion of
the guide rail 93, and the right base sensor 99 projects rearward
from a right-of-center portion of the guide rail 93 (from the
point of view of the player). Each of the left and right base
sensors 98 and 99 consists of a photo-interrupter in which the
positions of a light emitting element and a light receiving
element are set so that the shielding plate 91a can pass through
a gap formed therebetween. This allows a lateral movement
range of the base 91, i.e., a lateral movement limit position of
the ball projecting section 20, to be detected when the shielding
plate 91a interrupts between the light emitting element and the
light receiving element of the left base sensor 98 or the right
base sensor 99, so that the ball projecting section 20 does not
overrun the limit position.
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The ball collecting section 30 collects balls that have
failed to be hit by the player, thus dropping on the floor, balls
that have dropped on the floor from both side edges of the table
10 (so-called the sides of the side lines), and balls that have
dropped from the rearward edge (so-called the side of the end
line) towards the ball projecting section 20, and sorts faulty
balls that have been erroneously stamped on and deformed by
the player's foot into a faulty ball collecting box 334. The
structure of the ball collecting section 30 is shown in Figs. 6 to
9.
-
Referring to these drawings, the ball collecting section 30
includes a floor collecting part 31, left collecting part 32
disposed along the left side line of the table 10, a rear collecting
part 33 disposed along the end line of the table 10, a right
collecting part 34 disposed along the right side line of the table
10, a longitudinal collecting part 35 longitudinally disposed in
the casing 200, a lateral collecting part 36 provided
continuously to the end of the longitudinal collecting part 35 in
the casing 200, a ball scooping-up unit 37 for scooping up and
transferring the balls collected by the floor collecting part 31 to
the left collecting part 32, and a ball scooping-up unit 38 for
scooping up and transferring the balls transferred to the lateral
collecting part 36 into a hopper 231.
-
The floor collecting part 31 is formed to include the area
where the player plays. The floor collecting part 31 includes a
first floor part 311 disposed to be inclined downwardly towards
the table 10 to an extent in which the part 311 does not affect
play, a second floor part 312 provided continuously on the side
of the table 10 of the first floor part 311, and a ball gathering
part 313 formed in the center of the second floor part 312. The
second floor part 312 is divided into a left floor part 312a and a
right floor part 312b on either side of the ball gathering part
313, and both floor parts 312a and 312b are disposed to be
inclined downwardly towards the ball gathering part 313. In
addition, the ball gathering part 313 is disposed to be inclined
downwardly towards the playing surface 14.
-
By the described arrangement, balls drop on the first
floor part 311 roll on the first and second floor parts 311 and
312, and are collected in the ball gathering part 313. In
addition, the balls collected in the ball gathering part 313 are
moved upward within a cylinder to be described later by the ball
scooping-up unit 37, and are transferred to the left collecting
part 32. In addition to normal spherical balls, partially dented
faulty balls that have rolled into the ball gathering part 313 are
transferred by the ball scooping-up unit 37 to the left collecting
part 32.
-
The left collecting part 32 includes a plurality of (five, in
the drawings) rails 321 which are disposed side by side in
substantially a horizontal direction with the height lower than
that of the table 10, and which are inclined downwardly towards
the rear collecting part 33, and a receiver plate 322 having
substantially a C-shape in vertical cross section that is disposed
below the rails 321 to be inclined downwardly towards the rear
collecting part 33. The rails 321 are disposed at intervals of
slightly smaller than the diameter of the ball. Therefore,
normal balls can be rolled between adjacent rails 321, while
partially dented faulty balls drop from the spacing between
adjacent rails 321 onto the receiver plate 322 and are sorted.
-
By the described arrangement, normal balls roll on the
adjacent rails 321 and are transferred towards the rear
collecting part 33, and dented faulty balls collected by the floor
collecting part 31 drop from the spacing between the adjacent
rails 321 onto the receiver plate 322, roll on the receiver plate
322 (or the balls that do not roll are struck by subsequent
dropped balls), and are transferred to a receiver plate 332 to be
described below. The rails 321 and the receiver plate 322 are
arranged so that the ends thereof cross the rails 331 of the rear
collecting part 33 and the receiver plate 332 in order to enable
the balls to be transferred.
-
The rear collecting part 33 includes a plurality of (five, in
the drawings) rails 331 which are disposed side by side in
substantially a horizontal direction with the height lower than
that of the table 10, and which are inclined downwardly towards
the right side of the playing surface 14, and a receiver plate 332
which is disposed below the rails 331 to be inclined downwardly
towards the right side thereof, a normal ball relay box 333
disposed below the right edges of the rails 331, and a faulty ball
collecting box 334 disposed below the right edge of the receiver
plate 332.
-
The rails 331, similarly to the rails 321, are disposed at
intervals of slightly smaller than the diameter of the ball.
Therefore, normal balls can be rolled between adjacent rails 331,
while partially dented faulty balls drop from the spacing
between adjacent rails 331 onto the receiver plate 332, and are
sorted. The normal relay box 333 opens to the casing 200, and
is disposed to be inclined downwardly towards the casing 200.
-
Since the dented faulty balls have been collected in the
floor collecting part 31, most of them drop from the spacing
between the adjacent rails 321 of the left collecting part 32 onto
the receiver plate 322. However, since the balls on the rails
321 roll on the rails 321 using the same portions thereof as
rolling axes, when the portions of the balls crossing the rolling
shafts are dented, the balls do not drop from the spacing
between the adjacent rails 321. Thus, with respect to the
faulty balls which have not dropped from the spacing between
the adjacent rails 321, the rear collecting part 33 is provided
perpendicular to the left collecting part 32, whereby the rolling
axes are changed to be perpendicular to the rails 321 and the
dented portions are opposed between the rails 321, so that the
faulty balls are dropped from the spacing between the rails 321.
-
This allows the normal balls to be delivered to the normal
ball relay box 333 via the rails 321 and 331, and allows dented
faulty balls to be dropped from the rails 321 or 331 onto the
receiver plate 322 or 332, and delivered to the faulty balls
collecting box 334.
-
The right collecting part 34 includes a plate 341 which
has a height lower than that of the table 10 and which is
disposed to be inclined downwardly towards the rear collecting
part 33 and the table 10. The rear edge part of the plate 341
projects on the normal ball relay box 333. Since the normal
balls returned by the player may probably be collected by the
right collecting part 34, the balls roll on the plate 341 and are
delivered to the normal ball relay box 333 for a while.
-
The longitudinal collecting part 35 includes a plurality of
(four, in the drawing) rails 351 disposed in substantially a
horizontal direction to be inclined downwardly to the rear
thereof, and a receiver plate 352 disposed below the rails 351 to
be inclined downwardly to the front. The intervals of the rails
351 are set similarly to those of the rails 321 and 331. The
normal balls roll rearward on the rails 351 while the dented
faulty balls drop from the spacing between adjacent rails 35
onto the receiver plate 352.
-
The front end of the receiver plate 352 is located above
the faulty ball collecting box 334. Since almost all of the
dented faulty balls have been collected via the floor collecting
part 31, they should be collected in the faulty ball collecting box
334 when they pass through the rear collecting part 33.
However, because of influence of direction of the dented
portions of the faulty balls on the rails 331, the balls which
have not dropped from the spacing between the adjacent rails
331 of the rear collecting part 33 will drop from the spacing
between adjacent rails 351 by the change of the direction of the
dented portions.
-
This allows the normal balls to roll on the adjacent rails
351 and are transferred toward the lateral collecting part 36,
and allows the dented balls to be dropped from the spacing
between adjacent rails 351 and are collected in the faulty ball
collecting box 334. The rails 351 and the receiver plate 352 are
arranged so that the ends thereof cross the rails 361 and a
receiver plate 362 of a lateral collecting part 36 in order to
enable the balls to be transferred.
-
The lateral collecting part 36 includes a plurality of (four,
in the drawing) rails 361 disposed in substantially a horizontal
direction to be inclined downwardly to the left thereof, and a
receiver plate 362 disposed below the rails 361 to be inclined
downwardly to the right thereof. The intervals of the rails 361
are set similarly to those of the rails 351, and the normal balls
roll on the rails 361 to the left, while the dented faulty balls
drop from the spacing between adjacent rails 361 onto the
receiver plate 362. This is similarly applied to a case where
the balls are collected from the right collecting part 34 to be
guided to the longitudinal collecting part 35 and to the lateral
collecting part 36. Since the collected balls from the right
collecting part 34 have not passed through the left collecting
part 32 and the rear collecting part 33, the faulty balls from the
right collecting part 34 are sorted in the longitudinal collecting
part 35 and the lateral collecting part 36.
-
The rails 321, 331, 351 and 361 constitute ball sorting
sections, and the receiver plates 322, 332, 352 and 362
constitute deformed ball carrying sections. In addition, the
rails 321 and 351 constitute a first ball sorting section, and the
rails 331 and 361 constitutes a second ball sorting section.
-
Referring to Figs. 10 and 11, the ball scooping-up unit 37
includes a flat first guide plate 372 fixed on a base plate 372
and provided continuously with the rear edge of the ball
gathering section 313, a curved second guide plate 373 provided
continuously with the first guide plate 372, a vertical
transporting cylinder 374 provided vertically above the rear
edge of the second guide plate 373, a horizontal transporting
cylinder 376 which is connected to the upper portion of the
vertical transporting cylinder 374 by means of a connecting
cylinder 375 and which is horizontally disposed, a ball stirring
unit 377 for preventing a ball jam on the rear end of the first
guide plate 372, and a feeding unit 378 for feeding the balls fed
to the second guide plate 373 to the vertical transporting
cylinder 374.
-
The first guide plate 372 is disposed to be inclined
downwardly towards the second guide plate 373, and has an
oblong cutout 372a formed at the position opposite a shaft 377e
to be described later for facilitating the passage of the balls
below the shaft 377e. In addition, the first guide plate 372 has
upright parts 372c and 372d formed at both sides of rear end
thereof to form a narrow ball outlet 372b for passing
therethrough balls one at a time.
-
The second guide plate 373 guides the balls rolled from
the first guide plate 372 to the vertical transporting cylinder
374. A cushion member 373a, such as a sponge, is attached to
the top surface of the second guide plate 373 by bonding or the
like.
-
The ball stirring unit 377 includes a shaft 377e which is
rotatably supported by bearings 377a and 377b disposed at both
sides thereof, and to which a plurality of flexible stirring rods
377c and 377d are attached alternatively in opposite phase
positions at intervals of substantially one ball, and a drive unit
377f for rotationally driving the shaft 377e. The drive unit
377f consists of a gear 377g attached to one end of the shaft
377e, a gear 378e attached to one end of a shaft 378c to be
described below, and a chain 377h looped over the gears 377g
and 378e, and is driven by a driving force of a stirring/feeding
motor 379 to be described below. By the described
arrangements, the shaft 377e is rotationally driven in the
direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 11, and a plurality of balls
that get trapped near the outlet 372b of the first guide plate 372
are stirred by the stirring rods 377c and 377d so as not to cause
a ball jam near the outlet 372b.
-
The feeding unit 378 includes a shaft 378c which is
rotatably supported by the bearings 378a and 378b disposed on
both sides thereof and which is disposed above the second guide
plate 373 and in front of (left side in Fig. 11) the vertical
transporting cylinder 374, a feeding roller 378d mounted at the
position opposite the vertical transporting cylinder 374, and a
stirring/feeding motor 379 for rotationally driving the shaft
378c. The motor 379 is fixed to a motor mounting plate 379a.
The feeding roller 378d is formed of an elastic member, such as
a sponge or rubber, and the diameter thereof is set to a size such
that the distance between the roller 378d and the cushion
member 373a bonded to the curved surface of the second guide
plate 373 is slightly shorter than the diameter of the ball.
-
By the described arrangements, when the shaft 378c is
rotationally driven in the direction shown by the arrow in Fig.
11 to rotate the roller 378d, a ball is fed to the vertical
transporting cylinder 374 in a state of being elastically
sandwiched between the feeding roller 378d and the cushion
member 373a. The ball fed into the vertical transporting
cylinder 374 is pushed upward by the sequentially fed balls, and
is delivered to the horizontal transferring cylinder 376. The
ball delivered to the horizontal transporting cylinder 376 is
transferred to the left collecting part 32.
-
A sensor mounting plate 370a is attached to the motor
mounting plate 379a, and a first motor rotation sensor 370
consisting of a photo-interrupter having a light emitting
element and a light receiving element is fixed to the sensor
mounting plate 370a. A shielding plate 379c fitted to a rotary
shaft 379b of the motor 379 passes through a gap formed
between the light emitting element and the light receiving
element of the sensor 370, whereby the number of rotations of
the motor 379 is counted.
-
Since the ball scooping-up unit 38 is of identical
structure to the ball scooping-up unit 37, a description thereof
will be omitted.
-
The display section 40 is disposed on the front surface of
the casing 200, and includes a point display section 41
consisting of a 7-segment indicator, and an image display
section 42 consisting of a dot-matrix indicator. The point
display section 41 displays the number of remaining balls with
respect to a predetermined number of balls, and displays each
time a point obtained by the player by returning the ball from
the ball projecting section 20 to the playing surface 14 is added.
The image display section 42 displays a demonstration picture
before starting the play, a presentation picture during the play,
a demonstration picture when the play is over, a high score and
the like.
-
The sound section 50 consists of amplifiers, speakers and
so forth, and outputs a presentation music and sound effects
during display of the demonstration picture and during the play,
a ball projection sound each time the ball is projected from the
ball projecting section 20, and a sound effect when the ball
returned by the player drops within the playing surface 14.
-
The box 60 consists of a net or the like, and prevents the
ball projected from the ball projecting section 20 and the ball
returned by the player from flying far away. A door 61 for the
player is provided on the right of the box 60.
-
The control box 70 is mounted on the right of the playing
surface 12 of the table 10, and is placed across the inside and
the outside of the box 60. Inside the box 60, there are provided
a coin entrance CE in which a prescribed coin is slotted before
starting play, a start button SW1, a game mode select button SS
(a first course button SS1, a middle course button SS2, and an
advanced course button SS3) for use in selecting one of three
types of game (training) modes of different degree of difficulty,
and a coach mode select button CS for enabling the game to be
played by two players.
-
Outside the box 60, there are provided a start button SW2,
and an area select button PS for use in selecting a drop area
(drop position) of the ball in the playing surface 12 projected
from the ball projecting section 20. The area select button PS
is used for dividing the playing surface 12 into two areas in the
longitudinal direction, and for selecting one of the total six
areas divided in the lateral direction. The button PS consists
of six buttons PS1, PS2, PS3, PS4, PS5 and PS6 for individually
selecting the areas. When one of the buttons is pushed, a
spin-applied ball, for example, projected from the ball
projecting section 20 drops on the selected area.
-
In the described arrangements, when the player plays
alone, a coin is slotted in the coin entrance CE, a predetermined
game mode is selected by the game mode selection button SS
and then, the start button SW1 is pushed, whereby the game is
started When the player plays the game with a competitor to
imitate a coach, a coin is slotted in the coil entrance CE, the
coach mode select button is pushed and then, the start button
SW2 is pushed by the competitor standing outside the box 60,
whereby the game is started. The competitor pushes a
predetermined button to suitably select the drop area of the ball
in accordance with the player's skill, before the ball is projected
from the ball projecting section 20, and then advances the play.
Even if the coach mode select button CS is pushed, the ball is
projected under a preset condition unless the area select button
PS is pushed.
-
A type of projection of ball select button, a ball speed
select button, a ball projecting position select button, a ball
projecting angle select button, a ball projecting direction select
button and the like may be provided so that, by pushing these
select buttons when the coach mode is selected, the type of
projection of ball, speed, projecting position and the like can be
suitably selected each time the ball is projected.
-
Referring to Fig. 12, the control section 80 consists of a
CPU for performing predetermined calculation and control
processing, a ROM 82 in which a predetermined processing
program is stored, and a RAM 83 for temporarily storing data.
The entire operation of the table tennis apparatus is controlled
in accordance with the above predetermined processing
program.
-
The CPU 81 includes the following functional units: a
game setting unit 811 for setting game contents in accordance
with any one of the game modes selected from the three game
modes of the first, medium, and advanced courses, a cold-cathode
tube lighting unit 811 for selectively lighting the cold-cathode
tubes 181 to 184 in accordance with a lighting command,
a first discriminating unit 812 for discriminating whether or
not a ball dropped onto the playing surface 14, a second
discriminating unit 813 for discriminating whether or not the
ball dropped onto the cold-cathode tube lighting area, a cold-cathode
tube winking unit 815 for selectively winking the cold-cathode
tubes in accordance with a winking command, a score
adding unit 816 for adding the present score to the score that is
obtained immediately before the present score in accordance
with the results of discrimination of the first and second
discriminating units 813 and 814, a point display section
winking unit 817 for winking the point display section 41 when
the score is added, a ball type setting unit for setting the type of
projection of ball from the ball projecting section 20 in
accordance with a setting command, a speed setting unit 819 for
setting the speed of the ball projected from the ball projecting
section 20, a projecting position setting unit 820 for setting a
projecting position of the ball from the ball projecting section 20,
a projecting angle setting unit 821 for setting a projecting angle
of the ball from the ball projecting section 20, a projecting
direction setting unit 822 for setting a projecting direction of
the ball from the ball projecting section 20, a projecting
condition setting unit 823 for setting a projecting condition of a
ball so that the ball is projected towards the selected drop area
in accordance with a pushing operation of the area selection
button when the coach mode is selected, and a bounded ball
addition disabling unit 824 for disabling a score addition with
respect to the second drop of the ball bounded on the playing
surface 14.
-
A description will now be given of an example of the table
tennis apparatus constructed as described above.
-
First, an initializing operation of each of the components
will be described with reference to a flow chart shown in Fig. 13.
-
When a power switch is turned on, a base plate is checked
to determine whether or not the components such as the CPU
and the like are functioning normally (step S1), and then the
components are initialized (step S3). Then, the ball projecting
section moving motor 296a is rotationally driven to move
laterally the ball projecting section 20 (step S5), and after a
lapse of a fixed period of time, it is determined whether or not
the ball projecting section 20 is located in the center of the table
10 (step S7). If "yes", the rotation of the motor 296a is stopped.
If "no", It is determined whether or not the ball projecting
section 20 is located on the left end or the right end of the table
10 (step S11). If "yes" in step S11, the ball projecting section
20 is moved to the center of the table 10 (step S13) and
thereafter, the procedure returns to step S7. If "no" in step
S13, it is determined that the ball projecting section 20 is
moving to the center of the table 10 and the procedure returns
to step S7 to execute subsequent operations.
-
Then, the oscillating angle of the ball projecting section
20 in the lateral direction is set (step S15) and the ball
projecting section 20 is laterally rotated. It is determined
whether or not there is anything abnormal about the oscillating
angle and the oscillating sensor 277 (step S17), and a projecting
angle of the projecting port 211 is set (step S19) when "yes" in
step S17. Thereafter, the guide plate 281 of the projecting port
211 is rotated by the angle corresponding to the set projecting
angle, and it is determined whether or not there is anything
abnormal about the guide plate sensor 283 and the projection
angle sensor 285 (step S21). If "yes" in step S21, the point
display section 41, the image display section 42 and the
illumination lamp (not shown), and the like are initialized and
the cold-cathode tubes 181 to 184 are subsequently initialized
(step S25). If "no" in step S17 and step S21, error handling (for
example, display of the abnormal section on the image display
section 42) is performed (step S27 and step S29).
-
A game operation will now be described with reference to
the flow chart shown in Fig. 14. First, it is determined
whether or not there is anything abnormal in the initializing
operation of the components as described above (step S31). If
"yes", a demonstration picture before starting the play is
displayed on the image display section 42 (step S33). Then, it
is determined whether or not a coin has been slotted in the coin
entrance CE (step S35). If "yes", game variables (the number
of remaining ball, the projecting angle, and the like) are
initialized (step S37).
-
Then, it is determined whether or not a predetermined
game course among the first course, the middle course and the
advanced course is selected (step S39). If "yes", the game
contents corresponding to the game course is set (step S41). If
"no" in step S31, error handling (such as the display of the
abnormal section on the image display section 42) is performed
(step S43) to make it impossible to start the game. In addition,
if "not" in step S39, the determination is repeatedly executed
until the game course is selected.
-
When the game contents are set in step S41, the ball
scooping-up units 37 and 38 of the ball collecting section 30 are
actuated (step S45), the ball stirring unit 236 of the ball supply
section 236 is actuated (step S47), and a predetermined color-luminary
cold-cathode tube in the cold-cathode tubes 181 to 184
is lit up immediately before the projection of ball (step S49).
Then, a ball is projected from the ball projecting section 20
towards the playing surface 12 (step S51), and the drop position
of the ball returned by the player is detected to perform score
handling (step S53). Thereafter, it is determined by a count
value of the plate cam sensor 243 whether or not the prescribed
number of balls are projected from the ball projecting section 20
(step S55). If "yes", the procedure returns to step S45, and
subsequent operations are repeatedly executed.
-
The operations in steps S45, S47, S49, S51, S53 and S57
shown in Fig. 14 will now be described in this order with
reference to the flow charts of Figs. 15 to 20. While these
operations are repeatedly executed in a predetermined cycle, for
example, 1/60 seconds, the flow charts of Figs. 15 to 20 focus on
the operations for reasons of explanation.
-
The operations of the ball scooping-up units 37 and 38
will be first described with reference to the flow chart of Fig. 15.
Since the operation of the ball scooping-up unit 37 is identical
to that of the ball scooping-up unit 38, a description will be
given of the operation of the ball scooping-up unit 37.
-
First, the stirring/feeding motor 379 is started to rotate
in a normal direction (step S71), and it is determined whether
or not the motor has rotated once (step S71). If "yes", the
number of rotations is counted up (step S75), and a rotation
timer is consecutively counted up (step S77).
-
Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the count of
the rotation timer has reached a prescribed number (step S79).
If "yes", it is determined whether or not the number of rotations
of the motor 379 has reached a prescribed number (step S81).
If "yes" in step S81, the error count is cleared (step S83). That
is, when a ball jam does not occur in the vicinity of the ball
stirring section 377 and the motor 379 is normally operated, the
operations of steps S71 to S83 are repeatedly executed during
proceeding of the game. If "no" in step S73, the procedure
advances to step S77. If "no" in step S79, the procedure
returns to step S73, and subsequent operations are repeatedly
executed until the count of the rotation timer reaches the
prescribed number.
-
On the other hand, if "no" in step S81, i.e., the ball jam
occurs in the vicinity of the ball stirring section 377 and the
motor 379 is not rotated normally, the rotation of the motor 379
is stopped to clear the rotation timer (step S85), and a stop
timer is counted up (step S87). Then, it is determined whether
or not the count of the stop timer has reached a prescribed
number (step S89). If "yes", the motor 379 is started to rotate
in a reverse direction (step S91). That is, the motor 379 is
rotated in the reverse direction to eliminate the ball jam
occurred in the vicinity of the ball stirring section 377. If "no"
in step S89, the procedure returns to step S87, and the
determination is repeatedly executed until the count of the stop
timer reaches the prescribed number.
-
When the motor 379 is rotated in the reverse direction in
step S91, the stop timer is cleared, while the rotation timer is
counted up (step S93). Consecutively, it is determined whether
or not the count of the rotation timer has reached a prescribed
number (step S95). If "yes", the rotation of the motor 379 is
stopped to clear the rotation timer (step S97), and the stop
timer is counted up (step S99). Then, it is determined whether
or not the count of the stop timer has reached the prescribed
number (step S101). If "yes", an error is counted up (step
S103). If"no" In step S101, the procedure advances to step S99
and the determination is repeatedly executed until the count of
the stop timer reaches the prescribed number.
-
Consecutively, it is determined whether or not the error
count reaches a prescribed number (for example, 3) (step S105).
If "no", the procedure returns to step S71 and subsequent
operations are repeatedly executed. That is, when the ball jam
is eliminated by rotating the motor 379 in the reverse direction,
steps S71 to S83 are repeatedly executed. When the ball jam is
not eliminated by repeating the operations in steps S85 to S103
of prescribed times (for example, three times), the
determination in step S105 is "yes" and error handling (for
example, display of the ball jam on the image display section 42).
In this case, the balls are not projected from the ball projecting
section 20 after a lapse of a fixed period of time. Thus, the
proceeding of the game is stopped when the balls are not
projected.
-
The operation of the ball stirring unit 236 of the ball
supply section 23 shown in step 47 of Fig. 4 will now be
described with reference to the flow chart shown in Fig. 16.
-
First, the hopper-inside stirring motor 234 is stated to
rotate (step S121). Then, the rotation timer is counted up
(step S123) and thereafter, it is determined whether or not the
count of the rotation timer has reached a prescribed number
(step S125). If "yes", the rotation of the motor 234 is stopped,
and the rotation timer is cleared (step S127), and the stop timer
is counted up (step S129). Then, it is determined whether or
not the count of the stop timer has reached a prescribed number
(step S131). If "yes", the procedure returns to step S121, and
subsequent operations are repeatedly operated. If "no" in step
S125, the procedure returns to step S123 to execute repeatedly
the determination until the count reaches the prescribed
number. In addition, if "no" in step S131, the procedure
returns to step S129 to execute repeatedly the determination
until the count reaches the prescribed number.
-
The lighting operation of the cold-cathode tubes 181 to
184 in step S49 shown in Fig. 14 will now be described with
reference to the flow chart shown in Fig. 17.
-
First, degree of difficulty handling according to the game
course, score and the number of remaining balls is executed
(step S141). That is, when the game course of the low degree of
difficulty (for example, the first course and the middle course)
is selected, the degree of difficulty handling is performed so
that the cold-cathode tubes in a plurality of areas of E2 to E5 of
the playing surface 14 are lit up to make it easy to obtain scores.
On the other hand, when the game course of the high degree of
difficulty (for example, the advanced course) is selected, the
degree of difficulty handling is performed so that the cold-cathode
tube in one of the areas of E2 to E5 of the playing
surface 14 are lit up to make it difficult to obtain scores. Even
if the game course of the low degree of difficulty has been
selected, when the score exceeds a predetermined value or the
number of remaining balls decreases to less than a
predetermined value, the degree of difficulty handling is
performed so that the cold-cathode tubes in one of the areas of
E2 to E5 of the playing surface 14 are lit up to make it difficult
to obtain scores.
-
Then, before the projection of balls from the ball
projecting section 20, it is determined whether or not the degree
of difficulty is low (step S143). If "yes", the cold-cathode tubes
182 and 184 (or 181 and 183) of the left-side (or right-side) two
areas E3 and E5 (or E2 and E4) are lit up simultaneously. If
"no" (i.e., when the degree of difficulty is high), the cold- cathode
tube 181, 182, 183 or 184 in one of the four areas of E2 to E5 is
lit up (step 147).
-
The ball projecting operation of the ball projecting
section 20 in step S51 shown in Fig. 14 will now be described
with reference to the flow chart shown in Fig. 18.
-
First, it is determined whether or not the projection of a
prescribed number of balls has not been finished (step S161).
If "yes", the type of projection and the speed of the next ball to
be projected are decided (step S163) according to the degree of
difficulty of the game (that is decided by the selected game
course, the present score and the present number of remaining
balls). That is, when the degree of difficulty is high, the type
of projection of ball, a manner of application of spin and the like
are frequently changed, and the projecting speed is increased.
When the degree of difficulty is low, the type of projection of
ball, a manner of application of spin and the like are not
changed so frequently, and the projecting speed is decreased.
If "no" In step S161, the operation shifts to that of step S53
shown in Fig. 14.
-
Then, the projecting position of the next ball to be
projected is decided according to the degree of difficulty of the
game (step S165). That is, when the degree of difficulty of the
game is high, the ball projecting section 20 is moved laterally on
the rear end of the playing surface 14 in accordance with the
drop position of the ball returned by the player in the playing
surface 14.
-
That is, when the ball has dropped onto the right-side
second area E2 or the fourth area E4 of the playing surface 14,
the drop of the ball onto the second area E2 or the fourth area
E4 is discriminated by a detection signal output from a pair of
the microphones 192 and 193 or 196 and 197, and the ball
projecting section 20 is moved to the center position or the
right-end position on the right-half of the table 10. In addition,
when the ball has dropped onto the left-side third area E3 or the
fifth area E5 of the playing surface 14, the drop of the ball onto
the third area E3 or the fifth area E5 is discriminated by a
detection signal output from a pair of the microphones 194 and
195 or 198 and 199, and the ball projecting section 20 is moved
to the center position or the left-end position on the left-half of
the table 10. The movement of the ball projecting section 20 is
controlled by the number of pulses supplied to the projecting
section moving motor 96a.
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When the degree of difficulty of the game is low, the ball
projecting section 20 is fixed to the center position, left-end
position or the right-end position of the table 10 regardless of
the drop position of the ball returned by the player on the
playing surface 14.
-
Then, the projecting angle of the next ball to be projected
is decided according to the degree of difficulty of the game (step
S167). That is, when the degree of difficulty of the game is
high, the projecting angle is frequently changed, or a ratio of
the projection of the ball in a path describing a parabola is
decreased, and a ratio of the projection of the low ball is
increased. In addition, when the degree of difficulty of the
game is low, the projecting angle is not frequently changed, or a
ratio of the projection of the ball in a path describing a parabola
is increased, and a ratio of the projection of the low ball is
decreased.
-
Then, the projecting direction (straight direction or
crosswise direction) of the next ball to be projected is decided
according to the degree of difficulty of the game (step S169).
That is, when the degree of difficulty of the game is high, the
projecting direction is frequently changed, while the projecting
direction is not changed so frequently when the degree of
difficulty of the game is low.
-
Then, the number of rotations of the roller motors 253
and 254 of the urging force-imparting unit 25 is quickly changed
by a PWM control (pulse width modulation control), and the
projecting cylinder rotating motor 263 of the rotary unit 26 is
driven by the supplied voltage of a predetermined number of
pulses, whereby the ball projecting section 20 is rotated in the
normal direction or the reverse direction by a predetermined
angle, and the type of projection of ball and the ball speed is set
to be the type and the speed decided in step S163 (step S171).
In addition, the projecting section moving motor 96a is driven
by the supplied voltage of a predetermined number of pulses,
whereby the ball projecting section 20 is moved to a
predetermined leftward or rightward position, and the ball
projecting position is set to the position decided in step S163
(step S173). The type of projection of ball in steps S163 and
S171 refers to the type which is changed by the manner of
application of spin by the urging force-imparting unit 25 and
the rotary unit 26 on the ball. However, the ball speed changed
by the urging force-imparting unit 25, and the ball in a path
describing a parabola produced by the angle changing unit 28
may be included in the type of projection of ball.
-
In addition, the guide plate motor 282 is driven until the
voltage value output from the sensor 285 reaches a
predetermined value, whereby the guide plate 281 is rotated by
a predetermined angle, and the ball projecting angle is set to
the angle decided in step S167 (step S175). Furthermore, the
projecting section oscillating motor 276 is driven until the
voltage value output from the oscillating angle sensor 278
reaches a predetermined value, whereby the ball projecting
section 20 is rotated leftward or rightward by a predetermined
angle, and the ball projecting direction is set to the direction
decided in step S169 (step S177).
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When the coach mode selection switch CS of the control
box 70 is turned on, the operations of steps S163 to S169 are
operated according to a signal that is output by turning on any
one of the area select switches PS1 to PS6 provided in the
control box 70. In addition, even if the coach mode selection
switch CS is turned on, the ball is projected under programmed
conditions when no area selection switches are turned on.
-
Then, it is judged whether or not the ball projecting
timing (for example, one projection per two seconds) has been
provided (step S179). If "yes", the plate cam motor 242 is
started to rotate, and the plate cam 241 is rotated in response
thereto (step S181). If "no" In step S179, the determination is
repeatedly executed until the projection timing is provided.
-
Then, it is determined whether or not the plate cam 241
has rotated once (step S183). If "yes", a projection sound (for
example, a sound effect generated when a ball is hit by a racket)
is generated (step S185). Thereafter, the rotation of the plate
cam motor 242 is stopped and the rotation of the plate cam 241
is stopped in response thereto (step S187). If "no" in step S183,
it is determined whether or not a fixed period of time has
elapsed since the plate cam 241 is started to rotate (step S189).
If "yes", error handling (for example, display of the ball jam) is
performed (step S191). If "no" in step S189, the procedure
returns to step S183, and subsequent operations are repeatedly
executed.
-
The detection of the drop position of the ball, and score
handling in step S53 shown in Fig. 14 will now be described
with reference to the flow chart shown in Fig. 19.
-
First, it is determined whether or not the ball is
projected from the ball projecting section 20 (step S221). If
"yes", it is determined whether or not the last detection signals
output from the microphones 190 to 199 are cleared (step S223).
If "yes", it is determined whether or not the ball returned by the
player has dropped onto the playing surface 14 (step S225). If
"no" in step S223, the determination is repeatedly executed
until the above detection signals are cleared, and even if the
next signals are output from the microphones 190 to 199 during
the determination, the signals are ignored.
-
That is, when "yes" in step S221, a flag is set up, and
while the flat is being set up, the detection signals from the
microphones 190 to 199 that are output only when the ball drops
on the playing surface 14 are incorporated into the score adding
unit 816. On the other hand, once the detection signals have
been incorporated into the score adding unit 816, the above flag
falls, and even if the ball drops again on the playing surface 14
by bounding and the detection signals are output, the signals
are ignored and are not incorporated into the score adding unit
816.
-
However, when the previously projected ball is returned
in a path describing a parabola to drop on the playing surface 14
immediately before the projection of the next ball, and bounds
to drop on the playing surface 14 immediately after the
projection of the next ball, a score is added doubly by the bound
of the previously projected ball, and the score is not added by
the next ball. Therefore, a detection signal output by the first
bound is held for a fixed period of time (for example, 0.5
seconds), and even if the next detection signal is output during
the holding time, the signal is ignored, thereby preventing the
score from being added doubly.
-
A specific example will be described. As shown in Fig.
21A, it is assumed that the first ball 1 ○ is projected from the
ball projecting section 20 at the time t1 and a flag F is set up,
and the second ball 2 ○ is projected and a flag F is set up at the
time t2, for example, after two seconds. In this case, even if
the first ball 1 ○ that has been returned on the playing surface
14 continuously bounds on the playing surface 14 immediately
before the projection of the second ball 2 ○, the flag F falls at the
first bound time t1a, so that no detection signals resulting from
subsequent bounds are incorporated into the score adding unit
816.
-
As shown in Fig. 21B, however, if the ball 1 ○ bounds on
the playing surface 14 at the time t1b immediately before the
projection of the ball 2 ○ and bounds again at the time t1c
immediately after the projection of the ball 2 ○, the flag F is set
up by the projection of the ball 1 ○ immediately before the bound
at the time t1b, and the flag F is set up by the projection of the
ball 2 ○ immediately before the second bound at the time t1c.
Thus, both detection signals are incorporated into the score
adding unit 816.
-
In this case, if the detection signal is held for, for
example, 0.5 seconds after the first bound time t1b and a gate is
provided so as not to receive new detection signal during this
period, as shown in Fig. 21B, the detection signal resulting from
the first bound of the ball 1 ○ is incorporated into the score
adding unit 816, but the detection signal resulting from the
second bound is not incorporated into the score adding unit 816
when the holding of the detection signal is cleared after the
second bound time t1c of the first ball 1 ○.
-
The ball 2 ○ usually bounds at the time t2a after the
detection signal of the ball 1 ○ is cleared, and the detection
signal resulting from the bound is incorporated into the score
adding unit 816. The above 0.5 seconds is an example of the
period of time for holding the detection signal. The time may
be set to the time corresponding to the maximum value of the
bound time, or slightly longer.
-
Returning to Fig. 19, if "no" in step S225, it is determined
whether or not a fixed period of time has elapsed (step S227).
If "yes", the procedure advances to step S55 shown in Fig. 14.
If "no", the procedure returns to step S225 and the
determination is repeatedly executed until the fixed period of
time elapses. If"yes" in step S225, it is determined whether or
not the ball returned by the player has dropped onto the areas
E2 to E5 where the cold-cathode tubes 181 to 184 are being lit
up (step S229). If "yes", a high score (for example, 2 points) is
added to the previous score, and a sound effect, such as a music
for honoring the score, is output for a fixed period of time (step
S231). In this embodiment, the drop of the ball on the
boundary between the lighting area and the non-lighting area of
the cold-cathode tubes is regarded as the drop onto the lighting
area.
-
Then, in order to obtain the illumination effect, the
cold-cathode tubes in the area onto which the ball has dropped
are winked for a fixed period of time, while all the cold-cathode
tubes in other areas are lit up only for a fixed period of time
(step S233). Consecutively, the added point is displayed on the
point display section 41 and the display section 41 is winked for
a fixed period of time, whereby scoring of the point is appealed
(step S235).
-
Game-over handling in step S57 shown in Fig. 14 will now
be described with reference to the flow chart of Fig. 20.
-
First, the rotations of the motors in the ball projecting
section 20, i.e., the hopper-inside stirring motor 234, the roller
motors 253 and 254, the projecting cylinder rotating motor 263,
the projecting cylinder oscillating motor 273, the guide plate
motor 282 and the projecting section moving motor 96a are
stopped (step S261), and a demonstration picture relating to
game-over is displayed on the image display section 42 (step
S263). The demonstration picture includes a renewal of high
score, display of final score, and the like.
-
Then, the motor 96a is rotationally driven and the ball
projecting section 20 is returned to the initial position, in the
center of the table 10 (step S265), the motor 282 is rotationally
driven and the guide plate 281 is returned to the initial position
(step S267), and further, the motor 276 is rotationally driven
and the ball projecting section 20 is returned to the initial
position in the oscillating direction (step S269).
-
Thereafter, it is determined whether or not a fixed period
of time has elapsed (step S271). If "yes", the rotations of the
stirring/feeding motors 379 and 389 are stopped (step S273).
-
While the present invention has been described with
respect to what is presently considered to be the preferred
embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not
limited to the disclosed embodiment. To the contrary, the
invention is intended to cover various modifications and
equivalent arrangements included within the sprit and scope of
the appended claims.
-
For example, it is possible to divide the playing surface
14 of the table 10 into total six areas by dividing the area near
the net 16 into left-side and right-side areas. With this
arrangement, even if a ball is hit into the area near the net 16,
the next ball can be projected according to the area into which
the ball is hit. In addition, it is possible to divide laterally the
playing surface 14 into three or more areas. If the three or
more areas are formed laterally on the playing surface 14 and a
microphone is installed on each of the areas, the ball projection
section 20 can be moved to a position closer to the ball return
position, so that a competitive play which is closer to the actual
play can be performed. Furthermore, cold-cathode tubes may
be provided in all areas, and cold-cathode tubes of the same
color may be used in the areas.
-
In addition, the ball projecting section 20 may be
disposed rearward of the playing surface 12 on the side of a
player without providing the playing surface 14. In this case,
for example, it is possible to dispose a monitor rearward of the
ball projecting section 20 for displaying a picture of a playing
surface and a returned ball, to arrange laterally a number of
optical sensors on the proximal side of the ball projecting
section 20, and to detect the ball return direction according to
which optical sensor the ball returned by the player passes
through to thereby move laterally the ball projecting section 20
according to the result of the detection. It is also possible to
dispose longitudinally a board having a plurality of through
holes formed therein in the form of a matrix in place of the
playing surface 14, to detect which through hole the returned
ball passes through by optical sensors or mechanical switches so
as to obtain the ball return direction thereby to move laterally
the ball projecting section 20 according to the return direction.
-
Furthermore, a lamp such as a cold-cathode tube may be
disposed in the first area E1. In addition, it is possible to use
lamps of the same luminary color. A variation of a luminary
color in each of the areas can be realized by using a white-luminary
lamp and a colored plate body 142. Furthermore, it
is possible to constitute a surface illuminant by burying a
plurality of light emitting diodes in the form of a matrix in the
plate body 142 or the like. While the surface illuminant
constitutes identifying means for identifying the areas of the
playing surface, the identifying means can be constituted by
other means such as lighting for illuminating the playing
surface 14 from above.
-
Still furthermore, the ball sorting section may include
only the rails 321 of the left collecting part 32 and the rails 331
of the rear collecting part 33, or may include only the rails 351
of the longitudinal collecting part 35 and the rails 361 of the
lateral collecting part 36.
-
When the ball sorting section includes only the rails 321
and the rails 331, balls that have rolled to the downstream of
the rails 331 may be returned towards the ball projecting
section 20 by the ball scooping-up unit 38. When the ball
sorting section includes only the rails 351 and the rails 361,
balls that have dropped around the table 10 may be collected,
for example, to the rearward of the table 10 on the floor below
the table 10, and the collected balls may be transferred onto the
rails 351.
-
Yet furthermore, the ball sorting section may only
include either of the rails 321 or the rails 331, or either of the
rails 351 or the rails 361. In these cases, balls that have
dropped around the table 10 may be collected by suitable means,
and may be transferred onto the rails of the ball sorting section.
In addition, the rails may be disposed horizontally so that the
balls are rolled by wind pressure.
-
In addition, it is possible to construct the right collecting
part 34 similar to the left collecting part 32. It is also possible
for the left collecting part 32 to include the same plate as that
of the right collecting part 34. In this case, balls that have
rolled towards the downstream of the plate may be delivered to
the rails 331 of the rear collecting part 33.
-
Furthermore, the floor collecting part 31 may be
extended to the rearward of the table 10, and the balls that have
been collected in the floor collecting part 31 may be transferred
to the ball sorting section from the extended portion. In
addition, the floor collecting part 31 may allows the balls to be
rolled by window pressure or the like.
-
Still furthermore, in the described embodiment, the
bounded ball addition disabling unit 824 prevents a signal
detected by detection means from being incorporated into the
score adding unit 816 when a ball bounds to drop again on the
playing surface 14. However, when addition resulting from the
first drop of the ball is executed, the addition may be prevented
from being executed by, for example, electrically shutting off a
circuit of the detection means for a fixed period of time to
disable the detecting operation.